Gao Xinjian slowly came out of the elevator and bumped into the hurried director of Shanhe Brokerage Department, Cao Jie.
As soon as she saw Gao Xinjian, Cao Jie's hurried steps immediately stopped, and a smile appeared on her cold face.
"Director Gao, good morning.
"Director Cao, good morning, what are you doing here?" Lao Gao greeted Cao Jie with a smile.
Cao Jie is the head of Shanhe's agency department and the boss of Shanhe artists. Even if Gao Xinjian is the veteran of Shanhe, he would not dare to underestimate this woman.
"Something went wrong during one of Miaomiao's activities in the Magic City. I plan to go over and have a look."
Cao Jie said it was simple, but in fact, at her current level, she usually takes charge of the overall situation and rarely interferes with a single artist's activities. Now that she can alert Cao Jie to make a trip in person, it is obviously no small matter.
Gao Xinjian obviously understood this truth. He and Shui Miaomiao were quite familiar with each other. They had just collaborated on "Seven Swords 2" not long ago. Hearing this, he asked worriedly.
"Is the problem serious? Do you need help? I still have some friends in Shanghai."
"No."
Cao Jie shook her head and explained: "The chairman has already called and the problem has basically been solved. I mainly finished the work and thanked the friends who helped for the chairman."
Gao Xinjian suddenly understood and nodded: "Okay, you go ahead and call me if you need my help."
After saying that, he was about to run away, but was blocked by Cao Jie calmly: "Director Gao, Miaomiao, don't worry, I just have something to ask you. I heard that our company's artists don't get many roles in "Lotus Lantern"
?”
Gao Xinjian showed a wry smile. Sure enough, he knew he was going to do something bad when he met Cao Jie just now. He looked for a topic in advance, but he still didn't hide it.
………
The project of "Lotus Lantern" has been finalized since last year. When Zuo Le filmed "Bright Sword", the script had been roughly finalized.
The project was officially approved not long ago, and the director was Gao Xinjian, who had just finished filming "Seven Swords 2".
The reason is that Lao Gao has just filmed "Seven Swords 2" and has a lot of experience in costume fighting scenes and special effects, which is suitable for "Lotus Lantern".
In this aspect, both Kong Sheng and Xue Jun are weaker than him.
Therefore, Lao Gao here has just finished filming "Seven Swords 2", so he has to spare some time and energy during the post-production of "Seven Swords 2" to prepare for the preliminary work of the "Lotus Lantern" crew.
Moreover, since Zuo Le is currently busy with the "Wulin Gaiden" movie and marriage affairs, most of the casting work for "Lotus Lantern" fell into the hands of Gao Xinjian.
As mentioned before, Zuo Le attaches great importance to the casting work of the crew.
At Shanhe, except for projects with mature operational processes such as "Family with Children" and "Serious Cases", the crew has greater autonomy.
For the rest of the newly established original projects, Zuo Le is personally responsible for the casting work. The director only has the right to make suggestions and choices, and the decision-making power rests with Zuo Le.
This time "Lotus Lantern" is a rare exception. Because Zuo Le is too busy, Gao Xinjian got the decision-making power on the casting of "Lotus Lantern" for the first time. Of course, Zuo Le still retains the final review power.
However, as long as there are no major mistakes in Gao Xinjian's casting, Zuo Le will not easily offend his general.
Gao Xinjian's godson Chu Yuan won the male lead Chen Xiang, which is the best proof.
…………
Gao Xinjian was naturally very happy to be given such an important responsibility by Zuo Le.
You know, Kong Sheng and Xue Jun don't have this right. He was the first to make an exception for Zuo Le. Doesn't it mean that his old Gauguin is trusted by his boss?
However, not long after Gao Xinjian was happy, trouble also ensued.
"Lotus Lantern" is a well-known myth in China. Although it is less famous than "Journey to the West", "The Romance of the Gods" and "The Legend of White Snake", it is still a first-class mythological IP.
With Shanhe's production standards, at worst it can be guaranteed to be a "hot drama". With better luck, there is a high chance that it will become a "big hit drama" with a revenue of more than 2.
Resources of this level can be considered popular in the industry. Even first-line stars will not be tempted by the male and female protagonists or the outstanding male and female protagonists.
So soon, many calls from "old friends" came to Gao Xinjian's mobile phone, asking directly or in a roundabout way about the role.
Lao Gao finally understood why Zuo Le held the casting rights in his hands before, not only to ensure the quality of the actors, but also to consider the director below.
Zuo Le has a high status and can withstand pressure from all sides. He can face all kinds of coercion and inducement from the outside world without moving in any direction. However, all kinds of internal disputes within Shanhe can easily not dare to attack him.
Therefore, Zuo Le held on to the casting rights and offset a lot of troubles for the director and crew, while also trying to maintain the objectivity and fairness of the casting.
Lao Gao really didn't pay attention to this before. Only after experiencing it personally did he understand Zuo Le's painstaking efforts.
