The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 385 Zach, that's a character written just for you

There are many differences between the film preparation in the beautiful country and China.

There is no SARFT here.

However, the shooting of a new movie still needs to be reported.

To whom?
The film bureaus, cultural departments, or tourism departments of each state and city.

First of all, an application for review must be submitted to the local film bureau, and the script must be submitted, as well as the expected location for shooting.

Apply for filming permits, street use permits, and special prop permits.

These applications are approved one by one, and then you have to find the local cultural department and tourism department to introduce your film shooting situation.

Tell them it will not affect the local culture, tourism industry.

According to the laws of the beautiful country, the above applications are required whenever a professional camera is used.

So it's very troublesome and very cumbersome.

If the movie involves war scenes, it needs to be reviewed by the Ministry of National Defense or the military of the beautiful country.

Someone who is familiar with these procedures must help run it.

This is why Li Shengyao asked Cheng Long to introduce someone familiar with this field.

In addition, when the movie is over, it still needs to be reviewed by the Film Association of the Beautiful Country to determine the rating of the movie, and it also needs to submit a lot of materials.

These all require professionals to do.

When Li Shengyao visited "Rush Hour 3", he told Cheng Long about it.

Now that he has secured the investment and arranged for a domestic filming team to come over, he is waiting for various audits.

Cheng Long introduced that person but he was not very punctual.

This person called Li Shengyao's assistant to say that he would arrive at night, but he did not show up at night.

His assistant called back and it turned out that the phone was turned off.

Li Shengyao didn't meet this person until after noon the next day at a Chinese restaurant near his hotel.

They didn't order food, everyone just asked for a pot of tea after they had finished their meals.

This is a middle-aged man in his thirties, East Asian appearance, dark skin, square face, very big cheeks, not tall, but he should exercise regularly, his skin looks tight, and he can show two rows of big white teeth when he smiles. You can tell it's ABC at a glance.

"Hi, Li, my name is John Wu, nice to meet you."

John Wu had a smirk that is common among beautiful Chinese people. He did not speak Mandarin, but English.

He also smelled strongly of alcohol.

This guy should have gone drinking last night.

Li Shengyao frowned slightly. Considering that it was the person introduced by Cheng Long, he didn't attack immediately.

"Nice to meet you. Your English is very good. Are you a second-generation Chinese or an immigrant?"

"I am an immigrant. I came here with my parents when I was two years old. My parents are crooked people and they are doctors."

Like the mainland, the crooked doctor is under a lot of pressure.

Some ability, good English, many choose to immigrate.

This is a very respectable profession, and one can still do well in the beautiful country.

Li Shengyao knew John Wu's behavior when he heard it.

In the Chinese circle, Wan Wan is the most untrustworthy, after all, is it a scam?

Of course there is no need to look at people with prejudice.

Li Shengyao planned to have a good chat with John Wu, "John, have you done this before?"

John Wu smiled confidently, then picked up the teacup, drank it down, but frowned, and then said with a smile: "My grandpa only drinks tea, and my parents don't drink it anymore. I didn't expect you to drink tea."

He then waved to the waiter, "Bring me a glass of ice water."

After finishing the words, he smiled confidently, "Of course, Li, I am an old acquaintance. Many film crews from Wanwan Hong Kong Island, I came to help them apply for various shooting permits."

Li Shengyao smiled, "What's your relationship with Big Brother?"

"We are friends and I often play with him."

At this time, the waiter brought over the ice water, John Wu picked up the ice water, and poured it into his mouth.

Then I burped.

"I had some wine last night and it's much better now."

Li Shengyao didn't care about John Wu's words, "Do you know my movie? This is a comedy movie, but there should be a lot of places to apply for. We will go to Las Vegas to shoot, and we need to use a police car. There will also be a tiger, and there will be church and some revealing scenes."

John Wu nodded while listening, and when Li Shengyao finished speaking, he raised his hand and said to the waiter, "Give me another glass of ice water."

John Wu quickly took the new ice water, which was almost the same as before, and drank it down in one gulp.

"Oh, it's so fucking cool, it's like he's sloppy."

The guy said several F-words in a row.

Li Shengyao looked at John Wu, and he had a feeling that this guy was learning the lifestyle and speaking style of a beautiful Chinese.

Of course this has nothing to do with Lee Sheng Yew.

He only cares about whether this second devil can help him do a good job.

"John, did you hear what I just said?"

John Wu stretched out his right index finger, then shook it, "Sorry, I'm not very sober now, please say it again."

Although he said sorry, there was no apologetic expression on his face.

He wags his finger, like Mutombo pulls after throwing a great hat.

Li Shengyao felt that he needed to show his attitude, he didn't come here to play.

"John, this movie costs 3000 million dollars, I hope you are serious, I don't have time to play with you."

John Wu lowered his head and muttered in Hokkien, "It's just a bad movie, what do you care about?"

Li Shengyao can speak Hakka. Although he has not learned Hokkien specifically, he can understand it.

Hearing this, he leaned back and looked at John Wu indifferently.

