The Wind of China Entertainment 2005

Chapter 629: Zero Pay

"Crack, click, click!"

The sound of shutter clicks never ceased.

Zhang Li, Lu Yuan, Liu Xinyu, Jiang Xueman and others took their seats in turn.

The reporters on the scene focused their attention on Zhang Li and were full of curiosity about his directing this time.

As a well-known director in the field of TV dramas, Zhang Li's works are characterized by realism.

Such as "The Ming Dynasty", "Towards the Republic", and "The Right Path in the World is Vicissitudes".
Recently, there was news that he would remake the TV series "1942", which seems to have nothing to do with the theme of urban idol drama.

Facing reporters' questions.

Zhang Li smiled and responded: "Although My Love from the Star is defined as an idol drama, we will produce it with the high standards and strict requirements of a serious drama, and I will be mainly responsible for filming the ancient drama part."

"Ancient drama?"

"Is it the Ming Dynasty?"

"Director Zhang, can you tell me more about this?"

"It's the Ming Dynasty. I'm sure everyone has already figured it out from the few makeup photos released by the crew."

Zhang Li first answered affirmatively, and then kept the secret: "As for other details, it is not convenient to disclose them for the time being, so please stay tuned."

"Director Zhang."

The reporters wanted to continue asking questions, but Zhang Li chose to remain silent.

They had no choice but to turn their attention to the other person sitting there, the heroine of the play.

Previously, the crew had not revealed the candidate for the female lead, and people in the industry were guessing which first-line actress would join the cast.

Many times on big and small screens, big stars Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun, Fan Bingbing, small stars Liu Qian, Tang Yan, Yang Mi.
They believe that as long as the crew invites them, these people will not refuse.

The reason is very simple, because the leading actor is Lu Yuan.

But no one expected that in the end it would be an unknown little actor who got the role.

The reporters at the scene looked at Liu Xinyu and couldn't help but secretly admire her looks.

Liu Xinyou is a typical beauty with a strong complexion, and she has the style of a Hong Kong star from the 90s.

Her face is not big but not delicate. Her cheekbones are slightly high but very harmonious. Her straight nose adds to her heroic look. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes are affectionate and charming. She is majestic and beautiful even under her heavy makeup.

She is very recognizable and looks a bit like Zhang Baizhi from certain angles. Both of them are beauties with good bone structure.

The reporter from NetEase asked: "Liu Xinyou, can you briefly talk about the role you play in this drama?"

"Of course." Liu Xinyu nodded.

"Song Yiren is a straightforward and carefree girl. She is not a perfect person. She is a little vain and arrogant, and even seems a little short-sighted in some aspects. But her shining points are equally dazzling, and she is kind..."

"Do you think you fit this role? Can you interpret her perfectly?"

Liu Xinyu pursed her lips.

When the company announced the launch of the "My Love from the Star" project last year, she never imagined that she would become the leading actress.

Although in Lu Yuan's dramas, the heroine has never been the focus.

But there is no doubt that as long as you become the heroine of this idol drama, rising to fame overnight is no longer a dream.

Because the male protagonist is Lu Yuan, everything will take off as soon as you get on with him.

Liu Shishi is the best example. With the role of Ruoxi, she dominated the entertainment industry in 2011.

Some time ago, many female stars have tried to link themselves to "My Love from the Star" through various channels in an attempt to catch some of the popularity.

This also indirectly proves the huge appeal of this character.

Many netizens even use the role of the female lead as a criterion for measuring an actress’ fame.

She originally thought that the heroine would be Liu Shishi, or at worst some other top star in the circle, or Lu Yuan's classmate.

From the beginning to the end, she never thought that such an opportunity would fall upon her.

Lu Yuan took a sip of water leisurely, put down the cup, and said, "This is not the first time Xinyou and I have worked together. When we were filming "Startling by Each Step", I found that her professional ability is quite good. The most important thing is that the role of Song Yiren is more in line with her image and temperament."

The NetEase reporter nodded and cast an envious look at Liu Xinyuo.

Clearly, the actress is on her way to the top of her acting career.

As for whether she is suitable for this role, with Lu Yuan around, everything is not a problem. The other party will not joke about his career.

As soon as he sat down, a reporter from PPS stood up and asked a rather sharp question.

"Lu Yuan, the Legend of Chu and Han, which premiered at the beginning of the year, was hailed as the most expensive TV series in recent years, with an investment of 2.4 million yuan, but the ratings were not ideal.

It was rumored online that the reason for the poor ratings was the high cost of actors, which accounted for nearly half of the total investment, resulting in the need to cut production costs for the TV series.

