Entertainment Industry: I am a top-tier movie star

When the plane landed in Beijing, night had already fallen over the city.

The familiar dry air and the unique hustle and bustle of the evening rush hour rushed towards him. Chen Nianbei dragged his luggage, squeezed onto the airport express train, then transferred to the subway, and finally returned to the Film Academy after a bumpy ride. It was already late at night.

Pushing open the dormitory door, a unique atmosphere typical of male dormitories wafted out.

"Hey! Our big star is back!"

Zhang Lei was sitting in front of the computer playing games when he heard the noise and was the first to turn around, grinning.

Wang Hao poked his head out from the top bunk:

"Nianbei? You've wrapped up filming so quickly? I thought you'd be staying in Hengdian until summer vacation."

Li Xiang, holding a toothbrush in his mouth from the bathroom, greeted them indistinctly.

"Yes, my scenes are more concentrated, so I'll finish filming them first."

Chen Nianbei pushed her suitcase to the corner and took off her coat.

A thin layer of dust had settled on the bed, which hadn't been used for several months, and Wang Hao had already wiped it clean for him.

"How was it? What was it like filming a period drama? Was being suspended by wires particularly exciting?"

Zhang Lei paused the game and leaned over to ask curiously.

"It's alright, it's just a bit uncomfortable to wear thick clothes in the summer."

Chen Nianbei briefly recounted some amusing anecdotes from the set, such as a prop sword almost poking the martial arts director, or a veteran actor giving a particularly funny explanation of a scene.

He didn't mention the recognition he received; there was no need to show off those things in the dorm.

The conversation quickly turned to everyone's recent situation.

Wang Hao is currently rehearsing a new play at the drama club, while Li Xiang has taken on a job as a filming assistant for a small-scale gay film.

Zhang Lei spoke the most, saying that he had just finished working on the post-production of "Brotherhood of Blades." Although he was just doing odd jobs and learning, he was deeply moved.

"You have no idea how meticulous Director Lu Yang is about details. He polishes a single shot repeatedly. Sometimes I think it's already very good, but he still wants to do it again."

Zhang Lei's eyes shone as he spoke, a mixture of exhaustion and excitement at his accomplishment.

"After completing this trip, I feel like I've learned more than I have in a year of school."

On-set management, lighting, and communication with the actors... there are just too many intricacies involved.

He took a sip of water, his tone tinged with longing:

"Sometimes I think, we who study directing can't just watch others film on set."

When... will we be able to shoot some things ourselves?

Even a short film, created from scratch, has a completely different feel.

Wang Hao chimed in, "That requires money, Lei Zi. Equipment, venue, actors, boxed lunches... everything costs money. We're just poor students."

Zhang Lei sighed: "That's true. But it's not entirely hopeless. We can look for school support programs or get some sponsorships. It just needs to be a good proposal and we need to have some ideas."

He scratched his head. "Good books are hard to find. The ones on the market are either too tacky or too expensive."

Chen Nianbei sat on the edge of her bed, listening to Zhang Lei's words, and a slight thought crossed her mind.

I just finished filming, and the broadcast of "Battle of Changsha" won't be until August. The audition for "Nirvana in Fire" is even later, in the second half of the year.

During those months, aside from school classes, I had quite a bit of free time.

Zhang Lei has the skills and the passion, but what he lacks is a suitable project and an opportunity to launch it.

Should we... give it a try?

An idea quietly emerged.

He recalled a movie from his past life, with a novel theme and sincere emotions, centered on sibling affection and a light fantasy setting. It received good reviews and performed well at the box office after its release.

The key is that the production cost is very low and controllable, and the scenes are relatively concentrated, making it very suitable as a practice project for students or new directors, and it may even have the potential to achieve great success with a small investment.

That movie is called... "Take My Brother Away".

The original work was a comic book, which was later adapted into a movie. The story tells about the younger sister, Shi Miao, who makes a wish to "take my brother away," which causes her older brother, Shi Fen, to disappear from her life, leading her to rediscover the meaning of family.

