Chapter 71

Lin Nan knew about the reporters downstairs.

He didn't deliberately hide the audition news, so it was reasonable for the media to be there. Fortunately, they didn't run directly into the company.

"Long time no see, Senior Sister Danchen."

"Long time no see, Lin Dao."

The way she smiled was still that of Chang'e. During "Return to Youth," they joked about working together again if there was a chance.

Sure enough, they met again this time.

Audition?

Yan Danchen didn't need an audition. They had already worked together twice; Lin Nan knew very well whether she could handle the role of the second female lead.

Furthermore, the person playing her husband would be Tian Yu, an actor tested by the theater stage for a long time.

Perhaps when first screening the resumes, Lin Nan already had a rough candidate for the role in his mind.

"For our third collaboration, Senior Sister, you have to give it your all. Don't hold me back!"

Lin Nan said lightly.

Yan Danchen revealed her pearly teeth and rolled her eyes at Lin Nan. "Who are you looking down on?"

"Just kidding. Here, same rules as before."

Yan Danchen took the document bag containing the script. "I know, keep the script confidential."

The two sat in the reception room and started chatting like old friends.

A long time ago, Lin Nan recorded a promotional interview for "Lotus Lantern" with Yan Danchen and the others. At that time, the drama hadn't aired yet, but now it was about to start on CCTV, and Yan Danchen's Chang'e would soon meet the audience.

This would also be somewhat helpful for the film's promotion later.

Yan Danchen should be the person who got the script the fastest.

On the first day, when Gao Yuanyuan left with the document bag and her agent, she was photographed.

How could such news be missed? Before two hours passed, news about Gao Yuanyuan getting a role in Lin Nan's film appeared on portal websites.

Li Bingbing's ambition was too big; she only focused on the female lead role.

Actually, at the beginning, Lin Nan inviting her to audition was just a formality to give Huayi face. In terms of acting, she was definitely not the best in that pile of resumes, nor was she his intended choice for the female lead.

Li Bingbing, over thirty, was a bit anxious; perhaps she felt the pressure of competition, which was why she valued the role's status so much.

The result was definitely, "Next time there's a chance, I'll definitely work with Sister Bingbing."

"Okay, looking forward to working with Lin Dao later."

The other Bingbing had much higher emotional intelligence.

Fan Bingbing, three years older than Lin Nan, looked truly dazzling. She was too exquisitely beautiful, with a feeling of a fairy.

Lin Nan had an illusion: did she not seem to care much about the audition result?

She went through the motions of the audition, for the female lead.

"Sister Li left in a hurry in her car. I can guess the result. I suppose my chances won't be high either."

This face, when smiling, indeed made people have the urge to get close.

"However, I still hope Lin Dao can give me a chance in the future. Whether a play is good or not, you only know after you've truly stepped onto the stage and tried it. I have always been determined to become a powerful actor."

At this moment, Lin Nan actually felt a bit of regret. "In 'Cell Phone,' Sister Bingbing was very good; otherwise, you wouldn't have won the Hundred Flowers Best Actress award."

"Hehe, Lin Dao, you flatter me. This is my contact information. If there is a suitable play in the future, please give me a chance."

As she spoke, she handed over an exquisite card. The content was very concise: name, profession, contact information.

"Okay."

Lin Nan accepted the business card and personally saw her out.

She was truly polite and thanked him repeatedly.

A beauty indeed...

Lin Nan had a habit: beautiful things are always saved for last, and auditions were the same.

A man and a woman, they were friends who had been classmates for four years.

The man wasn't handsome and was a bit sturdy, but he was a true acting powerhouse.

The woman...

During the few days of auditions, there were many beauties. He had seen the gentle Yan Danchen and the exquisite and enchanting Fan Bingbing.

But this one in front of him, how to describe her?

Her figure was tall and outstanding, her temperament classical and elegant.

Her features were deep; there was stubbornness in her coldness, and charm in her heroic spirit.

A national beauty, gorgeous but not vulgar!

Perhaps when filming, he would need to make her look a bit uglier! Lin Nan thought in his mind.

The two auditioned together, acting with each other, just like how the female lead and the first male lead were friends in the script.

No preparation needed; they started right away, and everything was so natural.

Sure enough, four years of being classmates meant they already had perfect tacit understanding. They must have acted together countless times in major classes. They were worthy of the 96 class.

The audition ended.

A few days later, the media received news from Lin Nan's company: the auditions were over, and the casting was finished.

The film "Time Cruise" officially confirmed its cast list.

Female lead: Zeng Li; second female lead: Yan Danchen; third female lead: Gao Yuanyuan; first male lead: Chen Minghao; second male lead: Tian Yu; third male lead: Zhu Yawen.

Lin Nan changed the two characters "Horror" to "Time."

He just remembered that when it was originally translated as "Horror," he treated "Triangle" as a supernatural film for a long time, and only wanted to curse after watching it.

It was a proper science fiction film; otherwise, it wouldn't have come in. It talked about time loops and spatial overlaps. At most, you could misunderstand it as a suspense film. Although it was brain-burning, it had nothing to do with supernatural films at all.

So Lin Nan specifically pointed out the two characters "Time" this time, also to avoid being associated with supernatural films.

The cast was exposed, and the media was hyped, as were the netizens.

"Lin Dao Nan has ultimately walked the old path of Beijing Film Academy directors. He went to the Central Academy of Drama to find actors..."

"The curse of big directors; he can't escape it."

"Six actors, half are from the Central Academy of Drama, and they are the three most important ones..."

