In the entertainment industry, everyone has been reborn, but who will be their servant?

Chapter 116 Unable to Control
The post-production of "The Nameless" is being handled by Rao Xiaozhi; it's being done slowly, no rush.

Anyway, Qin Xuan doesn't plan to release it in the next two months.

On July 5th, Qin Xuan invited all the actors and main creators of "Nanjing Photo Studio" to meet in a large conference room.

The conference room was spacious, with a long conference table in the middle and people sitting on both sides.

Fan Wei, Zhang Songwen, Hao Lei, Wang Chuanjun, He Lin, Tang Yan, Wu Lei, Wang Churan, and others are all present, although the latter two are still just teenagers.

The two looked around blankly, while Wang Churan resembled a delicate porcelain doll; though not fully grown, she already had the makings of a beauty.

Wu Lei was dressed quite normally, in casual clothes. He is only 9 years old and was accompanied by his mother.

The conference room was quiet, while Qin Xuan and Ren Zhonglun stood outside, pointing and talking through the glass.

"The male lead, Wang Chuanjun, is a graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and his agency is Oriental Star; the female lead, Hao Lei, is also a graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy..." Qin Xuan handed him the cast list.

At the time, this person said he wanted to see the cast list because he was worried that Qin Xuan might change the actors halfway through. He wanted to see it to put his mind at ease, since the only requirement of Shanghai Film Studio was to use artists from their Shanghai circle.

"Good, good, I trust President Xuan to get things done." Ren Zhonglun patted him on the shoulder, quite satisfied.
Aside from neutral figures like Zhang Songwen and Fan Wei, none of the Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Beijing celebrities are associated with the Shanghai entertainment circle.

He handed the list back and said, "Then you go ahead and get busy, I'm leaving now."

"I'll see you out." Qin Xuan took two steps forward.

"No need, no need, you go about your business." Ren Zhonglun gestured for him to stay, showing how much he cared about the Shanghai entertainment circle and had even come all the way here to take a look.

After Qin Xuan saw him off, he went to the conference room. The members of the conference room were staring at each other, not really recognizing each other.

Of course, President Xuan and the others recognized him, and they all turned their attention to him when he came in.

Qin Xuan stood at the head of the table, glanced at their familiar faces, and said, "This play will start filming on the 15th. In the next ten days, you should read the script as thoroughly as possible and understand your respective roles. We will be spending the next two or three months together. I hope we have a pleasant time."

Now you can get to know each other and introduce yourselves. Wang Chuanjun, you go first.

"Hello everyone, my name is Wang Chuanjun. I play Su Liuchang in the show. Please take good care of me in the future." Wang Chuanjun speaks fluently and doesn't have a Japanese accent. Don't misunderstand, he's a native Chinese speaker.

At first, everyone was a little confused about who President Xuan was talking about, but when they heard this person speak, they couldn't help but turn their attention to him, some scrutinizing him, others looking him up and down.

"Never heard of them, can they even be the lead?" That was the thought that popped into their heads.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Wang Chuanjun felt a little awkward, pursing his lips and trying his best to remain calm. After all, he was only 23 years old and still very inexperienced, so it was inevitable that he would be nervous.

Qin Xuan promptly diverted everyone's attention: "Songwen, you come here."

"Hello, I play the owner of a photo studio in this movie." Zhang Songwen appeared more composed.

Fan Wei looked at the person opposite him; this was the person whose role he had stolen. Zhang Songwen was also staring at him; he already knew who had taken his role.

"I am Fan"

"You don't need an introduction, everyone knows you, you're the one who sold crutches, Teacher Fan played the traitor." Qin Xuan interrupted Fan Wei's self-introduction.

Laughter erupted from the audience, lightening the otherwise serious atmosphere and making it much more relaxed and lively.

"Let me correct you, the one who sold the crutches was Uncle Zhao, and I was the one who was scammed by him." Fan Wei's serious explanation brought laughter to the audience again.

Tang Yan couldn't help but chuckle, mainly because she found his serious expression amusing!

"President Xuan, you're being unfair by finding an award-winning actor to act with me. Are you worried I won't act well?" Hao Lei said with a smile, her lips quite upturned, which would have made her look very sexy if she wore lipstick.

This woman has a very distinctive mouth; it's round and plump, and she has two small tiger teeth when she smiles.

She was still very young then, definitely prettier than Sun Li, and later she became quite voluptuous, giving her a mature, womanly charm.

"No, I'm afraid that Teacher Fan won't be able to control herself after seeing you," Qin Xuan said.

Hao Lei clapped her hands and laughed heartily, making everyone present extremely happy. However, Wu Lei and Wang Churan were completely bewildered, as they were minors and had no idea what they were laughing about.

This means that Hao Lei is so beautiful that Fan Wei might be captivated by her.

After making a joke, Fan Wei didn't take it to heart, and all the main actors had been introduced.

"Hello, my name is Tang Yan, and I play Feng Hua in the film." Tang Yan appeared very serious.

"Won't this interfere with your participation in the Olympics?" Qin Xuan suddenly asked.

"Huh! The Olympics?" Tang Yan asked, puzzled.

"Weren't you supposed to participate in the opening or closing ceremony of the Olympics?" Qin Xuan asked, puzzled.

"No, I didn't participate in the Olympics. I just signed up when they were recruiting volunteers, but they didn't accept me." Tang Yan shook her head blankly.

"She participated in the 2004 Athens Olympics, you're mistaken," Hao Lei added.

Huh? Qin Xuan's memory is also confused.

I don't know who spread the rumor, but Tang Yan was chosen by Zhang Yimou to perform at either the opening or closing ceremony, and for a full eight minutes.

