Generation Z Artists

Chapter 237 Public Audition
Damn it, I don't even know how the script will pass censorship, and the female lead is already in trouble!
Xinghe Film and Television confidently extended an audition invitation to Li Shaohong's company for the female lead—ostensibly an audition, but essentially just a formality.

But Li Shaohong replied: "Want to invite Zhou Xun to play the female lead? Sure, give our company a portion of the investment. Also, Fang Xinghe has to play a role in my new film."

Your brother Fang was completely stunned.

No, how dare you?!
Fang Xinghe asked coldly, "What's her new movie?"

Holding the documents, Wang Chali replied methodically, "It's called 'Baby in Love.' The script has been filed, and the theme is 'Exploring the spiritual emptiness of modern people facing material expansion amidst the wave of urbanization in China.'"

Hmm, an ambitious work that makes no sense.

When ambition was mentioned, Fang Xinghe understood.

After the huge success of "Palace of Desire" and "Orange is Red", Li Shaohong's ambitions swelled rapidly, and she attempted to break through the framework of television dramas and crush the film industry.

"Baby" is her "key work" that she has been preparing for a long time.

She herself stated to the media: "I want to create a pioneering and experimental film! With the best actors, I want to create the best visual style!"

The female lead is Zhou Xun, who plays Baobei, and the male lead is Huang Jue, who plays Liu Zhi.

The role they're looking to cast Fang Xinghe in seems to be Liu Zhi's good friend or something. The character description says, "He harbors homosexual feelings, symbolizes repressed desires, and is extremely dramatic."

I'll beat you to death!

Fang Xinghe laughed in anger and threw the documents aside.

What does she take me for?

Wang Charlie joked, "Tang Monk's flesh?"

That's about it; the American Taoist priest's level of Chinese cultural knowledge is good enough to graduate.

Essentially, this is also a kind of arrogance or contempt—I think you can't amount to anything in the entertainment industry, but I acknowledge your commercial value. I'll only cooperate if you let me lick your boots; otherwise, you can continue messing around on your own.

Wang Chali then offered another explanation.

“Boss, the old guard in the domestic entertainment industry is very hostile to you. Given the chance, they will definitely do everything they can to cause you trouble. Li Shaohong is not an isolated case; they are afraid.”

It sounds nice, and it's part of the truth.

"Then let's overturn their table."

Fang Xinghe coldly ordered, "You personally contact Zhou Xun and poach her with money. Oh, and don't let go of the key personnel from Li Shaohong's company either. I'll give you a 5000 million yuan limit for breach of contract penalties and signing fees!"

Did you guys think I would play along with you in a proper manner?

What good things are you thinking about?

They'll crush him to death, no questions asked.

……

Li Shaohong's company was indeed thrown into chaos, with several core members being poached by Wang Chali to Xinghe Pictures.

But with Zhou Xun, Lao Wang failed miserably.

They were very polite and personally visited Fang Xinghe at the company; however, the female lead couldn't play the role.

"I am really, really grateful to you for giving me this opportunity. I also really, really, really like the character Chen Nian, but the reality is just not right."

The first contract was for The Legend of the Condor Heroes, so I had to go with the production crew to do promotions.

The second thing is preparing for the baby's arrival. This role is too complicated. I'll be joining the crew in November, and I need time to process it.

The third reason is Chen Nian's own special request: the scene where she shaves her head must be filmed for real. I have several films with pre-signed contracts, so I really had no choice..."

Zhou Xun didn't want to offend Fang Xinghe, but decided to be loyal to Li Shaohong.

They were currently on their honeymoon, and Fang Xinghe's money couldn't sway her.

Actually, Mr. Fang has many other cards to play, such as the opportunity to develop in Hollywood, or more big-budget blockbusters... but there's no need for that.

Respecting others' choices is essentially respecting their fate. The pitfalls of the future are the fruits of today. I've spent so much time and effort pulling you out of the fire, yet I'm not necessarily grateful. Am I being pathetic?

"It's too kind of you to come over and explain in person."

Fang Xinghe exchanged a few polite words and then saw the guest off.

Turning to her, she coldly instructed Wang Charlie: "Openly select the lead and second lead actresses. We do not want anyone like Rong Xinda, who is of Chinese descent, or anyone with connections to the Beijing entertainment circle!"

Wang Charlie was taken aback: "Is this feasible? The female lead role in our film is so challenging, are we really going to use a newcomer?"

Why does Zhang Yimou always use newcomers, and why does it always produce such good results?

Fang Xinghe knew his senior brother didn't understand, so he patiently explained:
"The advantage of established actresses is that they are less troublesome, but that doesn't mean that newcomers can't meet the director's needs."

Acting skills are not necessarily closely related to the final presentation.

The greatest value of acting skills lies in saving filming costs and the director's energy, but we have plenty of time, and I don't care about exceeding the budget, so choosing a newcomer who best fits the female lead will still result in a good film—we'll just have to work on it slowly.”

Wang Chali finally understood, but still suggested that all aspects should be considered.

"Then what are our odds of winning the lottery..."

