Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

"Yifei, I'd like to invite you to play the female lead in my film!"

Looking into Zhao Yanxi's sincere eyes, Liu Yifei was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "Okay!"

Liu Xiaoli seemed to want to say something, but in the end she just smiled.

After Zhao Yanxi left, Liu Yifei asked tentatively, "Mom, you... seemed to not want me to act in Yanxi's movie?"

"I don't really have any particular feelings about whether I want to or not," Liu Xiaoli admitted frankly.

"For the sake of your career planning, I don't want you to act in those kinds of youth campus movies. You've already acted in two of them, both 'Mayday's Love' and 'Love Winner'."

In terms of cast and budget, it is a masterpiece of its kind, and you can see its box office success and influence.

It didn't make you any name in the film industry at all, and the box office was as bad as ever.

If another similar coming-of-age film were made, the ending would probably be the same.

Liu Xiaoli sighed and continued, "But Yan Xi is, after all, your savior. If it weren't for him this morning... putting aside everything else, just for his selfless act of rushing down, I would have been willing for you to help him!"

"Hehe, I knew you were the best, Mom."

"Come on," Liu Xiaoli rolled her eyes at her, "Let's go shopping. It's been so long since I've gone shopping since I joined the crew."

"It's getting cold, let's see if I can buy you a coat to change into!"

......

After arranging a meeting time with Liu Yifei and her daughter in the afternoon, Zhao Yanxi wandered around aimlessly.

After wandering around for a while, I somehow ended up at the entrance of the movie theater.

The cinema entrance is already covered with posters for movies like "Kung Fu Hustle," "A World Without Thieves," and "Infernal Affairs 3."

Zhao Yanxi naturally didn't remember many things from when she was 9 years old in her previous life, but she vaguely remembered that the 2004 Lunar New Year film season was marked by "Kung Fu Hustle" topping the charts and "A World Without Thieves" breaking 100 million yuan, ushering in a new era dominated by domestic blockbusters.

Furthermore, the changes in domestic films in 04 were also highlighted in the cultural courses of the directing department.

During this year's Lunar New Year film season, domestic films accounted for a staggering 94% of the market share, exceeding 90% for the first time in history.

Whenever she thinks about this, Zhao Yanxi feels the urge to resign and return to Beijing as soon as possible to prepare for her first blockbuster film!

However, the copyright deal for "You Are the Apple of My Eye" is still pending, and the royalties haven't been received yet. Even if I wanted to make it myself, I'm still short of the budget.

Furthermore, he also needed to use the filming of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" to gradually familiarize himself with the crew and equipment of 04.

In the end, I could only suppress my restless heart and remind myself that haste makes waste!

......

That evening, after returning to the film set, Liu Xiaoli took Liu Yifei to find Zhang Jizhong.

No one knows what they talked about;

However, Liu Yifei's filming schedule changed after that.

Scenes that can be filmed in one take are generally not filmed in several segments; a recliner just like the one Zhang Jizhong wore has also been added to the crew's tent, so Liu Yifei can lie down and rest on it when she's not filming.

Of course, Liu Xiaoli also made sure to include the traditional Chinese medicine treatments that Zhao Yanxi had recommended.

She asked a relative in Jiangcheng to introduce her to a female traditional Chinese medicine doctor in her forties.

Perhaps in terms of professionalism, he is far inferior to those white-bearded old men, but he is still capable of basic physiotherapy and massage.

It would be impossible for the rest of the crew not to have any complaints about Liu Yifei's special treatment.

After all, everyone is an actor, so why should you be the only one to receive preferential treatment? However, everyone is aware of Liu Yifei's medical records, so even if they feel indignant, they won't say anything.

Of course, there are also those who find it hard to suppress their dissatisfaction, such as a certain actress who is only eight months older than Liu Yifei... who also falls into the category of minors.

It's a pity she was just a supporting actress with limited screen time; she could never have been so overworked that a doctor would have to advise her to stop.

......

Two days later, editor Lao Wang finally called again:

"Yan Da! Was that you who played the hero saving the damsel in distress in the newspaper?"

"What newspaper?" Zhao Yanxi asked, completely bewildered.

"You haven't seen it yet? I'll send it to you!"

Old Wang hung up the phone in a flurry.

A short while later, Zhao Yanxi received a multimedia message containing a full-page report from an entertainment newspaper:

[Liu Yifei accidentally falls into the water while filming an action scene; Zhen Zhibing bravely rescues her from a waterfall!]

"An accident occurred during filming of the mainland version of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' at Pearl Shoal Waterfall in Jiuzhaigou the day before yesterday: 'Little Dragon Girl' Liu Yifei lost her footing and fell while filming a scene where she walks through the waterfall due to the extremely low water temperature..."

The report was written in vivid detail and included a fairly clear photo of the scene—the moment Zhao Yanxi jumped into the waterfall to save people.

"Goodness, this angle, this composition, you could easily mistake it for a still from a movie," Zhao Yanxi couldn't help but complain.

He had been wondering why Zhang Dahuzi would miss such a good publicity opportunity, since the crew had managed to escape unscathed despite such a major incident.

It seems that the Chinese internet is not developed enough, and many messages are delayed!

"Old Wang, just tell me straight, what does the publishing house mean?"

Old Wang's fawning laughter came from the other end of the phone: "Hehe, knowing you're a star, and a hot character like Zhen Zhibing, the publishing house immediately decided to improve your benefits!"

Tell me about it.

