"You can use whoever you want. You don't have to worry about choosing people for this drama."

In the hotel room, Dong Xi stood by the window and was communicating with Leslie Cheung on the phone.

After Aunt Mei's funeral, Dong Xi originally wanted Leslie Cheung to rest for a while, but he immediately threw himself into work.

Trying to use busy work to relieve the pain in your heart.

"A Little Thing About First Love" has also been officially set up for filming, and the preliminary work of setting up the crew has been basically completed. In fact, even without the presence of a director, it can be set up very quickly.

This is the advantage of Xizi Film and Television. Its talent pool in technical positions and logistics is unmatched by other mainland film and television companies.

It is no exaggeration to say that as long as Dong Xi gives the order to expand production, Xizi Film and Television will not be a company with hundreds of people, but thousands of people!

The crews are opening one by one, and the works are being pushed out one by one. Times have changed.

Nowadays, fast food culture is popular. The works do not need to be too carefully crafted, as long as they conform to the times, you will make a lot of money.

However, Dong Xi would not do this. He cherished his wings very much and would rather reduce production than focus on quality, in order to stabilize the golden brand of "Xizi Film and Television".

For example, the crew of "First Love" is being formed. All it needs is a candidate for the male lead. We auditioned many mainland actors, but none of them were very satisfied.

This is a story about an ugly duckling turning into a white swan. The heroine has been identified as Zhao Liying. She has a thin and small figure. She is deliberately wearing make-up to look ugly, which is okay.

But the requirement for a male protagonist is, first of all, to be handsome.

This is easy to solve, after all, there is no shortage of handsome guys in the entertainment industry, but there are some troubles regarding the specific requirements for "handsome".

Because the setting is a story that takes place in Chinatown, Thailand, Leslie Cheung hoped that the male protagonist would not only have a youthful look, but also a mixed-race look.

This was difficult for the casting director. He recommended several actors in succession, but Leslie Cheung was not satisfied.

Among them was Chen Kun, a popular young student...but unfortunately he was not from Dong Xi's camp.

There are not many mainland actors to choose from, but there are quite a few actors from Hong Kong. Xiao Xie, Xiao Chen himself is of mixed race, so it is very suitable for him to take on this kind of role.

But because Dong Xi was biased against Hong Kong and Taiwan artists and rarely used them to play leading roles, the matter became a stalemate.

In the end, Leslie Cheung personally called Dong Xi and obtained his approval before the leading actor was confirmed.

For Leslie Cheung, Dong Xi made an exception and asked him to choose an artist from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the male lead was finally determined to be Chen Guanxi.

This young actor, who has collaborated with Dong Xi in several films, is on the rise in Hong Kong Island.

Fans are all over the Chinese-speaking community. Not long ago, he even filmed a romantic movie with his fans "from the heart".

It is the famous "Jet Difference", the real-life version of "My Father Zhang Erhe".

…

"Sorry, please continue." Dong Xi hung up the phone and turned to look at the women in the room.

"Leslie's new movie really troubles Director Dong." The leading woman said with a smile.

The news revealed from her words seems to be closely related to Leslie Cheung.

"Sister Ai Jia, this is what I should do." Dong Xi smiled and sat down on the sofa.

This woman is none other than the senior Zhang Aijia, who is considered to be one of the more successful actresses in the industry and has transformed into a director.

She came to Dong Xi this time mainly to canvass votes for his new film "20 30 40". This film was shortlisted for the main competition of this year's Berlin Film Festival and was also the only Chinese film shortlisted.

Not only was she in the room, but there were also the other two leading actors in the movie, Liu Ruoying and Li Xinjie. Both of them were discovered by Zhang Aijia and were considered direct descendants of each other.

Liu Ruoying is an acquaintance of Dong Xi, and the two played opposite each other in "Pink Girl" produced by Xizi.

So Dong Xi focused more on the other leading actor, Li Xinjie.