Some powers are really hard to get.
Some time ago, an old friend of mine asked me via Fetion that my son had just finished his junior year at Beijing Film Academy and asked him to help his nephew. Later, an actress I had worked with made a video call to ask for help from her director, whose neckline was almost pulled down to her belly button...
All these things have made Gao Xinjian a little suspicious of his life when he received phone messages these days. When did he know so many people?
This was still just a trouble from the outside world. The people inside Shanhe were also watching with eager eyes. Cao Jie in front of him stopped him, and the meaning behind his words was very clear.
"Lotus Lantern" is Shanhe's drama, and actors from Shanhe must be given priority for roles. Otherwise, as the director of the agency department, she would have to be the first to "participate in his role."
It’s difficult!
Lao Gao sighed inwardly. If he was a little complacent at first, now he almost regards this matter as a hot potato.
If Zuo Le hadn't really been able to spare some time, he would have returned the property to its original owner and gone into hiding.
………
Seeing Cao Jie in front of him who was polite but refused to give in, Gao Xinjian knew that he wouldn't be able to live in peace for a while if he didn't tell some news. He looked around and said.
"Chu Yuan - Chen Xiang, Wu Jing - the eighth prince, Teacher Yan - Xiao Tian Quan, Wan Qian - Chang'e, Lin Yongjian - the boss of Meishan, Zhang Shui - the sixth boss of Meishan.
There are six characters, including the male protagonist, which is not a small number. There are not many main characters in "Lotus Lantern" who are suitable for our company's artists."
Cao Jie smiled coldly: "Director Gao, don't bluff me. It's not that I haven't seen the cast of "Lotus Lantern". It's not that I, Cao Jie, speak badly.
If you don't perform the company's drama for the company's artists, but use it as a favor outside, you really are not afraid of the chairman's anger."
"Director Cao, you can't say this nonsense."
Lao Gao was really anxious. Cao Jie's words were almost like scolding him for cheating.
Gao Xinjian felt that Zuo Le had always trusted him and would not be suspicious of Cao Jie just because of his words, but he was afraid that Cao Jie would use this as an excuse to sow discord between him and Shanhe Artists.
Although Cao Jie has a bad temper, and her reputation in other departments of Shanhe is average, she is serious and fair in her work, has a strict personality but is extremely defensive, which makes her very popular among Shanhe artists.
If she takes Gao Xin's position and treats outsiders poorly, then Lao Gao's reputation will be ruined in the hearts of Shanhe artists.
By then, most Shanhe artists will be against Gao Xinjian, and even Zuo Le will have to evaluate what it means to be "hard to offend under public anger".
Gao Xinjian didn't have much dealings with Cao Jie in the past. He only heard that this woman was so powerful that even CEO Yan Kui gave her three points, but he didn't really care. After experiencing it personally today, he immediately understood that the rumors were not false.
Lao Gao had no intention of getting into trouble with the company executive who was in charge of the Shanhe Brokerage Department, so he pondered for a moment and explained.
"Director Cao, for the drama "Baolian Lantern", there are indeed not many artists suitable for our company. It's not about the acting skills and character attributes, but the talent position is not suitable.
As the Queen Mother, Yan Ni is very suitable, but can she like this supporting role? There is also Liu Yanchang, Yu Entai can play it, but how can I talk to him in such a small role?"
Lao Gao said it sincerely, but Cao Jie didn't accept his words at all: "Director Gao, I let you say everything. Regardless of whether the role is successful or not, according to the rules, you have to ask our agency.
Okay, even if you are afraid of offending people and think that the supporting roles are not good, let me tell you, as for the protagonists, the leading actors in "Lotus Lantern", Chen Xiang is your godson, I won't mention it, the rest except the eighth prince is Wu Jing from our company
, the other Erlang Shen, Xiaoyu, Dingxiang, who are you going to find?"
Cao Jie's words hit the point directly. Lao Gao hesitated and said nothing, which was obviously selfish.
On the other side, when Cao Jie saw Lao Gao like this, he didn't show any mercy and his tone softened obviously.
"I understand that it is difficult to be a high-level director, but they are all from the same company. You should also think about the people below. It is obviously a company project, and the protagonists are all outsiders. No matter what you want everyone to think, the work of our agency department is also difficult."
Gao Xinjian gave a wry smile: "Yes, Director Cao, I am in the wrong today. Please tell me what to do."
Cao Jie's eyes flashed with a smile: "I'm not ignorant. Erlangshen and Xiaoyu are given to the company. I won't bother with the other roles, and the company's artists will not bother you.
Also, don’t you want Yan Ni to play the Queen Mother? I know you have a good relationship with her, so I’m sorry to say this. I’ll contact you and the favor is mine.”
Gao Xinjian's eyes lit up and he was a little tempted, but he still said: "Xiaoyu is fine, but Erlangshen is not. This role has been decided by the chairman."
