The King of Soft Rice in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 129 Actor Selection

"Action scenes are based on reality, not just about looking good. Film is the art of dreaming, and action films are about making the audience feel that these skills can be performed in real life."

"So, the idea that three thousand armors couldn't stop them is simply ridiculous. It's like saying Feixue and Canjian teamed up and could kill anyone they wanted in that era. Even Nie Zheng in 'Assassin's Biographies' only committed suicide after the White Rainbow Piercing the Sun. There's no way he could have fought his way back."

"Honoring one's word over life and death was a hallmark of the pre-Qin era. Many knights would risk everything to repay a benefactor, so a plot like faking one's own death is completely unnecessary. I thought you should understand the significance of such a life-or-death assassination of a tyrant."

"Wuming thrust his sword for the sake of the people of the world. Isn't this a heroic act? Although the King of Qin appreciated him, he didn't take it seriously and ordered it not to be recorded in the history books. As a result, the Qin Dynasty fell just 14 years after its establishment. Isn't this a testament to fate?"

The seminar on "Hero" concluded smoothly. It was a united meeting and a victorious meeting. The two sides held cordial and friendly talks and fully exchanged views. The talks were beneficial.

That is, when leaving, everyone on Zhang Yimou's side had a sour face, as if they had signed an unequal treaty.

"Ms. Lindworth is amazing. This is the first time I've seen an American like you." After they all left, Zuoshandiao said this to Angela.

It was clear that his surprise and admiration came from the heart.

However, Angela was not much more polite: "Mr. Han, I think I have been let down."

"Where do you come from?" Zuoshandiao was very surprised.

"I really didn't expect the Chinese film industry to be like this," Angela pounded the table in dissatisfaction. "I believe you should have seen today that they are completely treating me like a fool!"

“Not really, not really…” Zuoshandiao waved his hands repeatedly, “They actually… they actually want to please you.”

Although he had been watching a show before, enjoying the fact that Lao Mouzi and the others were being manipulated to the point of being speechless, he now began to speak well of them.

I have to say that Zuoshandiao is a capable official. He has vision and skills, and knows what to do and when to do it. But... how to put it, he doesn't feel bad about selling his father's land to his son.

Xu Jiuyang, who was still pretending to be a recorder, shook his head imperceptibly. There was nothing wrong with the blockbuster strategy, but the mistake was that he had no ability to control the capital of Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Being cheated by Wu Baige would be one thing, but he didn't even dare to fight back after being cheated, and didn't even take any measures. Don't blame Chen Kexin, Zhang Zhiliang and other people for cheating mainland funds wave after wave - even Xu Ke was among them. The first part of Di Renjie had a good beginning and an end, but the rest was a complete scam, with one illusion that could do anything.

Of course, Xu Jiuyang was sure that if he used this to question Zuoshandiao, the other party would only complain bitterly and use a lot of excuses to prevaricate.

Although this is partially true, if you, as the boss, don't dare to stand up, don't blame others for being too arrogant, and don't blame your subordinates for having second thoughts.

And the funniest thing is this: even a mountain eagle like Zuo Shandiao can be considered capable, but the leaders of China Film Group after him are really worse than the last.

"I don't need them to please me, I need them to make money for me," Angela said, acting like a capitalist. "Although I made this movie based on the friendship between China and the United States, it doesn't mean I'm being taken advantage of!"

She emphasized, "I almost promised not to interfere with their creations, but in the end, this is the crap they came up with!"

"I think...making money should be no problem." Zuoshandiao said with an apologetic smile.

"Yes, with Director Zhang's directing ability and Li Lianjie's martial arts skills, as long as the pictures are beautiful, the action scenes are good-looking, and they work hard to hype it up, even using patriotic sentiment for marketing, claiming to surpass the record of "Titanic", the box office will definitely exceed 100 million. But what happens after that?" Angela sneered.

"With China's population of over one billion, the entertainment market is bound to experience a qualitative leap as the economy develops. But what if a major production fails to gain traction initially? Mr. Han, I made it clear at the outset: I'm in this for the long term." She spoke so bluntly that Xu Jiuyang, who was listening, couldn't help but secretly give her a thumbs-up. Zuo Shandiao was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I admit, this was my fault."

"In that case, I hope Mr. Han can keep an eye on them in the future. If similar problems arise again, I will have to contact the people above me further." Angela said seriously.

Zuo Shandiao's expression turned grim: "Ms. Lin Dewo, don't worry."

Then Angela said, "If this collaboration goes well, I'm very interested in continuing this model. I've even picked out the subject matter. Mr. Han, what do you think of making the Battle of Red Cliffs into a movie?"

Zuoshandiao took a deep breath, his eyes sparkling, and he was clearly tempted. However, he remained calm and said, "Let's finish the Hero project first."

"Of course," Angela smiled and stood up, "Well, I hope this project can be completed successfully."

After Zuo Shandiao left, Angela waved her hand, and there were only two people left in the huge conference room.

"How?" she asked rather proudly.

"I really didn't expect that you could cure them so well." Xu Jiuyang could finally give her a thumbs up openly.

"Of course, I'm a foreigner." Angela raised her eyebrows.

Xu Jiuyang was speechless. You are actually so proud of yourself. What is there to be proud of?
Having said that, thinking about the current domestic environment and the future environment, he couldn't help but sigh again.

"Okay, tell me, which actors are suitable for the new script?" Angela asked at this time.

"Wait a minute, are you considering replacing the actors now?" Xu Jiuyang was a little surprised. "Also, is it appropriate to ask me about this?"

"Why else would I call them over for a meeting?" Angela snorted. "Like I just told Mr. Han from China Film, I gave them a chance at first, but they treated me like a fool. So, I have to leave a deep impression on them. On my crew, they have to listen to me honestly. So, you said it, whether to use them or not, I will make the final decision."

"Okay," Xu Jiuyang said without further ado, "Which actors did you originally plan to invite?"

Although I already know this, I still have to ask to show respect.

"Nameless Li Lianjie, Changkong Zhen Zidan, Feixue Zhang Manyu, Canjian Liang Chaowei, Qin Wang Jiang Wen, and Ruyue Zhang Ziyi." Angela replied.

Huh? Isn't the King of Qin Chen Daoming? Xu Jiuyang was a little surprised. But then again, anything could happen during the preparations for a production. Maybe they were planning to use Jiang Wen now?
Thinking about it again, in his previous life in 03, Jiang Wen seemed to have a movie called "Heroes of Heaven and Earth" released. It is very likely that he took that movie first and rejected the "Hero" crew.

"Wuming and Changkong remain unchanged, Canjian will look for Liang Jiahui, and as for Feixue..." Xu Jiuyang thought carefully, "Why not look for Li Jiaxin? You know Li Jiaxin, right?"

"I know. I have some knowledge of Hong Kong actors." Angela's eyes became interested. "Do you like her very much?"

"Not bad," Xu Jiuyang replied casually. "The main thing is that she and Li Lianjie have something to hype about. If you have time, you can watch the movie "Swordsman 2". The part where the male protagonist Linghu Chong and his junior sister use swords to pick up scorpions and soak them in wine in the inn in the wild is definitely in slow motion."

(End of this chapter)