In the second week after the shooting of "The Condor" started, the preparations for "Sword" have reached the final stage. Internal casting has ended and external casting is about to begin.
Yanjing, Fuchunlai Hotel.
Logically speaking, casting for a small-budget TV series like "Bright Sword" should not be held in such a big hotel.
But Han Zhou did it anyway.
Because Han Zhou knows that as long as "Bright Sword" is filmed well, there will be no problem with the ratings.
So, it’s okay to be louder.
Moreover, New World basically does not have the habit of launching press conferences. For dramas that do have castings, the casting is done with a bit more fanfare, which can be considered as a preview in advance.
This drama was originally supposed to be directed by Zhou Xuyun, but then the company was asked to have photographer Chang Shi, who was relatively idle last year and later filmed "Dose Man", be the cinematographer.
However, after communicating with Yangma Station Director Shen Xixiong, Han Zhou decided to be the director himself.
Of course, Han Zhou only took care of the filming part. After the filming was completed, he left the job to Zhou Xuyun.
At the casting scene, three middle-aged actors stood at the scene.
While they were here, Han Zhou didn't dare to sit down. If he was photographed, he would be scolded.
There are three actors, one of whom is a veteran actor from the art troupe and a first-class actor certified by the country.
The second place is the actor who plays Lu Bu in this world's version of "The Story of the Three Kingdoms".
The third one is Han Zhou who thinks he looks a bit like the actor Chu Yunfei in his previous life.
Han Zhou: "Logically speaking, with the achievements of the three teachers, I shouldn't be asked to cast roles."
"But this time, "Bright Sword" will be titled as this year's annual drama of Yangma. There are targets on it, so I feel sorry for you all."
The three of them all smiled: "It's normal, Director Han, let's start."
Han Zhou: "Okay, then I'd like to invite Teacher Lu from the art troupe to come first."
Han Zhou, Zhou Xuyun and Li Hansheng were sitting.
Currently, the three of them are the main creative team, and Li Hansheng was Han Zhou's unofficial choice for the male lead when he decided to make The Sword.
But he was also in the art troupe, so Teacher Lu tried out the show, but Li Hansheng kept silent.
avoid arousing suspicion.
The aspect of Teacher Lu is that of an iron-blooded soldier, but the character Chu Yunfei is not only a good soldier, but also a well-educated person.
The humanities aspect is a consideration for him.
Teacher Lu took the script and read the parts to be acted out.
This snippet is actually very simple.
At the end of the original version of "Bright Sword", Chu Yunfei retreated to the Taiwan Strait, taking away a handful of soil from his hometown before leaving.
In this world, there is also the matter of retreating to the Taiwan Strait, but in the end our army succeeded in landing directly across the sea, and finally completed the unification.
Therefore, this fragment is reserved.
Teacher Lu squatted down. Although he was not wearing a military coat, it was as if he was wearing a military uniform at this moment. His hands had no physical performance. He glanced at the dirt in his hands, then looked up at the sky, and finally felt lost.
"I don't know when I will be able to come back."
Han Zhou turned to look at Li Hansheng.
Li Hansheng took out a hamster from his arms and touched its head.
Meaning: Don't look at me, look at what I'm doing, don't look at me.
Han Zhou turned to look at Zhou Xuyun.
Zhou Xuyun nodded silently.
He is worthy of being an actor in a cultural troupe, and worthy of being a first-class actor. He is obviously wearing everyday clothes, but when he squats down, he looks as straight as wearing a military coat.
Han Zhou wrote something on the paper and looked at the second person: "Teacher Mo, come here."
Mo Chuyu: "Director Han, before the performance, I want to ask a question."
Han Zhou was stunned for a moment: "You said it."
Mo Chuyu: "Director Han, why did you invite me to audition? I have never played a role like a soldier before."
Han Zhou: "That's not right. You have played Lu Bu before."
