Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Zhong Shujia sent the message to Jiang Yang during the break between games.

Jiang Yangchao, Yue Haochun, and Xiwei finished filming their scenes in the morning, and there were no scenes to reshoot in the afternoon, so it was quite relaxing.

He is the director of this play, and he has to testify whenever there is a play to be made.

This time, they are reshooting scenes from the Warring States City that were not approved by the censors.

He was wearing a navy blue director's vest, with a script and a pen in his pocket.

I've been so busy until now that I've finally had a moment to rest.

As you get older, you tend to get tired more easily.

Sometimes I envy Jiang Yang's stamina. He's always busy on set, and sometimes I'm urged by him to help direct this and that. I've never seen this guy get tired.

He had sweat on his forehead, and casually took out a tissue from his pocket to wipe it.

The entire street was meticulously arranged to resemble the capital of the Southern Dynasties.

On both sides are wooden shops, with vermilion lanterns hanging under the eaves. The words "Jishetang" and "Linglongge" are written on the lanterns in ink, all of which were made in advance by the props team.

You need to take it back after you're done filming.

The doors and windows of the shops are carved with lotus scroll patterns.

On the windowsill sat a ceramic oil jug, a bamboo winnowing basket, and several strings of dried red peppers and corn.

A signboard hangs askew on the street corner, with the character for "wine" embroidered on a blue cloth.

It's a fictional drama, so it doesn't need to be too historically accurate, but it's essential to capture the essence of everyday life, at least in the scenes shot.

It allows viewers to feel immersed in the story during broadcast.

The camera positions were already set up, and the actors were ready to go on set at any time. The cameraman was lying on the camera adjusting the focus, while the assistant next to him held up a reflector, waiting for Zhong Shujia to pick up the walkie-talkie at any moment to give the order to start filming the next scene.

It was well past lunchtime.

As the sun began to set, the props team leader watched anxiously as Zhong Shujia made her move.

He had been working three consecutive all-nighters.

The red blood vessels under his eyes spread like a spider web.

Seeing that Zhong Shujia was still looking at her phone, she finally couldn't help but stand up, her voice hoarse with urgency: "Director! Everything is set up! The extras are all in place, don't you think we should start filming?"

Hear the words.

Several staff members who were taking a break also chimed in.

As the production assistant, Xiao Li, poured water all over the ground, sweat dripping down his chin. He wiped his face, his voice tinged with barely perceptible anxiety: "Yes, director, if we drag this out any longer, the lighting will be bad, and it'll take a lot of effort to fix it."

Wang Fang from the costume department was still clutching a freshly ironed ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

To finish today's scenes, I got up in the early hours of the morning to prepare my costume. Now, the back of my clothes is soaked with sweat and sticks to my body, making it feel sticky and uncomfortable.

All eyes were on Zhong Shujia.

There was urgency, anticipation, and a hint of weariness that couldn't be hidden.

I'm looking forward to finishing filming soon and wrapping up work.

For those who spend their days running around to different production teams, life is a constant struggle.

They are mostly paid on a project-by-project basis, and it is common for the production team to be short of funds and not be able to pay salaries for up to six months.

Many people have also signed performance bonus agreements with the production team, but whether these agreements can be fulfilled depends entirely on whether the series becomes a hit.

Some of the films I made before are stuck in the archives and never see the light of day, while others were broadcast but made no splash.

In other words, all the sleepless nights and exhaustion were for naught, and even the bonus was lost.

Zhong Shujia frowned and scolded in his Cantonese-accented Mandarin, "What's the rush!"

I didn't want to explain much. But seeing everyone watching him, and it really being time to start filming, it wouldn't be good to drag it out.

When people's hearts are unsettled, chaos can easily ensue.

Especially in a film crew, where all sorts of people come from all over the world.

Zhong Shujia stuffed her phone into her pocket and raised her voice: "I'm trying to get more viewers for our show. We're in the age of internet traffic now, as everyone knows. Jiang Yang agreed to go on that variety show called Mars... Alert with a few more people and help promote our show."

When it came to the name of the variety show "Mars Intelligence Agency," I changed my mind several times.

I'm really not interested in this variety show that young people are so looking forward to.

I can't even remember their names.

Zhong Shujia continued, "Jiang Yang is currently the top scorer in the college entrance examination, and he's very popular right now. How could he miss out on this wave of exposure?"

The moment those words were spoken, the set fell silent.

The urgency in the eyes of the props team leader slowly faded, replaced by bewilderment.

The foreman's gesture of wiping sweat froze in mid-air; he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

"You think I'm just slacking off?" Zhong Shujia stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone's tired faces.

I saw that the people around me were crew members and actors.

He felt a little more at ease knowing the extras were in another location.

Because what follows is only for those working on set; it's about money and has nothing to do with the extras filling in for others.

Zhong Shujia's tone softened, but carried considerable weight: "If our show becomes a hit, how can we not attract sponsors? With higher viewership, the production team's extra profits will only increase! Do you want all those performance bonuses you received in other groups to go down the drain again?"

He paused.

His voice carried a confident allure: "Think carefully about how much attention Jiang Yang's popularity can generate. All that attention will eventually turn into traffic, and traffic can be converted into real money! Everyone will have an extra sum in their pockets. You guys are constantly running around filming, and your income is all over the place. Don't you want to make some extra money?"

The words "make an extra profit" struck everyone like a thunderbolt.

Saying so much is useless.

Everyone gets serious when money is mentioned.

The props team leader's eyes suddenly lit up, and the redness in his eyes seemed to fade a little. He subconsciously straightened his back, and his previous fatigue was instantly swept away.

Wang Fang from the costume team slowly loosened her grip on the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), realizing the situation, and a smile gradually appeared on her lips.

Summer vacation is approaching, and students are on holiday. She needs to prepare her daughter's tuition for the new year and is also waiting for this bonus to help her make ends meet.

The production manager slapped his thigh hard, his anxiety vanishing and replaced by undisguised elation.

He turned to look at the stagehand next to him, his eyes filled with excitement, and asked Zhong Shujia, "Really...really can we get more bonuses?"

"Is that a lie?" Zhong Shujia smiled and didn't scold him anymore.

He continued, "As long as Jiang Yang agrees, if we make good use of this wave of popularity, we can all benefit from it!"

The film set instantly became lively.

Instead of urging them on, everyone took the initiative to get busy.

There was no slacking off, and no complaining.

Money is the driving force.

Some people lent a hand to the lighting crew, some helped the extras adjust their costumes, and someone even ran over to hand Zhong Shujia a bottle of water.

The atmosphere on the entire set changed.

Gone is the previous fatigue and sluggishness; instead, there is a vibrant, energetic feeling.

Everyone's eyes gleamed as they patiently awaited Zhong Shujia's instructions. (End of Chapter)