Chapter 296: Starting Production: Jin Ma

After celebrating Dudu's first birthday at the Yanjiao Villa, Wei Jin took the film crew to Beijing Film Academy the next day for a low-key start of production.

Unexpectedly, just after paying respects to Guan Erye, the sky, which had been clear for thousands of miles, suddenly began to drizzle, and Chen Zhiming came over with a smile.

"President Wei, meeting water means prosperity, a good omen!"

Because Chen Xi was with the Pacific Rim crew, Chen Zhiming volunteered to be the Producer for this project; in his capacity as the dignified President of Shanhe Media, it could be said he had not forgotten his original intention.

"Lao Chen, how old are you, still so superstitious."

Wei Jin pursed his lips and complained; the two had known each other for many years, and their interactions were becoming increasingly relaxed.

"Let's go, let's go inside and prepare. This film of ours is basically all indoor scenes, it won't be affected."

Wei Jin's project could be called the top priority for Shanhe Media; although the investment for this film was not large, all the crew members involved were carefully selected, and no one would slack off.

Taking advantage of the time while the crew was setting up the scene, Wei Jin waved to Bai Yu.

"Director Wei."

"Mm, Xiaobai, how is your script study going? Also, how is your drum practice?"

Today's scene was the male lead playing alone; the difficulty was not high, it was mainly to let Bai Yu get into character.

"Director Wei, I wrote 30,000 words of character biography, and for the drums, my hand speed can now reach 5 beats per second."

Watching Bai Yu rattle off, Wei Jin was a bit stunned.

"No, I told you to practice the piece, you practiced hand speed?"

"Uh, Director Wei, I'm already proficient with the piece. Doesn't the script require higher hand speed later on? I thought I'd practice it first. It's still not enough; the world record is 19 beats per second, and the script requires at least 8 beats per second. I'm still far off, but don't worry, I will continue to practice these days."

Wei Jin patted his forehead; good heavens, he had encountered a straight-laced one, but that was fine, it would be easier to get into character this way.

Liu Yifei, standing to the side, was also stunned. It was just a movie, was it necessary to aim for a world record so exaggeratedly?

"Alright then, let's see your performance today." — In a small classroom at Beijing Film Academy, the lighting, cameras, props, and others were all in place, and Wei Jin also arrived behind the monitor to take his position.

"All units pay attention, start."

"Whiplash, scene one, take one, action!"

As the sound of the floor manager fell, Bai Yu sat in front of the drum kit and began to play. This scene was the first act in the movie, with the male lead sitting in a room at the end of a hallway playing the drums.

In terms of Bai Yu's performance, this scene was not bad, but Wei Jin was still not very satisfied; the emotion was too thin, lacking depth.

"Cut."

Filming a movie for the first time, Bai Yu was at a loss when he heard the cut; he didn't understand where his problem was.

"Xiaobai, your emotions are a bit misaligned. It should be a mix of confidence and worry; you need to express that sense of contradiction, understand?"

Bai Yu really wanted to say he didn't quite understand, but looking at Wei Jin's eyes, he timidly swallowed the words in his mouth.

"Director Wei, let's do another take."

"Good."

"Action."

"Cut."

"Action."

"Cut."

An entire afternoon passed in constant NGs. Bai Yu was already on the verge of a breakdown; he didn't understand where the problem was. Was this how an Oscar-winning director filmed movies? However, Teacher Wang Jinsong, who was observing from the side, had some realization: Wei Jin was doing this on purpose.

He was letting the young actor in front of him experience the feeling of despair in advance; after all, the male lead in the movie was even more desperate.

"Cut."

Wei Jin took off his headphones and did not continue to call for action.

"Xiaobai, let's stop here for today. Remember this feeling of helplessness and despair, remember it." — Early the next morning, Wei Jin arrived at the filming site at Beijing Film Academy.

He saw that the area outside the classroom was already crowded with people. At a glance, there were indeed quite a few future stars: Yang Zi, Zhang Yishan, Huang Mengying, Liu Mengmeng, Nazha. Perhaps because Wei Jin had a stern face, these students didn't dare to greet him, and could only secretly sigh that the great director's aura was too strong.

This was naturally something Wei Jin was putting on; otherwise, he didn't know how long it would be delayed.

Seeing Wei Jin walk onto the set, many students began to whisper.

"I don't know what Senior Wei is thinking. Why choose a student from the Central Academy of Drama? Are we juniors from Beijing Film Academy not worthy?"

"Sigh, it's the tradition of great directors, I guess."

"I heard this kid was scolded miserably by Senior Wei yesterday. It seems students from the Central Academy of Drama aren't all that great either."

