I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Dong Wei listened attentively, then waved his hand with a smile: "Don't worry, Director, you asked me to come here for this, right? I promise I won't let you down."

After a pause, as if he had thought of something, he added, "By the way, director, for the upcoming fight scene, to make the visuals more realistic and impactful, I'd like to add a few close-quarters combat moves to the original action sequences. This would better reflect the ruthlessness and brutality of the pirate battles. What do you think?"

“Of course.” Cheng Sheng nodded without hesitation and said solemnly, “You are absolutely professional in martial arts direction. As the saying goes, professional things should be left to professionals. I will not interfere with your work. I only hope that you can do your best and achieve the effect we want.”

Upon hearing this, Dong Wei smiled with relief, then said with a wry smile, "Director Cheng's words really hit the nail on the head. I've worked with many directors before, and those people clearly don't understand martial arts direction, yet they always like to point fingers and interfere with our work. In the end, the fight scenes they produce are neither fish nor fowl, neither entertaining nor logical to the plot."

“Dee, you are a top martial arts instructor in the country. I have absolute faith in your professional abilities.” Cheng Sheng patted Dong Wei on the shoulder again, his tone firm.

"Hey, I wouldn't dare accept the title of 'the best in the country'." Dong Wei quickly waved his hand and said very modestly, "Eighth Master (Yuen Hoping) and Big Brother (Hong Jinbao) designed much better action scenes than I did. I'm still far behind."

The "big brother" that Dong Wei mentioned is none other than Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung. In his early years, Dong Wei was also a member of Sammo Hung's stunt team, learning and working hard under Sammo Hung, accumulating a wealth of action design experience.

“Teacher Yuan Heping is indeed amazing, he can be called the ‘Number One Action Choreography in the World’.” Cheng Sheng nodded in agreement, and then said, “But I still believe that Dee, your ability is definitely no less than his.”

Cheng Sheng knew that in the field of martial arts choreography (action direction), Yuen Woo-ping and Tung Wei were both top figures in the Chinese film industry. However, according to authoritative public information and industry consensus, Yuen Woo-ping's overall status, international influence and historical contributions were indeed superior, and he was widely respected as "the world's number one martial arts choreographer".

In terms of the number of Hong Kong Film Awards won and the precision of modern action choreography, Tung Wai's performance is outstanding, but it has not yet surpassed the overall level of Yuen Woo-ping.

As demonstrated in classic works such as "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Yuen Woo-ping not only designed exciting action sequences but also incorporated the philosophy of Eastern martial arts, creating a unique aesthetic for action films—a realm that Dong Wei has yet to surpass.

"Okay, director, stop praising me. If you keep praising me, I'll get cocky." Dong Wei smiled and shook his head. "I'll go to the set first to adjust the movements and instruct the actors to make sure filming goes smoothly later."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Dee." Cheng Sheng nodded in acknowledgment.

After Dong Wei left, Cheng Sheng turned and walked to the shade of a tree not far away. There, Liu Dehua was holding a script, studying it intently, and occasionally muttering a few lines to himself, pondering the character's emotions and tone.

Cheng Sheng walked over quietly and teased with a smile, "Brother Hua, busy thinking about your lines? By the way, when is your national tour concert? You have to save me a few tickets so I can join in the fun and support you."

Liu Dehua looked up, a gentle smile on his face, and put down the script, saying, "It's tentatively scheduled for after National Day, but the specific date is still being finalized. However, I'm afraid you won't have time then—judging by your filming pace, you'll probably still be busy with the crew."

Cheng Sheng thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed possible that he wouldn't have time, given the tight filming schedule and the large amount of post-production work to be done. However, he still firmly said, "Brother Hua, I will definitely go to your concert. No matter how busy I am, I will make time for a few days. I will definitely not miss it."

"That would be my honor." Liu Dehua smiled even more broadly, then joked, "At that time, I hope Director Cheng will come on stage and sing a duet with me. You can't refuse." "No problem!" Cheng Sheng readily agreed, a very honored smile on his face: "It would be my honor to sing with Brother Hua. Don't complain that I sing badly."

The two chatted for a while longer, talking about everything from the concert to the script and the characters, in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Just then, the script supervisor who had left earlier rushed over, looking anxious, and said hurriedly, "Director, the gate to the mountain stronghold is all finished, and all preparations are complete. We can start filming!"

Cheng Sheng nodded, immediately abandoning his casual demeanor, stood up and shouted to the set, "Everyone to your positions, action!"

At Cheng Sheng's command, the crew immediately sprang into action. The actors quickly got into character, the cameraman adjusted the camera positions, and Dong Wei guided the actors' movements from the side. The set instantly entered a tense filming state.

In the days that followed, the crew devoted themselves to filming the scenes of the pirate's lair, steadily advancing the filming schedule day after day.

While Cheng Sheng was busy filming and had no time for anything else, his company's TV series "Princess Pingyang Zhao" premiered.

Generally speaking, historical biographical films and television series are usually filmed in 40 to 50 episodes, or even 70 to 80 episodes, in order to show the life of the person in detail and enrich the plot details. This is considered to be the norm in the industry.

However, Cheng Sheng did not follow this convention. Instead, he set the number of episodes for "Princess Pingyang Zhao" at 25, making the story compact and not drawn out.

In Cheng Sheng's view, an excellent TV series should ideally have no more than 40 episodes.

There are four main reasons for this requirement.

First, control the quality and pacing of the plot. The length of a TV series episode is usually 45 minutes, and the total length of 40 episodes is 1800 minutes. This length is enough to tell a complete story clearly and thoroughly, while maintaining the tightness and appeal of the plot and avoiding redundant plots.

Too many episodes often lead to a dragging plot and a loose pace, which in turn affects the viewing experience.

Secondly, improve the overall quality of film and television dramas.

Excessively long series often suffer from problems such as chaotic editing, padded plots, and logical inconsistencies. These issues severely lower the production quality of TV dramas and wear down the audience's patience.

By advocating that TV dramas not exceed 40 episodes, the number of episodes can be effectively controlled, forcing production teams to streamline the plot and refine the details, thereby improving the production quality and entertainment value of each episode. (End of Chapter)