lovenovelstory Chapter 75 Film Crew Inspection
Chapter 75 Film Crew Inspection
"The plane is delayed!" Huang Yiliang said dismissively.
The main creators of "Crazy Stone" were collectively speechless.
If it weren't for the two pretty girls beside you holding various snacks bought from the food street, we would have believed your nonsense.
Ning Hao clapped his hands and called over all the key staff members of the production crew.
"Hello, boss!" Huang Bo, being very adept at handling people, took the lead and shouted.
"Hello everyone, you've all worked hard. Keep filming and just pretend I'm not here." Huang Yiliang waved his hand.
Ning Hao was even more speechless.
You really came to the film set empty-handed to inspect the work?!
"Hello, boss! My name is Wang Xun." Wang Xun fawned over Huang Yiliang, offering him a cigarette.
Huang Yiliang nodded as he looked at the guy in front of him who looked a bit like a groundhog.
Wang Xun has no scenes tonight; most of his scenes are with Huang Haidong, which were filmed a couple of days ago.
But since he had nothing better to do, he came to the film crew to see if there was any money to be made.
The scene being filmed is Huang Bo and Yue Xiaojun stealing jade from Luohan Temple.
Guo Tao, who plays Bao Shihong, leads a few incompetent security guards from the factory to chase after Huang Bo and Yue Xiaojun.
"Pfft—!" Huang Yiliang was wondering why he didn't see the royal flush, but it turned out that this guy was playing the role of a security guard.
I must say, people with life experience really do act differently.
Wang Zha had actually worked as a security guard, so his portrayal of a cunning and sly security guard was quite convincing.
"All units, get ready. Dim the lights a bit more. Watch your step when you run, don't fall," Ning Hao shouted through a megaphone with practiced ease.
This guy has served as an executive director for several TV series before, so his directing experience is definitely sufficient.
"Action"
As soon as Ning Hao shouted "Start!", Huang Bo and Yue Xiaojun immediately started running away, with Guo Tao and the others chasing after them. Ning Hao clearly wanted to take a wide-angle shot.
Huang Yiliang subconsciously felt that the lighting was insufficient and too dim, but since Ning Hao was directing, Huang Yiliang didn't say anything and just watched silently.
"Click—!"
"Huang Bo, you're running way too fast, you've gone out of the frame."
"I'm sorry, Director!" Huang Bo apologized very readily.
"Those chasing shouldn't chase too fast either. Cooperate well and pay attention to the rhythm," Ning Hao shouted before continuing.
"Click!"
"Guo Tao, you guys are too slow this time. I want realism."
"You're about to catch up, but there's just a tiny bit of urgency missing," Ning Hao continued explaining the scene.
Everyone understands the principle, but putting it into performance is another matter, especially since this is an ensemble piece that requires everyone to cooperate; it's not enough for just one person to perform well.
Ning Hao filmed this scene for a full hour.
That's not enough, because they were just testing the waters with a digital camera; now they're actually shooting with a film camera.
"Ready? Let's try to get it right in one take!"
"Action!"
"Click! Excellent! Passed!"
Ning Hao squatted in front of the monitor to watch the playback.
"How about it? Should we cover it again?" Ning Hao asked, feigning nonchalance.
"Film doesn't cost money! This is a commercial film, not an art film. This wide shot will only be three or four seconds long in the final cut. Even if there are some flaws, the audience won't notice," Huang Yiliang said irritably.
Ning Hao nodded in agreement; he thought so too.
Of course, the main issue is funding. These actors don't get paid much. If they have to film each scene ten or eight times, they'll definitely throw a tantrum.
Ning Hao was quite efficient; after shooting the wide shot, he immediately started shooting individual shots of a few people.
He concentrated all the night scenes of the Luohan Temple scenes into filming tonight.
Soon it was time to film the scene where Dao Ge pulls the switch. Dao Ge's acting was very solid, and he almost always got it right in one take.
To Huang Yiliang's surprise, the actor who played the international thief Mike was actually Gao Qiqiang, the fishmonger. Uh, this guy should be called Zhang Songwen.
Huang Yiliang has no doubt that this guy can play a psychopathic killer.
However, the character of the international thief Mike is somewhat comical; it's not enough for him to just have a straight face and act cold.
In fact, actors in comedy films need to have some comedic flair to achieve the best results. Ning Hao is excellent at casting.
Of course, the best in this regard is Stephen Chow. No matter how tall or short, fat or thin, the characters he chooses can make the audience smile before the performance even begins.
"What's wrong?" Ning Hao noticed Huang Yiliang's expression.
"Can he play this role?" Huang Yiliang asked with some concern.
"Of course, no problem. This guy is from Guangdong, and his Southeast Asian accent is particularly good. Plus, his acting is pretty good." Ning Hao seemed very satisfied with Zhang Songwen's performance.
