Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

"Shu Chang is planning to attend the Beijing Film Academy? And even sign with our company?"

Zhuang Huai'an stared at the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix in astonishment.

Is this correct? Is this reasonable?

"That's right," Sun Hao nodded. "Once you agree, Director Du Hua will go and discuss the contract with her."

"As long as she's willing, it's no problem."

Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand, "But I'm still more curious about why she changed her mind?"

Last year, when filming "Liancheng Jue" and "Chinese Paladin", Shu Chang was admitted to the Central Academy of Drama but then backed out, planning to repeat a year and take the academic route. This was known to those who knew her, and even the media reported on it.

Liu Yifei tried to persuade her several times, but seeing that the other party insisted, she didn't say anything more, and the matter was dropped.

"Ah, is that so?"

Sun Hao explained, "The matter is quite simple. Because she has been working on our company's projects for the past year, she hasn't had time to study. She only scored a little over 400 points in the quiz in March. She cried so much that Zhiyong and I didn't dare to go up to her."

"and then?"

"Then I called Aunt Liu. I must say, Aunt Liu is really beautiful inside and out. She rushed from Beijing to Hengdian that day and kept comforting the girl. She even gave her a suggestion: since she couldn't keep up with her academic studies and would have to repeat a year, she might as well take the art exam directly. If she couldn't go to the Central Academy of Drama, she could go to the Beijing Film Academy. At least it's an undergraduate degree."

Then Shu Chang thought it made sense, but our school's art exam registration had already closed, so she asked me and Zhi Yong to ask Teacher Wang for a favor so we could directly participate in the second round of auditions.

Is that...amazing?

Zhuang Huai'an found it both funny and absurd; it seemed that his actions had unintentionally altered the course of many people's lives.

Those who have gone through high school know that although there are no classes in the senior year, there are a lot of practice tests. The goal is to form memories in the mind and also to organize one's thoughts.

Perhaps Shu Chang had a solid foundation in her studies, but her rhythm had been disrupted. To put it simply, her performance in that small test had shattered her spirits.

This girl has a rather complicated background. After the sudden incident, she only had Aunt Liu to comfort her. Once she lost her composure, she was easily persuaded to accept advice from others.

Tsk, if this girl can continue like this, what chance will mainland China's second-generation leading actresses have of Da Mi?

Hehehe,

Sun Hao scratched his head and chuckled, "I didn't expect Zhiyong and I to have so much influence in front of Lao Wang. He only mentioned it once, and he had someone print out our admission tickets."

Wang Zhiyong and Zhuang Huai'an exchanged a glance, neither of them daring to look at him. Brother, is this some kind of face for you?

Ren Shuchang is currently the most popular young actress in mainland China. Only a fool would Beijing Film Academy push someone who is already famous out of the country.

"Alright, you've all worked hard these past few months, go back and rest for half a month, then get ready to work on The Return of the Condor Heroes."

Zhuang Huai'an tossed over two cigarettes. "Oh, by the way, I've hired Lao Wang as the producer. He'll also be bringing our classmates along for internships. You guys discuss the arrangements with Lao Wang. If anyone disagrees, don't speak up; just talk to Lao Wang directly."

Those who know, know. Anyone who gets into the directing department of Beijing Film Academy has something to offer, and there's no need for them to put on airs or act arrogantly in front of their classmates.

Who knows, we might need it someday.

"understood."

"I understand, I understand."

Having been in charge of several film crews, the two are no longer greenhorns. They know when to lose their temper and when to hold back.

After having a cigarette, the two went on vacation.

Zhuang Huai'an took out his phone and shared the latest news with someone, only to be told that the other person already knew.

Zhuang Huai'an was somewhat unhappy with this reply and questioned the other party repeatedly, asking if they actually had secrets from him?

Sisi: ⊙▽⊙

Sisi: I was wrong! I was promoting "Little Ones" at the time and forgot about it. Don't be angry, okay? *pat pat* O(∩_∩)O

Fine.

Zhuang Huai'an smacked his lips and put away his phone with satisfaction.

Ha, what a promising young man.

...

As we approach the end of June, the summer movie season has officially begun.