Mo Chuyu smiled: "The difference is quite big, I will try my best to act well."
In fact, Han Zhou is particularly looking forward to Mo Chuyu's audition performance.
Although there is no "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in this world, there is the "Three Kingdoms Huaben". The content of the Three Kingdoms Huaben is actually very different from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but the original text is not as good-looking.
Including Lu Bu, he was also described as a very powerful general in the "Three Kingdoms", the best in the world.
But Han Zhou thought about it and realized there was a reason.
Lu Bu was born in Wuyuan County, a border border area in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the same Jiuyuan County where the First Emperor was killed while patrolling the border.
Lu Bu, who was born in the border area, was not a son of aristocratic family, nor was he a very educated person, nor was he filial and honest.
But he became Ding Yuan's chief bookkeeper.
Later, he became Dong Zhuo's confidant, and was even won over by Wang Yun, becoming a general and a marquis.
He was even the first person among the princes in the world to reach the true core of power. Cao Cao, Liu Bei and others who were about his age had not yet become rich, but he was already an established general.
The achievement of such a high position by such a frontier citizen, a person who was not even from a poor family, is no less than that of a black man who finally became an army marshal in the founding era of the United States.
This makes no sense, so the ancients tended to believe that Lu Bu's personal bravery reached the limit of the times.
In fact, Lü Bu and Guan Yu were the only two county princes awarded military merit by the Han court in the early Three Kingdoms period, and the Thousand-Character Classic also described Lü Bu as being good at shooting, so Lü Bu was described as a fierce general by those who later wrote legendary stories.
It makes sense.
In a different world, it would still be described like this.
As for Lu Bu, who was played by Mo Chuyu, he performed the characteristics of a villain, sinister, cunning, strong in force, greedy for money and lustful, etc. very well.
Therefore, he was going to play Chu Yunfei, and Han Zhou just wanted to hear one line.
Mo Chuyu turned his head, with a calm look on his face: "Soldiers, you must have backbone!!!"
There was a bit of disdain when he spoke.
Han Zhou did not ask for many facial expression changes. It was obvious that Mo Chuyu thought about this short script himself and felt that Chu Yunfei must have disdain for such deserters.
After saying this, he started to get angry.
As soon as these words came out, Han Zhou already had the answer for Chu Yunfei's role as an actor.
Han Zhou looked at the third person.
The third one is much less famous than these two.
However, Han Zhou had a good memory and accidentally read a work in this world and found that he looked like the original version of Teacher Zhang in his previous life, so he also sent an invitation letter.
For him, Han Zhou only considered one thing, and that was his momentum and style.
The scene is about Chu Yunfei and Qian Bojun fighting each other.
There is no dialogue part, just the part about shooting with a gun.
He raised the prop gun, gestured, and then put it on his shoulder.
Han Zhou took a look and was a little disappointed.
In fact, if this person is good, Han Zhou would rather choose him.
Because they look alike, this kind of coincidence is difficult.
It's a pity that he is far less powerful than the original version.
Although the character Chu Yunfei was only a regiment leader at first and later a division commander, his posture was more heroic than the national generals in many TV series.
Chu Yunfei is actually the second male lead parallel to Zhao Gang.
But the scenes are much less.
With so many fewer scenes, if you want to create a situation where you and Li Yunlong cherish each other's heroes, you must be strong as an actor.
Without a scene to foreshadow the scene, one can only rely on the power of the actor's body and demeanor to fill the scene.
Pity.
Han Zhou stood up and said, "Teachers, please excuse me. You can rest now. Deputy Director Zhou will contact you later."
Of course, let Zhou Xuyun do this kind of offending thing.
To confirm the invitation, Han Zhou would make the call himself.
The person in charge of the venue was a little girl from the company. The little sister saw that the three teachers had gone out, so she came in and said, "Director, there is a big star here to audition, but... we didn't invite him."
Han Zhou didn't even look at it, and continued to sort out the audition performance he wrote: "What a star, I won't audition if I'm not invited."
