MC Bookstore Chapter 20 Start-up 1
Chapter 20 Start-up 1
May 15th.
Around six in the morning, as the sunlight began to pierce through the clouds, Zhou Nian and his agent left the house. He had just gotten into the car when he heard his agent complain, "This pre-production is going way too fast! How can we possibly make a good movie with this kind of rush?"
"We've already accepted the call."
Zhou Nian, however, seemed unconcerned, saying, "Besides, no one else is asking me to act anymore, except for him."
"That's the only way."
Zhou Hong sighed.
When Zhou Hongyi, Zhou's younger brother, told her that someone had approached him to act in a movie, she was initially very happy. However, when she heard that it was Huang Min, her initial joy immediately faded. But after reading the script written by Huang Min, she regained some hope.
The main point is that the script wasn't bad.
Although it lacks grand scenes and strong commercial appeal, it has an extremely stable structure, a ruthless pace, and sharp satire. From a series of bombs to live-streamed games, as well as the station director's pressure and the government's attempt to shift blame, the plot twists are high-energy throughout.
This means that the lead actor has a career arc. As long as he performs well, even if the box office is not good, her brother can come back into the production company's sights. But... the pre-production preparation is a bit too fast.
It only took about half a month.
Her brother hadn't even fully grasped the script when he received a call from Huang Min last night saying filming would start today. If Huang Min had spent three to six months preparing beforehand, Zhou Hong would still have some confidence, even if Huang Min was forced into this desperate gamble. After all, the script quality was there, and although the production cost was small, there were still examples in the entertainment industry of achieving great success with limited resources.
Now!
Zhou Hongzhen felt that Huang Min was getting impatient.
He wasted his brilliant idea and the excellent script he created.
After a while, Zhou Hong finally spoke up, "Let it go this time. Consider it helping Huang Min out. In the future, if anyone contacts you privately, even if you really want to accept the offer, you'll have to follow my advice as your agent."
"Okay, sis."
Anniversary quickly responded.
About twenty minutes into the drive, Zhou Nian asked, "Sis, do you know why Lin Wan is slandering Huang Min like that? Although I haven't had much contact with Huang Min, and we've only worked together twice, he doesn't seem like the kind of person Lin Wan described."
"You shouldn't bother knowing; this is something neither you nor I can get involved in."
Without hesitation, Zhou Hong replied, "The reason Huang Min hasn't spoken out publicly again and instead chose to transition into directing is probably because he's seen through Lin Wan's current connections and status."
As she spoke, Zhou Hong sighed again, "It was still a bit unwise. Such a good script should have been prepared more thoroughly. He has never been a director before, so he should have taken it slow and completed all the pre-production work before starting filming. During the filming process, he could have polished it slowly. There might still be hope."
"Perhaps he understands this, but his economic situation doesn't allow him to drag it out."
Zhou Nian laughed and replied, "Don't overthink it. If we lose money, consider it as helping him out. If we make money, I'll get 5% of the box office revenue. Maybe with this movie, I can earn more than 10 million for a single film."
"I hope so!"
Zhou Hong nodded.
After that, she didn't say anything more; in any case, she really didn't think highly of Huang Min's drama.
The script is fine.
The problem lies with Huang Min.
Born as an actor, yet lacking in acting skills, let alone experience as a director, he has no experience even in filming "GG" (a popular Chinese comedy film). His direct transition to directing is hardly inspiring confidence.
Thirty minutes later, the car stopped in the open space outside the film set that the crew had set up. Zhou Hong got out of the car, looked around at the simple conditions, and didn't say anything.
Huang Min's film was shot entirely indoors, so no matter what happened outside, it wouldn't affect the filming quality. As Zhou Hong entered the studio, she saw Huang Min directing the newly formed filming team, making preparations before filming.
"director"
Zhou Nian smiled and walked over to greet him.
"welcome"
Huang Min smiled and pointed to a room next door: "This is a dressing room specially set up for you. We've also prepared several suits and a few pairs of glasses for you. You can choose whichever you like later."
"Then I'll go do my makeup first."
Zhou Nian nodded and went straight into the dressing room to begin the makeup and costume fitting for the first scene.
Zhou Hong did not go with them.
She stood in a place where she wouldn't interfere with Huang Min's work, watching him arrange the tasks. As she watched, Zhou Hong's face showed surprise. It was clearly Huang Min's first time filming, yet he arranged the crew's work in an orderly manner.
"We need to counteract stray light from the screen. It must be clean and even, with increased emphasis on shadows. There must be no chaotic lighting, flickering, or overhead lighting that could smother your face."
Huang Min said to the lighting technician, "Now you can have someone sit in the lead actor's position to test the lighting. This film has very high requirements for you."
Zhou Hong felt a little better.
A director may not necessarily know a lot about filming techniques, nor be a great storyteller, but they must know two things: first, what they want to express, and second, what kind of effect they want.
Only by grasping these two core factors can the direction of the filming content not get out of control. Zhou Hong could not understand why Huang Min did not hold a press conference or opening ceremony for the new film. In fact, this was the smartest thing to do. Relying on Huang Min's current connections and status, choosing to go head-to-head with Lin Wan would undoubtedly be like throwing an egg against a rock.
Keeping a low profile is the best approach.
If successful, the situation will immediately reverse.
The film was a failure... The low-key start of filming means that even now, people in the industry may not know that Huang Min has chosen to switch to directing. This is mainly because the film used very few actors, making it easy to keep the news under wraps.
soon.
She came out with her makeup done for the anniversary.
Huang Min didn't rush to start filming. Instead, he smiled and said, "Brother Zhou, let me demonstrate first." Zhou Hong, who was standing to the side, wanted to laugh. This guy hadn't even filmed a scene yet, but he had already taken on the role of director and was already instructing the actors.
Huang Min sat in the main character's seat.
"First, it's about your state of mind. I need you to show signs of being listless, perfunctory, impatient, and disappointed, just like me."
As he spoke, Huang Min immediately began to demonstrate.
He was leaning back in the anchor's chair, his sunglasses slipped down to the bridge of his nose, his eyes were unfocused and he looked very tired, as if all his energy had been drained away, even the corners of his eyes were drooping...
At the beginning of the anniversary celebration, Huang Min's casual expression gradually became more composed. His older sister, Zhou Hong, stared blankly at him, thinking how subtle his acting skills were.
The face is still the same face.
It can give people the feeling of "becoming" another person.