On November 28, at nine o'clock in the morning, the parking lot of a hotel in Shanghai was crowded with people.
"Let's take a picture together!" the fat director shouted.
Qin Xiaobao, Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Sun Li... assistants, staff, drivers, stood in front of the camera.
"1,2,3...laugh!"
Click.
Starting today, the month-long road show kicks off. Since it is the first show, all the actors are in place and speeding towards Nanjing.
Next, cars, trains, and airplanes will all become means of transportation, and people will be seen all over the country.
There were three meetings in Nanjing. After that, they rushed to Suzhou overnight.
The cast and crew were very happy to see each other again, and they had a lively chat in the car.
"Director Qin," Xu Shaoxiong said cheerfully, "What are your expectations for the box office?"
"Expectations? Of course, the higher the better." Qin Xiaobao said without thinking.
"Will the mainland guess the box office?"
Sun Li turned around: "During the broadcast of TV series, the crew will guess the ratings. There seem to be fewer movies, because the trend can already be seen in the first two days."
"How about this, let's guess how the box office will be on the first day?" Liu Tianwang became interested: "I'll first...just guess 30 million."
"Then there must be some luck."
"One thousand for artists and one hundred for others. We don't force you to participate. We'll take the closest one. Xiaoming, please record it!" Qin Xiaobao saw that everyone was interested and directly made the decision: "I guess two to three million five hundred and seventy thousand."
"Hahahaha, you still have a lot of money," my brother laughed: "Can't we just blow it up? I guess 45 million."
"..."
The fat director happily transferred a hundred yuan, and he guessed an impossible number of fifty million, mainly to get some luck.
He has been working hard since he joined the crew. He has done what Qin Xiaobao told him, and he has not failed to do what Qin Xiaobao didn't tell him.
Why?
Of course it's not selfless.
"The Man from Earth" is an opportunity.
Being able to serve as an assistant director in a film with such a lineup means a lot to him. After the filming, someone in the industry asked him to take the leading role, but he refused.
Director Qin said something during filming, let the bullets fly for a while.
I've been waiting for so many years, so don't rush for a few months.
He knew the quality of the film very well, especially Director Qin who was targeting Berlin. If it was a big hit at the box office and could win some awards, his assistant director would definitely be better off? Not only would the subtitle be removed, but the quality of the invitations sent would also be higher.
high.
He admired Qin Xiaobao.
During the filming, it can be seen that Director Qin is not familiar with the basic operating procedures at all. However, he has an enviable point and is very sensitive to the camera. He knows what he wants and can accurately express it to the actors.
Maybe this is talent and it can't be learned.
Seeing him chatting and laughing with a bunch of big guys, I could only feel envious. A young man who was only twenty years old had a promising future... no, it should be scary!
After a journey of three hundred kilometers, we arrived while chatting and laughing.
After having a light meal at the pre-arranged restaurant, the group waited for the first stop of the road show, Nanjing University of Foreign Studies.
Nowadays, college students are not only the main force in watching movies, they are also active on the Internet. Choosing schools as a promotional venue is well-targeted.
At 1:30 p.m., the campus auditorium was filled with teachers and students who came to participate in the road show. Many of them brought their own celebrity posters and were anxiously waiting for the crew to enter.
After waiting for a few minutes, a sweet-looking little girl who looked like the sister next door came to the stage.
"Hello, teachers and students of the School of Foreign Languages, my name is Wang Bingbing, and I am the host of this meeting..."
The brother who was waiting at the side door of the stage pointed at the young lady: "This girl is very skilled. Did she come here specially?"
"He's an artist from our Kiwi. He just joined not long ago. I heard he was a reporter before." Qin Xiaobao also met for the first time: "The professional level seems to be very high."
"She's pretty. She looks about the same age as you." Liu Tianwang came over.
"You guys, why are you commenting on a little girl behind her back like this?" Teacher Luo Lan laughed from the side.
"We are complimenting you. It seems we didn't see her when we came here?"
"Oh, she came over early yesterday to familiarize herself with the venue." This was also what the agent said, and Qin Xiaobao didn't know it at first.
"good."
"Can!"
"Xiaobao, seize the opportunity."
Qin Xiaobao:......
Do people like matchmaking as they get older?
"Let us welcome director Qin Xiaobao and the actors with warm applause..."
Wang Bingbing on the stage didn't know that she was being discussed. After finishing her sentence, she waved her right hand and her eyes turned into crescent moons as she smiled.
The auditorium with nearly a thousand people erupted into thunderous applause and cheers. Many people stood up and shouted everyone's names. The enthusiasm of the college students was evident.
Qin Xiaobao took the lead in a suit, followed closely by his brother, Liu Tianwang and other actors, lined up on the stage.
