The film and television city starts from the courtyard

That day, Zhao Shucheng was watching the news when he received a call from Mo Xiangwan.

"What? Okay, I'll be right back."

When they arrived at the studio and met Mo Xiangwan, they learned what had happened.

The uproar online about the female lead of the drama "Under the First Snow" jumping off a building has not yet subsided, but Mo Xiangwan asks her to step in and become the director of the drama.

"No, Miss Mo, are you serious? I remember this production team has been assembled for a while now, and the director and actors have already been found. It might not be easy for me to try and reap the rewards now, would it?"

Mo Xiangwan nodded and said, "Under normal circumstances, it is indeed uncommon, even unlikely, for a film crew to change directors at the last minute, but this situation is special."

"Even if it's a special case, it shouldn't warrant changing the director, right? After all, the production team is usually centered around the director. It's common to change the lead actor at the last minute, but changing the director is extremely rare, isn't it?"

Mo Xiangwan said, "You're right. It's generally impossible. After all, unless there are creative disagreements, scheduling conflicts, or budget issues, it's unlikely that the project would be changed. This would affect the stability of the project's quality and also reflect problems with the production team's management."

"So, I had no prior contact with this production team, so why did you think of having me direct it?"

Mo Xiangwan sighed and said, "It's all over the internet right now, you should have heard about it by now. The female lead committed suicide by jumping off a building, and the production has come to a standstill."

"But that shouldn't be a problem. After all, if the female lead has an accident, we can just replace her with another actress. I don't think that's a problem."

"But the problem now is that the situation of the crew has taken a sharp turn for the worse. Originally, this project was considered a good one, but since the female lead had the accident, what was once considered a good opportunity by people in the industry has turned into a poisoned chalice. What's more serious is that the crew's financial situation has also run into problems, and now they can't even pay the crew members' salaries. The director has also had a very unpleasant falling out with the investors because of this, so he has decided to resign from his position as director."

Zhao Shucheng was stunned when he heard this; it seemed almost surreal.

What Mo Xiangwan didn't tell Zhao Shucheng was that the director's reasons weren't just about investment; they also wanted to keep a clean reputation, which is why they were so eager to get rid of this project with no future.

Zhao Shucheng said, "But shouldn't they be asking me even less? After all, I'm just a newcomer to the industry, and I can't help the production team get investment. Shouldn't they be..."

"On the contrary, I think this is a good opportunity. The project itself is good, but it is currently caught in a media storm. However, as long as you can resolve this, you will have established a firm foothold in the industry."

"I don't have the confidence to resolve the current online public opinion."

Mo Xiangwan said, "Don't worry about that. The investors are more anxious than you are, so they will solve these problems. What you need to do now is to strive to become a director and get the public familiar with you as soon as possible, so that you can attract investment and start your own projects."

Just as Zhao Shucheng was hesitating, he received a call from the producer of the entertainment company he had previously worked with. The producer also hoped that Zhao Shucheng could step in and become the director of "Under the First Snow".

Zhao Shucheng asked curiously, "No, what does this have to do with you?"

"It's because our company also invested in this drama, but the directors we've worked with either didn't have the time or didn't want to work with it. After thinking about it, I thought of you."

"But what makes you think I would agree?"

Producer Shi said, "Xiaobai, I know you're here to save the day, and it might be thankless work, so I won't beat around the bush. Although you're a newcomer, I have confidence in your directing skills and script comprehension. I'll give you the same salary as the original director, which is what many newcomers work hard for years to earn."

"Of course, if the project does well in the later broadcast, we will give you a big bonus. More importantly, from now on, if you want to form a film crew to shoot a movie, our company can invest. Moreover, other companies can use this as a basis to ask for similar treatment when they invite you to be a director in the future."

After much hesitation, Zhao Shucheng finally agreed.

After all, someone was offering him funding to practice, so why couldn't he agree? As for ruining his reputation, Zhao Shucheng was confident he could make the project a success. Besides, by the time filming was finished, his previous films had already participated in film festivals, and he might even generate some buzz for free.

