Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

As a firework streaked into the sky, the five actors entered the frame. The quiet and silent actors had all changed their expressions. Cheng Hong, Xu Zheng, and Tao Hong were jumping around with big smiles on their faces, pointing at the surrounding scenery.

I guess she was saying, "Sister, look! There's a stall selling candied hawthorns over there, it's so lively!"

What? Why is it so lively selling candied hawthorns? Who knows? That's how it's portrayed in period dramas these days. People think it's lively when they see someone selling steamed buns.

"Mr. Yang, I'll go get something over there first. Aren't you going to the director's?"

"Go ahead, but don't disturb them yet."

"OK."

Xiao Zhou had only taken a few steps when Yang Che's phone rang. It was Fan Xiaotian calling.

"have to."

Yang Che sighed and answered the call. After chatting for a couple of minutes, he saw Fan Xiaotian, who was listening to the phone, waving from the other side of the film set.

The two shook hands upon meeting, exchanged greetings of "thank you for your hard work," and the two women also greeted each other.

The group then went behind the monitor and greeted directors Meng Ji and Ye Chongming. Filming continued throughout the session, so there was no time for idle chatter; everyone's attention remained on set.

Yang Che was certainly qualified to sit here. After the two women greeted each other, they went to sit down to the side.

The filming progressed extremely quickly, which was exactly how Yang Che envisioned filming. Scenes were filmed every few seconds, with very few takes and almost no guaranteed take. Apart from the actors having to wipe their sweat and touch up their makeup from time to time, Kou Zhanwen was sweating profusely, and his head was covered in sweat after a short while.

Perhaps because Yang Che's attention was mostly focused on Cheng Hong, she would move further away from Kou Zhanwen during the pause, probably because she couldn't stand the smell.

This was inevitable. In such hot and humid weather, wearing such thick costumes, which couldn't be washed every day, let alone Kou Zhanwen who sweated so much, Yang Che guessed that Cheng Hong would smell bad.

There was a scene where Cheng Hong was given a close-up.

The little girl's lantern burned and fell to the ground. Chang'e realized something, her eyes dimmed, then she felt relieved. Finally, she looked at Erniu, who had gone to buy fried cakes, and then made a flying motion towards the sky.

There was no actual flight; there was no imposing presence. It was just the other characters looking up at her and the lines like "Sister, you've flown away" that made it seem real.

As for the flying scene, you can achieve the desired effect by shooting from a low angle and then moving the background in post-production.

The final scene shows a group of people holding sesame cakes and shouting "Chang'e has ascended to heaven," while Pigsy is wailing and crying.

This panoramic shot was completed in two takes.

"Okay, passed."

As Ye Chongming shouted, the extras erupted in heartfelt shouts, followed by a cacophony of noise as people began to undress.

At this moment, the assistant director surnamed Jin, holding a megaphone, shouted, "Everyone, please be quiet. This is our producer, Yang. He just got off the plane and came to visit you all on set. He specially prepared watermelon and soda for everyone. Please take your share in turn. Thank you all for your hard work!"

Yang Che felt like he was being roasted, not illuminated by lights, but still smiled and clasped his hands in greeting to the people on set who were looking at him.

Tao Hong, who was removing her makeup in the dressing room, smiled and said, "Oh, here comes this one."

Xu Zheng, who was fanning himself frantically, was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What? You know him?"

Tao Hong burst out laughing when she saw her boyfriend's appearance. She laughed for a while before saying, "Gong Beibi called me a few days ago and said he met Yang Che. He's incredibly charismatic and handsome!"

"Gong Beibi, the one who came to visit the set a while ago? Doesn't she have a boyfriend?"

"What are you thinking? Beibi's boyfriend is the executive director of Yang Che's movie right now."

Xu Zheng suddenly realized: "I've never heard you mention that before."

Tao Hong glanced at her boyfriend: "Let's go see what this eligible bachelor looks like."

At this moment, co-director Ye Chongming walked into the dressing room and said with a smile, "What do you mean by 'bachelor'? Producer Yang is 21 years old. Come on, everyone gets a share."

Kou Zhanwen, standing to the side, asked curiously, "Where did this young master come from? I've never heard of him before."

"Don't talk nonsense. Producer Yang is a screenwriter, and he even wrote a song for our TV series. He and President Fan get along very well. By the way, I came in to tell everyone that Producer Yang is treating everyone to a late-night snack in the county town. Sister Hong, are you coming?"

"Sure, you sound so amazing, I definitely have to meet you."

Cheng Hong's assistant, who was waiting nearby, was particularly surprised to see Hong Jie smiling. When had Hong Jie ever eaten a late-night snack, especially with the crew...?

Xu Zheng and Tao Hong exchanged a glance; the director's wife usually didn't eat with them.

When the group walked out of the dressing room, the extras had already left, and the set was nearing completion. From a distance, they could hear Yang Che, who had been at the center of the conversation, speaking loudly.

But he was actually giving a "lesson" to several veteran industry professionals.

Okay, this is to explain why Fan Xiaotian dared to bet on the ratings. After all, he was under some pressure because he had a 26% share.

As people drew closer, they heard him say:

"How can you call it taking a risk? Saying that this show will be popular is a subjective opinion, so let me talk about the objective conditions."

Firstly, television sets have become incredibly cheap, leading to a surge in the audience base. Secondly, all 31 local television stations across the country went satellite last month, with a large number of new channels being opened, resulting in numerous vacancies in broadcast time slots and an enormous demand for purchasing dramas.

So, it's not just this show that's going to be good; as long as a show isn't terribly made, it'll sell well. The happiest time for anyone working in any industry is when it's on the rise.

"Mr. Fan, just you wait and see. By next year, you won't have to worry about funding for filming anymore. You'll only be fretting about which investor to accept money from."

Okay, after saying all that, the last sentence is the most important.

Fan Xiaotian naturally understood what he meant and laughed from the bottom of his heart.

Others also realized that even if "Spring Bright Pigsy" flopped, Fan Xiaotian, who had a TV drama production license, would still be a hot commodity in the face of the ever-increasing demand from TV stations to buy dramas.

As for the actors on the periphery, they were naturally happy to hear this.

Cheng Hong's gaze had been fixed on Yang Che's face in the center of the crowd since she was afar. Although his face was so young and he was full of youthful vigor, she felt that he was calm and confident. This temperament was too special. He was not the son of some big family that she had originally guessed.

Well, everyone is, because he was talking.

Yang Che naturally noticed the actors who had approached. After he finished speaking, he looked at Cheng Hong, raised his hand and waved, then stood up and walked straight towards her.

Cheng Hong paused noticeably, then instinctively grasped the hand that was being offered to her.

Yang Che's first thought was, "This woman is so thin, why are her hands so chubby?" He immediately followed with a broad smile: "Finally, I've met my dream girl! Hello, Sister Cheng Hong!"