I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 4 Casting
the next day.

After finishing his class, Cheng Sheng found teachers Zhang Yang and Yang Chao and handed them the list of movie characters.

After obtaining the list, the two took Cheng Sheng to the principal.

The principal learned about Cheng Sheng's filming of a blockbuster yesterday.

An investment of 100 million!

This is a very rare thing in the country.

The principal was surprised and apprehensive that a student could attract such a large investment.

The pleasant surprise was, of course, the competence of my students.

perturbed.

If the movie turns out to be a bad one, it won't just damage the school's reputation; it will also make it difficult for future directors who graduate from the school to attract investment.

Overall, the principal was very supportive of Cheng Sheng, since the investment money had already been secured and he had no choice but to support him.

The four of them discussed the filming arrangements in the principal's office.

Because it was Cheng Sheng's first time directing a movie, and it was a blockbuster.

The school is fully supportive. The principal gave the green light to everything, from assembling the film crew to casting the actors. He also helped with the military matters. As soon as filming started, the military would move into the film set very quickly.

Costume and prop making is no problem at all.

Now only the actors are left.

The list that Yang Chao handed over made the principal both happy and hesitant.

With over a hundred actors, there aren't many students who fit the roles. Although he would like his students to join the crew for internships, with such a large investment, it's better to be cautious and choose roles that match the characters' appearances.

After final discussions, roles that were too old or unsuitable for students were removed. The school received half of the roles, while the other half had to be filled through open auditions.

The discussion has ended.

Posters announcing film crew recruitment and auditions have appeared on the bulletin board of the Central Academy of Drama campus.

The next few days.

The school helped assemble the film crew.

Cheng Sheng spent his days loitering around the acting department under the guise of selecting actors.

This is the advantage of having connections; you can delegate trivial matters to certain individuals.

Regarding the news that Cheng Sheng wants to make a movie.

The outside world is not optimistic about this.

A film with a new director and a historical theme is likely to flop.

Cheng Sheng is a junior in college with no directing experience whatsoever. How dare he make a historical film? Isn't that courting death?

Which of the great directors of the past was successful in making historical films?
They basically all plunged into the sea.

Of course, not having a high opinion of Cheng Sheng's film doesn't prevent them from participating in its production.

After all, if a movie flops, it's the director's and producer's problem, not the actors'.

Cheng Sheng tends to give roles that are on the younger side, but he would also consider casting older roles if a teacher were in the role, or if an open audition were held.

The two most important characters are Changsun Wuji and Princess Pingyang Zhao. These two are considered major supporting characters, but they are also the ones that students are vying for.

"Ya Ya, which role do you choose?"

Inside the campus, Wang Zhi asked Tong Yaya.

Wang Zhi and Tong Yaya were both freshmen in the performing arts department last year. When they heard that Cheng Sheng was making a movie and was casting for roles on campus, they signed up without hesitation.

However, since there are not many female characters in this film, Cheng Sheng did not hold open auditions for the role of Empress Zhangsun, who is the female lead. Instead, he put out open auditions for the role of Pingyang Zhao, who is the second female lead.

Almost all the female students in the acting department came for the role of Pingyang Zhao.

"Of course it's Pingyang Zhao, she's the second female lead!" Tong Yaya said excitedly.

"But I heard that the second female lead has a lot of action scenes, which will be very tough," Wang Zhi said after a moment's hesitation.

Filming action scenes was indeed very tough, especially since she hadn't received any martial arts training. "The school even gave us freshmen a chance this time, so what's a little hardship?" Tong Yaya was quite determined; she didn't mind enduring hardship for the sake of fame.

The Central Academy of Drama does not have any explicit rules prohibiting students from taking on acting roles.

However, for first- and second-year students, school teachers usually discourage them from taking on acting roles during this period; while for third- and fourth-year students, they can take on acting roles appropriately with the consent of the school and class teachers, provided that it does not affect their studies.

This time, the school gave the freshmen a chance because Cheng Sheng gave them so many roles.

Students were scrambling to get this opportunity from the school.

Although they were not optimistic about Cheng Sheng becoming a director, these students who had not yet graduated would not let go of the opportunity to appear on the big screen.

On the day of the interview.

The school specially set aside a classroom as the interview venue.

Cheng Sheng, Yang Chao, Zhang Yang, and two other assistant directors served as interviewers.

Originally, Cheng Sheng did not intend to get involved in this kind of thing, after all, he was extremely busy and needed to communicate with photographers, makeup artists, prop masters, costume designers, and so on.

However, since it was the first day of the interview, Yang Chao insisted on letting Cheng Sheng show his face.

When it comes to casting supporting roles, Cheng Sheng doesn't require the actors to have any acting skills; he only requires that they match the character's appearance and temperament.

With the simulation panel, even if these students aren't good at acting, he can make them look like movie stars during filming.

Therefore, Cheng Sheng's first requirement for casting actors is that they match the character's appearance and temperament.

The interview scene.

Yang Chao glanced at Cheng Sheng, greeted him, and then the group quickly got to work.

Because there are many people to interview, the interview time will be scheduled according to the roles to be interviewed.

Today's interviewees are the second female lead, Ping Yangzhao, and her husband, Chai Shao.

"Hello teacher, hello director, I'm auditioning for the second female lead, Princess Pingyang Zhao."

The first one to come in was Zhang Xinyi, a female student from Class 1 of the 01 Acting Department. She was very familiar with the place and boldly introduced herself. After speaking, she handed her resume to Yang Chao.

Second sister!

Upon seeing this person, Cheng Sheng recalled another version of himself. In another time and space, Zhang Xinyi was doing quite well in the entertainment industry; "Second Sister" was her alias.

Judging from her career trajectory, it seems she will graduate this year, and immediately after graduation, she will land her first television drama, "The Wind Blows, the Clouds Move, the Stars Remain Still".

Yang Chao glanced at Zhang Xinyi, picked up the book and looked at it, then asked, "What do you think of the character Pingyang Zhao?"

“Pingyang Zhao is…”

No wonder she's destined for success; just from Zhang Xinyi's eloquent manner, Cheng Sheng couldn't help but admire her.

"Alright, have you ever practiced martial arts? Can you ride a horse?"

Cheng Sheng interrupted.

Princess Pingyang Zhao has action scenes in the film, and she even rides a horse into battle.

“I have dance training and I have a very flexible body,” Zhang Xinyi said.

"Can you jump?" Cheng Sheng continued.

“Okay, director,” Zhang Xinyi said.

Afterwards, Zhang Xinyi performed a folk dance.

Yang Chao and Zhang Yang both nodded secretly. Their physical fitness was indeed excellent. Although they hadn't trained, their flexibility alone should be enough for action scenes.

Cheng Sheng waited silently until she finished her performance and said, "You can go out now. We'll let you know if you're selected."

"Thank you, director, teacher."

Zhang Xinyi's expression darkened, and she bowed to Cheng Sheng and the others.

Although Cheng Sheng did not refuse, she felt the chances were slim.

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(End of this chapter)