MC Bookstore Chapter 5 Audition
Chapter 5 Audition
......
The director of the artist department, in a huge office.
Wang Jinghua, dressed in a black business suit with a thick leather coat over it, enthusiastically introduced the situation to several artists.
"You all know the situation. I called you all here today for Director Fang's new movie."
"It's a suspense film with not many roles. All five of you will have a chance to try out for it later."
Wang Jinghua, like a caring older sister, spoke kindly yet professionally about the audition process.
Around her sat three men and two women: Hu Jun, Xia Yu, Huang Xiaoming, Li Bingbing, and Fan Bingbing, five artists.
Each and every one of them is a rising star in the entertainment industry, with outstanding and unique looks and a radiant presence. They are like a cluster of starlight, making the elegantly decorated office even brighter.
Wang Jinghua's eyes were filled with tenderness as she carefully instructed, "Although Director Fang is young and this is his first time directing, it is precisely because of his youth that we need to befriend him early on. Moreover, the script for the new film was written entirely by Director Fang, and he also personally invested a significant portion of it."
As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions of the five people who had just been listening intently changed.
"Personal investment? Really?"
Among the five, the youngest, Fan Bingbing, exclaimed in surprise, blinking her large, fox-like eyes twice with a hint of doubt, "I heard that this Director Fang just graduated from university and immediately started making movies, even investing in them himself. Could this guy be someone's rich kid?"
Her words drew the attention of everyone else.
Li Bingbing raised her eyebrows and curled her lip in disdain, thinking to herself, "Heh, young master, this doesn't suit your wishes."
Fan Bingbing saw the other person's sarcasm. Although she was angry inside, she didn't care on her pretty face. She raised her head and continued to speak: "Sister, if he really is a rich young master, you'd better make the most of him."
After saying that, she smiled and turned her head to look at Xia Yu, who was silently playing with a coin by himself.
Old Li, what are you pretending for with your grandma?
Li Bingbing rolled her eyes and looked at Wang Jinghua in the main seat.
The two had an even better relationship in private, and a deep affection for each other. Sister Hua treated her like a younger sister, and she trusted Sister Hua's professional judgment.
Sure enough, following her gaze, Wang Jinghua shook her head, her gentle voice rising.
"No, Director Fang is from Yuzhang, not from a wealthy family."
"Yuzhang?"
Beside Hu Jun, Huang Xiaoming, who was still slightly shorter but sat up straight, spoke softly, hesitatingly asking, "Sister Hua, there are more than just us auditioning today, right?"
He remembered that Deng Chao, who had been frantically taking on roles since joining Huayi Brothers last year, was also from Yuzhang.
We're both from Yuzhang, and we work for the same company!
Wang Jinghua noticed Huang Xiaoming's hesitation and nodded affirmatively, "This Director Fang has a very good relationship with Deng Chao."
There are no secrets in the entertainment industry...
Huang Xiaoming and Deng Chao are of similar age, debuted in very similar ways, and even have the same career path. Under the same roof, competition for resources is inevitable.
"Don't worry, Sister Hua, I will take today's audition seriously and give it my all."
Huang Xiaoming stated in a deep voice, exuding confidence and unafraid to compete with any of his peers.
Wang Jinghua smiled with satisfaction and said with concern, "Xiaoming, don't worry too much about gains and losses. It's good to get the role, but it's okay if you don't. Your resources will get better and better after The Return of the Condor Heroes airs."
"I know Sister Hua."
Huang Xiaoming grinned, raised his hand to smooth his hair on his forehead, and transformed into a handsome and refreshing man.
He's a smart man with exceptional emotional intelligence; he instantly understood the underlying meaning in Sister Hua's words.
When competing with others, stick to the facts and don't involve the artist themselves. Avoid resorting to suppression or retaliation.
This suited him perfectly. Although there were signs of competition between him and Deng Chao, he himself was hailed as the "number one" of Huayi.
But he is well aware that it is all superficial; his status as the "number one" figure is more reflected in his access to resources on smaller screens.
Large-screen resources are something that only a few people, like Uncle Ge, can dream about within Huayi.
"Alright, you guys go upstairs first. Let's have lunch together and get together."
Seeing that it was almost time, Wang Jinghua stood up from the sofa and pushed the five people out the door.
Familiar and skillful habits and attitudes quietly warmed the hearts of the five people.
The three men waved goodbye, while the two women, Li Bingbing and Fan Bingbing, hugged Wang Jinghua goodbye one after another, muttering that they wanted to have a big meal and make Sister Hua bleed money.
Wang Jinghua gently stroked their hair, her eyes filled with doting affection.
Wang Jinghua deserves immense credit for the excellent relationship between artists and their agents, truly deserving of the title of the top agent in the Chinese entertainment industry.
She had a very high opinion of the five people in front of her, and no matter what the audition results were, she was prepared to confront them at noon.
She believes that at least three or four of the five people are willing to leave Huayi with her.
