Huayu Entertainment, all I can do is make bad movies.

Why choose Jiang Wu?

On the way back to the company, Wang Hai did not respond to Zhou Yang's questions.

If I had to say, the role was just right.

Secretly, Jiang Wu has an older brother named Jiang Wen.

When Wang Hai first arrived in 1998, he was completely clueless about the film and television industry.

With Jiang Wu as the lead actor in the film, they might be able to shamelessly ask Jiang Wen for help with the film's release and screening.

It's not good to ask for too much help from the other party, but it's always good to introduce some relevant people in the industry, so that Wang Hai won't be running around like a headless fly.

It was getting late, so Wang Hai and his companion had lunch outside.

Zhou Yang paid the money.

Wang Hai readily accepted, jokingly saying that it's not customary for the boss to treat others.

Back at the company.

The once empty house now has many more things.

Several cubicles.

Equipment such as handheld cameras.

Gao Yuanyuan and Yan Ni also arrived.

Auditions, to put it bluntly, are just a formality.

Whether someone is suitable for a role is often decided by investors and directors on a whim. If they say you're good enough, you are, even if you're not; if they say you're not good enough, you're not good enough.

At Haiwang Films, Wang Hai makes all the decisions, big and small.

Let's record two segments.

Wang Hai picked up the camera: "Who wants to go first?"

"Director, what are we acting in?"

"Your character is a Taekwondo-skilled assistant in the film, so show us some physical moves."

Yan Ni looked worried.

I've never learned Taekwondo, so I don't know how.

At the director's request, she had no choice but to hum and dance to the hit song "Health Song" from this year's Spring Festival Gala.

"Twist your neck, wiggle your butt... Oh dear, this is so embarrassing... Hehehehe..."

Wang Hai also felt nauseous.

That's so awkward.

However, what we wanted was Yan Ni's lack of coordination.

"Alright, Gao Yuanyuan, you come here."

"I can't dance," Gao Yuanyuan shook her head in refusal.

Dancing in front of so many people is too scary; she can't do it, and she certainly doesn't have that talent.

Wang Hai advised, "Just bring me anything."

"I can't sing either," Gao Yuanyuan added.

Wang Hai remained silent.

Otherwise, their status in the industry would be neither high nor low.

She really only relies on her pretty face to get by in the entertainment industry.

"I'll set up a scenario for you: your companion gets bitten by a zombie and is covered in blood, and you witness it firsthand. Zhou Yang, lie down and act it out."

Gao Yuanyuan was 19 years old at the time and was an actress who did not graduate from a professional performing arts school.

However, he had some acting experience, having acted in the feature film "Spicy Love Soup" last year.

She slowly knelt down beside Zhou Yang, paused for a moment, and a tear appeared in the corner of her eye.

This caught Wang Hai off guard.

He realized he had made a mistake.

He had a preconceived notion that Gao Yuanyuan was extremely unsuitable for the role of the star female lead in "Code Name 1".

"Fan Xiaopang, you act in this scene," Wang Hai interrupted Gao Yuanyuan and instructed Fan Xiaopang.

Fan Xiaopang questioned Wang Hai's aesthetic sense: "I'm not fat."

"If I say you're fat, then you're fat. Hurry up and act."

"oh..."

Fan Xiaopang obediently agreed, then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ah...don't die!"

As she screamed at the top of her lungs, she kept tearing at and shaking Zhou Yang.

Wang Hai nodded to himself.

Having honed his skills in Taiwanese drama productions, his portrayal of distorted facial features in idol dramas is incredibly authentic.

What he wanted was hysterical acting.

"Stop, you guys go back and get ready. Be at the company at 6 a.m. sharp tomorrow and then we'll go to the film set together. Bring your own costumes. Yan Ni and Gao Yuanyuan, just wear your everyday clothes. Fan Xiaopang, you should wear something more fashionable."

Fan Xiaopang's forehead was slightly furrowed.

What is fashion?

I have no idea.

Wang Hai explained, "You're looking for a pretty one, but your role has changed to playing a female celebrity, while Gao Yuanyuan is playing the director's daughter."

"Director, the salary..."

Among the group, Yan Ni was the oldest and more worldly-wise, and not so easily fooled.