"It seems he hasn't used actors from the Shanghai Theatre Academy yet, right?"

Some media outlets loved to stir up trouble.

"Art exam candidates, take note. The acting department of the Central Academy of Drama has been certified by countless directors from the Beijing Film Academy..."

Tian Zhuangzhuang looked at these comments and laughed from time to time.

"The quality of students over there is indeed better. You don't need to care about these words."

"Teacher, you're joking. I have always known this fact."

Even though he had been nagged by several leaders of the acting department for a long time today, Lin Nan just swallowed his pride. Weren't there still two roles left?

"Come over early tomorrow morning. We'll go to the studio together." Tian Zhuangzhuang instructed.

"No problem, Teacher."

The first round of the general director competition was tomorrow.

Covering over three thousand acres, surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing water on one, 50 kilometers from the city, this place was picturesque with pleasant seasons, a shining pearl on the land of the Beijing suburbs.

Early on the 19th, while it was still dawn, Lin Nan had already set off with Tian Zhuangzhuang.

The distance wasn't far, but Lin Nan felt like it had been a long time.

This place had long been a place to host important guests, international friends, and foreign dignitaries.

The car approached slowly. Through the window, Lin Nan could see a large number of security personnel, and the car in front was undergoing inspection.

"Wear your pass well." Tian Zhuangzhuang reminded.

"Mm."

Lin Nan hung it up and smoothed it out.

There were no outside reporters for this kind of occasion, only official media, because it required confidentiality and the level was very high.

Only specific video teams were responsible for preserving the speeches of each team.

In front of the conference venue, there were already quite a few people.

Seeing Tian Zhuangzhuang and Lin Nan, many people greeted them. Most were familiar people in the circle, including foreign-born Chinese, and some were foreign teams.

Looking at the passes on everyone's chests, it turned out they were all here to audit the competition.

Someone came over to explain the requirements for today's venue.

No recording, photography, or filming equipment could be brought in, and the content of the competition teams' speeches could not be spread. The people on site might be big shots usually, but here they still honestly signed the confidentiality agreement.

A few minutes before eight, the leaders of the organizing committee and the leaders in culture and sports arrived. Everyone entered the conference venue in an orderly manner.

To be honest, the people in the audience were all losers. They had all been invited to compete initially, but none had made it to this step, and many might not have even come to audit.

The competition teams were not on site; they were resting in other areas in the back, waiting to enter for their speeches.

The leaders above announced the number of competition teams today, and the audience was shocked.

After being invited initially, there were over a hundred teams or directors who actively participated in the competition. As of yesterday, only thirteen teams remained for the first round of competition.

Lin Nan saw that Tian Zhuangzhuang's face beside him was a bit bitter; many old seniors were like this.

These teams were: Chen Kaige's team, Cui Jian's team, Zhang Jigang's art troupe team, Evans' French team, the National Song and Dance Troupe CCTV team... Li An, Zhang Yimou, etc.

No matter how big the occasion, it seemed that the method of drawing lots to decide the order of appearance could not be avoided.

Cui Jian's team was the first.

The team members handed in the creative proposal, and the main person in charge, Cui Jian, walked to the podium.

Time limit: 50 minutes.

Above and below, everyone's eyes were focused there.

"I didn't think too much; it's more of a feeling. In fact, it's our belief in our own abilities..."

Many people below frowned slightly. If it was like this, it seemed they shouldn't have withdrawn initially.

Perhaps Cui Jian was really participating in the competition with a heart full of passion. The proposal his team produced was a template for a large-scale cultural evening, just magnified many times and filled with many things.

Director Zhang Jigang's speech revealed a strong spirit, making many people's eyes light up. The proposal was grand and open.

Boring? Not boring at all. 50 minutes per session, with a break in between.

Many people heard different ideas from the content of the speakers above. Under the touch, they benefited a lot.

Lunch was eaten here, extremely sumptuous.

In the afternoon, the most important part arrived.

Chen Kaige took the stage.

The creative proposal was handed to the podium by himself. It was actually a handwritten proposal, very sincere.

A Palme d'Or director, the only one in the country.

If the people in the audience voted on who was most likely to win, Chen Kaige's votes would definitely be in the top three, certainly ahead of Zhang Yimou.

Lin Nan was inexplicably excited. Is it coming?

Is Chen Kaige really confident, or what?

He had his own team, but today only he came, alone.

"On that night a few years ago, when I learned that we had won the right to host the Olympics, here, in the capital, at that moment I was watching TV, seeing the smiles on the faces of people across the country."

Many people in the audience had their emotions stirred by him. The crow's feet at the corners of Director Tian Zhuangzhuang's eyes became clearer.

"That day, that night, I was also so excited that I couldn't sleep all night." Tian Zhuangzhuang whispered to Lin Nan.

Lin Nan nodded, taking the opportunity to support his face with his right hand, covering it, his elbow resting on his thigh, head bowed.

Here it comes!

"... It really makes me think of the poem Du Fu wrote back then, saying: 'Suddenly news of victory comes from north of the Ji, hearing it for the first time, tears soak my clothes. Looking at my wife and children, where is the sorrow? Rolling up the books, I am mad with joy...'"

It was almost chanted out, and many people in the audience were even more excited.

Through the gaps between his fingers, Lin Nan saw that many leaders on the stage were expressionless, just watching, and they stopped flipping through the creative proposal.

Lin Nan didn't remember the specific content stated by Director Chen later, because his brain was buzzing, and his thoughts were very jumpy. He had witnessed a famous scene!