Chapter 200: Falling Out? The

Inside the China Film Digital Production Base studio, Wei Jin watched the screen on the monitor with focus.

In the shot, Da Tiantian, wearing a blood-stained tank top with a patient gown thrown loosely over it, held a gun in each hand, her face expressionless, walking into the frame with a cool and dashing air; this shot had already been filmed from various angles several times, and it was perfect.

"Cut, this take is good, prepare for the next one."

As soon as Wei Jin finished speaking, the assistant director hurried off to arrange the positions for Sun Honglei, who was playing the gangster thug, and a group of extras acting as his lackeys.

The next shot was the scene where Da Tiantian would go on a killing spree in this corridor with dual pistols.

"Tiantian, do you want to take a break?"

Wei Jin looked at Jing Tian, who was waiting to go on, and said gently; last night had been too wild, and he was afraid the young girl wouldn't be able to handle it.

"I'm fine, Director."

Watching the dead-serious young girl, Wei Jin found it somewhat amusing; he didn't know who it was last night who had been demanding it with all her might.

However, Wei Jin also knew full well that he had been spending his nights at Liu Yifei's place for the past few days, and Jing Tian was jealous and using this to vent.

Thinking of this, Wei Jin felt that only sleeping together in one big bed could solve this problem once and for all, and he had already started thinking of ways to do it in his mind.

Soon, the crew began filming again.

This time, the protagonist was also just Jing Tian; as for the group of the drug lord's henchmen, aside from Sun Honglei, who was clutching his neck and pressing on a blood bag to put on a show, the others all lay on the ground and played dead as soon as the gunshots rang out.

The camera followed Jing Tian as she strode forward, soon arriving in front of Cui Minzhi, who was listening to music and resting with his eyes closed.

At this moment, this gang leader was being tattooed by a beautiful tattoo artist.

Yang Xue, who was making a cameo as the tattoo artist, was pointed at by Jing Tian's gun and very tactfully stepped aside.

Wei Jin watched the expressionless and unusually cold-looking Jing Tian on the monitor and couldn't help but sigh; Jing Tian had grasped this emotion very well.

In the shot, Jing Tian looked at the drug lord enjoying himself with his eyes closed, still maintaining that cold demeanor, and quickly drew two daggers from behind her waist with both hands, cleanly and decisively stabbing them into the back of his hands. Wei Jin nodded; Jing Tian's training over these past few days had been very effective. This movement just now was perfect, and after post-production, it would definitely be very sharp and aesthetically pleasing.

"Cut, very good, this take is good." —— "Brother, did you really have a falling out with Senior Brother Ning?"

After some intimacy, Jing Tian pressed her flushed face against Wei Jin's chest and asked with some curiosity.

The buzz surrounding *The Martian* hadn't lasted two days before a piece of news dominated the headlines:

"Ning Hao suspected of having a conflict with Shanhe Media; no longer collaborating on new film."

"No, don't listen to the media's nonsense."

Wei Jin was also somewhat helpless; these media outlets were simply afraid the world wouldn't be in chaos.

Quite a few acquaintances had already called to ask what had happened, including his mentor Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Wei Jin had to explain it time and time again.

The cause of the matter was also very simple: China Film Group announced an investment of 16 million in Ning Hao's new film, *No Man's Land*.

This was originally a very normal commercial collaboration, but observant media discovered that as a commercial director in the domestic 2 Million Club, Ning Hao's new project actually didn't have any investment from Shanhe Media? One had to know that as a director with a Studio under Shanhe Media, all of Ning Hao's previous projects had been invested in by Shanhe Media. This time the project investment was even larger, yet there was no sign of Wei Jin; wasn't this clearly showing a conflict?

"Senior Brother is also unwilling to give up. Over these years, he hasn't won a single significant award. Having finally encountered a script with the potential to win awards, he wants to give it a try no matter what."

In fact, Ning Hao had also called to talk about this matter, expressing in his words that this script was definitely for chasing awards and that bringing in China Film Group was for the convenience of censorship. Wei Jin couldn't say much and could only wish him good luck.

However, after this incident, Wei Jin also understood the domestic directors' longing for awards; this point could actually be used as a condition when poaching people in the future.

One had to know that he still had quite a few award-chasing films in his mind; although they might not necessarily win any major awards, even a small award from the European Big Three was something these directors could only dream of.

"That's true, who doesn't like awards?"

"Tiantian, don't think about these things at your young age; awards and such are too far away from you."

Jing Tian had been studying continuously for the past two or three years, and her acting skills were passable, but that was about it; it was barely enough to handle commercial films that didn't test acting skills much.

Wei Jin was also afraid that the young girl would get a hot head and want to be some kind of artist; even if he took out all the films in his mind, he would be powerless to help.

