The Common Man's Return in Chinese Entertainment

"Little Chicken, how much do extras get paid per day these days?"

"The most basic rate is about 15-30 yuan per day, for background actors it's 50-100 yuan, and for featured actors it's 100-200 yuan. That's roughly the price range. It also depends on how generous the production team is and how much the production manager or group leader takes."

"Hmm, that sounds pretty good. The minimum wage in Beijing is only a little over 400 a month now."

Lu Fang-sheng shook his head. "Old Pig, you've miscalculated. Extras don't get to act every day."

Luo Jin continued, "And not everyone can become a supporting actor or a featured actor. Most people are just ordinary extras, earning only ten or twenty yuan a day. After deducting living expenses, they don't make much money."

Zhu Yawen sighed, "No wonder someone came to cause trouble for us as soon as we arrived; the competition is really fierce."

As the group chatted, more and more people gathered at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio. When it was 5:30, a van drove towards the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio from a distance.

"chick?"

Seeing Zhu Yawen and the other two looking at him, Ji Qingxu smiled and shook his head, "No rush, let them test the waters first."

Upon hearing this, the three immediately fell silent. The van was parked at the door, and as soon as the door was opened, the extras waiting to start their scenes swarmed around it.

Looking at the group of extras actively promoting themselves and the arrogant middle-aged "casters," Zhu Yawen and Luo Jin felt as if they had opened the door to a new world and witnessed a cruel corner of the entertainment industry.

In about ten minutes, the van had filled a carload of people and sped off into the distance.

About ten minutes later, another bread truck drove up. Seeing Ji Qingxu, they just smiled and looked at him without saying anything. The three of them stood quietly in place and watched.

When it came to six o'clock.

Ji Qingxu whispered, "Stand in front of me."

Before the three of them could even speak, the gates of the Beijing Film Studio creaked open, and everyone else at the entrance rushed in.

When Zhu Yawen and the other two stood in front of Ji Qingxu, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They subconsciously glanced behind them and saw that Ji Qingxu had blocked everyone. No matter how crowded the people behind him were, Ji Qingxu did not move an inch. Seeing this, the three of them gave Ji Qingxu a thumbs up.

Ji Qingxu smiled and gestured in front of him, and the three of them quickly turned to look at the gate.

......

"Good morning, Director Luo."

"Director Luo, you look even more beautiful than before."

"Director Luo..."

Faced with all the attempts to strike up a conversation and get close to her, Rosa waved her hand and said, "Quiet down."

As soon as these words were spoken, the main entrance of the Beijing Film Studio fell silent instantly.

Rosa's eyes flashed with satisfaction upon seeing this. "Alright, enough with the chit-chat. Our crew has a big scene to film today, and we need fifty people who are good-looking and over 170cm tall. Also... okay, that's all. You all know my rules: select the right people in ten minutes, quick."

Following Rosa's instructions, the group leaders at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio quickly sprang into action. Zhu Yawen and the other two were about to say something when they saw "Director Luo" beckoning in their direction. The three of them exchanged glances and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Sister Sha!"

Hearing the voice behind them, the three instantly understood, and at the same time, they were quite curious that Ji Qingxu actually knew this "Director Luo".

Looking at the tall and handsome Ji Qingxu in front of her, Rosa asked with a smile, "Aren't you studying at the Beijing Film Academy? Why did you decide to take on a minor role?"

Ji Qingxu smiled and gestured to Zhu Yawen and the other two beside him, "These are my classmates from Beijing Film Academy. They've never been on a film set before, so they came to give it a try during the National Day holiday."

Upon hearing this, Rosa glanced at Zhu Yawen and the other two, nodded slightly, and said, "Alright, then come with me later."

"Thank you, Sister Sha. Have you had breakfast yet, Sister Sha?"

Rosa laughed and said, "I ate it. Look at you, you didn't have the chance to act back then, and now you're playing a minor role."

Ji Qingxu said with a regretful look, "There was nothing I could do. I had to prepare for the college entrance examination, and the production crew couldn't wait for me."

