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

During the mealtime, Zhao Renhe shamelessly approached Wang Hai.

Who in this society doesn't love money?

Starting in 98, universities expanded their enrollment and no longer guaranteed job placement as before, leading to intense competition and difficulty in making money across all industries.

State-owned enterprise reforms have resulted in widespread layoffs, and the "iron rice bowl" is a thing of the past.

A businessman from the south flaunted his mistress through the streets.

In big cities, commercial housing has been built that is unaffordable for the working class.

The extravagance of the rich and the destitution of the poor send a signal to everyone: an era where poverty is mocked but prostitution is not has arrived.

Zhao Renhe naturally wanted to have more ways to make money.

In the 1980s and 90s, being able to drive was something you wouldn't trade for being a county magistrate.

The entry requirements for drivers are prohibitively high.

Times have changed.

There are more and more four-wheeled vehicles in the capital, and the drivers who were popular a few years ago are becoming commonplace.

Wang Hai's words in the car opened a door to a new world for him.

"No problem, no problem."

Wang Hai smiled as he accepted the cigarettes offered by Zhao Renhe.

"Boss Wang, could you give me some more advice? Let's be frank, brother. This is a great idea. We'll waive the car rental fee and provide free transportation for the film crew for half a month."

Wang Hai nodded with pleasure, but inwardly he scoffed.

"Who the hell is your brother?"

"You're almost forty, buddy! I'm fair-skinned, handsome, and in the prime of my life!"

Having gained tangible benefits, Wang Hai stopped keeping him in suspense and used the example of the relationship between car rental companies and film crews in later generations to teach Zhao Renhe a lesson.

"Like the two of us now, if you really have the ability to settle things for the film crew, I can totally hand over the task of making the boxed lunches to you."

"Our crew is small, so what you see as a pittance is actually quite a profit. But if it were a large crew of hundreds of people, earning just a few dollars per boxed lunch, and that's three meals a day, you can imagine how much profit that makes."

"Making tens or even hundreds of thousands of yuan a month from boxed lunches is a piece of cake."

"hiss......."

Zhao Renhe's eyes gleamed green.

Tens of thousands, two hundred thousand?

Two- or three-courtyard Ming and Qing dynasty siheyuan (traditional courtyard houses) next to the Forbidden City cost only a few hundred thousand yuan.

How many months can you earn enough to buy an antique courtyard?

Upon further reflection, Zhao Renhe realized it wasn't that simple.

Where are there so many film crews?

"I can tell you this clearly: there will only be more and more film crews, and the film and television industry will have at least twenty years of prosperity."

"The fact that the state has relaxed the entry requirements for the film and television industry shows that the state is determined to revitalize the film and television industry."

Zhao Renhe suddenly realized what was going on, lit a cigarette for Wang Hai, and asked for advice, "Mr. Wang, what do you think I should do first?"

Wang Hai was depressed.

Zhao Renhe is too stupid; he has to be fed bite by bite.

He said helplessly, "It's simple. Just send out invitations everywhere, tell all the film crews, producers, and directors in Beijing to hire you for car rentals. It'll solve everything once and for all, and let your reputation spread."

Zhao Renhe suddenly realized what was happening and said gratefully, "Brother, I can't thank you enough. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know, and I will never back down."

Wang Hai nodded: "Don't worry, we'll have many more opportunities to cooperate in the future. Please ask Boss Zhao for a discount then."

"One sentence."

Zhao Renhe left in a hurry, heading off to all corners of the world in pursuit of his dream of getting rich.

Wang Hai and the film crew continued their training as usual.

The actors made many mistakes during their first collaboration, and filming wouldn't have started until after dozens of rehearsals.

There are ways to shorten the time.

Abandoning the one-shot technique, we switched to normal filming.

Wang Hai was not prepared to do that.

He wasn't sure if "Code Name 1" would be a box office success, or if he would be able to direct again.

One's debut work must be unique.

Even if it was a disaster, it still left behind an unforgettable and incredibly brilliant work for this era.

So, just wait it out.

Once, twice, three or four times.