"Nonsense, he just had a lot of NGs. Senior Wei didn't scold anyone, his expression was just terrifyingly cold..."

Just as everyone was discussing, a staff member walked over.

"Quiet everyone, filming is about to start. The recording equipment is already on. If anyone affects the filming, it won't be easy to explain to your teachers."

A group of tomorrow's stars instantly turned into quails. — Inside the set, Wei Jin sat behind the monitor and raised his hand to signal.

"Action."

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After a burst of passionate drumming, Bai Yu had a bit of confidence and a bit of worry on his face; his performance was much better than yesterday.

The camera cut, the door in front of Bai Yu opened, and the stern-faced, bald teacher Wang Jinsong walked in wearing a slim-fit suit.

At this moment, the light hit from top to bottom, forming "Skull Lighting" on Wang Jinsong's face, looking somewhat terrifying.

In the shot, Bai Yu's performance was good, very fitting for the flustered emotion after being discovered.

"I'm sorry, I..."

Wang Jinsong stretched out his hand, his face expressionless.

"Sit there. What is your name? What year are you in?"

"Teacher, my name is Bai Yu, freshman."

"Then do you know who I am?"

Wang Jinsong remained expressionless.

"I know."

"Then do you know I'm looking for a drummer?"

"I know."

"Then why did you stop playing?"

"Cut!"

Wei Jin looked at the image on the monitor and nodded.

"This take is a wrap, Xiaobai. Your performance today was pretty good, keep it up."

Wei Jin hadn't expected this kid to get into character so quickly, so he couldn't help but offer some praise.

"Thank you, Director Wei." Bai Yu was quite happy; that look of hesitation mixed with shyness just now was a natural performance. He had been prepared for endless retakes, but who would have thought he would nail it in just two takes.

"Alright, get ready, we're starting the next take immediately." — Just as *Whiplash* was being filmed in an orderly fashion, the 47th Golden Horse Awards also came to an end.

Taiwan really went to extreme lengths to promote their own people.

Ruan actually defeated Mainland China's veteran actors Wang Xueqi, Ni Dahong, and Qin Hao to win the Best Actor Award. *Bodyguards and Assassins*, which had seven nominations, only received an insignificant Best Makeup and Costume Design award, making this year's Golden Horse Awards a joke.

As one of the judges, Ning Hao was collectively watched by netizens, who left messages one after another asking for his opinion on this year's Golden Horse Awards.

"For this kind of thing, those who understand, understand."

Although this eight-character reply was deleted quickly, the impact was huge. There was a chorus of questioning in the industry, and the internet was filled with curses.

"Junior brother, I was just drunk and venting, I didn't expect it to blow up this big."

On the phone, Ning Hao's voice sounded somewhat helpless and somewhat indignant.

"But the Golden Horse really had the nerve to do it. He clearly had the fewest votes, yet when they announced it, he actually became the Best Actor. They really have no shame at all, no wonder you look down on them."

"The place is too small, just like Hong Kong, with no successors left. They can only use this method to grab attention. Don't hold any more illusions about them in the future."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin felt a bit emotional; from now on, the three major Chinese film awards no longer had any meaning.

Shaking his head and intending to smoke a cigarette, Wei Jin suddenly saw an invitation card placed on the bedside table.

"Tian Tian, are you going when the time comes?"

The first domestic blockbuster of December was *Sacrifice*. These days, the film had entered its final stage of crazy promotion, and the invitation for the premiere had already been sent to Shanhe Media. It was just that Wei Jin hadn't expected they would send a separate one to Jing Tian.

"I probably can't go. Brother, have you forgotten? *Now You See Me 2* is being released that day."

Although it was an imported film, as the lead actress, Jing Tian still hoped the domestic box office would look good. On the day of the release, she would definitely have to run to major cinemas for promotion and roadshows.

"Hmm, that's true. Chen Shiren's premiere is being held too early."

Thinking of the date on the invitation, Wei Jin couldn't help but complain. A film releasing on December 4th holding its premiere nearly ten days in advance was clearly trying to compete with Zhang Yimou.

"Brother, will you go?"

"Hmm, forget it."

Wei Jin thought for a moment and said. It wasn't that he wouldn't give Chen Shiren face, but the crew's filming had been going very smoothly these days, and he didn't want to disrupt the rhythm.

Besides, he didn't want to go to the scene to watch Chen Shiren show off. If a reporter asked him what he thought about the box office, wouldn't that be a slap in the face on the spot?

Just as he was planning to rest with Jing Tian, the phone beside him rang. Looking at the caller ID, Wei Jin's pupils shrank.

"President Wang?"

"President Wei, our IPO plan has been approved. On December 1st, Tudou will officially become the first domestic video website stock to list on the North American Nasdaq market."