Since we're going to act, we should at least discuss the pay.

I can't work for nothing.

No one's time comes from a sudden storm.

"Oh right, I almost forgot to talk about the pay."

Wang Hai looked annoyed, as if he had genuinely forgotten about the payment, rather than trying to renege on it.

"Little Fatty, Gao Yuanyuan, how much did you get paid for your role in that movie?"

"I earned 1200 yuan for acting in 'My Fair Princess'," Fan Xiaopang said hopefully.

She was desperate for money, so for safety reasons, she rented a place near the Forbidden City, which cost 550 yuan a month. Wang Hai's salary determined her quality of life.

"I'll raise it by 300, so it'll be 1500 yuan."

Fan Xiaopang's face fell.

Wang Hai always carried a leather bag, looking like a big boss, but he was so stingy that he only gave him an extra 300 yuan.

Gao Yuanyuan proudly stated, "When I filmed 'Spicy Love Soup,' my salary was 2500 yuan."

Wang Hai asked with a smile, "How much did it gross at the box office?"

"It seems to be around 3000 million."

Wang Hai's smile vanished instantly.

A box office of 3000 million is considered high at this time, so it's reasonable for the actors to receive a raise.

There was no other way, so Wang Hai set Gao Yuanyuan's fee at 3000 yuan.

Yan Ni has no acting experience, but she has performed in stage plays, and her salary is equivalent to that of Fan Xiaopang.

Including Jiang Wu's 2000 yuan salary, the total salary for the four actors reached 8000 yuan, plus the salaries for supporting actors.

This is a huge burden for Wang Hai and the production crew.

"Here's the deal: the company pays the actor's fee in three installments. Part of the payment is made when filming officially begins, another part is made when the film finishes its run, and the final payment is made in full within three months of the film's end of its run."

"Any objections?"

Gao Yuanyuan and Fan Xiaopang remained silent, but Yan Ni asked again, "What if the movie can't be released...?"

Every year, too many films are rejected and cannot be released in China.

Independent films that like to push the boundaries are the hardest hit.

Yan Ni has never acted in a movie.

There are so many people from the PLA Academy of Arts who have acted in movies, and she has been influenced by what she has seen and heard. She feels that "Code Name 1" is not a film that is performed on the big stage.

Wang Hai was extremely frustrated.

In later video clips, Yan Ni always seems a bit dazed and easily gets tipsy. How could she have been so shrewd when she was young?

It's either because she didn't drink alcohol, or because she hasn't experienced the ten months of pregnancy yet.

Helpless, Wang Hai could only add, "The movie can't be released, and the full payment will be settled within three months."

After the three left, Wang Hai called Zhou Yang over.

I'm joining the crew tomorrow, so I need to prepare some props in advance.

The film uses a lot of blood, so it needs to be ordered in large quantities. If we really can't find any, we'll use brown sugar water instead.

Blue ink for creating zombie makeup.

Slender bamboo poles, etc.

They were just odds and ends, not worth much.

But film crews need money for everything when they start working.

In the past two days, just renting a car, renting equipment, ordering film, and that damn paycheck have reduced the 6 yuan quite a bit. After the film is finished, it still needs editing and music composition, all of which cost money.

On his way home in the evening, Wang Hai received another call from Jiang Wu.

This is a well-worn topic.

I advised Wang Hai to change the title of "Code Name 1".

Titanic 2 is so shameless.

With such a good script, there's no need to try and piggyback on other movies.

It's impossible to know Wang Hai's directing skills.

But his ability to structure and write scripts is that of a complete genius.

The clichéd love story of "Titanic" is utter garbage compared to "The First Agent". Audiences are discerning; if "The First Agent" had a different title, its box office wouldn't have been worse than "Titanic".

Wang Hai remained unmoved.

Not only could little Jiang Wu not guess what he was thinking, but no one in the whole world could understand it.

Will the film have any box office success if it doesn't try to piggyback on the success of "Titanic"?

Will anyone criticize it as a bad movie?

Nobody paid attention to "Code Name 1" and nobody criticized it, so how did he make money at the box office and obtain the "Body Enhancement Pill"?

He and his Aquaman Pictures are destined to become lone warriors of this era.