Wang Jinghua has the confidence and ability to lead the five people to a higher level.
......
Huayi Office Building, 20th floor. Most of the floor is bustling with people coming and going.
The company's makeup artists, assistant directors, and executive directors gathered early in the morning to prepare under the direction of Li Yang, the deputy production manager.
Fang Yi and Wang Zhonglei had finished breakfast and were waiting in a prepared conference room.
Li Yang had just finished his work when he came in to report: "President Wang, Director Fang, all the auditioning actors are here, and the scripts have been distributed. When would you like to start?"
"Give them half an hour to prepare, and start promptly at nine o'clock." Wang Zhonglei glanced at his watch and waved his hand.
Fang Yi smiled and nodded, bowing to Li Yang: "Director Li, you've worked hard. I'll treat you to lunch to thank you properly."
"Director Fang, you're too kind. This is all part of the production department's job."
Li Yang smiled modestly and then said, "We've scouted three filming locations, two in Beijing and one in Shanghai. I'll send the photos to Director Fang later, and once he's finalized the plans, I'll contact the relevant local departments."
"Okay, thank you for your help."
Fang Yi handed over cigarettes, lit one for Li Yang himself, and then handed one to Wang Zhonglei.
He himself returned to his seat and began reviewing the profiles of the artists who had auditioned that day.
Wang Zhonglei took the cigarette, lit it, and watched with a smile, increasingly admiring Fang Yi's social skills.
Despite his young age, he is not arrogant.
He's a pro at dealing with people, he's really weird.
The auditions began at 9:00 AM.
The first role I auditioned for was an assassin who never appeared in the original film.
In the revised script, the assassin character appears in several scenes and is considered the second male lead.
【Phone Booth】Because it's a Hollywood horror movie, it would have to be heavily modified for the Chinese market. Not only would the horror elements need to be reduced, but it would also have to meet censorship requirements.
After the revamp, Fang Yi retained its suspense theme while expanding on the characters' backgrounds and the origins of the events.
Similarly, the film's length has been extended considerably.
Knock knock...
A knock sounded at the door, and Wang Liang, the executive director of the film crew, pushed the door open and respectfully addressed Wang Zhonglei, Fang Yi, and Li Yang.
"The first artist has arrived."
"Let him in," Fang Yi said, his tone solemn and authoritative.
As soon as he finished speaking, a handsome male artist with thick eyebrows and bright eyes walked into the conference room.
"Mr. Wang, Director Fang, Director Li, my name is Tong Dawei, and I play the role of Xiao Ran, the audition killer."
In fact, given his current popularity, he could easily audition for the male lead role.
"Dawei is here..."
Wang Zhonglei raised his chin and responded with a smile.
Fang Yi remained expressionless, glanced at the paper a few times, and then placed it on the table.
"You have three minutes!"
"Okay." Tong Dawei said calmly, stepping forward to pick up the paper.
Li Yang smiled like Maitreya Buddha and waved for Tong Dawei to give a good performance.
Three auditioners, three different attitudes.
Ten minutes later.
Tong Dawei walked out of the conference room with a hint of disappointment and shook his head at the assistant waiting at the door.
"Inappropriate..."
The assistant pulled him downstairs, comforting him, "It's okay, there will be plenty of opportunities, Brother Dawei. Sister Hua just called and asked you to come over to her place for a while after your audition."
"Alright."
Tong Dawei shrugged, suppressing his disappointment.
Soon, the second auditioning artist appeared.
Hu Jun strode into the conference room and greeted Fang Yi and the other two in a gruff voice.
His arrival changed the attitudes of Wang Zhonglei and Li Yang.
"You have arrived."
"Brother Jun, it's been a long time."
Fang Yi remained aloof, took out a sheet of paper, and said to Hu Jun, "Try this section."
"No problem, director."
Hu Jun took the paper and glanced at it.
The contents of the paper clearly depicted the male lead's panic upon learning he was being targeted by a sniper rifle.
Hu Jun thought to himself that things were going to get tough; this young director was no joke.
His current flaws are immediately apparent!
He did audition for the male lead, but he wasn't really confident about this particular role.
Simply put, his image is naturally unsuitable for portraying characters in a state of panic or fear.
Instantly, Hu Jun gave up the idea of playing the male lead.
Ten minutes passed again, and Hu Jun failed the audition.
However, Fang Yi didn't let him off the hook, asking him if he would be willing to play the role of a policeman, without needing an audition.
Hu Jun hesitated for a moment, then, remembering Sister Hua's high regard for Fang Yi, nodded in agreement.
Whether it's a supporting role or not, it's all about getting to know this young director.
Seeing that he agreed, Fang Yi finally smiled and handed him the plot of the police, reporters, and public opinion.
"Brother Jun, your role is that of a criminal police captain. He is upright and flexible. He doesn't have many scenes, but he is extremely important."
"Don't worry, Director Fang, I will take it seriously!"