Rosa smiled in agreement. "That's true. The college entrance exam is more important. Now that you've been admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, your future is even brighter."

"Haha, then I'll take Sister Sha's good wishes."

Listening to Ji Qingxu chatting with this "Director Luo," Zhu Yawen and the other two were extremely surprised. Although they were very curious, they just stood silently to the side and watched without saying a word as Ji Qingxu chatted and built a relationship with "Director Luo."

Fifteen minutes later, led by Rosa, a group of people walked into the Beijing Film Studio.

......

"Hey chick, what's going on? This is the 'Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre' production crew, and you actually gave up?"

Seeing the puzzled looks on Zhu Yawen and the other two's faces, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "Didn't I just say that I was preparing for the college entrance examination? I couldn't possibly skip the exam just to act, could I?"

Upon hearing this, the three blinked, unsure of what to say.

"So, what role did you audition for?"

"A minor character, not important."

"That's good. It would be such a shame if it were an important character."

"Let's talk later, let's change our clothes first."

"Yes, yes, let's change our clothes first."

......

"We made the right choice bringing the chicks along. Look at them and then look at us. Maybe we'll even get a chance to appear on camera later."

At this time, Ji Qingxu and the other three had already changed their clothes and were standing in the designated position waiting for the crew to call them. Ji Qingxu and Luo Jin played Wudang disciples, Lu Fangsheng and Zhu Yawen played Huashan disciples, and their clothes were quite decent. Most of the others played Yuan soldiers.

Everyone is now standing in front of a tower called "Wan'an Temple Tower". It is a very important scene in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". Today we are filming the scene where Zhang Wuji rescues the six major sects who were captured by Zhao Min.

This tower isn't a real tower; it's just a skeleton and some parts of the structure that have been built. It will need to be synthesized later.

Looking at the tower-like structure in front of him, Ji Qingxu felt a pang of regret. It was a pity he didn't have the chance to act in the drama. Ji Qingxu remembered that there were many beautiful women in the drama.

At the beginning of this year, Ji Qingxu participated in the audition for "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". Initially, Ji Qingxu wanted to audition for the role of Song Qingshu, but unfortunately, when Ji Qingxu arrived at the crew for the audition, Song Qingshu had already been cast. In the end, Ji Qingxu auditioned for the role of Fengyunshi.

The three envoys of the Persian Ming Cult, namely the Wind and Cloud Envoy, the Wonderful Wind Envoy, and the Radiant Moon Envoy, fought a great battle against Zhang Wuji and Granny Jin Hua on an island. In the end, Xiao Zhao was taken back to the Persian Ming Cult.

Ji Qingxu, a minor character with only a few minutes of screen time, was naturally not a problem with his skills and appearance. However, the production team required Ji Qingxu to join the crew at the end of May and not leave until his scenes were completed, which coincided with the college entrance examination period.

Ji Qingxu, an unknown actor, naturally couldn't ask the production team to change the filming schedule for him. Besides, the role wasn't a big one, so Ji Qingxu gave up.

Rosa, who was casting at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio just now, is the assistant director of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". There are three assistant directors in the "Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" crew. Rosa is ranked last and has the least power, so she is in charge of some miscellaneous small things, such as casting extras.

When Ji Qingxu auditioned, she tried to get close to her and build a relationship. She heard that Ji Qingxu had been admitted to the Beijing Film Academy and would study there after the college entrance examination. So when Ji Qingxu asked her to exchange contact information, she did not refuse.

It has to be said that having formal training is a qualification and background in the entertainment industry. If it were Ji Qingxu a year ago, Rosa probably wouldn't have given him a second glance.

However, the production team of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" also made some mistakes. They told Ji Qingxu during the audition that filming would start at the end of May, but it didn't start until the end of July. Ji Qingxu heard that there was some unexpected trouble with the investment, but he didn't know if it was true or not.

"By the way, Little Chicken, how did you know there would be a film crew shooting at the Beijing Film Studio?"

Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "As a long-established film studio, we can't just leave it empty like this. I've been looking around the area before."

Upon hearing this, the three of them suddenly realized what was going on.