Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 192: Picky
The day after Zhang Yan returned to Tianjin, he received phone calls from Zhang Guoli and Yu Hua.

Zhang Guoli convinced Deng Jie, Yu Hua persuaded Liu Zhenyun, and with Chen Daoming, who had already agreed to join Yuanmeng, and Chen Hong, the boss's wife, the basic team of director, actor, and screenwriter was finally assembled.

Other aspects are also easy to solve. The Tianjin Film and Television Technology Academy is currently under construction, so we can ask the experienced masters for help when it is established.

That evening, Jiang Wen also arrived in Tianjin with her own filming ideas.

His MV script was quite simple, focusing on color changes and a sense of nostalgia. Zhang Yan assessed it and thought it was alright, so he urged him to take up his post as soon as possible so as not to delay the company's travel plans.

Then Zhang Yan put the matter out of his mind, took some time to meet Wang Jinghua's fiancé, and started arguing with Wang Feng's band, No. 43 Baojia Street.

Having witnessed Mr. Zhang's influence during his trip to the frontier, Wang Feng was determined to join Yuanmeng. However, he couldn't let go of his band dream and didn't want to be branded as someone who only uses people and doesn't use them.

So he kept begging and pleading to fulfill his dream of signing the entire No. 43 Baojia Street band.

Previously, Zhang Yan only signed individual singers, and because he had seen bands break up and reunite, he felt that this kind of thing was not stable and reliable enough, so he still hoped to sign Wang Feng as an individual.

Of course, Wang Feng can support the band if he wants; the company can sign a long-term employment contract with decent pay, but don't expect any profit sharing.

For most people, this is at least a compromise.

However, the other members of No. 43 Baojia Street found it difficult to accept this differential treatment. After all, they were all the pride of the Central Conservatory of Music, and who would think that they were much worse than others?

After two talks, Zhang Yan once again became a hands-off manager and handed the matter over to Liu Weidong. Liu Weidong was certainly not as good as Wang Jinghua at reconciliation, but when it came to stirring up internal strife, Lao Liu was definitely a master.

After taking some time to meet Wang Jinghua's fiancé, Dong Zhihua, who had been somewhat famous for a few years, Zhang Yan originally wanted to have a couple of days of peace and quiet before going to Beijing on May 3rd to help organize the premiere of "Hair Messed Up" and see if she could find a suitable agent.

As a result, the MV crew had only been filming for two days when something happened. It was said that the prop master of the crew got into a quarrel with Jiang Wen, and Jiang Wen was even splashed with dye on her forehead.

When Zhang Yan arrived after receiving the news, Jiang Wen was washing herself with alcohol with her eyes closed.

Seeing him look up, his forehead covered in sun, moon, and stars, Zhang Yan said speechlessly, "What's going on? Why are you messing around with the props?"

This prop master was someone Zhang Yan was used to. His work wasn't particularly meticulous, but he could always meet Zhang Yan's needs quickly and cheaply.

"No."

Jiang Wen said aggrievedly, "I was just not satisfied with the color he made, so I made him try a few more times."

As he spoke, he pointed to several old school dormitories on the filming location and said, "At first, I thought this place was a bit too old, so I asked him to make it a little newer. But it turned out to be too new, so I had to scrape off the plaster and redo it."

But after removing the plaster, it just didn't feel the same. So I asked them to restore the areas I'd removed to their original state, and then repaint and distressed the walls as needed.

"And then you two started arguing?"

"No, not really. Later I suggested that the room should be changed as well, to have that kind of cozy, grayish feel, and asked him to discuss it with the lighting department. Suddenly he started jumping up and down and cursing. I just don't understand, we're filming a movie, what's wrong with me wanting to be perfect?"

After hearing Jiang Wen's words, Zhang Yan remained silent for a long time before saying, "Don't worry about the music video, as for your movie..."

He paused, then shook his head and said, "Anyway, I don't dare to invest. You'd better find another sucker."

"what happened?"

Jiang Wen remained unconvinced: "Let me tell you, the final result will definitely be amazing, you don't believe me? Let's bet..."

Zhang Yan interrupted him, asking in return, "How big is the TV screen?"

"Uh~"

Jiang Wen, having acted in quite a few TV dramas, paused for a moment before understanding Zhang Yan's meaning: "You mean these details can't be shown on TV?"

"nonsense!"