In terms of TV dramas, "Shuiyue Dongtian" took the lead. This time, there was no so-called local TV station test broadcast. Relying on Zhuang Huai'an's name, it directly premiered on Shanghai TV and Shenzhen TV during prime time, and won the first place in the national ratings for the same time slot.

Even the childhood classic "Little Soldier Zhang Ga" broadcast on CCTV was relegated to second place.

CCTV's Chen Siyu and Zhong Lifang agreed to use "Liancheng Jue" to stabilize the market first, and set it for 7 pm on July 5th, taking over the time slot of an unknown patriotic TV series.

The Legend of Sword and Fairy followed suit.

CCTV's willingness to pull this stunt is baffling; it's unclear whether the work itself is genuinely excellent, or if it stems from the influence of Han Sanping and Zhuang Huai'an's connections.

It's really just a show of face.

In terms of movies, Zhang Yimou's new film "House of Flying Daggers" has kicked off the promotion. After tasting the success of "Hero", Zhang Weiping is going all out. Even buses and taxis in Beijing are covered with posters of Andy Lau and Kim Cheng-wu.

Professor Ren from Shanghai Film Studio is quite cunning. As soon as he heard that "House of Flying Daggers" was scheduled for release on July 16, his original idea of ​​putting the bouquet out for the summer season was immediately extinguished.

Zhuang Huai'an agreed, saying that although the two films are of different genres and he may not be able to beat Zhang Yimou, when two tigers fight, one will be injured. Nowadays, the box office market is limited, and few people go to the cinema to watch two movies in a row, so there is no need to create such a conflict.

Han Sanping inadvertently revealed this news to Zhang Yimou, and to express his gratitude, the old man actually came to 91 Company in person to deliver an invitation to the premiere of "House of Flying Daggers".

Zhuang Huai'an, being quite unruly, took Zhang Yimou on a tour of the three small buildings, highlighting the advanced departments such as the editing and projection rooms, and finally showing off the latest digital camera developed by the United States.

"Senior, look at this. This Panavision Genesis is the world's only Super 35 format digital cinema projector."

Its core hardware features a custom-made 1240-megapixel RGB CCD from Sony, a Super 35-size sensor, and its depth of field and lens compatibility are fully comparable to 35mm film cameras, which 2/3-inch CCD models simply cannot match.

规格是10bit Log、4:4:4全带宽输出，动态範围远超同期所有HD摄像机，最高50fps升格；

Panavisense cinema camera bodies are natively compatible with all cinema lenses, including Primo, Cooke, and Zeiss, and are compatible with traditional film cameras in terms of mechanical structure, weights, and accessories.

Our traditional photographers don't even need to test the camera; they can just pick it up and use it right away. Its performance is incredibly powerful!

The long string of technical jargon made Zhang Yimou's eyes practically pop out of their sockets. As a photographer himself, he kept stroking the black beauty.

"This machine is still being delivered in small quantities in Hollywood. Many A-list productions that were scheduled to start production after the Lunar New Year have not yet started work, because they are waiting for this machine."

"It was originally intended for filming The Martian, but experts from the China National Space Administration aren't available to provide guidance right now, so it's just sitting here collecting dust. It's such a waste."

"It's a real pity," Zhang Yimou said reluctantly, covering the machine with a red cloth. "Huai'an, how much did this machine cost?"

"Panavisham just developed this machine. They only lease it, not sell it. I bought this machine at a premium, for about $50. If I lease it, it would only cost about $3000 a day, which is not expensive."

So what?

Zhuang Huai'an's Versailles made Zhang Yimou feel inexplicably inferior.

He had worked with Zhang Weiping for so many years, yet he couldn't even come up with $500,000. But Zhang Weiping just bought it without asking.

Thinking about the editing and screening rooms I had just visited, and then looking at this camera, I glanced around at the luxuriously decorated office.

This honest, simple old man from Northwest China,

For the first time, I'm starting to think that Zhang Weiping might not be as good as he seems?

Seeing Zhang Yimou fall silent, Zhuang Huai'an smiled inwardly.

When Ziling Gong fished, those who were willing would take the bait.