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

Chapter 117 Class Transcendence
"Move, move, don't block the camera."

"Who laid the wires so messily? Bury them up so they don't block people's way."

"The lighting equipment should not obstruct the lens."

"Extras, have the extras arrived yet? Contact the casting director right away, and those who have arrived, get your makeup done!"

"Who provided these Japanese military uniforms? They don't fit at all. Is your regular army wearing such loose-fitting clothes?"

"How come you, a refugee, are so fair-skinned? Go and put on makeup again."

After the first scene was filmed, the crew fell into chaos while filming other scenes. Soon, there was a breakdown in communication, with people constantly shouting and yelling around the set.

The lighting is obstructing the lens, the lighting effect and atmosphere are not up to standard, the wires are messy and tripping hazards occur frequently, and the management is inadequate.

Qin Xuan thought his crew was very well organized and the first scene went so smoothly, but it turned out to be just his illusion. The first scene had been prepared for a long time before it was filmed, after all, it was for this opening ceremony.

But as soon as the scene changes, their true colors are exposed.

This is also why Zuo Shandiao said they couldn't take it down. Making a big film is not a question of whether you can make it well, but a question of whether you can manage it at all.

There were too many people in the crew, including a large number of extras. Many scenes required depicting the Japanese army entering the city, which necessitated a large number of extras playing minor roles.

In addition, a large number of extras were needed to portray the suffering civilians in Nanjing.

Therefore, management is a major problem. After all, a large crew puts management skills to the test, and communication costs and instruction transmission costs increase exponentially.

Shen Ao, Wen Muye, Wang Chaowen and others could only try their best to restrain, but they lacked experience and their deterrent power was weak.

This is far from the time when they only needed to manage dozens or hundreds of people. Now, every link in the chain must be coordinated. If any link breaks down, the show cannot be filmed.

Fortunately, the movie "Nanjing Photo Studio" doesn't have many large-scale scenes. Apart from the first ten minutes of the movie, there is a war scene where the Japanese army bombards the city.

The scene in the middle, the massacre on the riverbank, is the only one; the rest are interior scenes.

The actors were all fine; they took it all very seriously. The lead actors were all professionals, and as long as their acting wasn't off, they usually got it right after a few takes.

Nothing too serious happened, but things were in a mess. That day, Qin Xuan gathered the main creative team in the director's studio, including Shen Ao, Wen Muye, Wang Chaowen, Zhang Linke, Li Miao, and the leaders of various departments.

We can't avoid holding meetings; otherwise, things will continue to fall into chaos.

The air conditioning in the director's studio was blowing blasts, making it as cool as springtime. Qin Xuan stood in front of a whiteboard, holding a marker and drawing up rules for them.

"From now on, we will only shoot one or two core shots each day, and we will give priority to all equipment, personnel and time. Non-core shots can be adjusted flexibly."

The key elements will be written in the most prominent position on the management dashboard. Wen Muye, from now on, you should adjust the system around these key elements, and immediately remind others if there are any deviations.

Without rules, they wouldn't know what's important and what's not. Now the goals are much clearer, priorities are set, and no matter how chaotic things are, they must be completed first.

"Understood!" Wen Muye took notes.

Everyone else also took notes; this was their first time exploring the management experience of shooting a large-scale film.

"In addition, from now on, there must be a clear single command chain: director, executive director, assistant director, production manager, group leaders, and grassroots staff. No one is allowed to report or issue orders to higher levels without authorization." Qin Xuan wrote the command chain on the whiteboard.

In other words, from now on, you can manage the people who are yours, and you shouldn't manage the people who aren't yours.

You are also not allowed to report everything to the management. If it's a trivial matter, who has that much time to argue? Just go directly to your manager.

This makes the rules much simpler, eliminating the need to coordinate with many people. Qin Xuan only needs to coordinate with three core personnel, without having to travel between different groups.