The footage, which lasted for more than 30 minutes, was shot 10 times a day for four consecutive days. Wang Hai finally saw a glimmer of hope.

They are working together more and more seamlessly.

There were only three mistakes in one take, but unfortunately Wang Hai was reluctant to part with the film roll, so the camera wasn't turned on, missing a good opportunity.

On the morning of the fifth day, the 43rd rehearsal was successfully completed, and Wang Hai announced the official start of filming, recording the first 10-minute long take.

"Offerings, set out on the incense table."

At Wang Hai's command, Zhou Yang led two young women from the company forward, carrying a small table.

In 1998, Hong Kong and Taiwan film and television professionals had not yet made a large-scale incursion into the mainland entertainment industry.

It's rare for film crews to worship gods.

Many people dismissed it, considering it feudal.

Wang Hai also looked down on it when he was young.

I received nine years of compulsory education from a young age, and I lived in an era of scientific breakthroughs.

They pray to the gods for peace while filming a movie; it's hilarious.

As people get older, they stop worrying about whether feng shui and other customs are simply superstitions.

I neither believe it completely nor do I disbelieve it at all.

In real life, superstition is about finding peace of mind; on film sets, it's more like an unspoken rule.

It doesn't matter if we don't do it or nothing goes wrong.

If something goes wrong because you don't worship the gods, the director will be held responsible.

Besides, it cost some money.

The counterpart to worshipping the gods is filming wrapping up.

Some people have acted their whole lives and still don't understand why filming is called "closing out" when it's over.

Wang Hai had specifically looked into it.

During the pre-Qin period, people would roast fresh bamboo strips over a fire to remove moisture (called "hanqing"), and scrape off the outer green skin to prevent insect infestation and make writing easier. This crucial process was called "shaqing".

Later, through semantic evolution, it came to mean the final draft of a work, and was eventually borrowed by the film and television industry to indicate the completion of the filming stage.

To put it bluntly, directing, filming, and all other related work on a film set are things that intellectuals do.

That's why they say they're artists.

The incense table and offerings were placed on the table. Wang Hai took the lead in worshipping the gods, and everyone followed suit, bowing, chanting incantations, and inserting incense.

After finishing the chores, Wang Hai unveiled the red cloth covering the camera and exclaimed with high spirits, "Start filming!"

Wang Hai became the actor on stage, while Zhou Yang took over the camera.

This guy is a full-time undergraduate at Beijing Film Academy.

I was studying photography creation and was supposed to graduate and be assigned a job this year.

Unexpectedly, the welfare benefits assigned to employees were abolished.

He tried to use connections to get into the Emei Film Studio in his hometown, but the answer he got was that once he got there, he would just be wasting his life.

There is no formal job; the salary is paid only once every few months and can only cover basic living expenses.

Helpless, Zhou Yang stepped into the abyss of Haiwang Films.

Fortunately, they managed to touch the camera.

The first ten-minute long take is the beginning of the film. Wang Hai and the others rehearsed it dozens of times. There weren't many lines or actions, so they completed it easily.

Everyone was thrilled.

Wang Hai was happy to have saved money.

Fan Xiaopang and Yan Ni were delighted to have starred in a movie.

Jiang Wu felt he had made an exceptionally brilliant film.

Gao Yuanyuan was a bit aloof and out of place.

In this small, run-down film crew, she was considered a "veteran actress".

I've directed feature films before, won awards, and had good box office results, but I don't think it's anything special.

There was a slight mistake in the second long take; it was a continuity error.

The zombie with one arm missing exposed its two arms.

"Try again, try again!"

After reading it, Wang Hai gave the instructions.

Making a film to deliberately create a bad movie is a completely different matter from having a proper directorial attitude.

Staged accidents and making bad movies are things done out of desperation.

The fact that the director didn't fix the obvious mistake in the shot suggests that his motives were impure.

I certainly don't love this job.

Filming continues. Wang Hai, Fan Xiaopang, and Yan Ni drive the zombies outside, and Jiang Wu, who plays the director in the film, jumps out.

"This is the movie I wanted, keep the camera rolling!"

Jiang Wu, clutching a handheld camera, was shouting wildly.