Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

The script reading for the movie "My Sassy Girl" ended at 11 p.m., but it wasn't just a script reading; it also involved confirming the work with various departments again.

Are there any issues with the arrival time for guest actors? What time will the costumes arrive at the warehouse tomorrow? What time will the equipment arrive? Who needs to stay and watch the warehouse, etc.?

Of course, Fan Bingbing didn't participate in the subsequent discussions. She was picked up by her father on his motorcycle at 9 o'clock, and Yang Che dropped her off downstairs.

Mr. Fan had a neat 3/7 parted hairstyle, which made him look very dashing.

He noticed that the father and daughter had extremely similar facial features, especially the shape of their chins and jawlines, as if they were cut from the same mold.

Yes, he has an oval face, but he doesn't look delicate. After all, he's 1.83 meters tall with thick eyebrows and big eyes, just like a big man from Shandong Province.

Fan's father called Yang Che "Producer Yang".

They said very politely, "Thank you so much, Producer Yang, for choosing Bingbing. Bingbing also told us that she is determined to play this role well... She has been reading the script the whole time she was in Yantai for the past few days..."

They acted as if they were equals, without any particular glances between them. It was clear that Fan Bingbing hadn't said much about their relationship with her father. What was even more outrageous was that the chubby boy was hiding to the side, trying not to laugh.

Yang Che could only offer polite words, but in the end he said, "Goodbye, Uncle."

Mr. Fan was visibly taken aback for a moment before smiling and saying, "Goodbye, Producer Yang."

...........

Going upstairs again, they encountered Cheng Er, Zhao Xiaoding, and a group of people coming downstairs. Apart from the sound of footsteps and the rustling of clothes, there was no other sound.

There's nothing I can do; I stayed up too late today, and the old man downstairs knocked on the door twice already...

There was no laughter or joking around; no one wanted to talk at that moment. Everyone nodded to each other and passed by.

When we reached the third floor, the studio door was open and the lights were still on.

"Brother Che".

Xing Jianwei, who was wiping the table, stopped what he was doing and shouted in a strong voice.

Wang Baoqiang, who was mopping the floor, looked up, grinned, and continued to work hard.

Yang Che waved his hand and looked at Li Xiangdong standing at the door: "I've taken up your time."

Li Xiangdong waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, Brother Che, then I'll be going now."

"Go ahead, but remember not to use any tableware tomorrow, just use styrofoam boxes. The food tastes really good, keep it up."

"Yes, Producer Liu instructed me to go to the wholesale market to buy it first thing tomorrow morning."

Li Xiangdong walked away carrying two large baskets, and you could still hear the clinking of porcelain bowls between them. This guy is really strong.

Li Xiangdong could have left long ago, but he had to wait to say goodbye to Yang Che.

It's said that Liu Chang set a meal allowance of 12.5 yuan per person, three meals a day, treating everyone from the director to the extras the same food. This standard is very high. After all, how much can one earn these days?

Li Xiangdong is partnering with a small restaurant owned by a fellow townsman from Baoding. Today's lunch consists of braised chicken pieces, braised pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a stir-fried vegetable dish, a mung bean soup, and rice as the staple food. Dinner will follow the same structure as lunch.

After lunch, everyone gave positive feedback, and Liu Chang gave Li Xiangdong a 5000 yuan advance payment and signed a formal cooperation agreement.

Li Xiangdong has already done the math today. He makes a gross profit of about 2.5 per serving. With a crew of about 50 people, that's 125 per day, which is pretty good.

Yang Che looked at the two busy monks, one fat and one thin: "Is it alright to have you two sleep in the storeroom starting tomorrow?"

Xing Jianwei immediately stood at attention, almost shouting "Loyalty!"

"Don't worry, Brother Che. As long as I'm here, the equipment is here; even if I'm not here, the equipment is still here."

Wang Baoqiang chuckled sheepishly, "Brother Che, we're fine, don't worry. We've already discussed it and will take turns on night watch."

"Alright, I'm going to sleep. You two should get some rest too."

Yes, the two of them will be sleeping in the studio tonight.

Yang Che went back to his room while looking through his phone. There was a message from Gao Yuanyuan sent at 10:30.

"I got bitten by mosquitoes while texting you, it's so itchy. You go ahead and do your thing, I'm going to sleep now. By the way, I only have one class tomorrow afternoon, I'll be free after 3 pm."

Yang Che's lips twitched. She was saying: Either I go over there, or you come over here.

Gao Yuanyuan returned to Beijing on September 2nd and started school today. The two had been in contact via text message, so she naturally knew about today's script reading. However, she didn't probe anything or send frequent text messages.

Yang Che guessed that this last text message was because the girl had imagined some kind of scene. What could he do? He hadn't even gotten his hands on it yet, so naturally he had to coax and indulge her.

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

Early in the morning, Yang Che, along with Cheng Er, Zhao Xiaoding, Lin Mu, and Liu Chang, went to Muxidi and Nanlishilu subway stations respectively.

Station Master Fang of the Muxidi station took the cigarette from Liu Chang, took a puff, and said, "Tomorrow morning from 10:00 to 11:30, right? Don't worry, everyone at the station will cooperate fully with your filming."

Yes, filming will officially begin tomorrow.

Liu Chang was deeply moved and nodded repeatedly, "Thank you so much."

Yang Che, who was watching from the side pretending to be invisible, sighed repeatedly. "Is this still the same passionate Liu Chang? His acting skills are almost as good as his."

Regarding the subway scenes, Yang Che initially thought of building a set. He even drew up the blueprints, which included half a subway car. The Beijing Film Studio also had railway tracks that could be used for set construction. When he shared this idea, everyone was astonished. "Do you have so much money you don't know what to do with it?"

Then Liu Chang stepped in and secured a car on Line 1 that very afternoon. It was a contracted project; they only charged a 300 yuan management fee and a 100 yuan overtime fee for the staff. Aside from time restrictions on filming inside the subway, the platform was free for filming...

Other tennis courts, cafes, Sichuan restaurants, and other venues—all the owners were enthusiastic and unconditionally cooperative. It really was unconditional, no exaggeration.

These experiences made Yang Che constantly feel the enthusiasm and support that people of this era have for artists, and they also constantly changed some of his inner thoughts.

Afterwards, Cheng Er and Zhao Xiaoding walked around the subway station to confirm the camera positions and lighting before leaving to rush to the next scene. They were both very restless and insisted on running it one more time.

The subway platforms nowadays have no safety railings or platform screen doors, and the tracks are directly visible in the camera lens, which makes the scene in the movie feel very immersive.

Yang Che didn't offer any opinions throughout the process, mainly because he really couldn't comment on things like the set design.

After that, Yang Che acted alone. He went to China Film Equipment Company to watch Song Xiaofei and Cao Yu inspect the rented equipment; he went to Huangtingzi Warehouse to look at props and costumes; and he also went to Jimenli Hotel, which is 700 meters away from the warehouse.

Then he discovered that everyone except him was somewhat restless, their hearts swollen with anticipation for tomorrow.