Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

Xu Xiaodan's office is on the third floor of the Performing Arts Academy's office building.

"Chen Li? Have you finished your final short film assignment? What are you doing here?"

"Professor Xu, I have a project I'd like to ask you to take a look at."

Chen Li placed the proposal on her desk, but instead of sitting down, he stood up and briefly explained the background of the project.

Fan Bingbing Studio invested three million yuan in a web series, consisting of five episodes, all revolving around an old residential compound.

Xu Xiaodan listened without saying anything, then looked down and flipped through the proposal, starting with the story outline. When she got to the episode summaries, her speed noticeably slowed down.

The office was quiet, with only the chirping of cicadas outside the window and the rustling sound of paper rubbing as she turned the pages.

She turned to the budget sheet, her fingertip lingered on a few numbers, then turned back to review the story structure of the several units.

"Three million, five units, filmed on location." She finally spoke.

"The amount of money isn't much, but your allocation plan is reasonable."

She closed the proposal, took off her reading glasses and set them aside, then looked up at him.

"You're a freshman majoring in acting, you haven't even mastered acting yet, how come you're thinking about becoming a director?"

"Don't just do something reckless on a whim."

"Teacher, I'm not joking." Chen Li stood in front of her desk, her back ramrod straight.

"I want to start my own project. In the acting industry, how many good scripts can you get in a year if you just wait for others to approach you?"

"Instead of waiting, I'd rather do it myself. I can write, direct, and do post-production now; all I lack is funding and a platform."

"Sister Fan... Mr. Fan has already provided the funds, and I can find a platform. But I still need one more thing."

Xu Xiaodan leaned back in her chair, her hands crossed on the table: "What?"

"Endorsement. If the project proposal lists the Beijing Film Academy's Performance Department as the guiding institution, or if you personally endorse the project, that would be the most powerful testament to the platform's trust."

Xu Xiaodan was silent for a few seconds, then picked up the thermos, took a sip, and put the thermos down very gently.

She reopened the proposal, turned to the story synopsis of one of the units, pointed to that page and said:

"How do you plan to film this segment—where the parents set up a stall at the market after being laid off, and their daughter helps out every day after school?

Chen Li did not hesitate:

"Real scene. We used the morning market next to the school for the farmers' market. No need to build a set or clear the area. The camera was hidden in the crowd."

"The extras are just vendors and passersby. The main characters blend in with them, and the realism is stronger than any set design. The lines aren't written out, leaving room for the actors to improvise. The more realistic the everyday things are, the better."

After listening, Xu Xiaodan remained silent for a while, then reached out and turned to the last page of the proposal.

It was still blank, with only a project name and date.

She picked up the pen on the table and wrote three words in the blank space: Xu Xiaodan.

"The project proposal could state: This project is artistically guided by the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy, with Professor Xu Xiaodan serving as the artistic consultant."

She placed the pen on the proposal, pushed it back to Chen Li, and the scrutiny in her eyes was gone, replaced by a serious entrustment.

"You'll need official documents stamped by the Performing Arts Academy. Go to the Dean's Office and follow the procedures, just say I approved it. If you need help contacting any teachers in other departments, give me a list."

Chen Li took the proposal and glanced down at the three words on the back cover.

Xu Xiaodan's handwriting was neat and strong, and the ink was not completely dry.

He closed the folder, stood up straight, and bowed deeply to Teacher Xu.

Xu Xiaodan waved her hand, put her reading glasses back on, and continued reading the documents.

Chen Li looked at the signature on the proposal, let out a long breath, and prepared to start the next step of the plan.

First stop: Photography Department Equipment Room.

The equipment room is located on the basement floor of the photography department's teaching building.

The building manager, Lao Zhou, was squatting by the door smoking, with a half-disassembled ARRI Alexa in front of him, and screwdrivers and lens cleaning fluid scattered on the ground.

"Teacher Zhou," Chen Li said, opening the proposal and handing it over.

"The teaching experiment project guided by Professor Xu needs to borrow some basic equipment."

Old Zhou took the proposal, glanced at the signature, and then looked up at Chen Li:

"Xu Xiaodan? That Professor Xu from the Performing Arts Academy? When did she start leading directing projects?"

"Student web series, for teaching and experimental purposes."

Old Zhou flipped through two pages of the proposal, his gaze lingering on the words "Professor Xu Xiaodan" in the art consultant section: "What do you need to borrow?"

Chen Li handed over the list.

Old Zhou looked through the list:

"We do have two RED Scarlet-W units here, usually only approved for graduate students to use for their graduation projects. But since this is a project signed off by Professor Xu, the equipment is just sitting there anyway—you can borrow it, but you have to sign a waiver, and you'll have to pay for any damage."

