I really don't want to make bad movies!

Wang Yuan?!

Yang Xianghua paid ten million yuan for those two simple words.

And those two words are utterly worthless!

Xia Ming certainly knew who Wang Yuan was.

She was once a member of a well-known three-person idol group in mainland China.

Wang Junkai and Yi Yangqianxi have both completed their transitions to film and television, and have played leading roles, leaving only Wang Yuan whose position in the entertainment industry is in jeopardy.

"Why does he deserve a ten million dollar salary?!"

Xia Ming found it hard to accept.

In terms of acting skills, he's not worth the price; in terms of star power, he's clearly not qualified.

Wang Yuan's biggest role is to attract a loyal fan base, thus guaranteeing a minimum box office return for the film.

"Recast, I don't accept this lead actor." Xia Ming slapped the cast list on Yang Xianghua's chest.

Yang Xianghua smiled, pressed down on the cast list, and shook his head: "The contracts have already been signed, how could we possibly change actors at the last minute?"

"Mr. Yang, this is a project you're fully in charge of," Xia Ming said, his tone carrying a hint of threat. "Aren't you afraid these popular celebrities will ruin the movie?"

"Hahaha."

Yang Xianghua seemed quite relaxed, even patting Xia Ming on the shoulder: "I'm just trusting Director Xia!"

"I've seen 'The Swindlers,' and you managed to train so many new actors so well. How much more so would you train these experienced 'veteran actors'?"

believe?!

Xia Ming scoffed.

This is clearly an attempt to use his influence to boost the popularity of two young male celebrities, and there's no telling how much exchange of benefits is involved behind the scenes.

Moreover, they demand oxen to plow the fields, but don't feed them grass!

Before filming even started, Wang Yuan's involvement alone used up ten million yuan of the budget!

Yang Xianghua also had his own plans.

As the producer, he naturally made ample preparations.

I first visited Beijing Film Studio and learned that Xia Ming is indeed very talented. Not only did the professor acknowledge him, but every actor who has worked with him also speaks highly of him, calling him a master at training actors.

That's why he dared to accept the male lead role request from Wang Yuan's studio.

In the world of fame and fortune, his position requires not only performance but also interpersonal skills.

Even if the movie turns out badly, he can still use this experience of being in charge of production to step into the film industry.

There's a bigger sky there!

"Director Xia, don't miss this opportunity to prove yourself!" Yang Xianghua continued his manipulative tactics. "If you can bring two stars to the forefront and make a good movie, will you still worry about finding investors in the future?"

"If the movie wraps up smoothly, I'll personally reward you with two million!"

Xia Ming laughed, thinking that the two million might have been squeezed out from some corner of the company: "President Yang, with so much money, why not spend it on movies?"

"Hey, what are you saying!"

Yang Xianghua waved his hand dismissively: "I've read your script. It's mostly dialogue; why would you need so much money?"

"Besides, didn't I already pull some strings for you regarding the special effects? The lowest price in the industry, isn't that enough for you?"

Yang Xianghua had already shut Xia Ming down; if he were to argue again, he might be accused of embezzling funds.

"That's it, I still need to discuss the timing with the theaters, I have to go now!"

After saying that, Yang Xianghua left without looking back, giving Xia Ming no chance to retort.

Looking at Yang Xianghua's rounded back, Xia Ming finally understood why the 300 million yuan budget for "Chinese Paladin 4" ended up being such a mess.

Whether it's movies or web series, they're just tools Yang Xianghua uses to exchange resources.

When he has enough resources and a complex enough network of relationships, the company cannot simply kick him out based on performance.

This is why some people in the film and television industry are notorious outside the industry, but still thrive within it.

This kind of production, devoid of any artistic pursuit, is what gives directors the biggest headache.

A director might be able to control the entire crew with his abilities, but he can never control the executive producer.

Looking at the budget plan and cast list in his hand, he felt only a sense of exhaustion.

The film stars Wang Yuan and Ju Jingyi as a married couple, exploring the philosophy of time, life, and love against the backdrop of an alien invasion of Earth.

Its difficulty is no less than that of Kubrick creating "2001: A Space Odyssey" in 1968.

Who says Chinese science fiction can't be good? This plot isn't sci-fi enough!

……

The next day.

Xia Ming tossed and turned all night and got up early to go to the photography base.

The designated meeting time was 8:00 AM, but many members of the "Arrival" crew were already standing at the entrance of the filming location.

