The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Chapter 108 Premiere

Shen Qing and Chen Zhixi discussed the selection of the Empty Prince.

"How's Chen Kun?"

Chen Zhixi said, sitting on the sofa opposite.

"He is very suitable to play a noble young master, but the key to the success of the role is the actor's reaction when he fails to show off and his comedic ability."

Shen Qing pondered for a moment, then thought of Shen Teng again; it was hard not to think of him when it came to comedic talent.

"How's Shen Teng?"

Shen Qing looked up at Chen Zhixi and said.

"He's very funny, but can he pull off the contrast between his cool demeanor before it crumbles?"

Chen Zhixi hesitated for a moment.

"His comedic timing is paramount. He hasn't gained weight yet, so he can convincingly portray the elegant young man before his character falls apart."

Shen Qing is already leaning towards using Shen Teng.

"Then let's schedule a time for him to come over for the audition?" Chen Zhixi felt a little strange. The boss was swearing. He hadn't gained weight yet, but the boss was talking as if he had seen Shen Teng after he gained weight.

"I called him myself."

Several years ago, when filming "Fame and Fortune", Shen Qing saved the other party's number. The number is still there, but she doesn't know if he has changed it or not.

Shen Qing immediately picked up her phone and dialed Shen Teng's number.

"Director Shen? Is that you, Director Shen?"

As soon as the call connected, the other party's voice came directly into Shen Qing's ears.

"It's me. I'd like you to try out for a role."

"When?"

Around August.

"Okay, I'm fine."

"You haven't even asked what role it is yet."

"Director, all the roles you play are great. I enjoy acting under your guidance; I can learn new things from you."

"Hehe, this character is supposed to be the most handsome man in the entire movie, the man with the grandest entourage, the man who, even in the middle of nowhere, will be carried in a sedan chair by white-clad maids scattering flowers. Are you confident?"

"Yes! Absolutely! Isn't this exactly what I wrote? Director, don't worry, I'm sure I can act it well; it's practically a natural performance."

"You've made a bit too much of a boast; don't let it fall apart later."

"Don't worry, Director, it definitely won't let us down."

Shen Qing, who plays a supporting role in "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", wanted to use the original actors as much as possible. Even if he rejected the actors carefully selected by Zhou Xingchi and re-selected them, they might not be much more suitable than the ones Zhou Xingchi chose. Wouldn't that be like making a mountain out of a molehill?

The role of Sun Wukong needs to be changed. Shen Qing's version of the Monkey King has changed from the violent and cruel version of the original to a more traditional understanding of Sun Wukong, so there is no need to continue using Huang Bo.

7 month 16 day.

Chen Zhixi pushed open the door and said, "President Shen, we'll depart promptly at 5 p.m.

Today, the premiere of "The Unknown" was held at Wanda International Cinema. It started promptly at 6 p.m., and Shen Qing, as the director, had to arrive at the venue in advance.

"Mm." Shen Qing nodded.

"Mr. Shen, some media outlets in Shanghai just reported that the opening day box office for 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' was 25.3 million yuan."

Shen Qing looked up at Chen Zhixi and asked, "So many?"

Based on the opening day box office figures, its total box office is likely to exceed 300 million. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" only grossed 130 million. Is the sixth film really that much better than the fifth?

"This is the number that the media has released, but judging from the market's perception, it doesn't seem to be that popular."

Chen Zhixi said with some worry in her voice.

Internally, the company predicted that "The Unknown" would be considered a success if it grossed over 20 million on its opening day, with the best prediction being 25 million. They predicted that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" would gross between 16 million and 20 million on its opening day, but the actual box office came in at 25.3 million.

Chen Zhixi has clearly felt the pressure.

"Let's just do our own thing and leave the box office results to the market."

How much box office "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will get is not something that can be decided by the filmmakers themselves, so there's no point in thinking about it too much.

"Um."

Chen Zhixi responded, but in her heart she still felt that the box office of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was too high.

After leaving the office, Chen Zhixi took a car to Wanda International Cinema to take control of everything.

4:45 PM.

Shen Qing took the elevator down to the underground parking garage, boarded the company's luxury van, and was greeted by a dedicated styling team. She closed her eyes to rest and let them take care of her appearance.

More than half an hour later, the vehicle arrived at the underground parking garage of Wanda International Cinema. The assistant opened the car door for Shen Qing, and Shen Qing boarded the elevator accompanied by the assistants.

The elevator stopped at the cinema entrance on the first floor. The elevator doors opened, and a red carpet extended out from the elevator entrance.

The screams at the scene were deafening. Fans who had been waiting for a long time finally saw Shen Qing in person, and the atmosphere immediately reached its peak.

Chen Zhixi, who had arrived a while earlier, came to greet them, along with the manager of Wanda Cinema and others. Everyone felt a strange sense of unease.

Although Shen Qing often directs and acts in his own films, when people mention him, they first think of him as a director.

This is different from Zhou Xingchi. When people mention Zhou Xingchi, they first think of his identity as an actor.

Is it reasonable for a director to attend the premiere of a film he didn't star in, and for the fans to scream wildly in excitement?

It was only then that people temporarily forgot about his identity as a director and realized that he was a top superstar whose status was no less than that of Jackie Chan and Lee Lien-chi.

Accompanied by Chen Zhixi and cinema staff, he went straight to the VIP lounge. Chen Zhixi whispered in his ear that the VIPs who had arrived at the lounge earlier were already there.

"Bona's General Manager Yu and Enlight Media's General Manager Wang have both arrived."

Shen Qing nodded. It was normal for Enlight Media to be involved in the film's distribution and for them to come, but it was a bit of a surprise that Mr. Yu from Berna was also there. This film was a small-budget production, and Berna had neither a share nor involvement in distribution.

However, upon closer reflection, it makes sense. Although Bernard did not participate in this film, he did have a share in other films, such as "Gravity".

As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the VIP lounge. Shen Qing stepped inside, shaking hands, hugging, thanking everyone for coming, and exchanging brief pleasantries.

Before long, Han Sanping arrived in person, and they exchanged pleasantries once more.

When the time came, everyone came out of the VIP lounge, and the formal red carpet event began.

Shen Qing paused briefly on the red carpet to give the media time to take photos. After walking off the red carpet, she went to the fan area, smiled and waved to the screaming fans below the stage, which made the screams even louder.

After leaving the fan area, he went to the media interview area and briefly talked about his original intention for creating the film. His answers were all fairly standard, but he occasionally surprised the media with some memorable quotes that would be remembered for generations.

Then, accompanied by his assistant and Chen Zhixi, he went backstage to meet up with the main cast and crew.

He patted Chen Jianbin, Zhang Yu, Pan Binlong and others on the shoulder or arm, saying that they were all on the same side and there was no need to be so polite. He then hugged Wan Qian.

This is Wan Qian's second time starring in a film personally directed by Shen Qing, and the first time she has starred in a film directed by Shen Qing after Shen Qing became famous. She was so excited that her face turned slightly flushed.

Li Yitong had very few scenes and was busy filming, so she didn't come.

The movie is about to begin, and all the guests and audience members are seated. The host then walks to the center of the stage: "Let's welcome the main creators of this film, director Shen Qing, and lead actors Chen Jianbin, Wan Qian, Zhang Yu, and Pan Binlong—"

Shen Qing led the team onto the stage, and cheers erupted again, lasting for a long time. After a long wait, the scene finally quieted down, and Shen Qing led the main cast and crew in interacting with the guests and audience.

After the interactive session, the lights in the venue were dimmed.

Next up is the movie screening.