"No problem." Chen Li put away the proposal, took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his bag, and placed it on the table.

"Professor Zhou, this is nothing. Thank you so much for your support of the teaching experiment."

Old Zhou glanced around discreetly, then casually put the item in his pocket and lowered his voice:

"For the lighting, go find Xiao Li next door. He manages a few sets of LED lights that don't usually go out of the warehouse. Just tell him I sent you."

He paused, then added,

"There are two Steadicam stabilizer sets in the equipment room, usually used only for graduation projects. Since you are Professor Xu's student, take one—write it on the equipment list, but don't write my name on it."

When Chen Li pushed the cart full of equipment out of the underground corridor, there was an extra small Steadicam stabilizer and a spare LED light on the cart compared to the original plan.

Second stop: Clothing warehouse.

The clothing warehouse of Beijing Film Academy is located in a separate bungalow behind the administration building.

The costume department was managed by Ms. Li Mei, who was in her fifties and had worked in the costume department for twenty years, handling countless productions from "The Great Ming Dynasty" to "The Flowers of War".

"Teacher Li, I am Chen Li from the 13 class of the Performing Arts Department."

"The teaching experiment project guided by Professor Xu Xiaodan needs to borrow a few sets of costumes, set in the modern era." He handed over the proposal.

Li Mei put down her needlework, took the proposal, flipped through a couple of pages, saw the signature in the art consultant section, and nodded.

"Teacher Xu's student. What kind of costumes do modern dramas need? Our inventory mainly consists of period dramas and historical dramas."

"Daily clothing from the late 1990s to the early 2000s," Chen Li said.

Li Mei took off her reading glasses, stood up, walked to a row of shelves labeled "Modern Drama Costumes," and pulled back the dust curtain:

"These rows are from photos of students taking pictures of their homework. The styles aren't new, but they're clean. Pick one yourself." She then pointed to several large cardboard boxes in the corner.

"Those boxes are old props that were cleared out last year when we were cleaning out the warehouse. They're things like enamel mugs and lamps. They haven't been sorted yet. See if you can find anything usable."

Chen Li loaded stacks of costumes and props onto the car, not even leaving behind some miscellaneous items and old equipment, which made Li Mei both amused and exasperated.

Is he really that poor? This kid...

Third stop: Huairou Film and Television Base.

"Wow, another Beijing Film Academy project?" Old Zhao pushed up his glasses, flipped through a couple of pages of the proposal, and...

"Is your school suddenly producing a bunch of web dramas? Just yesterday, someone from the directing department came to consult with the Tangcheng Scenic Area."

"A teaching experiment at the acting academy. What we need isn't large-scale scenes."

"An old-style apartment building in the style of the 1990s, about five stories high, preferably with a small courtyard or open space downstairs. It would be best if there was an old street or alley nearby where you could take pictures of streetlights and old-fashioned shop fronts."

Old Zhao opened the price list and paused his finger on a number for two seconds.

He didn't immediately offer a quote. Instead, he looked up at the Beijing Film Academy's official seal on the cover of the proposal Chen Li had placed on the table, then pulled out a document and flipped through it:

"The staff quarters and old neighborhoods are independent outdoor shooting locations, with a standard fee of three thousand yuan per day. However, your Beijing Film Academy has signed a cooperation agreement with us. For teaching projects, as long as they do not exceed the experimental scale recognized by the school, the outdoor shooting rental fee will be reduced by 30% of the agreed price, and the equipment entry fee will be waived."

"In addition, if you are willing to add a line of text at the end of the film saying 'Special support from Huairou Film and Television Base,' we can offer you a further discount on the agreed price."

He closed the price list, wrote a number on a sticky note with his hand, and pushed it over:

"The staff quarters plus the open space downstairs, plus the old street next door, all packaged together in two months. This fee isn't high; the discount is stipulated in the teaching cooperation agreement signed between your school and the base, not a special exception I'm making for you personally."

Chen Li quickly went through the calculations in her mind.

Setting up an outdoor location is much cheaper than building a set in a studio, and the authentic texture of an old street is something that no art direction or set design can replicate.

He hardly hesitated:

"Deal. The crew is expected to start filming in mid-August, and I'll come to sign the formal contract the day after tomorrow."

Old Zhao nodded:

"Sure, but these two months happen to be the peak of summer filming. Several other production teams are also asking about my schedule. Please confirm as soon as possible, otherwise I won't be able to reserve it for you."

"clear."

Now that we have the venue, funding, and costumes, everything is ready except for the actors!