Chapter 10 Deciding on the starring role (please recommend, please collect~)
Author: Box and Orange
Chapter 10 Deciding on the starring role (please recommend, please collect~)
"Lao Guo, are you busy now?"
"What are you busy with? I have nothing to do at home and take care of the kids." Guo Tao played with his son's toys and dealt with the agent on the phone.
Guo Tao started his career very early and entered the entertainment industry in 1991 with his first movie "The Three Brothers of Bitterness and Joy", but it was not until Ning Hao's "Crazy Stone" that he became famous.
However, although Guo Tao's career has progressed since then, it is not much. After all, in the current environment of the film industry, there are very few opportunities for mainland actors to get their turn. There are too many monks and too little food, and the pressure of competition is also high.
After "Crazy Stone", he only starred in two movies, "Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots" and "Wedding 2008", one with Uncle Benshan and one with Tao Hong, and then he became idle.
"Haha, I know you're not busy. I have a project here. Do you want to take it?" the agent asked with a smile.
"Take one after another, as long as it's not a Category III film, I'll accept anything now," Guo Tao said.
"Don't worry, let me tell you about this project." The agent explained: "This project is invested by China Film and Bona. It is a small and medium-cost movie. It is called "Manslaughter" and it is a suspense-type movie.
."
"Projects from China Film and Bona? Yes, big companies, guaranteed." Guo Tao was moved.
"It's a big company, but the director is very young, only twenty-two years old. I'm afraid some young man is just playing tricks. Why don't you think about it?"
Guo Tao was surprised: "Twenty-two-year-old director? Real or fake?"
"Really, it has spread all over the industry. The director's name is Zhang Hao. I heard that my family has a good relationship with Third Master. My family used to work at Beijing Film Studio, and this time I became the director because of Third Master's relationship."
The agent explained.
"This..." Guo Tao had some doubts, but when he thought that after taking a break for so long, no project came to him, he gritted his teeth and said: "If there is a script, I will take a look at the script and make a decision."
"Yes, I'll send it to you." The agent sent the script to Li Guotao via email.
After Guo Tao read the script, he hesitated for a long time. He still had the ability to distinguish whether the script was a good script.
But a good script does not mean that the director can make a good movie. This director named Zhang Hao is too young, which makes people worry.
Compared to Guo Tao's hesitation, Yu Feihong agreed immediately.
Yu Feihong debuted very early. In 1979, he participated in the first movie "Bamboo" and was regarded as a child star. After that, his career as an actor went smoothly until he became famous as the fairy in "Little Li Feihong".
After that, he continued to produce more and more films, and even directed and starred in a movie called "Love Is Afterlife".
After reading the script of "Manslaughter", Yu Feihong accepted the invitation without hesitation.
The heroine was decided, but Guo Tao was still hesitating. After learning about the situation, Zhang Hao and Liu Hao said: "Tell Guo Tao's agent that if you don't reply before next Monday, we will replace her."
Liu Hao nodded and went to communicate with Guo Tao's agent.
Other movie roles were also finalized one after another. What surprised Zhang Hao the most was that Xu Qing attended a reception at Bona and heard Zhang Hao and Yu Dong talking about the preparations for "Manslaughter". He was instantly interested and volunteered to star in the film.
The character La Yun.
Without Chen Chong, it was okay to have Xu Qing, and Zhang Hao did not refuse.
The role of Dupont was given to Jiang Wu. He was not picky and did not mind Zhang Hao's young age, so he took the role directly. After auditions, suitable candidates were chosen for the remaining roles.
These days, it’s good to have a movie to act in and get money for it. Who cares whether the director is a good actor or not. Besides, it’s good to just get money to make a movie. Losing money on the movie is what investors should worry about.
With this thought in mind, Zhang Hao's expectation of the actors rejecting the offer did not appear. Everyone agreed without any consideration.
Except for Guo Tao who hesitated, but before the deadline, Guo Tao also accepted the project, and the entire "Manslaughter" actor selection stage was over.