On the phone, Wang Wei's voice was very excited. The 150 million USD financing plan had been successfully approved, and Tudou's future development was now unstoppable.

Although Youku had also submitted an IPO plan, there was a world of difference between being first and second. Wang Wei believed that before long, Youku would no longer be able to compete with Tudou.

"Very good. After so much effort, it has finally paid off. Congratulations, President Wang."

"Haha, congratulations to you too. It's all thanks to President Wei's support all along. I'm really grateful to you."

On the phone, Wang Wei's voice was full of sincerity. How many investors could do what Wei Jin did, supporting them tirelessly for years? "By the way, President Wei, do you have time on the day of the bell-ringing?"

"Hmm, forget it. My film is still in production, so I won't attend."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin felt his heart surging. Tudou had successfully gone public, and next, it was time to get to work on Shanhe Cinema Line and Shanhe Technology. His dream of a cultural and entertainment empire was getting closer and closer.

"Brother, congratulations."

Jing Tian didn't know much about Wei Jin's business affairs, but the investment in Tudou was something no one in the industry didn't know about.

"Tian Tian, such a happy occasion, we must celebrate properly tonight. Are you ready?"

"Hmm~~ Little Cutie is always ready to listen to the teachings of the Great Master." — On the set of *Whiplash*, just after finishing a scene, Wei Jin was planning to smoke a cigarette when he saw Ning Hao rushing over.

"Senior brother, why are you here?"

While speaking, Wei Jin handed over a cigarette, and Ning Hao took it smoothly.

After lighting it and taking a deep drag, Ning Hao handed the document in his hand to Wei Jin.

"Junior brother, help me take a look. I've revised the script for *No Man's Land*."

Wei Jin could tell that Ning Hao was already lacking confidence regarding the censorship process.

"Alright, let me see."

Flipping through the newly revised script, Wei Jin frowned. Strictly speaking, this was no longer a reshoot, but a remake. The new script had changed almost half of the content. However, it was clear that Ning Hao was still unwilling to let go; he had kept some of the plot points he liked best.

"The problem isn't big, but with these changes, I'm afraid the actors will be delayed for a long time."

Wei Jin was telling the truth. You couldn't expect actors to be paid for one film but shoot two, right? These actors' market value had risen quite a bit over the past year or two, so he had to consider the costs for them. "You don't need to worry about that. The three of them have no issues. The schedules and salaries have already been negotiated."

Ning Hao also understood what Wei Jin meant. This time, he had really spent a lot of favors, and he would have to pay them back later.

"Then let's shoot it this way. Although the core has been weakened, it's still quite good. There will absolutely be no problem with breaking even."

Wei Jin gave a positive answer. After the revisions, although it wasn't stunning, it was still exciting. With Ning Hao's drawing power, plus the fact that the film market was getting bigger and bigger, getting a box office of 200 to 300 million wouldn't be a problem.

"That's good. If I hadn't filled in that 10 million plus for Chairman Han, I wouldn't have the face to see him."

Wei Jin nodded upon hearing this. This was Ning Hao's style, but to be honest, this personality didn't make for a qualified commercial director.

Wu Baige, Chen Kexin, and a group of Hong Kong directors, including Mainland China's Chen Shiren and Jiang Wen, which one of them hadn't flopped? Which one hadn't caused investors to lose tens or hundreds of millions? But didn't these people still get along quite happily with the investors? In the final analysis, it was Ning Hao's self-esteem and sense of brotherhood that were at work, but this was also the reason Wei Jin was willing to treat him as a friend.

"How are you considering the funding for the reshoots? Just say the word if you need anything."

"Thanks, Junior Brother."

A smile appeared on Ning Hao's face; Wei Jin's trust made him very happy.

"However, I plan to ask Han Dong first. After all, it's a project controlled by China Film Group, and I shouldn't rashly bring in other investors before he gives the nod."

"Mm, that's very thoughtful, that makes sense. If Han Dong has any concerns, I'll cover the bottom line for you."

"Haha, alright, I'll head to China Film Group first then."

Watching Ning Hao come and go in a rush, Wei Jin shook his head.

Walking straight to the monitor to sit down, Wei Jin began filming the new scenes.

In the afternoon, Wei Jin received a call from Ning Hao. Perhaps because the profits from Passengers were extremely substantial, Han Sanping was very generous this time; with a wave of his hand, he directly approved twenty million in reshoot funding for him, which was even higher than the original investment amount. This meant there would be no more waves regarding No Man's Land.

Withdrawing his thoughts, Wei Jin continued to issue instructions.

"All units pay attention, prepare to begin."

"Action."

Today's first update.

(End of this chapter)