"If any issues arise that affect filming, the person in charge must report to the designated contact person within 10 minutes. The contact person must be clearly marked on the management board. Whoever is responsible for the task and any problems that arise will be held accountable."

Instructions should only state the objective, standard, and timeframe, and should not use vague terms such as "immediately" or "wait a moment." Specific timeframes and standards must be given.

Qin Xuan convened a meeting to simplify the production team's command system, clarify the communication mechanism, and personalize responsibilities.

The fact that the department heads took notes is also a form of training for them. This makeshift team needs training; how can they function without it?

Fortunately, Qin Xuan knew a bit about management.

His instructions and rules were not only used to train management, but were also written on the bulletin boards of each group so that everyone could see them.

"From now on, if there's anything, come to your management. No shouting or yelling on set. If there's a problem, you must report it to your team leader immediately. The names of the people you should report to are already written down." Each team was also having a meeting.

This doesn't matter to grassroots workers, as long as they are well-fed and clothed and their wages are not delayed.

To avoid situations where some people don't know each other, middle and senior management must wear name tags on set. This way, junior staff will recognize who you are and can easily find the right person if a problem arises.

After Qin Xuan made a slight adjustment, the crew was back to normal and much more disciplined.

No one is shouting anymore, and fewer people are panicking and running around aimlessly. Things are relatively orderly, but it's not something that can be fixed in a short time; it will take more time.

We can shoot indoor scenes first, where the main actors act out scenes with each other, and then shoot group scenes later to allow for some rehearsal.

"Xiao Xuan, Xiao Xuan," Wu Guoqiang called out.

While Qin Xuan was busy, he saw Wu Guo approaching quickly, looking very excited. He was puzzled, as his uncle was usually very composed and wouldn't act like that.

"Xiao Xuan and Xiao Rui scored 680 in science and got into Peking University. They received their admission notices!" Wu Guoqiang said excitedly.

The scores were released at the end of June, and the admission notice arrived in mid-July. Qin Xuan was too busy to pay attention to it.

"Holy crap, that's amazing?" Qin Xuan stared wide-eyed, utterly astonished.

I've never seen him this awesome in my past life. Could it be that my motivational tactics, using the villa as bait, worked?

It seems that people have motivation as long as they have a goal!

"Yes, yes, I didn't expect that either." Wu Guoqiang's mouth was babbling, and he was rubbing his hands excitedly.

I never expected my son to be so incredibly smart. I'll have to reward him properly when we get back.

Cai Mei has had a tough six months, not only accompanying her son through his college entrance exams but also managing the new powerhouse.

However, there's not much for her to manage. Aside from the initial busy period at the beginning of the year with the settlement of movie box office revenue, there's not much else to do, and besides, there's no fixed work location. She can just work from home and supervise at the same time.

"Uncle, tell the finance department to buy some fruit and distribute it to everyone in the crew to celebrate." Qin Xuan was also very happy and wanted to celebrate with everyone.

After all, one of their own family members has finally produced a top student. If he puts in a little more effort, he will definitely achieve a leap in social class.

"That's not a good idea. Let's just pay for it ourselves." Wu Guoqiang didn't want to take advantage of the production team, after all, it was their own business.

"It's alright, you go and make the purchases first, we'll talk about it later, I'll handle it." Qin Xuan gestured for him to go first, there were hundreds of people in the film crew, how could they possibly afford to hire more people?

Soon, several large trucks arrived, and boxes of fruits such as watermelons, grapes, and lychees were unloaded and piled up in the open area of ​​the film set.

Seeing the pile of fruit, the crew members surrounded it, looking very curious.

"What's this for? Is it all for us?"

"I heard that Xuan Zong's cousin got into Peking University, so these are for celebration."

"Holy shit, is this true?"

"Everyone, don't panic. This is a perk from General Manager Xuan. Each group can take 20 boxes back." The logistics manager shouted from a high place.

"Oh ho..."