"Okay, I agree, but we need to sign a contract first. I don't want any disputes to arise later."

"Of course, no problem, Xiaobai. You've really helped me a lot. Don't worry, just let me know if you need anything in the future."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Shucheng looked at Mo Xiangwan and said, "Miss Mo, you're so enthusiastic about letting me take on this project, it can't just be to make me famous, what's your purpose?"

Mo Xiangwan smiled and said, "To be honest, we do have a purpose. The male supporting actor in this drama is an artist from our company, and we don't want to give up halfway."

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said, "Alright then, we'll wait for the production team to send us the contract, sign it, and then we'll join the crew."

a few days later.

Zhao Shucheng and Mo Xiangwan arrived at the "Under the First Snow" film crew together. The producer led them to get acquainted with the main actors and staff, but when they saw the female lead, they were stunned for a moment.

When producer Yanzi saw Zhao Shucheng's stunned expression, she smiled and said, "Director Gu, this is Yao Menggui, the female lead of our production team."

Zhao Shucheng recognized the face immediately; it was the female lead from the play he had seen at the film academy a few days ago. At the time, he thought she was completely unsuitable for acting, but he never expected to have a collaboration with her today.

When Yanzi mentioned the other person's name, she was even more stunned, because the name was very familiar, and the face was that of a celebrity, so it must be a random appearance from some movie or TV series.

After thinking for a moment, I remembered it was a romantic suspense drama. It tells the story of Xiao Mu, who takes on the identity of her sister Yao Menggui, transforming from a food delivery worker into a household name actress. Unexpectedly, Chen Mo, who discovers the inconsistencies, infiltrates Xiao Mu's life as her executive agent in order to uncover juicy details.

Just as Xiao Mu was gradually adapting to life as an entertainer and developing feelings for Chen Mo, Yao Menggui suddenly returned. Faced with a crisis of trust, Xiao Mu and Chen Mo grew together through repeated hurt and redemption, searching for the key and courage to survive in the entertainment industry.

Zhao Shucheng had only thought the face looked familiar before, without making any connection, but now he realized that he seemed to have fallen into a vortex.

"Oh, we've met before."

Xiao Mu was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, because she hadn't seen any information related to Zhao Shucheng on her sister's phone, nor had her sister mentioned him before. Could this be her sister's ex-boyfriend? "Director Gu, do we know each other?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "A few days ago, I was invited to the Film Academy to watch the students' graduation performance, and Ms. Yao left a deep impression on me."

Yao Menggui was stunned when she heard this. She had no recollection of it at all, but she knew that her performance in the past few days had been very poor. If this affected her from becoming the main character, or if other problems arose, she would be letting her sister down.

Zhao Shucheng said, "However, I am still looking forward to your performance in this drama, and I hope you will not disappoint me."

"Of course not, director, I will try my best."

Zhao Shucheng said, "It's not just about hard work. In the acting industry, talent is very important. An ugly man can't play a handsome man, and an ugly woman can't become the most beautiful woman in the world. Otherwise, it's an insult to the audience's intelligence; it's like forcibly feeding them food."

"Director, I understand."

Zhao Shucheng then got to know the other crew members, and after looking around, he asked curiously, "Yanzi, have all the crew members arrived?"

After looking around, Yanzi said, "There are still a few people who haven't arrived. They are Director Zhang's people. If she leaves, they will probably leave with her."

Zhao Shucheng frowned. He hadn't expected the production crew to encounter such a situation. Wouldn't he have to bring his own team to the set and let them integrate with the crew members, which would take up a lot of time?

"Could I meet with Director Zhang? I hope the entire crew can stay so that we can work together more easily. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time to get to know each other and work together again."

"This is probably not very convenient."

Yanzi was in a dilemma. After all, Director Zhang had a big disagreement with the investors because of the accident involving the female lead in the film crew. Furthermore, she and the company wanted Yao Meng to come back and save the day, which directly led to her resigning.

Director Zhang is a female director who returned from abroad. Last year, she won Best Director at two film festivals with a low-budget art film. She hoped to win awards again with this film, but unexpectedly, this happened.

