Chapter 334

Jiang Heng laughed heartily, "Sure, anyway during the Spring Festival travel rush, it's not easy for anyone!"

After hanging up, Jing Tian asked curiously, "Are you going to do a cameo again?"

Jiang Heng nodded slightly, "Over at Broad Sodium Film Industry, Old Yu produced a movie and asked me to bolster the scene! After all, I'm a major shareholder of Broad Sodium, so I have no reason to refuse!"

She said, "Then I want to go too; we'll play a couple!"

Jiang Heng wanted to say, I'm playing myself, appearing as my own role in the film.

But he only got halfway through before swallowing the words back.

He was afraid Jing Tian would latch onto him and ask, "Aren't we considered a couple now?"

"Alright, when it's time to shoot, I'll take you there!"

In May, Hangzhou's scenery was pleasant; Jiang Heng led Da Tian Tian on a stroll through the Xixi Wetlands, then went to eat crayfish.

The next day he flew with the crew to the great southwest to shoot outdoor scenes; by the end of May all scenes were finished and the film wrapped.

After returning to Jingcheng, Jiang Heng rested for two days, then went alone to the crew of "Person in the Fix" to shoot the airport encounter and the in-flight scenes.

Jing Tian initially wanted to join as a cameo, but Jiang Heng showed her the script and explained the comedy setup techniques of this film.

He indicated that if an actor and actress cameo together, the director's designed scene would roughly be: Niu Geng says to Li Chenggong, "Hey, you say they slept together?" Li Chenggong replies, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Niu Geng says, "I bet they definitely did!" Li Chenggong retorts, "How can you be so sure?"

Niu Geng says, "Aren't many directors like that…?" Jing Tian heard it, burst out laughing, and then stopped mentioning the cameo.

Because in her view, doing such a cameo role really feels a bit degrading.

Yet such a role is indeed fun; if it were just a brief appearance in the airport or cabin, it would be rather dull, so better not to do the cameo at all.

Jiang Heng finally breathed a sigh of relief, after all his official girlfriend is Liu Yifei.

It's not exactly an official announcement, mainly because they've attended many events together before, many industry friends know about it, and the media has reported it before.

Acting as a couple with Jing Tian is fine, but if we use our real names for a cameo and play a couple, that wouldn't be great.

Upon arriving at the set, director Ye Weimin warmly received him; he is from Xianggang and has directed films such as "The All-Powerful Star" and "The Thirteen Sisters of the Hung Hing."

He himself wasn't very famous, and after entering the 21st century work became increasingly tough, so he even took on low-budget films like "Person in the Fix" that lack big stars.

At this moment, the combined fame of everyone on the crew still doesn't match Jiang Heng's; naturally they're enthusiastic. Yet this crew could be considered crouching tiger, hidden dragon: aside from the future breakout Xu Zheng and Wang Baokang, screenwriter Tian Yusheng is also a talent.

Though the Douban ratings of the "Ex-Files" series he wrote and directed aren't high, its box office is genuinely strong and still quite popular with young people.

Jiang Heng felt this person is quite talented and not as overly ambitious as the others.

Therefore, after joining the crew, he sought out Tian Yusheng for a good chat, asking if he'd be interested in joining Outstanding Rising Film Company.

Tian Yusheng naturally was overjoyed; at this point he's unknown in the Chinese-language film world, so gaining Jiang Heng's favor is like a leap to the sky.

Look at rookie director Guo Fan—just a reporter two years ago, now he's a big‑picture director; his "A Chinese Ghost Story" will hit the summer season in a little over a month, who knows how many people will envy and resent him!

Jiang Heng then asked him, "Are you interested in directing yourself?" Tian Yusheng was somewhat startled and excited, instinctively swallowing his saliva.

"A screenwriter who doesn't want to be a director isn't a good screenwriter!" Tian Yusheng naturally said he wanted to; Jiang Heng patted his shoulder, telling him to work hard, and after this film wraps, go sign a contract with Outstanding Rising Film Company. Hearing this, Tian Yusheng wanted to cry, because he wanted to go right now.

Waiting for the film to wrap will take at least a month or more!

Domestic film shooting cycles are generally about three months.

Big productions run a bit longer, while mid‑low budget ones are shorter.

The shooting difficulty of "Person in the Fix" isn't that great; at most it'll take a little over two months.

Jiang Heng then chatted casually with Wang Baokang, asking about his development in the circle over these years.

Wang Baokang looks quite honest on the outside, but his emotional intelligence is actually high; he's especially good at speaking, his intention to curry favor is obvious, yet Jiang Heng smiled and encouraged him, simply not taking the bait.

This left Yu Dong somewhat puzzled; he privately asked Jiang Heng, "If you think so highly of him, why not sign him?" Jiang Heng laughed and shook his head, saying Wang Baokang's image isn't really suited for his effects‑heavy blockbusters—what would be the point of signing him? You couldn't have him play Earth‑Traveling Sun, or you'd offend people.

Moreover, Wang Baokang's current contract is with Huayi, and by 2012 he had left Huayi to set up his own studio, so signing him would be of little significance.

In fact, over the following years many stars established their own studios, and that old agency model has become outdated.

Another thing Jiang Heng hasn't mentioned is that he really likes the film "Hello! Mr. Tree" starring Wang Baokang; before its release he had no intention of interfering with Wang Baokang's development.

Moreover, in history the production company of "Hello! Mr. Tree" was led by Broad Sodium Film Industry, with the top producer being none other than Yu Dong—what a coincidence! On set, Xu Zheng put forward many suggestions, even saying some clever jokes were his idea; his talent is real, but Jiang Heng's response has remained consistently cold.

This left the bald Xu Zheng bewildered, feeling that Jiang Heng seemed to have some opinion of him, yet he didn't know why.

Logically Jiang Heng's scenes wouldn't take up a whole morning, but he stayed on set for two full days before leaving.

After returning to Jingcheng, he began to busy himself with the promotion and distribution of "A Chinese Ghost Story."

The film's promotion and distribution are still handled by Broad Sodium Film Industry; although Yu Dong's thoughts have been on "Person in the Fix," after all a producer isn't a director, so he doesn't need to stay on set every day.

Moreover, Broad Sodium Film Industry is now the largest domestic film and TV promotion and distribution company, with abundant experience; many matters can be handled by standard procedure.

For example, the film's publicity activities follow set templates; just reuse what worked before.

Furthermore, "A Chinese Ghost Story" is genuinely easy to promote.

Jiang Heng stars in it, which is quite rare.

Plus it pairs him with the national goddess Liu Yifei, adds a classic remake, 3D effects, and a summer release slot.

One could say that over at Broad Sodium Film Industry, a casual publicity push would already meet the work targets.

Moreover, the standard routines are limited, and Director Jiang doesn't want to stir up gossip, so there's really nothing fancy left.

The film's release date remains the second Friday of July, with the premiere set for July 5, a Sunday.

Considering the crew isn't large and the plot isn't overly complex.

This time Jiang Heng also doesn't want to make the premiere ceremony too grand.

The premiere venue is chosen at the China Film Red Ribbon Cinema's Wukesong store; as before, a stage is set up in the plaza, interviews are taken, then the audience goes into the theater to watch.

(End of chapter)