Since Andy Lau didn't invest in the film, Ning Hao didn't need to create a Hong Kong master thief setting to please Andy Lau, so Mike here is still a South Asian international thief with a slightly effeminate manner.
Ning Hao didn't design any high-flying action scenes involving high-rise buildings and ropes for Mike.
Following the script directly, Mike, dressed as a woman and wearing high heels, took the elevator into the building to steal the jade.
This scene saved Huang Yiliang at least 300,000 yuan.
"Click! Passed!"
Zhang Songwen's acting skills are indeed quite good; he perfectly portrayed the characteristics of a sissy, nagging thief.
This guy was just a little too eager; as soon as filming was over, he squeezed in front of the monitor to watch the playback.
"Director, I think we can shoot another take. I can act even better," Zhang Songwen suggested.
"Film doesn't cost money, you've gone too far!" Ning Hao cursed irritably.
The boss is standing right behind me supervising. You think you can make me waste film to improve your acting skills? How dare you even think that?
"Your scenes are finished. You can ask the finance department to book your train ticket back tomorrow." Ning Hao waved his hand impatiently.
Although he appreciates Zhang Songwen's acting skills, he particularly dislikes actors who question the director.
Just act according to my instructions, you fucking want to tell me what to do?
"No way! I'll just go with the main group! I can be a background character, carry props, and do whatever I want," Zhang Songwen quickly said.
Ning Hao waved his hand: "Go away."
The crew of "Crazy Stone" was indeed short-staffed, and many tasks were done by everyone working together.
"Okay!" Zhang Songwen nodded with a grin.
This jerk has absolutely no sense of propriety. The boss was standing right next to him, and he didn't even say hello.
Of course, he might also have mistaken Huang Yiliang for an ordinary investor.
"Brother Liang, that actor seems pretty good," Yang Mi whispered.
"Impressive my foot! He's too ugly. How far must the audience's aesthetic sense have deteriorated for such a loser to have a chance to play an important role?"
Huang Yiliang is incredibly stingy; he remembered that Zhang Songwen didn't greet him first.
In fact, no matter how ugly Zhang Songwen is, he can't compare to Huang Bo.
But Huang Bo calls Boss Huang Brother Liang!
"Boss!"
"Liying! Here, jasmine tea!"
Zhang Li came over and brought Zhao Liying a glass of chilled jasmine tea.
This girl was also quite clever. Not long after she joined the company, she vaguely sensed that Wang Ou was targeting her, and since Wang Ou and Zhao Liying had a particularly bad relationship, she quickly sided with Zhao Liying.
"Hehe! Thank you, Sister Li! I was just thirsty." Zhao Liying laughed happily.
"I know there are many delicious places in Chongqing. Let's go explore them together sometime," Zhang Li said in a somewhat ingratiating tone.
"Okay! Okay!"
Zhao Liying readily agreed. She was at the age where she loved to have fun, but the circumstances hadn't allowed it before.
Zhang Li didn't have any scenes tonight, but she received a message from Zhao Liying saying that the boss had arrived, so she quickly changed her clothes and rushed over.
"Little Potato, who is this?" Yang Mi pretended to be very familiar with Zhao Liying.
"You're the little potato, don't force me to call you square-faced!" Zhao Liying glared angrily.
This girl is incredibly hypocritical. She only lets her boss call her "Little Potato," and she gets furious if anyone else does.
"Ahem!" Yang Mi coughed awkwardly twice, feeling extremely frustrated.
"We absolutely have to do it. That little potato will be so envious!"
"Hello! My name is Yang Mi, what's your name?" Yang Mi greeted Zhang Li.
"Zhang Li!" Zhang Li replied calmly.
Seeing that Zhao Liying and Yang Mi had a bad relationship, she naturally sided with Zhao Liying.
"Sister Li! You're so beautiful. Did you act in this movie?" Yang Mi's words were particularly sweet, completely ignoring Zhang Li's coldness.
"Just a nobody."
Zhang Li answered reservedly, but a smile appeared on her lips.
Which girl doesn't like to be praised, especially since Yang Mi is also a pretty girl?
"Hehe, Sister Li, you must be being modest. Do you eat dried fish? It's especially delicious, really, and the spiciness is just right!" Yang Mi enthusiastically recommended her snacks.
Otherwise, how could this guy have gotten so popular?
His ability to be humble and subservient is simply too good to be true.
Zhang Li looked at Zhao Liying with a troubled expression.
Seeing Huang Yiliang walk ahead, Zhao Liying had no time to pay attention to the two of them and immediately followed.
Yang Mi seized the opportunity and kept calling Zhang Li "Sister Li" repeatedly, making Zhang Li feel dizzy with flattery.
"Brother Liang!"
Wang Zha took off his hat and tucked it into his belt.
"Why are you making a cameo appearance?" Huang Yiliang patted Wang Zha on the shoulder.