"Brother, I know my current level isn't enough for awards yet, but I will improve eventually, right? Didn't Liu Tianwang also win awards only after many years of debuting?"

Jing Tian had a clear understanding of herself; even if Wei Jin was amazing, it was impossible for him to make her a Golden Horse Best Actress right now.

"I believe that if I keep going, one day, I can do it too."

"Mm, this mindset is quite good, no rush, no impatience."

Wei Jin was very satisfied with Jing Tian's attitude; if she kept it up, in ten years or so, there might be a chance to bring home a Golden Horse Best Actress.

"But speaking of which, Hua Ge is really miserable."

A while ago, he was still saying he wanted to compare box office numbers with Wei Jin, but now he didn't even dare to call; he probably felt the sting of being slapped in the face.

*Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon* had already finished its run, with the Mainland China box office stalling at 80 million, and the total box office in Asia being less than 160 million RMB. Compared to the production cost of 120 million HKD, the producers had suffered a huge loss.

The media had brought up the issue of Liu Tianwang being "box office poison" again, and for a moment, Wei Jin didn't know what to say either; he could only hope that *The Martian* would help him recover some blood.

"What do you think is wrong with Liu Tianwang? Why does he always take on these unreliable films?"

Jing Tian had also gone to see *Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon*, and it was truly hard to describe; couldn't Liu Tianwang see that the script was trash?

"He probably can't bring himself to refuse. He owed a lot of favors when he debuted in his early years, and these all have to be repaid."

Most Hong Kong actors faced this problem; in such a small place, everything went back and forth within the same circle, and it was unavoidable.

"Alright, let's not talk about this; Tiantian, it's time to work now." —— The promotion for *Ip Man 2* had long been in full swing, and Emperor Motion Pictures had high hopes for it. Plus, with no competitors in this release window, the box office was very likely to break the record of its predecessor.

The news of *Inception* starting production had also spread back to the country from Hollywood.

A group photo of the main cast sparked widespread discussion.

Right in the middle of the photo were Nolan, Leonardo, and Zun Long, with Liu Yifei and Sophie Marceau on either side, and the other actors further to the edges.

The internet was already boiling over; this lineup was truly too luxurious.

Zun Long was once popular all over Asia, and in terms of popularity, he was in no way inferior to the "Two Chows and One Jackie"; at his peak, he was definitely the most popular Chinese-American star in Hollywood.

Most importantly, he had announced his retirement from acting last year, and no one expected that *Inception* would actually manage to invite him out; many of his fans were overjoyed.

Sophie Marceau was known as the "French Rose" and "European Hepburn," and was also recognized as one of the "most beautiful women in the world." She had countless fans in Europe, and even though she was now over forty, there were still many men obsessed with her.

Many netizens expressed that based on this lineup alone, this film was already on their must-watch list.

In short, before the film had even started shooting, it had already attracted a large amount of audience attention, and the hype was excellent. Unlike the netizens' focus on the cast, domestic actresses were more concerned with the roles and screen time; looking at the film's character introductions, many actresses couldn't help but feel sour inside.

Both female roles had significant screen time, and Liu Yifei's role could even be considered the female lead; this luck was just too good.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tangren also released a large number of makeup photos and stills for *Chinese Paladin 3*.

Miss Cai's promotional tactics are the same as always; *Chinese Paladin 1* was indeed brought out for comparison and marketing, with the focus being on Liu Yifei.

"The new Nüwa Descendant, Zhang Li VS Liu Yifei."

"Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er, Jing Tian and Xue Jian."

"Popular newcomer Liu Shishi, temperament comparable to Liu Yifei."

When Miss Cai accepted an interview, she was also very confident, expressing that all three actresses have great potential and a great opportunity to follow in Liu Yifei's footsteps through *Chinese Paladin 3* and step onto the international stage.

In short, it is desperately clinging to the popularity of *Inception* and Liu Yifei; this can be considered a traditional craft of Miss Cai and Tangren. —— "Tian Tian, you performed well. Did you suddenly have a breakthrough?"

Wei Jin was somewhat surprised by Jing Tian's performance; several scenes were done in one take. This progress is a bit fast; one must know that acting is something that truly requires talent.

Of course, it is not impossible to make up for lack of talent with diligence, but truly many people cannot do it and just give up.

The most successful example among the diligent school should be Liu Tianwang. When he first debuted, his acting was very poor, but after twenty or thirty years of accumulation, not to mention how good his acting is, at least it counts as qualified.

There are too many representatives of the talent school; Zhou Xun is a wild path with no formal training, yet has countless awards; Wang Baoqiang, who hasn't read many books, has acting that beats I don't know how many formally trained actors.

