Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che looked at the list of personnel from the Guizhou Provincial Drama Troupe that he had received from Fu Dong and confirmed the supporting roles such as Liu the Stutterer, the Old Tree Spirit, Captain Huang, the Thief, the Sister, and the Brother-in-law.

Yang Che wasn't worried about the acting skills of these people. Actors around forty years old who were still working in a drama troupe, regardless of which province they came from, were generally not too bad.

There are many reasons why actors are selected locally. First, actors must speak the local dialect, and locals are always better than outsiders. Second, if you want to get assistance from the local government, you also need to use local people.

Besides local actors, the production team will also hire a local producer, such as the vice president of a distribution company in your province. Well, your province doesn't have a film company; it was dissolved in 1961.

After finalizing the minor supporting roles, Yang Che wrote on the cast and crew list as he said, "Li Xiaomeng—Ning Jing, I've already made arrangements."

Upon hearing this name, the friends' expressions were somewhat puzzled.

Yang Che chuckled inwardly; his second sister was so carefree. When he told her on the phone, "Jiang Wen is the lead in this film, and you'll play her first love," she laughed heartily.

"You naughty little brother, you're such a bad guy."

Yang Che remained calm: "I take movies very seriously. I only cast you because you're suitable."

"What if I hook up with him again? Won't you be jealous?"

"If anyone's going to be jealous, it's your husband. What's it to me?"

Ning Jing gritted her teeth and said, "Get out of here."

Yang Che remained noncommittal, calmly stating, "During filming, it happened twice a day."

"make a deal."

Yes, the communication went exceptionally well; they didn't even ask for payment.

...........

Yang Che continued, "Han Xiaoyun—Wu Yujuan. As for Zhou Xiaogang..."

Yang Che paused, then looked up: "I don't have Zhou Xiaogang in my mind. Fu Dong, don't limit yourself to Guizhou Province, look at Sichuan Province too, or Southwestern Mandarin is fine. As long as you're a bit older and look younger than Jiang Wen, that's fine. What this role needs most is that kind of hypocrisy of an intellectual."

"Okay, Che-ge."

Guo Xiaoyue then said, "Mr. Yang, why don't you try wearing glasses?"

Yang Che raised an eyebrow, not because Guo Xiaoyue had changed her way of addressing him, but because he felt she was insulting him.

Zeng Jian stared at Yang Che for a moment, then clapped his hands: "Brother Che, I think you can give it a try. You can totally play a twenty-six or twenty-seven-year-old."

So the other friends started making a fuss about Yang Che... saying that Brother Che's portrayal of the scumbag in "Waiting Alone" was so lifelike, and that his linguistic talent was a waste if he didn't act in it.

Yang Che began to get restless. He had never had this idea before, but ever since he acted opposite Benshan in "Happy Times", this craving had been rekindled.

"I do enjoy cameo roles, but this is a bit too much..."

Cao Yu, who was usually quiet, spoke up: "Not many, a total of 17 matches."

Yang Che smirked: "You've done all the coordination work. Later, you can coordinate with Zhang Yang and save him some trouble."

Cao Yu smiled and said, "Okay."

Yang Che paused for a moment: "Zhou Xiaogang... I'll talk to Jiang Wen tomorrow after we meet. Fu Dong, you should still look for him."

"Okay, I got it, Che-ge."

With the cast mostly finalized, Fu Dong went out to contact each of them individually, while the others discussed the filming plan...

"Looking for a Gun" is tentatively scheduled to start filming on September 20th, with a shooting period of one month. Well... even if there are any unexpected events, it will take a maximum of 45 days.

Everyone chatted until after 8 p.m. before the event ended.

Yang Che went to Jialin Garden. Wang Fei will be in Beijing for the next few days. The concert in Jinan is on the 18th, so there are still a few days left.

After entering the house, it was a very ordinary routine: eating, resting, showering, and making love...

Yang Che didn't shy away from the topic, and Wang Fei didn't care whether there was a shortage or not. Everything was harmonious and smooth, with a bit of the feel of an old married couple.

It was 3:30 p.m. the next day. Jiang Wen got out of a beat-up jeep and stood at the entrance of Haidian Primary School. He looked up at 360.com across the street and realized that he had come to the right place.

I adjusted my shoulder bag and headed for the door.

As the automatic door opened, Jiang Wen saw Yang Che waiting for him on the side of the reception desk.

"welcome."

Old Jiang was still a little reserved: "Oh, hello."

Yang Che was no longer as polite as when they met at Huayi. He smiled and gestured, "Let's talk upstairs."

"it is good."

Jiang Wen followed Yang Che past the reception desk backdrop and saw rows of computers. Remembering that he also used the 360 ​​website, he asked, "You're running an internet company?"

Yang Che turned around and smiled, then slowly said, "It wasn't me who did it. I don't understand internet companies. It was the brother who helped 'My Sassy Girl' get sponsorship that came up with this idea, so I gave him a few million to try it out. I never expected it to become number one in the country so quickly, haha."

"Awesome."

Jiang Wen paused for a moment, and that uncomfortable feeling returned.

It's that feeling of being suppressed.

Yang Che is so wicked. The script he gave Jiang Wen was like a film analysis, dissecting it in such detail.

When Jiang Wen was reading the previous page of the plot, he was smugly thinking about how to handle it in a more subtle and interesting way. Unexpectedly, when he turned the page, the other person wrote in great detail, almost as if to say "a secret palace recipe that you can learn by doing".

Upon reaching the second floor, the two entered the preparation room for "Looking for a Gun" one after the other.

Yang Che took out two Cohiba cigarettes from the cigar cabinet in the corner. Jiang Wen thanked him and picked up the cigar tongs and lighter on the table to start using them.

Yang Che spoke first: "Director Jiang is confirmed to star in the film, right?"

Jiang Wen exhaled a puff of smoke: "No problem. You can call me Old Jiang, or just call me by my name."

Yang Che smiled and said, "Okay, speaking of which, I did a cameo role in Zhang Yimou's film crew a couple of days ago. When he found out I invited you to act, he was gloating, happier than if he had gotten married. But I'm not worried. You, Old Jiang, are not the kind of person who opposes for the sake of opposing."

Jiang Wen felt a little aggrieved. This person was too... to start "setting rules" right away. What could he do? He smiled and said, "Yes, those are all rumors."

Yang Che looked at Jiang Wen with a calm gaze and a gentle tone: "Hehe, to be frank, it's better to lay out the unpleasant truth upfront."

It's impossible for you, Lao Jiang, to simply be an actor. I don't expect you to be honest and obedient. I hired you because of your abilities. In addition to paying you your actor's salary, I will also pay you your producer's salary. If you want to get involved, you can do so legitimately. You can get involved in casting, filming, set design, post-production, and music.

Although I'm a novice director, I'm quite confident in the script and the visual composition. If you have any different opinions, let's discuss them before filming starts. We can even go to your province together, it's fine. Once filming begins, I don't want this or that to be unacceptable.

As I said before, we can't oppose for the sake of opposing. Is this acceptable?