The other person had his legs crossed and his posture was elegant. He was wearing a yellow windbreaker, a shirt on the upper body, and a short skirt on the lower body. The exposed calves were quite round, and the black stockings were shiny and full of temptation.

The most important thing is that she wears a pair of red high-heeled shoes on her feet, and the other party's iconic big eyes make Dong Xi feel that she is very suitable for filming horror movies.

Big eyes can better highlight the subtle changes in expressions. If an actor with small eyes is used to act, a question will always appear in the audience's mind unconsciously.

"Did she open her eyes?"

As Dong Xi is a judge at this year's Berlin Film Festival, it is normal for Zhang Aijia to choose to visit.

Even if you can't canvass for movies, you can still make good friends. Who in the industry doesn't know that Dong Xi is a generous person and is willing to support filmmakers.

Dong Xi still respects Zhang Sijia. As one of the few successful female directors in China, her works have her own style. This year's "20 30 40" is very good.

The story is told from the perspectives of three women of different ages. It is said that the script of the film was written by the three leading actors based on their own personal experiences. It is considered a semi-autobiographical work.

However, the story itself is still a bit weak, and it is unrealistic to want to make a difference in Berlin.

But for this type of movie, as long as the publicity is in place, there will be no shortage of audiences.

Dong Xi thinks that the concept of this script is very good. If it is adapted and directed by Zhang Fang, it may not be impossible to achieve success at the box office and awards.

Dong Xi even thought of the actors, Fan Xiaopang, Xu Qing, and Gong Li, which just corresponded to the title of the film "20 30 40".

Of course, if this crew can really succeed, then even if Dong Xi is beaten to death, he will not get even half a step closer.

"Originally, I invited Leslie to direct the part of "40", but at that time he..."

While Dong Xi and the three women were communicating in the room, a young director waiting outside the door was nervously preparing his lines.

Although only one Chinese-language film was shortlisted for this year's Berlin main competition, there is no shortage of Chinese-language films in other sections.

For example, there was a young director queuing up at the door to be honored by Dong Xi. His work "Incense" was shortlisted for the "Encounter Unit".

This film was invested by Dong Xi’s Huaguo New Director Program, and is also director Ning Hao’s graduation film from Nortel.

As a fellow Jia Zhangke, Ning Hao's "Incense" is also a drama film with some realistic criticism. The entire film is shot in dialect, and the plot is absurd and cruel.

It seems that Ning Hao has the potential to make literary films, but he came to Dong Xi today not to promote himself, but to invite him to star in his new movie.

Not a guest appearance, but a starring role!

Inviting Dong Xi to star in the movie or to star in the movie shows Ning Hao's confidence in his script.

"Huh?" Dong Xi frowned slightly as he flipped through the script titled "Big Diamond" in his hand.

It’s not that the script is not good, it’s obviously carefully crafted, with countless foreshadowings and coincidences intertwined, stretching out a dense story line, and full of Guy Ritchie-style black humor.

But the crux of the problem is that if you imitate Guy Ritchie too much, you will lose your characteristics.

"The script is good, but what I want to see is more localized stuff."

Dong Xi's words made Ning Hao's prepared poems abort. Originally, he thought Dong Xi would be dissatisfied with the character and was thinking about how to persuade him to change.

Indeed, in the setting of "Big Diamond", the protagonist is a small person whose career, family, and prostate are all in crisis, which is very different from Dong Xi's previous roles.

But Dong Xi doesn't feel that he can't challenge this type of role.

But the existing scripts alone were not enough to attract him to join. Not to mention that there were many similar scripts in the company's script library.

It's normal to imitate the style of a favorite director, but you must have your own characteristics to truly gain public recognition.

"Localization?" Ning Hao muttered these words silently, as if something flashed through his mind.

"Contact me again after rearranging the script." Faced with such a creative director, Dong Xi was willing to give him another chance.

Regardless of whether he is a new actor or a director, in Dong Xi's eyes, they are all gooses that can lay golden eggs.
Chapter completed!