Entertainment News: Follow Wang Baoqiang's Rise to Film Emperor

After listening to Lin Zhi's heartfelt advice, Wang Baoqiang didn't know whether she took it to heart or was simply exhausted...

After that, she stayed with Lin Zhi and temporarily stopped helping the crew with odd jobs.

It was nearing evening.

The crew of "The Happy Life of Zhang Damin" wrapped up filming early because the afternoon shooting progressed very smoothly and they filmed more scenes than expected. As dusk approached and the lighting was a bit lacking, they generously wrapped up work early.

"Hey, hey... you extras over there, we're done filming for today. Now line up to hand in your costumes and props... come on over here, hurry up!"

After the crew decided to stop filming and wrap up, the two costume assistants in charge of costumes and props stood next to a large truck loaded with costumes and props and shouted to Lin Zhi and the other extras from a distance.

Lin Zhi then pulled Wang Baoqiang along with the crowd to line up and hand over their "costumes" one by one.

After he took off his clothes and handed them in, he gave his name. A member of the film crew was standing next to him with a booklet. They glanced at the clothes he handed in, checked them, and seeing that there was no obvious damage and the quantity matched, they crossed out his name on the form he had signed that morning.

Lin Zhi thought to himself, if he ruined the costumes provided by the production crew, he would probably have to have his wages deducted on the spot.

This whole day's work was for nothing!

"Come on, everyone... those who have handed over their costumes and props, come and collect your wages!"

Next, a production manager from the crew sat with his legs crossed on a stool, holding a list of extras and a large stack of banknotes in his hand, and began to distribute wages to the extras one by one.

Because film crews don't need extras every day, and extras might go to other sets the next day, their turnover is very high. Therefore, extras are paid daily, and the payment is usually settled when they leave the set at night to avoid disputes.

Film crews are usually well-funded and have plenty of money, so it's rare for them to owe extras wages...

Even if an extra hides on set and slacks off all day, you'll still get paid in the evening!

This is also a major advantage of being an extra: you get paid every day!

of course……

There's a downside to this: you won't be able to save money!

Earn money today, spend it all today!

I'm always broke every month...

All year round, my pockets are emptier than my face!

"Let's go, Baoqiang, let's head back! We'll take a stroll around the capital's night view while we're at it..."

After successfully collecting their wages and putting the money in their pockets, it was already dusk. Seeing the hazy and beautiful night view in the distance, Lin Zhi, holding Wang Baoqiang's hand, left the "The Happy Life of Zhang Damin" film crew...

Instead of taking the bus that the film crew had specially arranged to take the extras back, they decided to walk all the way back to Wang Baoqiang's second uncle, Duan Defa, and take in the beautiful night view of the capital city that was unique to this era.

At the end of the 20th century, although the capital city was not as dazzling and avant-garde as it would be decades later, it possessed a unique and charming style that belonged to this era...

Lin Zhi and Wang Baoqiang strolled around happily.

By the time they returned to the construction site where Duan Defa worked, it was already past 9 p.m.

"Uncle Duan, I saw some nice bananas on the street, so I bought you some. Try them..."

Upon returning to the construction site dormitory where he was temporarily staying, Lin Zhi immediately handed over the few kilograms of bananas he had bought on his way back from a roadside fruit stand to Duan Defa.

"Kid, what are you doing spending this money? What's missing at this construction site? We have plenty of fruit. Don't waste this money anymore, okay? You don't earn this little bit of money easily..."

When Duan Defa saw that Lin Zhi had earned money on his first day as an extra, and even bought him fruit, he was somewhat surprised and began to think more highly of Lin Zhi. After declining a few times, he reluctantly accepted the bananas Lin Zhi had bought.

And so, Lin Zhi and Wang Baoqiang settled down here, devoting themselves entirely to being extras...

but!

It's clear that being an extra is a highly competitive industry, especially as the year draws to a close and fewer film crews are starting production.

Therefore, in the following days, there were not many cars coming to recruit extras at the entrance of Beijing Film Studio. Even though Lin Zhi and Wang Baoqiang went to the entrance of Beijing Film Studio early every morning and were more diligent than anyone else, they could only run around as extras once every three days.

The other two days will have to be empty...

However, if she didn't have time to go to the Shanghai Theatre Academy that day, Wang Baoqiang didn't want to be idle, so she dragged Lin Zhi to Duan Defa's construction site to do odd jobs, such as moving bricks, so they could earn some pocket money.

And as time went on...

As more and more film crews joined, Lin Zhi and Wang Baoqiang gradually shed their initial naiveté and quickly grew into seasoned veterans of the Beijing film industry.

To blend in with the local customs, the two bought essential equipment for extras – folding chairs. In order to prepare for period dramas, they followed the advice of other veteran Beijing drifters and bought extra black knee-high boots and white knee-high socks for period dramas, as well as an inner lining undershirt to wear under their costumes, which they carried in bags every time they went to different sets.

Because the costumes and makeup provided by the production crew were never washed, and who knows how many people had worn them, they were filthy and smelly...

According to other veteran extras who have worked in Beijing, many clueless newcomers don't know to bring their own undershirts and socks after entering the industry. Once their skin comes into close contact with the smelly, bacteria-ridden costumes on set, they immediately contract all sorts of strange skin diseases.

and so!

For the sake of their health, Lin Zhi and Wang Baoqiang bought and prepared everything they needed for their roles as extras.

The two of them have now fully entered the industry!

In addition...

After making some money, Lin Zhi took some time to go to the Xinhua Bookstore in the city and bought a lot of professional textbooks on film and television directing and screenwriting. He brought them back and placed them by his pillow, carefully reading them every night before going to sleep to enhance his professional knowledge and skills.

At this moment, he was roughly formulating a relatively simple plan that would bring him fame...

After self-studying some professional knowledge in screenwriting, directing, and acting, he personally wrote scripts and recreated the classic low-budget films he had seen in his previous life...

At that time, he will write, direct, and act in everything himself, taking full control of his own destiny, which will greatly increase his chances of success!

of course……

This grand plan is no easy task to implement; we have only taken the first step in a long journey.

In 98, it wasn't easy for an ordinary person without connections to get funding to produce a film or television series.

Because the government has not yet opened up film and television project approval policies to private enterprises, private film and television companies will have to wait until the policies are fully liberalized in 2003 to obtain film and television audiovisual production licenses and be able to independently approve and produce film and television projects.

Therefore, in 98, only state-owned factories had the right to produce films and television dramas...

Other private film and television companies can only stand aside!

If ordinary businessmen want to get a share of the pie, they can only rely on cooperating with state-owned factories.

Therefore, this directly increases the difficulty of making films and television dramas, and makes it even more necessary to rely on "connections".

Although Lin Zhi currently has countless classic films and television dramas in his mind, he is still unable to put them into practice given his current status and position.

Therefore, it is imperative to continue building connections and improving one's own capabilities.

This is a gradual process that requires patience and cannot be rushed.

Once everything is ready, he will be able to rely on his precious memories from his previous life to take off completely.

So for the foreseeable future, Lin Zhi will be working as an extra, doing odd jobs, and studying hard all at the same time, striving to achieve his goal as soon as possible...

What Lin Zhi didn't know was that his acting career was about to take a turn for the better!

And so they embarked on the road to success...