"who?"
Cao Jie's face tightened. She had been eyeing this role for a long time and was preparing to give it to her ace Gu Xiaoge.
Only Gu Xiaoge had the weight to risk offending Gao Xinjian, blocking the way, and even asking for a favor from Yan Ni. Now that something unexpected happened and Zuo Le intervened, how could Cao Jie not
urgent.
Seeing Cao Jie's expression change, Lao Gao laughed, he coaxed and scared us just now, now it's your turn to be anxious.
However, Gao Xinjian didn't dare to tease Cao Jie anymore. After what happened just now, he was really a little afraid of this woman.
"Jiao Jun, the chairman named him to play Erlang Shen."
"How could it be him?"
Cao Jie was a little confused. She knew Jiao Jun. He was one of the four most handsome men in ancient costumes along with Gu Xiaoge. He had collaborated with Zuo Le in "Magic Phone" before and became quite popular.
This actor is suitable for playing the role of Erlang Shen, but his own Gu Xiaoge is equally good-looking, and has better acting skills, fame, and popularity than Jiao Jun. Why would Zuo Le sacrifice his talents to seek the bottom.
Lao Gao saw Cao Jie's confusion and took the initiative to say: "It is said that Teacher Yan helped to talk about the relationship. Last time in "Magic Phone", this Jiao Jun and the old man got along well.
This time when filming "Lotus Lantern", Teacher Yan first thought of him playing the role of Erlang Shen, and then told the chairman.
You also know the relationship between the Chairman and Teacher Yan. As soon as he opened his mouth, the Chairman thought that Jiao Jun was very suitable. He also thought that Jiao Jun and Teacher Yan's "Magic Phone" were very popular before, so this time "Baolian Lantern" will make another "Er Lang Shen & Xiao"
The Tiangu] combination also has selling points, so the matter is settled.”
After Gao Xinjian finished speaking, Cao Jie had the word "give up" written all over her face.
In any company, there are a few people who cannot be offended, and in Shanhe, there are two such people. The first is the proprietress Tian Yan, and the second is the second uncle Yan Changying.
As a senior executive of the company, Cao Jie dared to contradict her boss Zuo Le, but she did not dare to go against Tian Yan's second uncle.
She contradicted Zuo Le for official reasons. As long as it complied with the company's procedures, she was not afraid of Zuo Le's anger.
But if He Tianyan and his second uncle don't deal with it, no matter what the reason is, the nature will change.
For the sake of official business, Zuo Le could ignore her contradiction, but that didn't mean that Zuo Le would tolerate the discord between her and his relatives.
It would be fine if she was being reasonable. Zuo Le was not someone who wanted to favor relatives, but it was not a mistake for her second uncle to recommend an actor. If she made a fuss about it, it would be a bit of a fuss.
Taking a breath, Cao Jie no longer mentioned Erlang Shen, but looked at Gao Xinjian: "That lilac..."
Lao Gao's face darkened: "Director Cao, you have to be kind in your work. I promised someone else this role."
"All right."
Seeing that Lao Gao was about to fall out, Cao Jie didn't press any further: "Give me Xiaoyu and San Shengsheng, and I'll help you talk to Yan Ni."
Gao Xinjian nodded and said, "I can give you these two roles, but the actors must meet the conditions."
"no problem."
Cao Jie had already prepared the draft, and immediately replied: "Mao Tong is young and tender, and he can play the role of Xiaoyu. He will be a good match for Chu Yuan. Song Jia, with more mature makeup, can play the role of the Three Holy Mothers. She is a fairy anyway, but she will be out of character if she is too old."
play."
"Mao Tong, Song Jia."
Gao Xinjian recited these two names in his mind and nodded, so that they fit the role.
When Cao Jie saw that he agreed, she called Mao and Song on the spot to settle the matter. Then she said a few words to Lao Gao and left the company for the Magic City.
Looking at Cao Jie's resolute back, Lao Gao shook his head, but he was thinking about his role in "Lotus Lantern".
Agarwood, Xiaoyu, Dingxiang, and the Eight Princes have been decided, and the Roaring Dog, Erlang Shen and Meishan brothers have also been selected. The Bull Demon King, Zhu Bajie, and Sun Wukong still use the old lineup of "Magic Phone".
The remaining roles that are still missing are the Jade Emperor, Nezha, the Fox Demon Grandma, Taibai Jinxing and a few supporting roles. He himself has already planned to play the Jade Emperor. The other roles are also easy to handle. Once the news is released, he will be cast in two or three days.
People gather.
"Be good..."
Only then did Gao Xinjian realize that he finally returned to the company. He didn't even get through the door, but he had already booked most of the starring roles in "Lotus Lantern".
It seems that I will have to go back to the company more often in the future. The work efficiency is too high.
————
ps: The update was unexpectedly interrupted yesterday. This chapter makes up for yesterday's update. I stayed up late writing today's update and will post it regularly at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning...