Door: "Hey, Han Zhou, he has a good temper."
Hearing the sound, Han Zhou raised his head in shock.
Special, Chen Feng.
Han Zhou was speechless: "Next time you just say your name, I thought it was someone I didn't know."
The little sister was an intern and stuck out her tongue: "Great Director Han."
Chen Feng entered the room, and Li Hansheng said: "Haha, Chen Tianwang, do you also want to act in our drama?"
Chen Feng: "I have a friend who also got the script for your audition. I see there is a military band in your play. I can play a saxophone player."
Han Zhou was happy: "Forget it, you really want to act, I have a role for you to try out."
Han Zhou rummaged through his briefcase and took out a script: "This."
After reading it, Chen Feng looked confused: "That's it?"
"It turns out that when actors audition, they get this kind of script? How do you act like this?"
The last time Chen Feng starred was as the leader of the Crocodile Gang in "Kung Fu", and to be honest, he did a pretty good job.
After all, going back further, he still played the eleven corpses of different shapes in "Shao Bao".
Going forward is the eldest brother in "Mr. Tree", who plays his true character.
Although he has acted several times, this is the first time Chen Feng has seen such a simple script.
There is only one sentence in the script: you run for a while and are out of breath, but you still have to save your face and explain: "I am not good at running."
Chen Feng thought about it for a while, not knowing how to act while being out of breath, so he straightened up his waist with his hands on his hips, as if he couldn't straighten his back and needed help, and let out a few breaths in a singing style: "I... no,
Good at running."
Han Zhou laughed: "Okay, this role is for you."
Chen Feng was happy: "Okay, I'm just here to play with my friends. Just tell me when you want to play my part."
Han Zhou knew that Chen Feng was actually very busy. He performed at least seven or eight concerts a year, invited many programs, practiced singing, wrote songs, and released an album.
"Come on, give me your schedule. I'll see which time is closer, and then I'll arrange the scenes to that time, and then I'll tell you."
Chen Feng: "Okay, then I'll run away first."
Han Zhou: "Hey! Brother Feng, what is your friend's name?"
Chen Feng: "Forget it, I won't tell you who it is. If you choose him without auditioning, it will be unfair to others. I'll take the first step. There is a commercial performance tonight."
"By the way, I'm going to have a concert in Yanjing on the 14th next month. Come and have fun. It's best to sing two songs."
Han Zhou didn't know if he would be free then, but he must be free.
Because there are seniors who have been beaten.
Who else did Star Master invite to guest star in the filming of "Kung Fu" in his previous life?
Later, someone else's movie was released, and the star was invited to the premiere, and the star replied with two words: "not empty".
From then on, the two directors, who were supposed to have a good relationship, stopped communicating with each other.
After Chen Feng left, Han Zhou asked Lin Lin, who was responsible for arranging audition actors, to come in and ask.
It turned out that the person who came with Chen Feng was a young actor.
This young actor's father was the drummer in Chen Feng's former band, and Han Zhou had met him.
Recently, this person was lying in the hospital. It was said that he had gout and had an operation to remove the tophi.
Therefore, Chen Feng personally accompanied his nephew here.
Han Zhou made a note of it and decided to give him a chance.
Although it is said that casting should be based on strength.
But sometimes, fate is really different and unfair.
If he were born in a company that was hostile to Han Zhou, even if he was 100% suitable for playing an important role, he would never get a chance.
On the contrary, if you have a good relationship with Han Zhou, even if it is slightly worse, Han Zhou can still ask for it.
After all, Han Zhou is a director and cannot be taught, but if he doesn't deal with himself, it will be bad.
Play only lasts a few months, but life is very long.
There is no perfect life, and there is no perfect play. Han Zhou can only make the play as perfect as possible after weighing the pros and cons.
…
The casting process took nearly a week, and the industry was also paying close attention to this matter.
