Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

December 10, 2001, Xiangyang Town, Northeast China

The crew of "The Hunt" wrapped up filming in a simple ceremony.

Zhuang Huai'an and his brothers were ambitious and determined to make something of themselves.

The crew members were also very happy. This internship was very rewarding for them. Unlike the theoretical teaching at school, Zhuang Huai'an specially invited teachers from various majors to join the crew as consultants and teach the students one-on-one.

These specialized and adaptable positions are a real boon for students who are still in the theoretical stage.

Before filming began, Zhuang Huai'an asked his father for 700 million, but the budget he made for the film was between 400 and 500 million. The rest was naturally for Zhuang to pocket. Unexpectedly, his father waved his hand and approved 1000 million directly.

The final cost of the production was 430 million yuan, of which Wang Zhiwen received 100 million yuan in salary, Jiang Wu received 60 yuan, the other actors and crew received a total of 100 million yuan in labor fees, and Ning Hao gave 15 yuan.

Milky Guy didn't charge for the film, but gave me a 5000 yuan red envelope separately, and he was still laughing so hard that he was snotting through his nose.

Although the equipment was free, Zhuang Huai'an couldn't be irresponsible and made other arrangements after returning to school.

Besides the actors' salaries, film stock is also incredibly expensive.

At the wrap party, Zhuang Huai'an specially invited local leaders to attend. After taking a photo with the remaining crew members, the leaders left.

Zhuang Huai'an, in a moment of youthful exuberance, accepted every toast offered to him.

He had a lot of presence, but he used a tiny wine cup. There was no way around it; as the director, he was the main target for toasts. There were too many people in the crew, so he had to be timid.

"Senior Brother Wang, let me raise a glass to you, and thank you again for your support!"

Zhuang Huai'an was sincere; without the addition of this group of top actors, his filming progress would not have been so smooth and fast.

The only pity is that with such a group of masters around, Zhuang Huai'an, the director, didn't even have a chance to give instructions. They not only thoroughly understood their own roles, but also took the opportunity to train several young actors.

No wonder those big directors all have their own favorite actors, it's really amazing!

"Huai'an, you're too kind," Wang Zhiwen said, his face flushed and his voice more magnetic than usual. "You wrote this script well, directed it well, and I really enjoyed acting in it. If you have any good roles to play next time, remember to call me up."

"must!"

Zhuang Huai'an filled a small wine glass to the brim, and the two smiled at each other before drinking it down in one gulp.

...

Zhuang Huai'an didn't know how he got back to his residence. When he opened his eyes again, it was already 2 p.m. the next day.

Wang Zhiyong was sitting on the sofa looking at documents when he saw that he had woken up, so he brought him a glass of warm water.

"Is everything arranged by the film crew?" Zhuang Huai'an's voice was a little hoarse after a hangover.

"Everything is arranged. Senior Brother Wang and Xie Miao left early this morning. The other senior brothers and sisters in the crew took their equipment. Senior Brother Ning Hao led the team to the train station. Haozi hitched a ride with Guan Xiaotong's father to the city. He plans to see if he can rent a car and drive back to Beijing."

"Rent a car and drive yourself? What was he thinking?"

"Haozi said this is our 404's first real film. He didn't trust the film to be handed over to others, so he thought of renting a car to take the footage with him."

Goodness, Zhuang Huai'an felt a touch of emotion. Although the three of them had only known each other for a few months, they had become surprisingly close after going through these experiences.

Perhaps this is what friendship between men is like—it comes unexpectedly and is very much in line with the characteristics of the male group.

Among the three, one person comes up with the best idea, and the other two immediately follow suit.

"Call him and tell him not to worry, just find a place in the city and wait for us."

Zhuang Huai'an took a sip of water. "It's 3000 kilometers from Beijing, and the road is even more dangerous. I've already planned this out. Why don't we just charter a soft sleeper carriage on a train?"

The sleeper carriages of this era were different from the small four-person compartments of later times. Instead, they were like the room in the movie "A World Without Thieves," where Uncle Ge had a washroom and toilet. They were also very private and perfect for long-distance travel.

Zhuang Huai'an leaned against the bed and smoked a cigarette. After feeling better, he got up, brushed his teeth, took a shower, tidied his clothes, and called Wang Zhiyong and the two finance staff who were with the group. They walked to the hotel lobby.

Wang Zhiyong has become increasingly adept at his role as a producer, handling all kinds of accounts meticulously and working efficiently.

After packing the equipment with the driver and making sure nothing was left behind, the four of them boarded the bus and headed towards Jiamusi city.

It was already evening when we arrived, and coincidentally, there was a train to Harbin that night.

Sun Hao bought the train tickets in the afternoon. There were two carriages in total, one for the three brothers in carriage 404 and the other for the two female accountants.

After resting for a night in Harbin, we transferred to another vehicle to return to Beijing.

The arduous journey made Zhuang Huai'an miss high-speed rail and airplanes terribly; this old green train was indeed slow.

Finally back in Beijing, Ning Hao had already been notified and knew he had a lot of stuff, so he and his girlfriend Nana each drove a car to pick him up from the station.

Surprisingly, Zhang Songwen somehow got a car and brought his good buddies Zhou Yiwei and Lin Jiachuan over to help move things.

"Ah~~~"

Inside dormitory 404, Zhuang Huai'an uttered a trembling voice reminiscent of Song Xiaobao, "Hey, you little rat~ you better be careful~"

The Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix were exhausted and lay on the bed, ignoring him completely.

"Hey, cousin!"

Zhang Songwen, covered in sweat, entered and spoke in Hakka dialect: "I left the things in Director Wang's office. Yiwei, Jiachuan, and I are exhausted. You can make arrangements for tonight."

"No problem~"

Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand weakly, "But now that you've let me lie down for a while, I've never missed my bed so much."

"Okay," Zhang Songwen nodded, sat down on the remaining empty bed, took out a copy of "Performing Arts," and read it with great interest.

That evening, Zhuang Huai'an treated the group to a meal at Donglaishun Restaurant, leaving the rest to Wolong and Fengchu, and then plunged into the editing room.

Fortunately, it's an art-house drama with few grand scenes and no special effects. The actors, including Wang Zhiwen, performed very well, and almost all of them could meet the standard in one or two takes.

There were no unnecessary scraps, and Zhuang Huai'an had a clear idea of ​​the final product's quality.

Based on his memory, he didn't make many changes and finished editing the video in just 15 days.

"Hahahaha, I've succeeded!"

Zhuang Huai'an, with his messy hair and red eyes, laughing wildly with his head thrown back, startled Wang Hongwei, who had just entered.

Fearing the child was having hysteria, Old Wang quickly stepped forward and shouted, "You wretched child, what have you become?!"

Seeing Lao Wang's nervous expression, Zhuang Huai'an felt a little embarrassed and quickly explained, "Don't worry, Master, I'm not crazy. It's a film, and I've finished editing it."

"So fast?"

"Yes, the original dialogue can be used, all that's missing is the background music."

After carefully examining his apprentice, Old Wang found that apart from being a little excited, there was nothing wrong with him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.