Among them, the leading actor Chen Daoming personally took away most of the 1.1 million yuan.

As far as I know, you are currently the highest-paid actor in China. Can I ask how much you were paid for "My Love from the Star"?

"Legend of Chu and Han" is directed by Gao Xixi and starred by Chen Daoming, He Rundong, Qin Lan and other actors.

As the opening drama of the new year for the four satellite TV stations in Zhejiang, Anhui, Beijing and Tianjin, it failed to achieve the expected ratings.

The highest was only 0.89, and the lowest was only 0.17, and none of them successfully broke 1.

After the TV series was broadcast, Chen Daoming also rarely encountered negative reviews.

He was accused of portraying the gangster spirit in the play too much of a performance element, and the righteousness that could not be hidden in his bones made the character of Liu Bang look particularly twisted.

Faced with this sudden question, the first people to discuss it were the reporters.

"what's the situation?"

"What is the PPS reporter going to do? Doesn't he know that this person is now cooperating with his company?"

"How dare you ask such a question? Aren't you afraid of losing your job?"

Reporters at the scene all turned their eyes to the host desk.

Normally, such a sensitive question would neither be raised publicly, being too unprofessional, nor receive any substantive response.

Lu Yuan, however, seemed unconcerned: "Regarding the title of China's highest-paid actor as you mentioned, I never consider myself the best, nor do I consider myself the most expensive. I always decide my pay based on the film. Even if the film company offers a sky-high price, if I feel it is inappropriate, I will not accept it."

"Then, could you please give us a direct answer, how much is your salary for this drama?" the PPS reporter asked again.

Lu Yuan glanced at him and said frankly: "I didn't get paid for this drama."

"No pay?"

"Yes." Lu Yuan straightened the microphone and explained: "I chose to invest my film remuneration into shares and participate in the profit sharing."

"Share? Share again! PPS and My Love from the Star share the revenue, and Lu Yuan also shares the revenue. Hiss! According to his salary standard, how much will he get in the end?"

Reporters were whispering to each other and the scene became noisy.

Lu Yuan's movies have grossed over 40 billion yuan at the box office, making him the highest-grossing male actor in mainland China, the youngest winner of the Grand Slam in TV dramas, and a ratings guarantee for the small screen.

His pay is second to none in the entire Chinese mainland.

Lu Yuan coughed lightly and smiled, "Just now you mentioned that I am the highest-paid actor in China. I don't agree with this title, but it is undeniable that my salary is indeed not a small amount."

"Hahaha..." The reporters at the scene all laughed.

Zhang Li also smiled. As a director, he knew better than the people in the audience that if Lu Yuan was invited to act in a TV series now, the offer would be no deal unless it was paid less than 5000 million.

After the laughter died down, Lu Yuan added: "In recent years, the pay of domestic TV actors has skyrocketed. If you hire two first-line stars, the remaining production cost may only be one-third of the total investment, and the pay will account for 60% of the total investment, and even up to 80%. This is an indisputable fact.

Because the actors' pay is too high, the crew has to desperately cut production costs, which ultimately leads to a constant stream of bad dramas, affecting the actors' reputation. This forms a vicious cycle, which is too abnormal.

I often wondered if there was another pay model that could ease the financial pressure on the crew. Finally, based on my experience in filming the movie, I figured out a solution.

That is, the actors do not take their pay, but become partners, using their pay as equity. This not only saves costs and puts more money into production, but also maximizes the enthusiasm of the actors, because as long as everyone works together to do a good job, everyone can make money, and gain both fame and fortune. "

Zhang Li and the reporters in the audience kept nodding.

Lu Yuan continued: "But not all actors have to do this. Many of my peers may not get many roles in a year, and their pay is barely enough to support their lives.

It is better for this type of actors to get paid, while those colleagues who have appeal, are a guarantee of ratings, and have considerable savings should perhaps give it a try.

After all, it was you who chose the script and the role you liked, so what is there to worry about?"

#Lu Yuan starred in "My Love from the Star" for free#
#Lu Yuan personally admitted that the pay for My Love from the Star has the potential to exceed 100 million! #
#Those who dare to act for free are the real talents! #
#People's Daily forwarded Lu Yuan's speech#
#Liu Xinyou's background revealed, she turned out to be Liu Shishi's best friend#
Liu Xinyou was chosen to play the female lead in "My Love from the Star", which caused a sensation online.

Everyone is envious, jealous and hateful, but that does not stop everyone from regarding her as a reserve first-line actress.

Lu Yuan's remarks at the media meeting were quickly reported by reporters and quickly sparked discussion.

Some colleagues in the industry followed suit on Weibo.