If she were to continue directing, although she was somewhat protective of her reputation, she figured she had put in a lot of effort and could persevere. However, now that the producer and the company wanted to replace her with Yao Menggui, whom she didn't approve of, especially since she was the one who had been eliminated during her audition, she suddenly felt that her chances of winning an award were slim, which is why she wanted to withdraw as soon as possible.

Zhao Shucheng was taken aback by the producer's response. He glanced at the script in his hand and was momentarily at a loss for words.

At first, he thought that "Under the First Snow" was just a commercial film. Although it was his first time directing, he had seen pigs before and eaten pork, so he thought he could handle it.

However, nowadays, the script is for art films. If you don't understand the creators' ideas, it will be extremely difficult to make a good film or even win an award.

"Is there really no way at all? Actually, this is an award-winning script, and it would be better if the original team did it."

"Director Zhang has already left, and it's said he's already planning a new project, so it's probably not very convenient for him."

Zhao Shucheng sighed and said, "Alright then, but the script might not follow Director Zhang's original ideas for the rest of the film. It will be filmed according to my ideas and thoughts. Without changing the original plot, some content may be different. I hope you really agree with my ideas."

"Of course, Director Gu's willingness to come and save the day is already a great honor for us, so the crew will naturally operate according to your wishes."

"It would be best if it were as you say. Alright, the crew's opening ceremony has already been held before, so we won't hold it again. We just need to discuss with Yao Menggui whether or not to announce the replacement of the lead actor."

"Okay, I'll discuss it with her."

After Yanzi finished speaking, she saw Zhao Shucheng reading the script, so she went to find Yao Menggui to discuss the next steps.

"Director Gu, I heard that Yao Menggui and Li Daixuan had a good relationship, but now that Li Daixuan has just left, she has already taken on her best friend's drama. Do you think there's something going on here...?"

Zhao Shucheng glanced at his assistant and said, "Don't talk nonsense about things you don't know. We'll all be in the same crew from now on. If someone hears this, it will affect the unity of the crew."

"Understood, Director Gu!"

Yanzi and Yao Menggui have already discussed it and will go to the airport soon to take the costume photos and officially announce the female lead. However, because the male lead, Song Ci, was almost hit by something and also has other commitments, they can only go to the airport to take the costume photos first.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shucheng frowned but said nothing. He simply instructed the photographer and the rest of the crew to take their costume photos, while he himself decided not to go to the airport.

Upon hearing the comment about her figure, Yanzi hesitated, saying, "Director Gu, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "There's nothing wrong with it. It's just a makeup and photoshoot, not a formal shoot. The photographer can do the job well. If he can't even handle a few sets of photos, then I'll have to question his professionalism."

Yanzi was in a dilemma. After all, Zhao Shucheng had come to save the day. If Zhao Shucheng was dissatisfied and left because of this, the crew would really have to come to a standstill unless Director Zhang could be brought back.

Zhao Shucheng wasn't going to tolerate them. Although Song Ci was the male lead in the production and had a considerable reputation, he was the director, and everything should be based on his opinion.

If they can't suppress the other party's arrogance, there will definitely be endless trouble during filming. Of course, Zhao Shucheng also needs to take this opportunity to assess the professional abilities of the crew members. If they are really not up to par, he can adjust the team as soon as possible to avoid delaying the work.

However, Zhao Shucheng had made up his mind that he had enough of saving the day this time. In the future, he would either take the lead in projects or decide from the beginning to be the director himself. Otherwise, he would never take on outside projects because the feeling of being out of control was too unpleasant.

The rest of the crew were also discussing Zhao Shucheng, since Director Zhang had won several awards before, while Zhao Shucheng was practically unknown.

But now Director Zhang has left, and Zhao Shucheng has taken over as director. This makes people quite curious about what Zhao Shucheng is capable of. Does he have a powerful background, or does he have some extraordinary talent?
Zhao Shucheng didn't care what others thought of him; he was only looking at the materials the director had left behind, the location scouting, and the casting arrangements for the crew. (End of Chapter)