This gave Xia Ming a little comfort.

At least there are still some positive and motivated staff members.

Even if the production is terrible, as long as the technical staff doesn't make mistakes, it's not impossible to make a film for 80 million.

"Director Xia, breakfast is ready!"

The photography crew set up a small table with neatly arranged takeout boxes on it.

Xia Ming walked forward with a smile, and without any ceremony, picked up a bowl of hot soy milk and ate it with fried dough sticks.

The temperature was just below zero, and the group sat together, their breath creating a hazy mist.

"Director Xia, did you do the shot planning for 'The Swindler'? Some of the camera movements look so smooth and comfortable," asked Du Bin, the director of photography, with a smile.

"I did the planning, and Zhao Fei was the lead cinematographer and director of photography."

"Zhao Fei?"

Du Bin was surprised, of course he knew Zhao Fei, a well-known photographer in Beijing's photography circle.

It's truly enviable that Xia Ming, a mere student, could hire such a powerful figure to work for him.

"Professor Du, your film 'The Law' is also very impressive."

"Director Xia has seen it?" Du Bin was overjoyed.

Last night, Xia Ming briefly reviewed the representative works of the various directors in the production team, which gave him a basic understanding of their abilities.

"Of course, you have a good grasp of portraits."

Du Bin smiled wryly: "It's not that I'm good at portrait photography, it's just that the online drama genre only allows for portrait shooting!"

"Besides, the camera can only stand still and shoot with a fixed focus, which is no fun!"

Xia Ming could probably understand his predicament.

Web dramas need to employ a unique idol filter, making it difficult to shoot other types of scenes.

From a distance, the image becomes blurred; up close, the actors' flaws are magnified, exposing both their acting skills and makeup shortcomings.

"It's alright, there's plenty of room to showcase your talents on my set!"

Xia Ming smiled and handed him today's shooting schedule and storyboard.

From what we can see, Du Bin seems to be a normal person.

Although I've never made a movie, I've been working in the web series industry for over a decade, so I'm quite proficient with camera equipment.

Xia Ming refused to believe that with his own meticulous storyboard guidance, he could still make a mistake.

I'm not afraid of your low skill level, I'm afraid of your inability to communicate!

The group finished breakfast before the sun had even risen.

Xia Ming glanced at the time and used a loudspeaker to gather the crew.

"Has everyone read the script? We'll start filming the outdoor scenes from the second act, 'Alien Arrival.' The props team will split into two groups: Group A will come to film the outdoor scenes with us, and Group B will go to build the interior scenes for the alien spaceship."

"We've seen it!" came a listless reply from the crew.

It was too cold, so Xia Ming didn't provoke them because they were so unmotivated.

The work was assigned to different groups, and the group split into two teams.

Xia Ming led the large group by car to the open plains, while the executive director used the drawings given to him by Xia Ming to build sets at the film studio.

……

They were busy outdoors until noon when the late-arriving sunlight finally enveloped them.

Xia Ming walked back and forth for tens of thousands of steps, and even helped move scaffolding for a while, leaving him sweating profusely from exhaustion.

He took off his down jacket, took a sip of tea, picked up the schedule and cast list, and looked around the set.

"Where are the main actors? Why haven't they arrived yet?" Xia Ming raised his hand and beckoned the assistant director, Xiao Bai, to his side.

Xiao Bai is a man in his thirties who is said to be a doctoral student in education in the film and television program at the University of Southern California, specializing in teaching methods for directing and screenwriting.

Xia Ming didn't care what Xiao Bai's educational background was; he just wanted to know where his actors had gone.

Xiao Bai was fair-skinned and had her hair styled with hair gel. She calmly walked up to Xia Ming, took out her phone, and started searching.

"Wang Yuangang just boarded the plane and should now be over Shaanxi City, 900 kilometers away from us."

Xia Ming frowned: "What do you mean 'just boarded the plane'? Didn't we agree that filming would officially begin today?"

Xiao Bai curled the corners of her lips and smiled, "Just boarding the plane means they might need another four hours to get to the set, so it's like they've arrived at the film crew today, right?"

"Where is Ju Jingyi?"

"Just received news that it's in Bunkyo Ward."

"Which ring road is Bunkyo Ward on in the Keihae area? How many hours does it take to get there?"

Xiao Bai looked at Xia Ming with an expression that said, "You don't know anything," and replied, "It's Bunkyo Ward in Tokyo."