Jiang Wei V of "Insidious" and "Borrowed Guns": "If a movie spends too much investment on the actors' salaries, it can only desperately reduce production costs, and the quality of the film cannot be guaranteed, and the risk of putting it on the market is particularly high."

Luo Liping, producer of Before Dawn and The Unforgettable Number, said: “I support Lu Yuan’s approach. This investment model can control the cost of the film and greatly reduce the risk.

Many viewers can see that the money was not spent properly during the filming of the TV series, such as the costumes are crudely made, the props are all from Taobao, and the post-production is not up to standard...

Because the big money is used to pay the actors, we can only cut costs in other areas and rob Peter to pay Paul. "

Ma Ke V, producer of "Dwelling Narrowness" and "Let the Bullets Fly": "To be honest, I worry about the collapse of this industry every day. I hope the government will take some measures to regulate the phenomenon of excessively high actor pay." "Although the pay of movie actors has also increased, it is not as exaggerated as that of TV actors. To be frank, it has increased faster than housing prices. The key is that many people are not worth this price!"

"It's better to make cartoons. Look at Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, they have been popular for so many years, but their pay has not increased."

“I implore the top actors to take on more responsibilities and make this industry better.”

"."

People in the industry are discussing the issue of zero pay in full swing.

Some people are in favor and some are against it.

The onlookers were surprised that Lu Yuan's salary for starring in a TV series might exceed 100 million yuan, but most of them expressed approval.

After all, the other party's business capabilities and reputation are there, and they are worth the price.

Some netizens commented like this.

"It's not that we cannot accept sky-high pay, but we cannot accept actors with poor acting skills getting high pay. That's unworthy of their virtue!"

"I urge all the top stars to participate in the show for free, and not to take a fixed salary. If they can earn over 100 million yuan for a show through profit sharing, that's real talent!"

Some netizens sneered: "Come on, you are overestimating those people. Aren't they in the entertainment industry for money? How many people dare to take a gamble like Lu Yuan? Isn't it better to get a few million or tens of millions of yuan in salary safely? TV series are different from movies. Even if the ratings are not good, it will not affect their next drama. Why should they take risks with the crew?"

While netizens were discussing this.

Finally, an artist stood up.

Liu Shishi posted on Weibo: "Teacher Lu is right, so I will also act in "Three Lives Three Worlds" for free, so that the crew will have sufficient funds for filming!"

Netizen: "Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Lu is right about everything, what a perfect couple."

Community, own home.

In the living room, Zhou Yaoyao was lying on the coffee table, scratching her head while doing her homework.

The happy winter vacation is coming to an end, but she has just started her homework.

Liu Shishi sat on the sofa, chatting with her best friend on WeChat and occasionally checking Weibo.

Seeing Lu Yuan coming out of the kitchen, she thought of the incident on Weibo.

"Not many actors dare to stand up and publicly say they are willing to act for free. Most of them are producers and directors. So far, among artists, I have only seen Li Xuejian, Chen Daoming, Chen Baoguo, Huang Bo, and Wang Baoqiang. Huang Bo's film "The Ruffian" was a share of his salary."

"It's easy to get millions or tens of millions of dollars in salary, it's better to just put it in your pocket, why take the risk? The few people you mentioned can really support the ratings, the others..."

Lu Yuan smiled and said, "They don't have that confidence."

Not only for yourself, but also for the producers, when interests are involved, all kinds of troubles will always arise.

After saying that, he picked a blueberry from the washed ones and handed it to her lips.

Liu Shishi took it and grumbled as she ate, "But the actors' pay has really increased ridiculously in the past two years."

“Who says the TV drama market is expanding day by day? More and more people are pouring in. Anyone with a little bit of capital wants to get a piece of the film and TV drama market.

But they know very little about the industry and can only blindly spend money to hire big-name stars, which directly leads to a surge in actors' salaries. If this continues, there will be problems. "

Lu Yuan was filled with emotion.

The increase in film pay is definitely not a good thing for the entire industry, but this is not something that can be solved by individual ability unless relevant policies are introduced by the top leaders.

Or wait until PPS becomes big enough to truly formulate rules.

He sat down on the sofa and caught a glimpse of Yaoyao working very hard on her winter vacation homework.

"Wait a minute."

Zhou Yaoyao turned around, biting her pencil, her big eyes full of stupidity: "What's the matter, uncle?"

Lu Yuan took out her diary and flipped through it: "I asked you to write "A Day with My Dad", but why did you only write one sentence for several consecutive days? Dad went to work on the fifth day of the first lunar month. How can this be completed?"

