Chinese Entertainment: Becoming a Superstar After a Breakup

Chapter 100 Taken

Shen Ze's advantages were greater than he realized. His impression of Daylight Entertainment came from shows like "Nirvana in Fire" and "The Disguiser."

A film and television production company with a stellar reputation built on a portfolio of successful works.

Normal artists would try every means to squeeze into their TV dramas, but nowadays, Daylight Entertainment isn't that big of a company yet. Shen Ze thinks that they've already done a great job producing a big drama like "Parents' Love," but at this point in time, they're not really that strong.

Besides, even with Daylight Entertainment, if you don't pick and choose roles, it's not that difficult to play a small part. Even at the peak of Daylight Entertainment, everyone was vying for the male and female leads or important supporting roles. As for a role like Xiao Bao Zong, with Shen Ze bringing Zhang Xianzong's popularity, it wouldn't be a problem at all to snatch it.

Noon Sunshine isn't a god; they knew this character would be a hit. Shen Ze, carrying the memories of his rebirth, has a great deal of awe for certain films and television dramas, but at the time of filming, he might not have taken it that seriously.

This is the benefit of popularity. Shen Ze actually suffered from not having a company. If he had a company with production capabilities, he could have gotten some leading roles in movies based on the popularity of the character Zhang Xianzong. Of course, it would have to be a small-budget production.

Even if he knew that, he wouldn't regret it. Sometimes, the supporting role is more popular than the main character. He only takes on hit dramas, which are popular in his memory. He's not better than some ineffective main character.

That evening, he received a call asking him to discuss his salary. He left his phone number, so he agreed to the discussion. The production company was quite shrewd; they immediately said that Xiao Bao Zong was just a supporting character, and other such nonsense. Shen Ze didn't have high expectations; he just wanted a contract.

He didn't have high demands for pay to begin with, and he's currently in a growth phase, but he can't be completely without pay either. He also wants to see what the production team offers him.

The film's release schedule requires him to stay for fifteen days, and he will start filming in October, which is later than expected. As for his salary, it's a flat rate of 680,000 yuan, not much higher than that of "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer".

If we think about it normally, before Wu Xin: The Monster Killer became famous, it only had 500,000 views. Now that it's popular, it's only increased by this much?

However, some things can't be calculated that way. He played the second male lead in "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer," so he had a lot of screen time and filmed many scenes. This guy, Xiao Bao, was always a supporting actor with fewer scenes, so his price was actually several times higher.

Well, it hit the mark right on his psychological line. He's not really stupid. Even though no company negotiated prices for him, he still set prices based on the current market conditions.

He set his price to be about three times higher than before. Of course, if he encountered a good company, it could be five or six times higher, but Shen Ze also had his own goals, so he decided to leave it at that.

Even so, Shen Ze was quite satisfied. The entertainment industry is all about making money, and nowadays no company shares the profits, so all the money is his, and he earns quite a bit.

The contract was signed quickly. Early the next morning, Shen Ze received a call saying the contract had been sent to his email. Of course, Shen Ze went to have a lawyer review it. It was a normal entertainment contract, with all the necessary meal allowances and assistant benefits.

The contract was signed, and all that was left was to wait for the cast to be formed. Shen Ze hadn't expected that he would get the role after auditioning yesterday. It seemed that Zhang Xianzong's popularity made a big fuss over getting a supporting role.

Next up is "With You". Shen Ze had bought the novel to read before, but he has long since put it aside. In "With You", Lu Xinghe is just a passerby and not the second male lead at all, so he has no reference value.

The audition for "The Best of Us" was quite interesting. Unlike the previous centralized auditions, he was invited to audition alone just two days after submitting his resume. The audition took place at the Red Coral Restaurant outside the Beijing Film Academy, which is basically the most famous restaurant around the school.

The reason for choosing this location is that the person who contacted him is Liu Chang, the director of "With You," a young man who looks both young and old.

He wasn't very old, but his thick beard, which was close to his face and hadn't been groomed, made him look older than he actually was.

He was actually four years older than Shen Ze and graduated from the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy, so he was considered Shen Ze's senior. Therefore, the place where they arranged to meet was quite interesting.

Liu Chang looked at Shen Ze opposite him and was very satisfied. That youthful spirit was still there, which was the most important thing. After all, he was playing a high school student, and being young and clean was the most important thing.

This was his first leading role in a TV series. He valued the opportunity to be a director, which was a rare privilege. Therefore, after seeing Shen Ze's resume, he immediately arranged to meet with Shen Ze.

"Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" is still airing now. To be honest, even if he were to choose Yu Huai, he would be qualified. However, Yu Huai cannot be replaced. Firstly, the actor is suitable, and secondly, he signed a contract a few months ago.

Moreover, the male lead has great potential. In that detective movie he co-starred in with Baoqiang, Baoqiang was the second male lead. He also had movies like "Beijing Love Story" and variety shows like "Real Men." You can't beat him. Zhang Xianzong is only moderately popular. With Baoqiang in his movies, the box office is somewhat guaranteed. How can you compare?

Actually, the role of Lu Xinghe wasn't easy to get. There was already someone who had been chosen, Dong Zijian, but he had some problems and couldn't come. So, when he was thinking about who to choose, he wanted someone with some fame and to be young, someone offered himself up.

Furthermore, the production cost of "With You" was not high, and the selection was not very extensive. Shen Ze's arrival was just in time, during the peak of the drama's popularity. He could get the role he wanted, and as long as the difficulty was not too great, it was generally not a problem.

Most importantly, Shen Ze was reborn. He knew which movies would be popular, so his goals were clear. He couldn't just keep trying to get into bad movies after being reborn. If he wasn't qualified to be the lead, he could at least be a supporting actor.

"How's it going? Have you read the script?" When we got in touch, the other party sent me some of the script, not all of it, of course.

"I've seen it. He's a persistent character, but not that sentimental," Shen Ze said.

"Isn't that passionate? He proposed fifty-six times?" Liu Chang was a little surprised.

"He has had many girlfriends and has never stopped dating. He is never short of girls around him. He has had several serious relationships and even had someone he was about to marry."

"Director, are you trying to use having a girlfriend as a contrast, the feeling that 'I'll be there as soon as you turn around,' to show that the female lead is the most important person in Lu Xinghe's heart? Even a girlfriend can't compare?" Shen Ze asked.

Lu Xinghe is an original character; he only has one name in the novel, and the plot is all made up for the TV series. Shen Ze doesn't quite understand it either.

"That's exactly what I meant." Liu Chang had the same idea; comparisons are necessary to highlight importance. However, now that Shen Ze has brought it up, does the plot actually have some problems? Well, Shen Ze's understanding of the script is quite thorough.

"Shen Ze, we're from the same school, so I won't stand on ceremony. Would you like to join us?"

"certainly."