Now the box office of "Kung Fu" is extremely close to breaking the domestic film record.
Han Zhou can be said to be in the spotlight.
Last year, New World shocked the entire industry by releasing two TV series with ratings exceeding 5.
Now that Han Zhou is going to make a TV series with the main theme, of course everyone should watch it.
Everyone doesn't know if Han Zhou really wants to make a movie with the main theme wholeheartedly, or if he is just using his name to give Yang Ma some face.
And even if Han Zhou wants to put his heart and soul into filming, is the main theme so easy to get ratings?
Are today's young audiences still interested in the main theme, especially the war drama before the founding of the People's Republic of China?
You, Han Zhou, are amazing, can you make it happen just by coming here?
Many people don't believe it.
More people are paying attention, and the news about the audition and casting of "Bright Sword" has also become a hot search topic.
Many Han Zhou fans were surprised.
"The new martial arts drama is doing well, and the detective drama has also exploded in ratings. Why would it want to get into the muddy waters of a war drama?"
"No, you, Han Zhou, think you are making too much money and don't want to make any more?"
"Isn't it good to film "Shaobao 2"? I still want to see Xiao Zhanzhao!"
Shao Bao 2? Shao Bao 2 is impossible to film. The script of the original Shao Bao 2 is not very good. No matter how good the acting is, the ratings will not be that high.
In the last two years before the TV market slumped, Han Zhou would not have filmed Shaobao 2.
Unless New World cultivates its own good screenwriters and writes a script that is far better than the original Shao Bao 2, Han Zhou will not be able to start this project.
And this is probably not something that can be accomplished within three years.
…
Han Zhou had no intention of paying attention to things on the Internet.
The original plan for "Bright Sword" was two months of preparation and three months of filming.
But Han Zhou took action himself and maintained his consistent style. It took a month to prepare and one and a half months to shoot.
Very strong.
So, after the casting was completed, the whole team went to a remote Zhuangzi in Xishan Province to start filming.
And Han Zhou played the role of Monk Wei.
…
"It's embarrassing!"
The monk played by Han Zhou made a beautiful turn and knocked down an earth wall with one kick.
Soldiers around: "Okay!!!"
Zhao Gang: "What a good thing!! Destroy fellow villagers' property."
"Go and mend this wall yourself."
Zhao Gang actually acted this scene quite well, because it was actually to save face for Chu Yunfei.
Chu Yunfei came over to visit and initiated a martial arts competition. The monk was obviously superior in skill.
Reprimanding the monk was to save face for Chu Yunfei.
The monk himself didn't think much about it and became as happy as an educated child.
Zhou Xuyun: "Ka!!"
Han Zhou turned around and read this paragraph by himself.
Han Zhou's martial arts moves are already very beautiful. After doing kung fu and "The Best in the World", Han Zhou learned a lot from Yuan Baoqing and Zheng Changhe.
Combining the moves in my memory, I have been practicing them for almost a whole year.
I don’t say it can be played, but it looks good when played well.
However, after watching this scene, Han Zhou was a little dissatisfied.
"This retake."
"The wall needs to be repaired."
Zhou Xuyun was stunned: "The filming was beautiful, the kick was beautiful, it was exciting, why reshoot it?"
The actor Zhao Gang was a little embarrassed: "Director Han, is it because my performance didn't work?"
Han Zhou shook his head: "No, it's my fault."
"The kick was so beautiful, this lens can't be used."
Wasn't it possible to film the fight scenes beautifully in "Bright Sword"?
Isn't this simple?
But "Bright Sword" actually deliberately didn't shoot the fight scenes beautifully.
Because it needs to be distinguished from martial arts dramas and anti-Japanese dramas.
So I deliberately didn't make the fight scenes flashy.
It's all about plot, not martial arts action.
If you look closely at "Bright Sword", you will find that during the battle, those scenes and the energy and spirit are definitely the best and cannot be better.