Zhang Yan said irritably, "If the colors are contrasting, they can be seen on TV, but this damn grayish warmth—don't even mention that most people can't create it, even if they could, would it show up on TV?!"

Jiang Wen knew she was in the wrong, but she still stubbornly insisted, "We're just setting an example, aren't we? I filmed it according to movie standards."

"There's no need to do that!"

Zhang Yan pointed to the old dormitory that had been ruined several times and said, "Couldn't you have found a small section to try first? Do you know how much money this constant alteration will cost? At this rate, how much money do you have to waste on making movies?"

Jiang Wen subconsciously shrank his neck, then retorted defiantly, "How can I know if the overall effect is right if I don't paint it all? As the director, I have to be responsible for the quality of the final film!" "You don't even have this much spatial imagination, what kind of movie are you making?" Zhang Yan finished speaking, too lazy to argue with him anymore, took out some money from his pocket, counted out fifty yuan and handed it over: "I'll reimburse you for your round-trip bus fare and train ticket, bye-bye."

Then he left Jiang Wen behind, called the crew together for a short meeting, and decided to give the school some compensation and then move the filming to the old campus of another school.

Zhang Yan's approach to shooting music videos is to be fast, efficient, and economical. This time, Jiang Wen took the lead, and he was prepared to spend more money. But even if you have money, you can't spend it like this.

Dwelling on trivial details, especially those that don't produce any results, is worse than throwing money away—especially since Jiang Wen isn't a big-name director, but a newcomer who came to the field later in life.

Although it might disappoint Tao Hong's expectations, Zhang Yan definitely wouldn't jump into this huge pit.

When the crew started packing their luggage, Jiang Wen was still standing there, her face turning red and then pale, clearly embarrassed.

So Zhang Yan softened his tone and said, "I'm not targeting you, but nobody's money comes from thin air. Even Sister Qing's wealth can't withstand your squandering like this, let alone mine, which is just starting out."

Jiang Wen opened her mouth, wanting to say a few kind words, but she couldn't bring herself to lower herself. In the end, she said defiantly, "Fine, don't invest then! I don't believe I can't make this movie without your help to fulfill my dream!"

Jiang Wen said this and turned to leave.

Zhang Yan shouted from behind him, "One last piece of advice: don't let Liu Xiaoqing be the producer. Find someone who can keep you in check!"

Jiang Wen paused for a moment, but quickly continued striding forward.

Zhang Yan thought Jiang Wen had left, but when he went to apologize to the school, paid compensation, and moved the film crew to a new location, he found Jiang Wen squatting at the gate smoking.

Zhang Yan parked the Crown in front of him, leaned out and asked, "What's wrong? Can't you get a taxi around here?"

"No."

Jiang Wen stood up stiffly and said, "I just remembered there's something I forgot to ask you. Do you still keep in touch with that girl from the swimming team in 'Tianjin Wei'?"

Which one are you referring to?

"The girl who filmed your commercial."

Jiang Wen gestured haphazardly and said, "I want to find an actress who is good at swimming to play the second female lead, Yu Beibei."

"Yu Beibei?"

Zhang Yan frowned. If Yuanmeng didn't invest, Tao Hong getting the second female lead role was already pretty good, but he hesitated whether to let Tao Hong jump into this big pit.

Don't wait until the filming is halfway done and the funding chain breaks, leaving Tao Hong to have worked for nothing.

But since Jiang Wen has taken a liking to Tao Hong, this matter cannot be kept secret.

I'll ask around for you later.

Finally, Zhang Yan decided to carefully explain the pros and cons of the matter to Tao Hong and let Tao Hong make her own decision.

"Alright, I'll wait for your message."

As Jiang Wen spoke, she walked around the front of the car to the passenger seat, opened the door without saying a word, sat down, and threw the 50 yuan into Zhang Yan's arms, saying, "I'm still going to shoot this MV today. If it costs more than I should, I'll cover it myself. Even if the investment falls through, I'll still show you what true art is!"

…………

It has to be said, Jiang Wen is quite something.

The footage shot according to his instructions is clearly not on the same level as the footage shot by Zhang Yan himself.

This made Zhang Yan hesitate again.

Maybe this thing can actually become a classic?

But if this extravagant spending habit isn't corrected, even if a classic film is made, it might not be able to recoup its costs...

At this moment, Jiang Wentu revealed his true intentions: "If you're not comfortable with that, why don't you and Xiao Qing work together as producers for me? Haven't you done this before?"

(End of this chapter)