It has a heartwarming core, with both humor and pathos, and requires a certain level of acting skill from the actors, but does not need large-scale scenes or top-notch special effects.

What if I wrote out the script outline myself and showed it to Zhang Lei so he could assess the feasibility of filming and the approximate budget?

Whether it works or not is another matter, but it's worth a try.

Once the idea took root in Chen Nianbei's mind, it quickly became a reality.

He possesses the vision of a past life, knows which stories have potential, and is better able to avoid some creative pitfalls.

Although he is not a professional screenwriter, he should be able to write a story framework and character settings with commercial potential, plus descriptions of some key scenes.

"...So, ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh."

Zhang Lei concluded with a slightly self-deprecating laugh.

"Graduate first, then we'll just have to tough it out."

Chen Nianbei raised her eyes, looked at Zhang Lei, and asked in a normal tone:

"Lei Zi, putting aside the actors' salaries, what's the minimum budget for a movie?"

Zhang Lei was taken aback, not expecting Chen Nianbei to ask this. He thought about it seriously:

"That depends on the specific content of the book."

For modern urban themes, special scenes and too many special effects are not needed. Actors can be familiar faces or newcomers, and equipment can be rented or used from schools...

If we exclude favors and free labor, and only consider hard costs, four or five million might be enough to get things running.

But that's just the bare minimum. If you want something a little more decent, you'd need at least eight million.

This doesn't even include the complicated post-production and marketing costs if they want to release it in theaters; there's no telling how much that could cost.

Four or five million, eight million—Chen Nianbei silently memorized this number.

This range is indeed possible for student works or very low-budget films.

If the story is compelling enough to impress one or two "angels" with spare cash who want to invest in cultural projects, or if it secures a creative grant from the school, it's not entirely unattainable.

"What's wrong, Nianbei? You have something on your mind?" Zhang Lei keenly sensed something.

"For now, it's just a vague idea."

Chen Nianbei smiled but didn't say anything more.

"Once I've sorted things out, I might actually be able to put together a script. I'll show it to you first, and you can give me your opinion and see if it's suitable for filming."

"Really?"

Zhang Lei's eyes lit up. "If you can write a script, I'll definitely stick with it to the bitter end!"

"We'll go through fire and water for our own brothers' projects!"

He patted his chest, clearly expressing his support, even though he felt Chen Nianbei might just be acting on a whim.

Wang Hao chimed in, "Exactly! Nianbei, if you're writing a script and need any muscular hunks or comedic relief, just let me know! The pay is negotiable, meals are all you need!"

Li Xiang came out of the bathroom, wiping his face: "What are you all talking about? Count me in!"

The dormitory was filled with laughter and noise.

As night deepened, everyone washed up and went to bed.

Chen Nianbei lay on her long-unused dormitory bed, but did not fall asleep immediately.

The outline of the story of "Take My Brother Away" gradually became clear in his mind.

The siblings Shi Miao and Shi Fen, who have a love-hate relationship, go from bickering to sudden separation, and then to realizing the preciousness of family ties...

Those vivid details and humorous yet touching scenes flashed by one by one.

He needs to write it down.

Start with a simple outline, flesh out the main characters, and sketch out the key plot points.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Helping Zhang Lei is one aspect; on the other hand, it's also a way for me to improve myself.

In the darkness, he stared at the ceiling with his eyes open.

Starting tomorrow, in addition to my daily homework, I'll have another task.

Write it down first.

The rest, we'll take it one step at a time.

Outside the window, the moonlight was cool and refreshing.

The sound of Wang Hao's soft snoring and Zhang Lei turning over could be heard in the dormitory.

Chen Nianbei closed her eyes, but her mind was already replaying the first scene.

A noisy breakfast table, a younger sister's angry wish, and a house that suddenly became excessively quiet after her older brother disappeared.