I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 96 Assistant Directors Sun Fei and Yang Ting
In the original Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were considered the main characters, but in Red Cliff, the Oath of the Peach Garden was just a comedic duo.

What is the Three Kingdoms?
Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan—these three together constitute the Three Kingdoms period.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei in "Red Cliff" completely lack the demeanor of a monarch.

They portrayed two powerful and ruthless figures as the leaders of two gangs.

Fortunately, Zhang Zhen, who played Sun Quan, did not disappoint; otherwise, the whole movie would have been unwatchable.

Apart from Zhang Zhen, the rest of the actors can only be described as ruining a classic.

This isn't just Cheng Sheng's own assessment; it's a consensus reached across the entire internet.

The audience has discerning eyes; they can tell whether a movie is good or bad, and whether the actors' performances are up to par.

Actually, Cheng Sheng should thank Wu Baige. If it weren't for her, those Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists would probably have targeted his movies.

Now that Wu Baige acts as a filter, Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists completely look down on him, and some even get along with him.

Don't like him?

Cheng Sheng looks down on Hong Kong and Taiwan artists, believing they are just living off their past glories.

This saved him a lot of trouble.

I've been busy at the company all day.

Cheng Sheng had just left the building where his company was located when he was suddenly stopped by a reporter.

"Director Cheng, Director Wu's 'Red Cliff' has already begun public casting. I don't know what the plans are for 'Yellow Turban Rebellion'? What are your thoughts on the actors? Is it a joke that the actors need to be well-versed in history?" The reporter asked a series of questions.

Because of Wu Baige's public suppression, many popular actors have posted messages online saying that they have film contracts and are probably unable to participate in Cheng Sheng's new movie.

Of course, these were just excuses. The claim that they had film contracts was simply because they were afraid of being blacklisted by Wu Baige.

The public is very curious: if Cheng Shengxin's new movie doesn't have any big stars involved, who will he invite to star in "Three Kingdoms"?

Regarding the cast, no one in the audience believed that Cheng Sheng could beat Wu Baige.

Cheng Sheng paused for a moment; he hadn't intended to answer the reporter's questions.

But if I don't say something, the reporters will probably keep following me.

“I want to reiterate that the reason I make the actors well-versed in history is because I personally love history. I don’t want to work with an actor who doesn’t understand history, as it would require me to spend a lot of time explaining the plot to them or analyzing historical figures during filming, which would be a waste of time.”

"I will select the actors through auditions, so there's no need for everyone to worry about that."

"And one last thing: I will never use any of the actors who chose to star in Wu Baige's 'Red Cliff' again. I will not give them any chance in any of the films I produce."

Cheng Sheng's words surprised the reporter.

He truly deserves his reputation as a leading figure of the sixth generation of directors; he's still as tough as ever.

Wu Baige suppressed him, and he suppressed her in return.

Isn't Cheng Sheng being too arrogant?
The reporter shook his head inwardly at this thought. Cheng Shengcai, at only 22 years old, had already produced two Venice Best Actor winners, won the Venice Golden Lion Award, and received the Best Newcomer Award.

His talent is undeniable, though he may not be as famous or influential as Wu Baige now.

But what about five, ten, or twenty years from now?
Who dares to say he's not as good as Wu Baige?

"Director Cheng, are you going to fight Director Wu to the death?"

"Alright, Mr. Reporter, I don't want to answer any more questions about Wu Baige. Please don't stand in front of my car; I have other things to do."

After answering, Cheng Sheng got into his car and drove away. Although the reporter was a little disappointed, he still immediately posted the interview with Cheng Sheng online.

Undoubtedly, Cheng Sheng's words stirred up a huge public opinion storm.

Many Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists have posted articles refuting Cheng Sheng, and some have even said that they would not deign to participate in Cheng Sheng's movies.

Regardless of the opinions and views about him online, Cheng Sheng ignored them and focused on his work methodically.

Time quickly passed to the end of January, and Cheng Shengxin's film crew was all ready. They had also discussed some ideas about filming with Liu Meng.

This time, Liu Meng is no longer the assistant director, but the executive director of "The Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Three Kingdoms", while Cheng Sheng is the general director.

Assistant director Cheng Sheng found two more candidates, both from the Central Academy of Drama.

One of them is named Sun Fei, who was admitted to the Master of Drama and Theatre Studies program in 02. This year, he plans to stay at the university to teach, mainly responsible for teaching undergraduate classes in the Directing Department and the Drama Education Department.

Its research focuses on the creative work of theater directors, the theory and practice of theater education, with a particular emphasis on the impact of postmodern theater on directing.

Sun Fei will also be a prominent academic in the future; Cheng Sheng, another person I remember, even read her works.

He has published "A Study on the Creative Works of Contemporary Western Theatre Directors" and participated in the translation of books such as "The Story of Theatre" and "How to Be a Director".

He has published theoretical articles such as "The Influence of Postmodern Drama on Directing Creation" and "Cultivating Creative Subjectivity in Directing Element Training".

He also directed plays such as "Juvenile Court" and "The Troubles of Happiness" in the future.

It's a real waste to keep such a talented person in a school. Cheng Shengli used his connections with Zhang Yang to poach Sun Fei to be the assistant director of his new film.

Cheng Sheng even considered signing Sun Fei to his company after the movie ended.

After all, the company has too many film and television works to produce in the future. He doesn't plan to direct the sequels to "The Great Tang" and "Three Kingdoms" anymore, but will hand them over to the company's directors.

Therefore, the company needs to cultivate its own directors. Cheng Sheng has no intention of handing over the company's film and television works to outside directors.

Besides Sun Fei, there was another woman named Yang Ting.

It's not that Cheng Sheng doesn't want to hire male assistant directors, but rather that Sun Fei and Yang Ting are both outstanding, so why hire mediocre ones?

Yang Ting is not actually a directing major, but an acting major. She initially appeared as an actress in works such as "Rhinoceros in Love".

However, she transitioned to theater directing last year, and according to Zhang Yang, Yang Ting plans to direct a play this year.

Upon hearing that such a talented person existed, Cheng Sheng naturally wanted to recruit her to his ranks.

Although Yang Ting did not graduate from the directing department, she is very familiar with the work of a director, which means that she had already begun to get involved in directing while filming.

The story of "The Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Three Kingdoms" is too long. If Cheng Sheng doesn't find two more assistant directors to help, he and Liu Meng will probably be exhausted.

With the addition of two assistant directors, the two had a much easier time with their work schedules.

"Boss, Hunan TV is asking if you're available to appear on their show?"

While Cheng Sheng was discussing matters with Sun Fei in his office, his assistant knocked on the door and came in.

Hunan TV invited him to be on their show?

Cheng Sheng was stunned. He didn't seem to be familiar with the people at Hunan TV, and he wasn't an actor who needed to be on stage. Why would Hunan TV want to talk to him?

But after a moment's thought, Cheng Sheng understood.

(End of this chapter)