Feeling that the atmosphere was different, John Wu raised his head, saw Li Shengyao's expression, and smiled awkwardly, "Li, say it again, this time I will definitely listen carefully."

"No, I'm not satisfied with you, let's go."

"Walk?"

When John Wu heard this, a trace of anxiety flashed in his eyes.

Although his job is cumbersome, the salary is quite high. It can be said that one movie can last for a year.

He usually comes to the mainland of the beautiful country, there are not many movies in Hong Kong Island, and there are not many opportunities for him to make money.

He didn't want to lose this opportunity.

He also treated the crews from Taiwan, Taiwan and Taiwan in the same way before. He felt that he was a beautiful Chinese, more fashionable and noble.

Those crews had endured it before.

It never occurred to Li Shengyao to refuse now.

"Li, I drank some wine last night, so I'm not very sober now, give me some time, and I will recover soon."

Li Shengyao shook his head, "It was agreed that we would meet yesterday morning, and then you called and wanted to see you in the evening, but you didn't show up last night, and you came here at noon this year."

"You don't take me and this movie seriously at all, you go, I won't cooperate with you."

John Wu was taken aback when he heard the words, and then flattered him: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Director Li, it was all my fault before, I apologize, if you give me another chance, I will definitely do well."

"forget it."

Li Shengyao got up, and then left with his assistant.

"Director Li, we are all compatriots, please help."

This time John Wu spoke in Mandarin, damn it, it was disgusting.

Li Shengyao ignored it, and went outside.

"FCUK, FCUK, FCUK."

John Wu cursed continuously, but Li Shengyao completely ignored him, and quickly disappeared.

He cursed a few words and slumped on a chair.

Then he thought that if this incident got out, he would not have to mess around anymore, he became even more irritable, immediately took out his mobile phone and called Cheng Long, he hoped Cheng Long could say something nice for him.

After a while, he hung up the phone in a daze.

Cheng Long said that Li Shengyao had already called him and wanted to replace him.

……

John Wu is unreliable, but it doesn't mean everyone is unreliable.

Li Shengyao called Cheng Long, saying that he had a disagreement with John Wu and that he wanted to replace him.

Then he called Jiang Zhiqiang and asked Jiang Zhiqiang to introduce someone.

The people who came this time were also ABC, but they were much more reliable, and the Mandarin was very standard.

So there are people who help the crew of "The Hangover" apply for various shooting permits.

First, go to the Las Vegas Film Bureau to set up a project and apply for a film shooting license.

After obtaining the approval, Lee Sheng Yew announced the casting news in Los Angeles without waiting for the various later permits to come down.

Although the reputation of "The Hangover" in Los Angeles is not good, Hollywood does not know how many actors are not filming, so a large number of people still rush to audition.

For the four leading actors of "The Hangover".

Except for the irreplaceable fat Zach Galifianakis, the other three are actually not important.

Including the handsome guy Cooper.

Li Shengyao didn't want to find Cooper. Although Cooper was not very famous at this time, but he became popular later, and the salary would be very high.

Considering the salary of the sequel, Lee Sung Yew planned to find three ordinary middle-aged male actors for the other three roles except for the specially designated Zach.

Of course, the acting skills must be passable.

Such a middle-aged actor is very easy to find, and the waste in Hollywood has long been abandoned.

In just two days, Lee Sheng Yew found the actor he needed.

But Zach Galifianakis didn't come to audition.

Li Shengyao arranged for someone to inquire, and soon got news from Zach that the fat man had sprained his ankle and was staying in a rented room in Los Angeles for the past few days.

According to the information Li Shengyao inquired about, Zach made a movie called "The Comedian" in 05, played a supporting role in the movie, and then rested all the time.

Occasionally dubbing some animated films, the rest of the time is at home.

Obviously Zach is not favored at this time, he has not yet found his comedy style.

Li Shengyao planned to visit in person.

So on a sunny afternoon, Li Shengyao brought his assistant and assistant director to Zach's rental room.

Across the street from his rented house was a laundromat where an old woman with white hair worked.

This old woman is very lucky. After Zac becomes famous, he will buy a big house and take her to live with him.

And later made a biographical movie about her.

Judging from the news that Li Shengyao saw in his previous life, although Zach was mean in comedy movies, he was a very serious, even somewhat serious person in life.

"Boom boom boom!"

The assistant knocked on the door.

After a while, the door opened, and a middle-aged man with a beard and a tired look appeared at the door.

He was wearing a pair of slippers, shirt and jeans, very ordinary attire.

He looks like he is in his thirties and has a fat face, but his body is not actually fat.

The eyes are vigilant, hesitant, and suspicious.

"Hello, Zach, I'm the director of "Taken". My name is Li Shengyao. You can call me——Li."

Of course Zack had heard of Taken.

He nodded, looking at Li Shengyao's young face, he still couldn't believe that such a young guy turned out to be a great director.

"Lee, please come in."

After a while, Li Shengyao and his party entered Zac's rental room.

He made a few cups of coffee, and then brought out some biscuits and bread.

"I heard that Chinese people receive guests like this, Li, I hope this will not be rude."

