I became famous in the entertainment industry by burning incense

Chapter 656 The Lazy Director Who Masters Human Relationships (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Upon arriving at the film set, Jinli saw many familiar faces.

It was only then that she realized that the game "Counterattack" was still played among acquaintances.

Aside from her as the female lead, all the important supporting male and female roles were taken by actors from Chenxi Entertainment.

Wang Hongdou and Ma Mingqi gained some fame through "The Ordinary Road".

Jinli was surprised to see them there. After talking with them, she learned that Chenxi Entertainment had also invested in the film and took a 25% cut of the profits.

Wang Hongdou said somewhat embarrassedly, "Brother Luo Fan told us that if Chenxi Entertainment hadn't invested in us, and with such a large stake, and if you hadn't played the female lead, we might not have been able to get these two important roles."

For an entertainment company, constantly introducing new stars helps to solidify its position in the industry and accumulate wealth.

After all, how much money does the company make from veteran artists?

But as soon as a newcomer becomes popular, the money increases.

The film "Counterattack" focuses primarily on Jinli, with little attention paid to the supporting characters. However, even so, the growth arcs of the two supporting characters are quite evident.

Through her own hard work, the female protagonist not only changed herself but also influenced her companions, who then embarked on a new chapter with her.

Jinli smiled and said, "Take good care of yourselves. If you don't understand anything, just ask me."

As a member of Chenxi Entertainment, she is actually quite willing to mentor newcomers.

Although she doesn't own any shares in Morning Light Entertainment, the company treats her well.

In addition, if the newcomer becomes successful, then perhaps her workload could be reduced a bit.

She doesn't feel guilty towards the company every time she turns down an invitation, or that the company is making less money. She also doesn't worry that the company will collapse without her.

This isn't about being overly compassionate; it's simply that if someone stays in a comfortable place for a long time, they won't want to move.

Anyway, Jinli hopes that Chenxi Entertainment will get better and better.

So when she got into university, she mentioned her idea to Sister Fang: if there were any suitable newcomers she wanted to promote, she could help mentor them and get them involved in a few variety shows.

However, perhaps because her image in the entertainment industry is unique, coupled with the fact that her acting career has taken off and she needs to maintain an air of mystery, as well as for various other reasons, her company doesn't give her many opportunities to appear on variety shows.

Although the company has been signing new talents, the career paths they take don't quite fit Jinli's, so they haven't arranged for her to mentor any new talents.

However, Qi Guanmingzhu and Xi Mengze do occasionally mentor newcomers. Their career paths are relatively mainstream, one focuses on dancing and the other on singing, making them less difficult to approach.

After Jinli left, Wang Hongdou and Ma Mingqi looked at her retreating figure with a sense of admiration.

Chenxi Entertainment is not complicated, and there is very little backstabbing. Agent Luo Fan treats them all equally.

This time, they were able to land two important roles, jumping directly from TV series to movies. If they hadn't worked with Jinli before, they might not have been able to secure these roles.

It's worth noting that within Chenxi Entertainment, many artists want to switch from singing and dancing to acting, making the competition fierce.

Wang Hongdou said, "I have an online acting class tonight, so don't bother me."

For some reason, ever since they signed with Chenxi Entertainment, Ma Mingqi has been trying to get close to her. Even when Wang Hongdou tries to argue with him, he still shamelessly tries to get closer, saying it's to develop their camaraderie.

Ma Mingqi said, "I also want to take online acting classes. I also want to say this: 'Don't leave! You're always eating instant noodles next door; the smell is wafting into my room!'"

Wang Hongdou was stunned: "Why do you have to take online classes too?"

Ma Mingqi: "My agent signed me up for it. He said he was very optimistic about my acting skills and wanted me to take it to the next level. He even told me that I have the potential to be a Best Actor!"

He said this with a touch of arrogance.

Wang Hongdou: "...Luo Fan told me the same thing."

Ma Mingqi: ...

Unexpectedly, their agents were giving them the same kind of pep talk.
-
The script for "Counterattack" is simple, the plot is not complicated, and the filming locations are easy to find.

In addition, Jinli had just finished the college entrance examination not long ago and was a current student at Tsinghua or Peking University, making the character highly relatable and saving time for preparation.

So the crew started filming the day after the actors were assembled!
This youth inspirational film, which could have gone down the low-budget route, attracted many investors because it was adapted from Jinli's experience.

The original cost of 3000 million was increased to 5000 million by investment.