"Losing one more chance to win Best Actress isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Fang Xinghe shrugged, the script instantly flashing through his mind, and decided to adjust the focus of the scene based on the filming situation.

"The three major European awards have never been able to be swept: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. The best result is 3 out of 5, and normally it's only 1 out of 5."

The fact that the female lead is a little weaker actually makes it more likely that the acting awards will go to the male lead. Therefore, it is good if both are strong, but it is not bad if one is strong and the other is weak.

In addition, casting a new female lead has another benefit off-screen—this film will become entirely my personal work.

I won, and all the glory belongs to me.

"If we lose, I can handle it."

Wang Chali had no further questions and immediately went to get things done.

The news caused a stir among art colleges across the country.

I'm filming scenes with Fang Xinghe!

Ducking!

The number of applicants quickly exceeded 1,000, then 10,000, but interestingly, almost none of them were female celebrities who had already made a name for themselves.

They didn't really want to get involved with Fang Xinghe—this wasn't a basketball game, and Fang, who was basically at odds with people in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Beijing, and Shanghai, wasn't that appealing to them.

For those in the middle to upper echelons of the entertainment industry, money isn't what they value most.

This conclusion is very counterintuitive and illogical, but it is true.

Because a good opportunity in a circle consists of the following elements—

Well-known production companies, top directors, superstars, a good team and a good script, with a clear award-winning strategy or a clear guarantee of theatrical release.

In the entire chain, funding is actually the most dispensable, because a big company + a big director = a good project, which already implies that all other conditions are met.

What's the use of money alone? Even if you want to get a share of the profits, you have to be good at licking the soup.

Therefore, during the era of coal bosses, they never invested in any good projects. They always spent the most money to acquire scraps, which ultimately led to their quiet exit from the market.

Real estate funds followed the same pattern, with only a few companies surviving by relying on cinema chains.

It wasn't until internet funds penetrated the original entertainment industry with a different approach that Chinese entertainment finally entered the 3.0 era, a golden age of traffic.

The entertainment industry is currently in the early stages of its 2.0 era. Xinghe Pictures has not yet started signing actors and has just begun its journey. It is not yet a large company, and Fang Xinghe himself is not yet a thriving enterprise.

Fame and fame are not the same thing.

Jordan couldn't conquer anyone in Hollywood, and even if he raised his arms and called for help, no heroes would flock to him.

Fang Xinghe's situation was much worse than Danzi's.

Hong Kong and Taiwan alone account for more than half of the Chinese entertainment industry, and with the resentful Beijing entertainment circle added to the mix, the opposing alliance's power is almost overwhelming.

Without demonstrating any real achievements, why should those women already in the industry believe in a director who has never attended school?
Moreover, filming "Better Days" required shaving one's head, a gamble that most actresses couldn't afford. Therefore, the "Better Days" project faced a tale of two extremes from the very beginning.

The cold side is that almost everyone in the industry is watching with indifference, harboring a malicious schadenfreude.

Even in private gatherings, there is constant teasing and ridicule.

"He thinks he can make movies?"

"It's really hilarious that a company like Rongxinda, which produces TV dramas, dares to slap us in the face."

"Without Zhang Yimou, what a nobody he is! He couldn't even gather a regiment!"

"That's unlikely, Beijing Film Academy certainly won't stand by and watch..."

"The Beijing Film Academy is nothing! If we say one word, which of those actresses from the Beijing Film Academy would dare to audition?"

Actually, that's not true. Quite a few current students at the Beijing Film Academy went to the performance program. The class of 02 hadn't even enrolled yet, but many students from the classes of 00 and 01 had applied.

Those already in the industry and those not in the industry are in two different states; those with a signed company and those without a signed company are also in two different states.

For now, Director Fang can only play with those new young girls.

But the fiery side also originated here.

The national media reported extensively that even before the script for "You Are My Glory" had passed censorship, well-informed reporters had obtained the relevant materials.

Ordinary people are paying close attention, and the level of interest far exceeds that of a normal movie.

The girls enrolled in droves, creating an exaggerated surge that overwhelmed most ordinary schools.

Normally, the so-called open auditions in the entertainment industry are only for art colleges, or extended to art majors in regular schools.

It's not that you can't use people who are completely outside the circle, but the screening efficiency is too low and the impact is not good.

This time, Galaxy Pictures followed its usual practice and only sent notices to art schools.

But girls of marriageable age across the country are frantically posting photos.

From Wang Charlie down, from the producer to all the company employees, everyone was plunged into a hell of photos.

I really don't understand what these fangirls are trying to do by posting a bunch of artistic photos of themselves in makeup along with confessions and contact information!
Are you craving it?
Our employees are working themselves to the bone!
By the way, the producer wasn't found with Gong Li's help, but rather was a former key producer at Changchun Film Studio, a former junior staff member under the production manager, but with an impressively rich production experience.

Everyone worked overtime for a whole week, and finally 27 people were put in front of Fang Xinghe.

Okay, let's begin the interview.

On the day of the interview, the Xinghe Building was packed with people—it's a six-story building outside North Third Ring Road, where Xingwang Headquarters, Xinghe Entertainment Headquarters, and Xinghe Culture all have their offices.