Actually, that's just a rumor. It wasn't the 2008 Olympics, but the 2004 Athens Olympics, where Tang Yan performed the famous piece "Jasmine Flower" on the erhu!
So it has nothing to do with Zhang Yimou. Some random rumors online have misled him. There weren't many celebrities on stage at this year's Olympic opening ceremony. Apart from Liu Huan singing a song with that foreign woman, there was Lang Lang playing the piano with a 5-year-old girl.

All the celebrities were scheduled for the closing ceremony; I wonder if Liu Yifei will be included.

"It's fine if you didn't participate. I was just worried about taking up your time." Qin Xuan didn't mind; he was just asking.

Tang Yan glanced at him a couple more times. He seemed like a nice guy, even showing concern for her schedule.

"Then continue introducing yourself!" Qin Xuan skipped over the question and looked at He Lin.

This woman was a classmate of Chen Kun and Yanzi, and her husband is an associate professor in the film production department of Beijing Film Academy, so she has quite a background.

After the introductions were completed, the meeting ended, and hotel accommodations were arranged for them. During this time, Shen Ao led them in script readings to help them gain a deeper understanding of their roles.

Since it was already early July, a large number of students from Beijing Film Academy and Central Academy of Drama had either graduated or were on vacation, resulting in an increasing number of people joining the crew behind the scenes.

Some professionally trained actors come here specifically to get a role or an extra. Not every actor who goes to university can get a role unless they have connections.

The core production team currently has around 200 people, and with the set designers and other staff, the total number of people in the crew is over 700, not including the actors.

Meanwhile, the set construction for "Nanjing Photo Studio" is proceeding smoothly, with Li Miao, Zhang Linke, Wen Muye, and others overseeing the process, so he is quite reassured.

Wang Chaowen, Ye Ning, and the producer sent by Shanghai Film Studio were trying their best to manage and coordinate the more than 700 people in the crew and prevent chaos from occurring. A large crew is the most difficult to manage.

Just like Qin Xuan on the set of "The Forbidden Kingdom" last year, he would cause trouble every few days.

As before, Qin Xuan entrusted Wu Guoqiang with the management of food, drink, and other logistical needs; his uncle was a reliable person.

Soon, after six months of preparation, filming for "Nanjing Photo Studio" began on July 15th. The entire crew stood together with a long banner hanging behind them that read "Good luck on the start of filming for 'Nanjing Photo Studio'".

"Smile!" Everyone took a photo, and then filming officially began.

Since it was summer, the actors needed to wear slightly thicker costumes, which they had to change into whenever they were on set. After all, it wasn't modern times, and it was December in Nanjing at that time. However, the costumes weren't too thick; they were more like spring clothes.

So it must have been quite tough on the actors, especially with the sun shining so brightly.

The extras were all gathered on the street, dressed in period costumes. Some were pushing bicycles, others were carrying large and small bags, all standing still, waiting for the director to yell "Action!"
"Don't panic, stand here!" Wen Muye was instructing the extras on how to position themselves.

Wang Chuanjun had also changed into his costume, and Shen Ao was explaining the scene to him: "This is a non-acting performance, so try to act as naturally as possible."

Non-performance style performances generally have no lines; they simply emphasize realism, creating a very ordinary atmosphere, like when you're doing housework.

"When the camera moves from this street scene, it will show the chaos in Jinling, the panicked crowd, and the sense of urgency and visual quality!" Qin Xuan explained to Zhang Linke and the others in detail how to move the camera.

He explained to Li Miao what kind of art style was needed, and to the lighting technician what kind of effect was required.

After all, this movie is unlike any other movie he's ever made, so he has to take it seriously.

In the past, as long as the script was fine and the production team was satisfied, a movie could be made. But this time it's different; it requires a very strong style.

"Okay!" The others understood.

"All departments, to your positions." Upon hearing Qin Xuan's announcement over the walkie-talkie, everyone stood at attention, unrelated personnel moved out of the camera's view, and the scene remained quiet.

"start!"

At the sound of the clapperboard, the extras, who had been standing still, suddenly started moving rapidly, as if a clock had been turned.

They were riding bicycles, carrying large and small bags, and fleeing for their lives with children in tow. The streets were in complete chaos, with rubble, stones, and wood scattered everywhere.

It felt like we had truly returned to that chaotic era.

The camera follows Wang Chuanjun, dressed as a postman, riding a bicycle forward, showcasing the chaos of Nanjing's impending fall and the panic and despair of the people.

They only filmed Wang Chuanjun's profile and back view, not his full face, so he didn't need to demonstrate his acting skills. This segment had multiple transitions, but the major scenes weren't filmed; only a portion of the scene was shot.

There were no lines, only panicked shouts, the rumble of cannons, and the whooshing sound of airplanes flying overhead.

In just a short clip, the panicked people, the chaotic scene, the sound of gunfire, and the desperate and urgent atmosphere are all vividly portrayed!

Shen Ao and Qin Xuan sat in the director's chair, watching the footage on the monitor.

"What do you think?" Qin Xuan asked.

"I think it's pretty good. We can do it again to guarantee a take." Shen Ao nodded. The extras were of high quality, after all, they had prepared for so long.

"Alright, come out one more time."

Then everyone returned to their original positions and filming started again.

After the second take, Qin Xuan asked again, "What did you think?"

"It's great, no problems." Shen Ao looked at it carefully, the visuals, lighting, and atmosphere were all top-notch.

He didn't notice anything unusual about Qin Xuan, and after filming, he would always ask him: How did you feel?
He assumed that Qin Xuan was respecting his opinion.

(End of this chapter)