With ample funding and a desire to ensure quality, the production team opted not to film according to the location, but rather to follow the storyline and film along the plot.

Before that, Jinli had collected a lot of information about students who were bad at their studies and also learned some information online. Well, it's relatively easy to understand why students who don't study properly like to go online.

So when she played the role of a bad student, she was quite convincing.

The makeup artist on set put a lot of effort into her styling, making her look weak and timid even though the school uniform was very simple.

The script sets up Jin Xiaoli, played by Jin Li, as a poor student, but she doesn't follow the gloomy and lonely route; instead, she follows the ordinary route of the masses.

He was a student who looked thin and didn't talk much.

She wouldn't openly argue with the teacher in class, but she was prone to daydreaming; after listening to the lesson for a while, her mind would wander elsewhere.

Sometimes when I'm bored, I'll draw; I just won't pay attention in class.

It's said that poor students have a lot of stationery, so the female lead also has a particularly large collection, each one carefully selected by her.

It's just for display, no need to use it.

I only use it when I'm in a good mood, and I cherish it very much.

Because it's set on a school campus, attracting investment is very easy. On the first day of filming, Jinli showed off various stationery, sports equipment, and student drinks, among other things, from no fewer than twenty brands.

The key is that the implantation looks incredibly natural!

When viewers see this, they will only feel nostalgic, thinking that they also used stationery from these brands in their childhood and played with the maze beads that came with the ruler.

But Jinli discovered the problem from the very first day of filming.

The production team is really spoiling her!

No matter how she acted, the director often said that there were very few opportunities for a second take.

In addition, whenever she rests, three or four people will surround her, asking if she is tired or if she wants something to drink, coaxing her like a baby.

Jinli...

This was the first time Jinli had ever received such treatment!

On the first day of filming, Sui Lingfang came to visit the set and specifically came to her room to ask, "Is everything going smoothly on set today? Have any unexpected problems arise?"

Jinli sighed, "You've come at the right time. If you hadn't come, I would have spoken to the director too." Sui Lingfang became anxious, "What happened? What went wrong?"

Jinli shook her head: "It's not that there's a problem, it's just that this production crew is too good to me, so good that I feel like I'm disabled."

Sui Lingfang: ?

Jinli briefly recounted what had happened that day, her expression somewhat serious.

"If this continues, I guarantee the script will definitely be ruined!"

Sui Lingfang frowned and said, "Director Xu, who directed this film, is not a newcomer. He has directed three youth films starring top celebrities before this."

Netizens praised his skill in lighting and composition, saying the film had a youthful feel to it. As for the plot—

She said with some helplessness, "You know how the plots of domestic youth films are? They're all a bit inexplicable. They like to glorify suffering, they're out of touch with reality, and they're ridiculously melodramatic."

Jinli was speechless.

"So this is the best director you could find to make a youth film?"

Before Sui Lingfang could speak, Jinli continued, "But if he doesn't let go of his respect for me, he won't be able to establish authority in the crew, and the burden on my shoulders will be heavier. In fact, I'll be the one to keep an eye on this drama."

"Sister Fang, the directors I've worked with before all value the films they make very much. I need to act out the scenes they envision according to their requirements."

“I have always believed that the director, as a third-person perspective, controls the overall situation. He must be able to see the flaws in my performance. If he keeps praising me like this, he is actually being irresponsible to his own work.”

Sui Lingfang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Jinli, is it possible that you really did a great job filming, leaving him speechless, which is why you got it right on the first take?"

"Furthermore, this is a youth film, which doesn't demand high acting skills from the actors. And since you've experienced exams before, you can really relate to the students, so he thought your performance was correct."

Jinli shook her head: "No, I think he lowered his expectations of me. He only thought that he could make a movie that scores 60 points and that would be enough. But he has the ability to make movies that score 80 points or even higher."

A director whose visual style earns praise from netizens must have an understanding of the story and a perspective on the characters reflected in their work. I hope he can be even stricter with me.

While Jinli and Sui Lingfang were discussing the director, the director and screenwriter were also discussing her.

Director Xu looked at his screenwriting partner and said with a smug smile, "Jin Li lives up to her reputation. She has some acting skills and is much better than those top stars I've filmed before who only have pretty faces but no emotions!"

The screenwriter glanced at the footage and couldn't help but nod in approval.

"She has a certain charm on camera, very much like a student. It just feels a bit forced for her to play a bad student. I think her skin tone should be darker. She's so beautiful."