The grassroots staff and extras on site instantly became excited and happy, it seemed that Xuan Zong's cousin really got into Peking University.

When Liu Yifei visited the set, she saw a lively scene on set, which didn't look like filming at all, but rather like a party.

They were eating with half a watermelon in their left hand and grapes in their right, their mouths dripping with juice.

But looking at their dirty costumes, some with bandages on their heads, groups of three or five dressed in Japanese military uniforms with their caps askew and guns in their arms, I knew I hadn't come to the wrong place; this was Qin Xuan's film crew.

Liu Yifei wore a ponytail, sunglasses, a white T-shirt, and denim shorts. The denim shorts looked like they had been chewed on, very irregular, and had tassels, revealing her long, straight legs.

"Hey, look, look at those long, white legs!"

One of the extras excitedly nudged his companion next to him, only to see a pair of white legs walking past them.

Looking up, everyone stared wide-eyed at Liu Yifei. The rest of the crew were the same; they had been eating and drinking heartily, but stopped what they were doing when they saw her.

It's mainly because she's so beautiful; she shines white in the sunlight, plus she has the aura of a celebrity.

However, Liu Yifei remained calm and walked towards the director's studio with a smile.

The director's booth was filled with people, including several familiar members of the creative team, as well as main actors such as Fan Wei, Zhang Songwen, Hao Lei, and Tang Yan.

They had heard about Xuan Zong's cousin being admitted to Peking University and came specifically to congratulate him.

After all, this is also a time to build closer relationships.

"Congratulations, Mr. Xuan."

"Peking University is not easy to get into, and the Xuan family has produced a top student!"

"This happened so suddenly, and I didn't prepare any red envelopes. I only have a few hundred yuan as a token of my appreciation."

As they talked, people took out three hundred, five hundred, eight hundred... coins from their pockets and placed them on the table. This was a custom, meant to bring good luck.

They didn't know that Xuan Zong's family had this connection or that he was related to someone else. Apart from Shen Ao and his team, not many other people knew about it.

Soon, a lot of red bills appeared on the table.

"No need, no need, you can take it back." Qin Xuan picked up the money on the table and tried to give it to them.

"These are all our heartfelt wishes." Fan Wei reached out to block them, while the others stepped back. Once they'd taken them out, they wouldn't take them back.

"Thank you." Qin Xuan couldn't very well refuse their kind offer.

Just then, the curtain of the director's studio was lifted, and Liu Yifei walked in, bringing with her a warm glow. It was already very hot outside, but the air conditioning was on inside.

"Wow, so many people! What are you all doing? It looks so lively outside. Is something fun happening?" Liu Yifei asked, quite surprised.

She knows everyone here, but the level of familiarity varies. For example, she knows Fan Wei, but she doesn't know him well and has never met him.

That's how celebrities are; you recognize them when you bump into them, but whether you're really familiar with them is another matter.

Everyone turned around. Some looked puzzled, wondering why she was there. Others smiled, knowing that President Xuan and Liu Yifei were friends.

Tang Yan and Liu Yifei are not familiar with each other now.

"My little cousin got into Peking University, I'm so happy to celebrate," Qin Xuan replied.

He knew she was coming; he had told her in advance.

"Really?" Liu Yifei's almond-shaped eyes widened.

This was the first time she had heard that Qin Xuan had a younger cousin; he hadn't mentioned it before.

Then she added, "Well, what perfect timing! Mr. Xuan, you're treating us!"

"Here, have some watermelon." Qin Xuan took a slice of watermelon from the table and handed it to her.

Liu Yifei glanced at him sideways: "You're so stingy!"

She then took out ten red banknotes from her bag, walked over and threw them into the pile of money on the table. Since everyone else had given her money, it would be unreasonable for her not to.

After doing all that, he took the watermelon Qin Xuan handed him, took a bite, and realized he was thirsty and had fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

The actors who weren't familiar with the two started chatting casually, seeing that they seemed to know each other well.

(End of this chapter)