It can be seen that on the path of an actor, diligence and hard work are truly worthless in the face of talent.

"Hee hee, I found a very professional teacher to guide me."

Facing Wei Jin's praise, Jing Tian was very happy; her acting was finally recognized, even though she also knew this was "cheating."

"Oh? How professional?"

"That Teacher Zhang will help me analyze every stage, what state the character in the drama is in, and what method I should use to express it so that it fits the character better."

Jing Tian spoke at length; it could be seen that she really learned quite a few things.

"Hmm, this teacher has some level. What is his name?"

Currently, there are still many teachers at Beijing Film Academy who open tutoring classes outside. Wei Jin is not looking to report him, but is considering recruiting him to the company to be an acting coach; anyway, it won't cost much money.

Moreover, this kind of guidance specifically aimed at script characters, which is the so-called on-set acting teacher, can to a large extent help the crew film more smoothly.

Especially for newcomer actors or artists whose acting system is not that mature, such guidance, although it cannot directly improve their acting, can help them understand and integrate into the character faster, improve efficiency, and reach the director's requirements as soon as possible.

"Zhang Songwen."

Wei Jin suddenly realized; so it was him. This person is a typical representative of late bloomers. He was mediocre for 20 years after his debut, but one *Sweeping Through the Storm* made him popular across the country, becoming another grassroots inspirational representative.

However, to be honest, his acting in Wei Jin's view is not as good as people brag; it's just that he happened to encounter a very fitting character. The reason he became popular is largely due to the character; the character of Gao Qiqiang is simply too charming.

Just in terms of acting level, compared to many veteran actors, there is still a gap.

But Zhang Songwen does have a set of theories on performance; he is indeed a very good candidate for guiding artists.

Wei Jin didn't take this small matter to heart and made a call to Zhang Xu; he believes he will see the "Fish Seller" at the company soon.

The crew soon started new filming—Emperor Motion Pictures held a premiere for *Ip Man 2* in advance, choosing the Great Hall as the location; one can see Boss Yang's ambition.

As a co-producer, Wei Jin also took time to attend.

Many people came to show support; after all, in this era, Hong Kong capital is still very popular.

Thus, such a strange phenomenon was seen at the scene: Mainland China artists were fawning over the Hong Kong Circle, and Hong Kong Circle artists were all fawning over Wei Jin.

"Director Wei, long time no see, how have you been lately?"

As the lead creator, Zhen Zidan was clearly in a good mood. The *Ip Man* from two years ago made his market value soar; he believes that after the second installment, he will be even more popular.

Despite this, his posture in front of Wei Jin was also very low; he knew very clearly that this was an existence with greater energy than Boss Yang of Emperor Motion Pictures.

"Hmm, not bad. How about you? Are your scenes for *Bodyguards and Assassins* finished?"

Chen Desheng's filming speed is truly too slow; it has been half a year back and forth, and the scenes are still not finished.

"Yes, I also have to thank Director Wei for the opportunity."

Zhen Zidan is truly grateful to Wei Jin; he is very glad that when he was on the *Painted Skin* crew, he did not leave a bad impression on Wei Jin.

"It was also something you earned yourself. Alright, go get busy."

Wei Jin walked away on his own, and Huo Wenxi walked over.

"President Wei, Mr. Yang is waiting for you. Please come this way."

Following Huo Wenxi to the backstage, Boss Yang was chatting with Jiang Wen.

"President Yang, Director Jiang, long time no see. What are you chatting about?"

"Hi, just chatting aimlessly."

After the few exchanged pleasantries, seeing that Wei Jin and Boss Yang had things to discuss, Jiang Wen left first.

"President Wei, thank you for this time."

Boss Yang said this to thank Wei Jin for agreeing to the release of *Ip Man 2* in the Southeast Asia region.

"These are all small matters, President Yang is too polite."

Although for Wei Jin, whether selling the copyright or releasing it, the earnings should be about the same, but for Emperor Motion Pictures, the difference is huge, because the copyright belongs to Wei Jin, and Emperor Motion Pictures does not enjoy a share.

"By the way, *The Myth* is estimated to start early next year. President Yang can send people over..."

Wei Jin was talking about the TV series; Shanhe Media is responsible for production, and Emperor Motion Pictures provides copyright and investment, which counts as the first cooperation between the two sides in the television field.

Boss Yang agreed with this very much; this is undoubtedly the beginning of deepening cooperation with Wei Jin.

"That is not necessary. I am very at ease leaving it to President Wei."

Today's first update, I earnestly request all book friends to reward with subscriptions, follow-up reading, collections, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets. Thank you everyone! (End of chapter)