Director Xu also looked at the camera and said in a very seasoned manner:
"Although Jinli doesn't follow the idol route, she's beautiful, has many fans, and won't make herself look ugly. Just film it like this. Trying to communicate with her might even upset her."

"When I was filming the first movie, I raised the issue of makeup with a certain male star, hoping that he could be a bit darker. As a result, I received a furious scolding from the investor the next day, who told me to support that star, since we all depend on him for our livelihood."

From then on, I supported him. I used a stunt double whenever possible, and when he needed to cry, I gave him eye drops and used other scenes to help him get into the mood and express it on camera.

I've filmed three movies this way, and in my experience, this is the way to go.

The screenwriter hesitated: "I've heard that Jinli has a good reputation in the industry. Why don't we talk to her? Maybe she'll be willing to play an ugly role? There are also some scenes where I think she's a bit too over the top. She could have been more natural."

Director Xu waved his hand and said, "No need to look for her. Just film it like this. With Jinli's current popularity and strength, just film it according to her performance. This is the easiest way."

And have you forgotten? She can only film for two months. We have to speed things up. If we can finish filming within a month, Jinli's team might even thank us and introduce us to their next project.

Director Xu looked at his co-star and said earnestly, "These are all about the interpersonal relationships on set! Ah Shen, trust me, you won't go wrong. Don't let your professionalism lead you astray!"
In this day and age, it's all about who's worse. Jinli is already much better than the top stars I've worked with before. We need to have faith in her, let her develop on her own, and level up as she goes!

screenwriter:……

Ah Xu, what you said is very similar to "Word is already very mature, you need to learn to write articles yourself!"

Unfortunately, their conversation did not continue because they heard a knock on the door.

As a director, I have the power to control the camera.

He'd encountered this kind of late-night knocking at the door at least 10 times already, so he was quite experienced at dealing with it.

Director Xu first used the peephole to see who the visitors were, and then called the hotel security to ask them to leave.

If the person who comes has some status, they will send a message to the main character in the play. Ambitious actors who don't want to be overshadowed will send their assistants to drive them away, saying that the director is not here.

He's already very skilled at this kind of thing.
Leave it to the actors, trust the actors, and affirm the actors!

The best actors are those who can evolve on their own!

However, what they didn't expect was...

Surprisingly, Jinli and Sui Lingfang appeared outside the peephole.
-
The next morning.

Wang Hongdou and Ma Mingqi arrived at the scene early to watch Jinli's performance.

The two had no scenes in the morning, but had three scenes in the afternoon.

Upon arriving at the film set, I immediately sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat different.

If the crew felt relaxed and at ease yesterday, today they felt solemn and serious, with every staff member's face tense and an atmosphere of tension permeating the air.

Then, the two of them discovered that Jinli was starting to mess up!
The director's gaze towards Jinli was... well, it was rather fierce, almost murderous!
Jinli remained unmoved by the director's imposing manner and focused on filming.

It was a classic case of "I don't move if the enemy doesn't move, and I don't move even if the enemy moves," but every time there was a reshoot after a NG, you could see that Jinli's performance was different each time.

Because the director has started making demands on Jinli!
"The makeup is too white. Makeup artist, please darken her skin. We're shooting a bad student, not a school beauty. Oh well, darkening her skin will make it look good anyway."

Director Xu was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Is it possible to do it with a completely bare face?"

Jinli replied without hesitation, "Okay!"

Jinli immediately removed her makeup.

Her natural face is equally stunning, but the quality of her look on camera is different.

She appears more lively, vibrant, and authentic, more like an ordinary student than a school beauty surrounded by admirers.

Wang Hongdou and Ma Mingqi discovered that every time they filmed a scene, the director would make three takes, and each of those three takes involved different requests to Jinli.

The two exchanged a glance, both harboring a bad feeling.

Wang Hongdou: "Have you noticed that the director's requirements have become higher?"

Ma Mingqi: "I'm thinking, should I go back now and put on a face mask? In case I have to remove my makeup for the afternoon shoot?"

I recommend a book by the author "A Wisp of Netherfire," titled "Apocalyptic Zombie Farm: The NPC Boss Quits." This talented author returns to the post-apocalyptic genre, and it's a really good read. The female protagonist was originally the biggest villain, but after awakening her consciousness, she forges a different path. It's currently trending on the Qingyun charts, so don't miss it! I've read the beginning, and it's fantastic!