"Hehe, it's a hundred yuan a day, Brother Liang, don't worry, it won't affect my work at all. I check the accounts in the middle of the night, and Sister An will check them again the next day," Wang Zha hurriedly said.
"It's okay, as long as you don't find it tiring."
Huang Yiliang nodded. As long as the work was done properly, he was quite lenient in this regard.
The main point is that Wang Zha is a jack-of-all-trades, and his specific job responsibilities are not yet defined.
As Huang Yiliang and Wang Zha were chatting, a blond-haired man standing outside the fence waved to Wang Zha.
"Brother Zha, over here!"
"Jump over here!" Wang Zha waved.
"This is my boss!"
"Hello, boss!"
The blond-haired man quickly nodded, then pulled a pack of cigarettes from behind his back: "Boss, want a smoke?"
Huang Yiliang flipped his hand and stuffed a packet of cigarettes into Huang Mao's hand.
"Hey—! Hua Zi, thanks boss!" The blond guy's eyes lit up.
"Get to the point!" Wang Zha said impatiently.
He knew his boss didn't like dealing with this kind of guy.
"Hey bro, didn't you say your film crew wanted to rent our arcade?"
"We can do it tonight. We just received a notice that the market regulators will be conducting inspections tonight. We'll close early, no more than two hours. You can film until dawn," said the blond-haired man, patting his chest.
"How much?" Wang Zha asked.
The blond-haired man was overjoyed.
He immediately held up two fingers: "I heard you tell my old man about 20,000 yuan before. Just give me the money directly, it'll only be 2,000."
"Just kidding, you guys aren't open for business today anyway, so I won't cause you any loss. Besides, suddenly changing the date would disrupt our filming schedule."
Wang Zha gave a bunch of reasons, then held up one hand: "Five hundred."
Otherwise, why would this guy be cousins with Yi Ran? They're both expert bargainers.
"Brother Zha, five hundred is too little. There are five of us." The blond-haired guy pointed to the four red, orange, blue, and green teenagers outside the fence.
"One thousand! We can even help you with cameo roles," the blond-haired guy said with a bitter face.
After thinking it over, Wang Zha realized that if the filming schedule were suddenly changed, there wouldn't be enough manpower.
The budget for the arcade scene was 30,000 yuan. If Huang Mao and his gang could make cameo appearances in the background, it would save 29,000 yuan.
"Wait here, I'll go talk to the director."
Wang Zha jogged over to discuss it with Ning Hao.
Ning Hao actually disliked Wang Zha because Wang Zha did a lot of the work, which severely reduced Ning Hao's opportunities to make extra money.
"Are you sure you can keep filming until dawn?" Ning Hao asked.
"Sure!"
If the script is detailed enough, filming can proceed quickly, but set design is a huge waste of time.
Sometimes, even after working on it for a long time, you still can't create the scene the director wants.
"But it's so late, where are we going to find extras?"
"Those colorful guys over there could easily pass for delinquents, plus Brother Liang, and two girls too."
To save money, Wang Zha used Huang Yiliang, Zhao Liying, and Yang Mi.
"Okay! Make a call and wake Peng Bo up."
Ning Hao immediately decided to continue filming the scene tonight where Xie Xiaomeng flirts with Dao Ge's girlfriend at the arcade.
That's the good thing about small film crews—they're incredibly efficient.
The group quickly packed up their filming equipment and headed to the arcade.
The makeup artist is applying makeup to Yang Mi and Zhao Liying, who are going to play two rebellious girls who play video games.
Zhao Liying was extremely excited.
Yang Mi was also a little excited. Apart from a scene in a Stephen Chow movie when she was five years old, she had never had the opportunity to act in a movie again.
The makeup artist's makeup was completed.
Ok!
These two are the epitome of delinquent girls.
"It would be even better if this eyeshadow were purple," Yang Mi even offered suggestions.
"Brother Liang, if I don't inform the company, will it constitute a breach of contract for me to make a cameo appearance in your movie?" Yang Mi said pitifully.
"If I don't pay you, you won't have to break the contract!" Huang Yiliang said matter-of-factly.
"Really?" Yang Mi suddenly channeled Lu Yu's personality.
"Wang Zha, come here and play the female role." Huang Yiliang directly called out to Wang Zha.
It's as if I can't live without you.
"No, no, no, Brother Liang, I'll act!" Yang Mi quickly shook her head.
She just wanted a promise from Wong Yat-leung; she wasn't really going to quit acting. This was a chance to appear on the big screen.
Although Zhang Li signed a confidentiality agreement with the company, Yang Mi was too shrewd. During her conversation with Zhang Li, she subtly inquired about the general scope of Zhang Li's contract benefits.
This made her incredibly envious; there was even such a thing as a guaranteed minimum.
She now actually hopes the company will fire her so she can join Huang Yiliang's company.