"The initial print run is 20 copies, with a 9% royalty rate. Subsequent print runs will see a 12% royalty rate. Compared to Annie Baby's work, the initial print run royalty is only 1% less. How about that?!"

"These terms are quite good. I have no objections. Let's sign it."

"Okay, I'll go reply to them right away. By the way, Yan Da, where can you sign the contract?"

"Hengdian, I guess," Zhao Yanxi thought for a moment, "Maybe at the end of the month. I'm still filming outside, but I should be able to go back to Hengdian by the end of the month. Let's meet up there."

"Okay, no problem!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Yanxi also turned on her computer and glanced at the news.

The comments from fans below the website's report were also heartwarming:

"Is Liu Yifei alright? That scoundrel won't take advantage of our kindness, will he?"

"I feel so sorry for the fairy-like beauty, all in the dead of winter!"

"Because of this incident, I will never criticize Zhen Zhibing again!"

......

Following the drowning incident, filming of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" has been proceeding steadily and cautiously.

Zhao Yanxi's life on set hasn't changed much.

Without acting duties, his only job was to be the cinematographer.

Of course, as a "trainee" photographer, Zhao Yanxi's time for personal shooting was limited, and he mostly served as a substitute for other veteran photographers.

Therefore, Zhao Yanxi spent most of her time reviewing her directing courses.

And he mentally reviewed how he would shoot and direct each scene if he were to direct "The Return of the Condor Heroes," and compared his directing perspective with that of Yu Min and Zhao Jian to see how they controlled the scenes.

It can be said that he honed his directing skills through daydreaming.

This was one of Zhao Yanxi's biggest gains on set, and another biggest gain was her friendship with Liu Yifei.

Liu Yifei is a reading enthusiast, so after learning that Zhao Yanxi was writing a novel, she naturally wanted to "read" it.

With the author right beside you, how can you not discuss the novel with the author?

As for Zhao Yanxi, as the handpicked female lead for her own debut work, it was natural for her to discuss the image and temperament of the character "Shen Jiayi" with Liu Yifei.

Their friendship progressed rapidly through their interactions.

Given the fact that she was saved by him, Zhao Yanxi naturally acquired the nickname "Xixi".

The main creative team of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" basically noticed that Zhao Yanxi had a special feeling for Liu Yifei, but under Zhao Yanxi's so-called "fan" and "idol-chasing fairy sister" remarks, no one said much.

We're all in this industry, what don't we know?

In the "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" crew, Bai Jie and Hu Jun could rehearse until they were breathless in the middle of the night. What does that matter compared to the deep friendship between Zhao Yanxi and Liu Yifei?

Aside from a few of Liu Yifei's admirers who would gossip behind her back, everyone else was happy to see it happen.

After all, scandals and hype are also essential promotional materials.

Since Zhao Yanxi and Liu Yifei are willing to take on this "task," it's a good thing for the production team.

......

At the end of November, "A World Without Thieves" began its intensive promotional campaign.

Wang Baoqiang's portrayal of Sha Gen has also begun to appear in the public eye, and the crew of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" has been discussing it extensively.

"He's really lucky to get the lead role in Director Feng's debut film."

"It doesn't seem to be her debut film. She played a role in Li Yang's 'Blind Shaft' last year and even won a Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer."

"I heard that Huayi Brothers is preparing to hold the premiere in Hong Kong Island, which is the first time in history."

"Yes, in the past it was mostly Hong Kong celebrities coming to the mainland..."

"When will I ever become a movie star...?"

Although television dramas have a much wider audience than movies, film actors have always held a higher status than television actors within the film and television industry.

As for the reasons, aside from the fact that movies themselves have higher requirements for actors' acting skills, the main reason is that movie stars can bring more exposure and fame to the actors themselves and to the capital.

For Zhao Yanxi, the biggest gain was signing a publishing contract with the publisher for "Those Years".

The initial print run is 20 copies, with a royalty rate of 9%. Subsequent print runs will have a royalty rate of 12%!

The first printing plan is for 15 paperback copies, priced at 15 yuan per copy; and 5 hardcover copies, priced at 20 yuan per copy. The first printing royalties are estimated to be around 30 yuan.

According to the contract, 30% will be prepaid upon signing, and the remainder will be paid in full within 3-6 months depending on sales performance.

With this calculation, I already have 70 yuan in my pocket, which is only 35 yuan away from the minimum production cost of a youth film.

......

As December arrived, the Lunar New Year film season kicked off with the release of "A World Without Thieves".

It's often said that Feng Xiaogang's productions can't cross the Shenzhen River, but it seems that "A World Without Thieves" has made a breakthrough.

The box office was 1100 million yuan on its opening day and over 3000 million yuan in its first week.

In just eight days, the film grossed over 5300 million yuan nationwide, a figure that is now equal to the total box office of "Cell Phone" after more than a month of release.

Major portal websites, print media, and entertainment publications all reported on its phenomenal success—[Director Feng Xiaogang is poised to become the second member of the 100 million yuan box office club in China, following in the footsteps of "Hero"!]

[The box office performance of "A World Without Thieves" is phenomenal; the powerful collaboration between Huayi Brothers and Feng Xiaogang sets a new record.]

Competing with "A World Without Thieves" was "Kung Fu Hustle," which launched its nationwide promotional campaign simultaneously.

No one can ignore Stephen Chow's existence!

Even Zhao Yanxi, who was reborn, does indeed owe Stephen Chow a movie ticket!

In his past life, he had watched many of Stephen Chow's movies, but never bought a single movie ticket...