"Director Qin," the young lady stood nearby and said sweetly, "Although we all know each other, I would like to start with you and introduce yourself."
Xiaobao nodded and raised the microphone: "Good afternoon, teachers and students, I am Qin Xiaobao, the director of "This Man is from the Earth"!"
Bang bang bang bang!
Young people are full of energy. Nine people, nine times of applause, my hands probably hurt from the clapping. It’s winter!
This roadshow is scheduled to last for one hour. It mainly involves face-to-face communication with the audience, telling some interesting things during the shooting, and answering some questions from the audience.
The time was not short, so it was naturally impossible to stand. Under the guidance of the host, everyone took their seats.
Qin Xiaobao is a director, an artist himself, and he is also the boss. Wang Bingbing's first question must be for him.
"Director Qin," the young lady sits very dignified and speaks like a TV announcer: "This is your first feature film. Compared with "The Tuner", is there any difference?"
The audience became quiet, and hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at the stage.
"It's a completely different feeling. To put it bluntly, "The Tuner" is a grass-roots team. As a director, I have no experience at all. The lead actor, Zhou Xiao, is an extra. The photographer was also brought in temporarily. To describe it in one sentence, the freshman
Calves are not afraid of tigers. To put it bluntly, I went there for the bonus, but I didn’t get it yet.”
Everyone is laughing, you are so bad, you are making fun of the three major platforms again.
"The Man from the Earth is very rigorous. Everyone has seen the cast," he pointed at his brothers and others: "The assistant director, scriptwriter, lighting, and props are all professionals, replacing shotguns with cannons."
"Indeed, such a strong lineup is rare even in movies now." Wang Bingbing pressed her hand on her chest: "Actually, I am very nervous now. Brother, Liu Tianwang, Sister Sun Li, Teacher Luo Lan... who is not in the circle?
It’s probably a bit difficult to gather all the big shots, even big directors, together. May I ask, Director Qin, how did you do it?”
"Personality charm?" Qin Xiaobao said in a puzzled tone: "I'm just kidding, I mainly rely on the help of my brother and Liu Tianwang. My personal connections are not exaggerated enough to know so many big guys, and then get together to film a movie, basically
The two of you helped set it up."
"I think Teacher Xu Shaoxiong seems to have something to say, please..." Wang Bingbing was very observant.
Xu Shaoxiong is still the same, wearing glasses and smiling very friendly.
"I received a call from Andy. He was very excited and said he had a very good script and asked me to come, otherwise I would regret it!"
Wang Bingbing waited for a few seconds: "That's it?"
Miss sister, I was helpless, I was waiting for your next words, but I stopped. It was really unexpected.
"So you agreed without even reading the script?"
"Yes, he said he wanted to act, and my brother is also coming. I have no reason to refuse."
"Well..." Wang Bingbing nodded: "It makes sense. If it were me, I wouldn't hesitate."
"Where's Teacher Roland?"
"I came from Guorong. Everyone else agreed at that time, so I agreed by the way."
"This... role invitation seems to be very simple."
Many college students nodded along. In their opinion, they felt the same way.
"It would be even more incredible if you knew why the project was established." Liu Tianwang said with a smile.
"Brother Hua, please share it with us." Wang Bingbing naturally knew about it, and some netizens had heard of it.
But for publicity, it is normal to talk about a topic N times. There are many people in China, so not everyone is paying attention to you.
Liu Tianwang and his brother spent three minutes talking about the process.
"You guys are really... casual!" The young lady found an adjective: "It's like the two of them discussed the lunch menu, so there was no script at all?"
"No!" They both shook their heads at the same time: "Director Qin just told a summary of the story and attracted us."
"It seems that Director Qin is very good at telling stories!"
"Shouldn't the director know how to tell stories?" Qin Xiaobao is not modest, that's the fact.
"Then I'm curious. There is only one absolute protagonist in the movie. How did you decide?"
"Hahahaha!" My brother laughed happily: "I won him with a cup of milk tea."
After speaking, he put his arm around Andy Lau's shoulders and shook him a few times.
Some of the students laughed, but most of them still looked confused. Milk tea? What do you mean?
"Hey..." Liu Tianwang sighed: "That cup of milk tea is probably the cup of milk tea I regret most in my life."
The curiosity of classmates and teachers was aroused.
My brother told me how they fought and decided that day.
"Ah... I have gained a lot of experience today," Wang Bingbing sighed: "How can I still do this!"
"This has a prerequisite," Qin Xiaobao added: "First of all, both of them are qualified in terms of image and acting skills. For me, no matter who plays the role, they will make a profit without losing money. They are willing to fight for it.
As long as you are not a fool, you will definitely agree, right?"