Li Shengyao shook his head with a smile.

"Excellent, you did a great job."

After Zach sat down, Li Shengyao directly expressed his thoughts. He said that there is another male lead, this role is very important, and Zach needs to play it.

When Zac heard this, there was excitement in his eyes, but more hesitation and worry.

Li Shengyao thought he had seen the recent news, "Zach, although there are a lot of news out there, many people have negative opinions about my new movie."

"But they didn't see the script, and they didn't know how much preparation I had made for this movie. Regarding this movie, I am absolutely serious. It is definitely not a joke. I am confident that the movie will be popular."

He then took out the script he had prepared a long time ago and handed it over.

"Look at it."

Zach nodded, took the script, and read it seriously.

Li Shengyao said at the same time: "I hope you play the brother-in-law of the groom's official, that fat man with a cheap mouth, this role is the most brilliant."

He went on to tell the general plot of the story.

An hour later, Zach put down the script, and then said: "Very interesting story, Li, I believe your words, you are very serious and prepared a lot."

Li Shengyao nodded, "Yes, how about it, are you interested in joining us?"

Zach heard the words, picked up the coffee cup, took a sip, and then stared at the ceiling in a daze.

Li Shengyao and the others were a little puzzled. They followed Zach's gaze and looked at it a few times.

Did not find a beautiful woman on the ceiling.

The assistant couldn't help but whispered in Mandarin: "Boss, isn't he sick?"

Hearing this, Li Shengyao glared at the assistant, but didn't answer.

"Li, thank you very much for your invitation, but I don't plan to act in a movie right now."

"why?"

Zach paused, then said slowly: "For me, acting is a very hard job, and I'm not in a good state right now."

His tone was a little low.

"Are you not confident in your acting skills, or do you no longer like acting?"

"No... It's not that I don't like it. I'm still studying. After a while, maybe I can reach a better state and be able to act in a play."

It turned out that there was no confidence.

Li Shengyao actually understands the mentality of marginal actors like Zach very well.

Zach's body and appearance are not outstanding, and his acting skills cannot be said to be very good.

After entering Hollywood, most of the time, Zach acted in comedy movies.

It's like "The Comedian" in 05, and the previous "Federal Detective", "Mother and Daughter", and "I'm High".

In such a movie, he is not the leading actor, but a supporting role.

And such movies are not very famous.

It's easy to get an actor into a negative mood.

Especially comedians, Li Shengyao didn't understand what was going on, anyway, Hollywood comedians seemed to have some psychological problems offline.

So give up Zach?

of course not.

One bowl of chicken soup is not enough, then two bowls of chicken soup.

Li Shengyao collected his thoughts, and then slowly said: "Zack, do you know that I, a Chinese, came all the way to the beautiful country, and out of tens of thousands of actors, I am the only one who recognizes your performance?"

"A lot of people came to audition before. I didn't let them audition for the role of brother-in-law at all, because I knew he only belonged to you."

Zach looked over in surprise when he heard this.

"I told the reporter that I have watched a lot of comedies. This is true. I have watched your performances in "Comedian", "Federal Stupid Detective", and "Mother and Daughter". Although you are not the leading actor, I think You are the most shining character in these few movies."

"You have a charm that others don't have, and I believe you can succeed."

"You are very good, don't give up on yourself, don't question, believe in you, you can be more brilliant."

"This is a very important opportunity. I wrote the role of brother-in-law specially for you."

Zach looked at Li Shengyao stupidly, recovered, lowered his head and wiped his eyes.

"Li, do you really think so highly of me?"

"Yes, Zach, you are brilliant..."

"But no crew wants me now."

Li Shengyao hadn't finished speaking when he was interrupted by Zach. He hadn't joined the group for almost two years.

"That's what they don't understand about you. I'm different, Zach. I understand you."

Li Shengyao paused, then looked around, "Are you happy living here?"

"Don't you want to buy a big house? Don't you want to give your family a better life?"

"Now I let you play the leading role, don't you dare to give yourself a chance to try?"

In Li Shengyao's previous life, Zac bought a house when he got rich.

This guy is actually a very traditional guy.

Zach shook his head again and again when he heard the words, and then said: "Li, thank you very much for your approval, can you give me some time to think about it?"

"Two days, at most two days, you think about it, you are excellent, you shouldn't live here, you can live a better life."

Li Shengyao got up, and then left.

Leaving Zac's rental room, the assistant couldn't help asking: "Boss, is that character really based on him?"

"Yes."

Such a setting is unknown to others.

When Zach becomes famous, it can be a good story.

It is said that Dao Li knows heroes with his eyesight.

The assistant was a little skeptical, "Why don't I feel like it?"

"Fuck off."

The assistant director followed up and said, "Director, will he agree?"

"I don't know, probably."

Zach played a supporting role in movies before, but this time he is the protagonist, with a salary of 100 million US dollars.

If you save a little, you can live in the beautiful country for more than ten years.

Zach is not confident now, but when he comes back to his senses, he should be moved when he thinks about the protagonist's salary.

(End of this chapter)