From mid-October to the end of November, the preliminary preparations for "Manslaughter" came to an end. Afterwards, Zhang Hao summoned the leading actors in a conference room prepared for him by China Film Group and explained his script, story concept, and general outline for the first time.
Shooting plan.
"This time we completed the entire filming in Thailand. I hope everyone can cooperate well, shoot seriously, and return safely. I wish our movie can be successful." Zhang Hao summoned the crew members for the last time and said this.
Because of his youth, although everyone didn't say anything on the surface, they still looked down upon him inwardly, especially the assistant director Cui Lihui, who was the most dissatisfied with Zhang Hao.
Cui Lihui has been in the industry for more than ten years and is now thirty-seven or eighty this year. He has always been a deputy. Seeing Zhang Hao become a director at a young age, he suddenly felt unbalanced.
Cui Lihui believed that Zhang Hao was able to become a director because of his family background. So Cui Lihui had a small idea and opposed Zhang Hao many times at work.
For example, Zhang Hao had already chosen Yu Feihong for the heroine, but Cui Lihui thought Zeng Li was more suitable, so he talked back to Zhang Hao at the project preparatory meeting.
"I think Zeng Li is more suitable. It would be better to choose Zeng Li as the heroine." Cui Lihui widened his eyes and stood up, trying to use the advantage of his high position to suppress Zhang Hao who was sitting in the chair.
Zhang Hao looked at Liu Hao and saw that he didn't express anything, so he smiled slightly and said: "However, the crew has already decided on Yu Feihong, and he has agreed to it. If we sign the actor contract, we will break the contract if we change roles temporarily."
"I am thinking for the sake of the crew. I feel that if Zeng Li plays the female lead, the movie will have a greater chance of success. We can pay liquidated damages. Anyway, there is an investment of 15 million." Speaking of this 15 million investment,
Cui Lihui's teeth were almost broken.
Zhang Hao, so virtuous and capable, actually directed a movie for the first time, with a production investment of 15 million. He was so envious!
"I want you to be clear. First of all, the investment of 15 million is used to shoot the movie, not to pay liquidated damages. Secondly, the choice of the heroine has been decided, and this is my responsibility as a director.
And you only need to do your job and don't worry about the rest, Assistant Director Cui." Zhang Hao, the last Assistant Director Cui, emphasized his tone.
This is to remind Cui Lihui what his current position is.
The implication is that this is my crew and my business, just do your own thing and keep other people off their own business.
Cui Lihui, who was able to get the position of assistant director, is not a fool and can naturally understand Zhang Hao's voiceover.
Although he was dissatisfied with Zhang Hao, the director was the director and had absolute authority as long as the crew and producers did not interfere.
Judging from the situation of producer Liu Hao, I'm afraid he won't go against Zhang Hao.
After that, Cui Lihui repeatedly opposed Zhang Hao, claiming that it was for the good of the crew and to maintain the reputation of righteousness.
The key point is that the ideas he proposed are very insightful, which shows that he is indeed very experienced. Zhang Hao can't even grasp his pain points and can only tolerate him.
However, Zhang Hao is not an easy man. No matter how reasonable Cui Lihui says, Zhang Hao still insists that I am the director and I am responsible for everything on the crew. If anything goes wrong, it is also my responsibility.
But if someone deliberately causes trouble, I am responsible, and the person who caused the trouble cannot escape.
As I said before, the worst case scenario is that if you fail and go back to inherit the family property, the person who is fighting among you will definitely not be able to survive. If nothing else, neither China Film nor Bona will be able to spare that person.
So in the face of doubts and contempt, and in the face of people like Cui Lihui who dare to speak out against others, Zhang Hao is very calm. He is not here to fight or quarrel, he is here to work and complete the filming tasks.
With the work contract, Zhang Hao constrained the crew very well. Although there were some twists and turns, he still successfully completed the set-up of the crew.
In early December, it snowed for the first time in Beijing, and Zhang Hao and Liu Hao had already set off for Thailand with the crew of "Manslaughter".