Xingwang will be moving soon. Xinghe Culture is an empty shell holding various intangible assets. Xinghe Entertainment is the parent company of Xinghe Pictures.

Mr. Fang's business empire is not very large, but he is already the legal representative of more than a dozen companies.

Unfortunately, even legal entities can have headaches because of the female lead's problems.

The interviews began, and one after another, eligible girls walked into the room and started their presentations.

There's no fixed formula for auditions; some may involve scripted scenes, while others may not require any acting at all.

Today's interview was a test of being photogenic without any acting required.

The girls stretched out in front of the camera, introduced themselves, had their frontal shots and close-ups taken, answered some simple questions, and finally stood face to face with Fang Xinghe...

Such a simple test kept Director Fang's brow furrowed.

Since the female lead, Chen Nian, was chosen to be a newcomer, she must meet the following requirements—

1. Extremely close fit to the body shape.

2. Possessing certain intrinsic qualities, not necessarily being entirely conventional, but having a resilient nature is essential to generating sufficient tension.

3. She has great chemistry with Fang Xinghe.

In layman's terms: The appearance must be that of a delicate, innocent flower, making the audience want to protect her at first glance, but deep down there must be a strong spirit.

Actresses like Zhang Ziyi, Song Jia, Ni Ni, Zhang Zifeng... anyone can resemble, as long as there's a contrast. The rest depends on the director's skill in directing and what kind of chemistry can be created.

Then, standing next to Fang Xinghe would be a good match. They don't necessarily have to be a perfect couple, but there must be a certain atmosphere.

Does the description seem too vague?

That's right, this thing is fucking mystical.

The on-screen chemistry between the two is inexplicable. Huang Xiaoming is handsome, Liu Yifei is beautiful, and they are a good match in height, but Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu lack chemistry in most scenes.

That version of The Return of the Condor Heroes wasn't considered a classic, and its ratings weren't high enough. The problem lay with Huang Xiaoming. Actually, the location shooting with the bearded man was quite good, and the action scenes were even better.

Then, no matter what period drama Dilraba filmed or what male actor she was paired with, she had no chemistry with any of them. Everyone thought she was naturally destined to be the one to dominate, but then she filmed a travel variety show and suddenly had amazing chemistry with several women...

Fang Xinghe is now facing this kind of metaphysics.

Delicate little white flowers, all over the outside are like that.

Various kinds of weakness, various kinds of pitifulness, various kinds of fragility.

As a result, when they stood in front of Fang Xinghe, they all tensed up like zombies.

While tension can be relieved through various means, the images seen through the lens always appear unnatural, no matter how much you adjust them.

The man is too strong, and the woman is too weak.

Finally, Sister Li, who came to help, put it bluntly: "The newcomer's core strength is too weak, and he can't balance the scenes with you. Think of another way."

What can we do?
At this point, what can we do?

Producer Dong Youde came up with a terrible idea: "How about we try these two girls?"

One is a deer, and the other is Su Chang.

The former was truly rebellious, ignoring the warnings from the agency and deliberately showing up at the interview.

The latter, without a company, seemed to be a star among many applicants, becoming the most famous one.

However, her actual height is less than 162 cm. Under the professional camera, her modern student appearance makes her facial features appear too small and doesn't match Fang Xinghe at all.

"She's no good," Sister Li said, dismissing her at a glance. "The one before her is alright."

In the eyes of professionals, Su Chang's "dullness" on the big screen is a flaw that cannot be ignored.

The fact that her path became so narrow later on was largely due to her lack of unique and irreplaceable qualities.

"Just letting you know that the final test will be tomorrow. Send some script excerpts to those who pass, and let them take a look."

Fang Xinghe rubbed his temples and threw the information about the deer into the trash can.

Actually, there are quite a few people who made it past today's initial interview.

Wang Luodan and Huang Baihe, these two lookalike sisters, Hao Lei, a promising young woman with a naturally "uncompromising" temperament, and a group of professional amateurs who graduated from professional schools, such as Tang Wei, Song Jia, and Zhang Jingchu, all have some merits.

Either their appearance matches the character's persona, like Zhang Jingchu's slender and clear figure with a scholarly air, which is very similar to Chen Nian.

Either you have something in your eyes, like Hao Lei's uncompromising stubbornness that bursts forth, which might allow you to keep up with Fang Xinghe's performance.

However, these people also have very obvious problems, each with its own flaws, and Fang Xinghe is not sure whether they can be solved during the actual filming.

That's how it is when making movies; even the best actors have to face all sorts of unknowns.

Because the one who has the advantage is oneself, but the variables in art exist in every aspect.

"Let's go back and have a meeting."

Director Fang needs the input of the entire team, including the producer, the lead cinematographer Xiao Ding, and the consultant, actress Li, to help him come up with feasible solutions to address the various shortcomings.

The meeting was only halfway through when people started showing up through back channels.

They brought two people who annoyed Fang Xinghe, but they also brought an answer that surprised everyone.

(End of this chapter)