Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

After the interview,

The three got into the car arranged by China Film Group to pick them up at the airport. Han Sanping let the driver sit on the luggage cart and drove himself.

"I have to say, Phoenix TV really lives up to its reputation, they're really awesome." Wang Jingsong, who had been ignored all along, was quite happy. As a teacher, he didn't need any exposure. The Golden Lion was strong proof of his talent as a good actor.

"After all, they don't operate in mainland China, so they play it real," Han Sanping said with a smile, then asked, "How so? Should we send you back to the Beijing Film Academy?"

Zhuang Huai'an quickly waved his hand, "Take me home first, I need to rest for a couple of days, this trip to Venice has really worn me out."

Han Sanping also knew about his acclimatization problem, and then he looked at Wang Jingsong in the passenger seat.

"I'm going home first; I'm not used to jet lag yet."

"OK."

Old Han's driving skills are quite good; he quickly arrived at the courtyard house outside Houhai.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Han. I'll contact you again in a couple of days."

"No rush, you should rest first."

"become."

Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand, took out the key from his suitcase, opened the door, and without even taking a shower, threw himself onto the bed and fell asleep immediately.

When he woke up again, it was already noon the next day. He picked up his phone and saw that he had slept for seventeen hours.

"I'd be a dog if I ever went to Venice again!"

Feeling refreshed and full of energy, Zhuang Huai'an got up grumbling and went through a quick brushing of his teeth and shower, feeling like he had lost several pounds.

Seeing that there was more dust in the room, he cursed his inhuman neighbor a few more times, then called Manager Liu and asked him to arrange for two cleaning ladies to come and clean.

He called the chubby aunt who cooks to buy more groceries, and then started inviting people over for a meal.

Soon, the plump aunt arrived. Upon seeing Zhuang Huai'an, who had lost weight, she cursed Venice a couple of times before immediately going into the kitchen to prepare the meal.

This child is growing and can't go hungry.

Before long, Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Liang, and the three heroes from the vocational college class arrived, followed by Luo Jin.

Ning Hao didn't come; he was busy with his own movie.

"Hey, senior, where do I put this?" Luo Jin asked with a silly grin, carrying a fruit platter.

"Just open it and eat it, why put anything else in it?" Zhuang Huai'an eagerly took the fruit basket. He didn't dare eat fruit in Venice, afraid that it would make his diarrhea worse.

Wang Zhiyong laughed and said, "This kid, I told him we didn't need to buy anything, but he insisted. This fruit basket isn't big, but it cost almost a hundred yuan."

"Hehe," Luo Jin chuckled, "It's a custom in my hometown; we never come empty-handed on our first visit."

Zhuang Huai'an peeled a banana, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it, saying somewhat indistinctly, "Indeed, there are many rules in Jiangxi Province, and even more rules among the Hakka people."

Zhang Songwen chimed in, "It seems that's how it is where we're from. We teach our children all sorts of rules at home from a young age, just in case they go out and people say they have no manners."

"It depends on the situation," Zhou Yiwei continued. "Some traditions are good, while others are bad habits. I think the Tujia people have done a pretty good job in this regard, removing the dross and keeping the ethnic characteristics."

"We have a lot of rules in Northeast China. Like my mom, she often says, 'Don't dress like that when you go out, you'll look smug and charming.'" Sun Hao joined the conversation.

"It's all the same. I was fine in Dandong, but after I moved to Beijing, I kept getting beaten by my mom."

Lin Jiachuan said something, then pulled a fruit knife from a drawer and stabbed the watermelon on the table quickly and ruthlessly.

His actions successfully diverted everyone's attention.

"Hey Chuan-ge, watermelons are cut, not poked." Zhuang Huai-an found it somewhat amusing. Should he say that he truly lives up to his nickname, "Knife Brother"?

"It's all the same, I'm a pragmatist."

Lin Jiachuan scratched his head awkwardly, forgetting that he was still holding a knife. Red watermelon juice flowed down the blade onto his face. Combined with his fierce appearance, anyone with a weak constitution would faint on the spot after seeing him.

"Give it to me!"

Zhang Songwen snatched the fruit knife and pushed him out to wash his face.

Everyone sat in a row and ate fruit.

Zhuang Huai'an looked at them, a sudden idea popping into his head, and asked, "Hey guys, any work coming up?"

Sun Hao, eating watermelon, asked curiously, "Didn't you say you'd be joining the crew to work with me?"

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhuang Huai'an said, "I think it's a bit of a waste for the few of us to be in the same group. I have a TV drama script, how about we give it a try?"

"Sure," Zhang Songwen laughed. "I've sold you a hundred or so pounds of meat, so you can do whatever you want with it."

Currently, these people are positioned as follows: Wang Zhiyong is the head of the project and the producer; Sun Hao is the assistant director and cinematographer; and the three from the vocational high school class do everything, including guest roles and odd jobs on set.

Of course, "odd jobs" here doesn't mean doing manual labor, but rather helping to coordinate the crew members, more like a script supervisor, and considered a member of the director's team.

All three are down-to-earth and steady, and they do their jobs well. But after all, they are from the performing arts department and their acting skills are not bad. Zhuang Huai'an can't keep suppressing them forever. They are all brothers.

"Okay, if it's the director, who's going to play Zhiyong and Haozi?"

"Let the rats do it, I'll wait for later," Wang Zhiyong said. "We're about to start filming 'The Vanished Lover,' and I still have to work on this project. I'll back off once you find a producer."

"Me?" Sun Hao pointed to himself, somewhat uncertainly, and said, "Am I capable?"

"Give it a try," Zhuang Huai'an said with a smile. "When we're filming at the beach, Ning Hao won't be there, so it'll be good for you to be the cameraman. If you can shoot, you can direct. If you're unsure, I can draw up a storyboard for you to refer to."

"Alright then!" Sun Hao nodded.

Why are there so few qualified directors these days? Because this profession requires not only theoretical knowledge but also a lot of on-set experience. Who would dare to invest in you if you only know theory but also theory?

Trial and error comes at a cost.

In Zhuang Huai'an's view, Sun Hao's camera skills were already quite good, and he had honed his skills on two film sets. If he couldn't even make a TV series well, then he shouldn't even think about becoming a director. He should go home, clean himself up, and prepare to date Liu the richest man's daughter and live off her.

He doesn't mind giving these guys a chance, but you can't waste it.

Seeing that everyone had decided on a TV series in just a few words, Luo Jin, the younger brother, revealed a hint of longing in his eyes. He also wanted to learn from them, but he was too embarrassed to speak up.

"Oh right, Luo, get ready, you'll be going with Songwen later."

"Huh?" Luo Jin exclaimed in surprise, "Is there any left for me?"

"You don't want to?"

"Of course I'd like to! I'm just afraid of holding my brothers back."

"It's good that you're afraid," Zhuang Huai'an smiled. "Having a sense of awe will make you work harder. Cousin, please mentor this little guy of ours."

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Zhang Songwen stepped forward and patted Luo Jin on the shoulder with a smile.

"Also, Zhiyong, does the company currently have enough manpower to produce two films?"

"Not nearly enough," Wang Zhiyong thought for a moment and shook his head. "The people we signed are all people we've worked with before; it's just the size of a movie crew."

Zhuang Huai'an thought for a moment and said, "Then how about this, after you finish eating, go back to the company and ask those senior students to recommend some experienced people. I'll go to the school tomorrow to find Dean Zhang and bring over a group of seniors under the guise of internships."

The title of the Holy Son must be used!

"OK."