"But Dad just went to work. I don't know when he will come back every night. Uncle, the teacher said that children should be honest and not lie."

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "You are such a smart guy."

Liu Shishi smiled secretly: "Yaoyao, what do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher, a scientist, or a policeman..."

"I want to count money every day. The more money the better." Her eyes lit up, she was a little money-grubber.

"Counting money?" Liu Shishi couldn't help laughing and tilted her head: "Then I'll choose accounting, and do the accounting every day."

"Accounting is good. I want to be an accountant."

Lu Yuan crossed his arms and said, "To be an accountant you need to be good at math. Can you do that?"

"I can do it, uncle, please test me!"

"What is 500+255-55?"

Zhou Yaoyao blurted out without thinking: "675!"

Uh. Lu Yuan stretched out his finger and flicked her forehead: "Hurry up and change your dream. Even something this simple is wrong. Don't get yourself into trouble in the end."

"But I can calculate fast. Isn't it the job of an accountant to calculate fast?" Zhou Yaoyao's face was full of innocence.

Lu Yuan was stunned and was speechless.

"Hahaha." Liu Shishi laughed out loud.

"You'd better hurry up and finish your winter vacation homework." Lu Yuan turned his niece's head back with disgust.

Looking at his girlfriend laughing so hard, he hesitated for a moment and said, "When My Love from the Star starts airing, you must not regret it. I asked you before, and it was you who decided not to participate."

When the project of "My Love from the Star" was first launched, he asked Liu Shishi if she wanted to act in it, and the girl refused without hesitation.

"I won't regret it. Anyone who regrets is a puppy."

"you promise!"

Lu Yuan took a pen and paper from the coffee table and solemnly wrote down the words "On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, Liu Shishi voluntarily gave up her role in "My Love from the Star".

"I promise." She snorted and signed her name in a cool manner.

"I don't really care about acting, and you weren't really sincere when you asked me that. Don't think I can't see that."

"Really? How could that be?" Lu Yuan laughed and tried to cover it up.

Liu Shishi pouted her lips. She really had no interest in acting in this drama.

Good things should be kept within the family. Liu Xinyu was able to perform in the film because of her recommendation.

Although she believed in Lu Yuan's character, she couldn't stand the shamelessness of other women, so she might as well give this opportunity to her best friend.

She had her own reasons for refusing to act.

Ever since "Scarlet Heart" became a huge hit, there have always been people who hold the view that her fame is all thanks to Lu Yuan. She admits that her boyfriend is very good, but she also worked very hard in her acting.

This time, she plans to use "Three Lives Three Worlds" to prove her strength.

Hopefully the ratings will surpass "My Love from the Star"...

Liu Shishi daydreamed for a while and couldn't help but amuse herself.

Seeing her boyfriend staring at her with a puzzled look on his face, she said seriously, "Let me ask you something."

"what?"

Liu Shishi stood up, knelt on the sofa and massaged his shoulders, saying, "Brother, so many people in the industry called you, why did you choose Xinyou in the end?

Like Jing Tian and Liu Xi, I believe that as long as you invite them, they will definitely not refuse, especially Liu Xi, she has not had a good life in the past few years, why not give her a hand, I have no objection. "

Women's words should be interpreted in reverse... Lu Yuan would naturally not be fooled by her little tricks.

“Because they are not suitable.”

"why."

"You should remember from reading the script that Song Yiren's character needs to make some crazy movements and expressions. Can you imagine what they will look like when they perform it?"

"Uh" Liu Shishi blinked, and those images emerged in her mind, and she couldn't help but shudder.

"Yeah, it's too inconsistent. Although my junior sister Jing Tian has a promising future, she actually has no acting skills. Liu Qian can't be said to have no acting skills at all, but she doesn't have much either. She is also constrained by the label of Fairy Sister.

The audience's impression of her is that she is ethereal. The roles of Ling'er and Wang Yuyan made her successful, but also limited her. She couldn't play crazy characters."

"In my opinion, the character of Song Yiren should have bright and elegant appearance"

Lu Yuan analyzed it carefully.

"For this drama, as long as the professional ability is up to par, there is not much difference between first-tier and second-tier actors. After all, it is to promote people, so why should we go far away and choose someone other than Xinyou?"

"..."

Liu Shishi was giving him a massage, but suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yuan turned his head.

Liu Shishi clenched her fists and pretended to be fierce: "Great, I finally got it right. I've always wondered why you were so casual when you first asked me if I was willing to act. It turns out that you thought I wasn't pretty enough and that my acting skills were poor!!"

"Ah" Lu Yuan was dumbfounded.

(End of this chapter)