But the fighting scenes are really weak.
When Han Zhou watched it in his previous life, he thought it was because the crew was poor and couldn't afford the acting director.
But later after watching the remake of "Bright Sword" Han Zhou knew the answer.
Bright Sword is not a stage provided for you starring actors, nor is it for you to show off.
Showing the sword, the role is not important at all.
For the sake of the realism of war, the fighting scenes are deliberately weakened.
Even in real-life fights, some people can actually fight better, but the original version still chose to weaken the fighting scenes.
Everyone didn't know what Han Zhou was thinking. They only knew that Han Zhou said he couldn't have such a beautiful lens, and they all felt it was a pity.
Moreover, it is very complicated to repair this earthen wall, and it will take a long time.
For this lens, is it really unnecessary?
"Director Han is really weird. We thought there might be some scenes that were ruined, but Director Han passed them."
"We thought there were some shots that were good, but the Korean director was very dissatisfied."
"Nonsense, he is a super director with a ratings of over 7, and he is an awesome figure who is about to top the box office list in the history of Chinese films. If it is what you and I think, then why don't I become a director and break the record?"
"Uh... I think it may be Lao Han's brain..."
Yes, Han Zhou’s music fans have already penetrated the inside.
While the props team was scratching their heads and thinking about how to restore the earthen wall, Han Zhou came to rest next to it.
Picked up the phone and took a look.
Zhang Ceyong’s phone number?
Han Zhou called back directly.
Zhang Ceyong rang a few times before picking up: "You guys keep calling, I'll answer the phone."
"Oh, Han Zhou called, something happened."
"How can he have time to come over and play now? Let's do it later."
It seems that Chuck Cheung is playing ball.
The golfers were deeply impressed by Han Zhou and wanted to invite Han Zhou to play together.
But just like what Zhang Ceyong said, how can Han Zhou have time now?
"Hey, Han Zhou."
"Haha, they are inviting you to play ball."
Han Zhou: "I still have some time to finish filming this movie. I don't know how long I will take a break after filming. We'll talk about it then."
Zhang Ceyong: "I'm not looking for you to play ball, but for another matter."
"Did Chen Feng also invite you to be a guest at his concert?"
Han Zhou nodded: "Yes."
Zhang Ceyong: "Brother Feng is very interested in holding a concert at the Phoenix National Stadium this time. He invited me and Lin Xiaoxing."
Han Zhou was a little surprised: "Hey, there is such a thing? So you also want to go on stage to sing a song?"
Zhang Ceyong smiled: "I think we can give him a surprise."
Han Zhou thought for a while: "What if, me, you, and Lin Xiaoxing, the three of us sang a song together and didn't play with him at his concert, hehe."
"Hahahaha!" Zhang Ceyong: "It has to be you!"
"Then I'll find a song."
Han Zhou: "Let me write a song. Let's gather a group of three people and practice for a while. Then we will make a surprise attack."
Chuck Yongle was delighted: "Okay, then follow what you said."
…
Time passed, and on March 6, the box office of "Kung Fu" reached 1.8 billion, ranking first in the domestic box office history of domestic films.
Suddenly, the press release spread like crazy.
You know, this is not a draft provided by New World or Han Zhou.
Rather, the media themselves reprinted it from each other.
This is how people are, when they are not famous, they spend money trying to become famous.
And after success, it is difficult not to become more famous.
"Kung Fu tops the domestic box office list, Han Zhou becomes a god!"
"The new martial arts are powerful, and kung fu ranks first in film history!"
"Kung Fu Sword Points to 2 Billion, The First Domestic Movie to Break 2 Billion Is Possible to Be Born"
"The Era of Han Zhou? After sweeping the small screen, Han Zhou continues to wreak havoc on the big screen!"
————
It’s a best-seller. It’s the first time it’s been a best-seller. Let’s commemorate it. I don’t know how much I can order during the long-tail sales period.