We asked you to make an anti-corruption film, but you made one in the name of the people!

Liu Jianguo also took care of arranging the team.

With the Supreme People's Procuratorate involved, borrowing any film crew is a simple matter of a word.

In the end, the entire team from the Yanjing Television Art Center was chosen—the cinematographer, lighting technician, costume and prop master, and script supervisor were all experienced professionals who had worked on old dramas for over a decade.

What about the director? Prosecutor Zhao's idea is to have Lin Mo be the chief director.

But Lin Mo knew that although he had worked as an assistant director in his previous life, he was still a little unsure about directing such a large-scale drama on his own.

He suggested to Prosecutor Zhao that they find a senior executive director to form a team. He would be responsible for overall control and directing the scenes, while the executive director would be responsible for on-site coordination and other matters.

Upon hearing this, Prosecutor Zhao thought it was a reliable idea.

Two days later, Liu Jianguo found someone—Old Zhao, Zhao Mingyuan.

Zhao Mingyuan, 52 years old, has spent his entire life working on television dramas, serving as an executive director for over 20 years and working on more than a dozen large production teams.

She is experienced, has a good temper, and is best at scrutinizing details according to the script.

Lin Mo met with Lao Zhao and chatted for less than half an hour before they reached an understanding.

After reading the script, Lao Zhao was amazed and immediately declared, "Director Lin, you tell me how to film it, and I'll cooperate. You don't need to worry about any of the miscellaneous tasks on set; leave them to me."

Lin Mo readily agreed: "Brother Zhao, then I'll leave it to you."

As for the actors, Liu Jianguo has also finalized all the roles.

They are all talented actors; there isn't a single celebrity with a large following.

When Lin Mo received the final cast list, his hands were shaking.

This lineup is even more luxurious than the original version from the previous life!

……

Ten days later, in the conference room of the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Film and Television Center.

Lin Mo meets all the main actors for the first time.

The long table was filled with people on both sides.

Wu Gang, Zhang Zhijian, Zhang Fengyi, Hou Yong, Xu Yajun, Lu Yi... more than a dozen actors, the youngest being in his early thirties and the oldest nearly sixty.

Any one of these people could carry a whole movie.

Now everyone is crammed into one room.

Lin Mo stood in front of the projection screen, wearing a black jacket and holding a laser pointer.

He looked to be under thirty, but the composure on his face suggested he wasn't a newcomer.

"Dear teachers, thank you all very much for coming." Lin Mo started directly, "I know that everyone here is very busy and has tight schedules. So I will keep it short."

He turned on the projector, and a diagram of relationships between people appeared on the screen.

"Our show is called 'In the Name of the People.' The story isn't complicated; it's about an anti-corruption bureau chief investigating a case, who ends up uncovering a whole string of high-ranking officials through that investigation."

"But the real complexity lies in the people inside."

Lin Mo walked to the screen and pointed to Secretary Dakang's portrait.

"Mr. Wu Gang, the character you played, Li Dakang, is the Party Secretary of Jingzhou City. He's obsessed with GDP growth, has a fiery temper, and speaks his mind directly. But he's not corrupt. He's betrayed by his wife, his subordinates, and his brothers. In the end, everyone thinks he's a big corrupt official, but he's actually one of the cleanest people in the whole series."

Wu Gang listened intently, his pen writing something down in his notebook.

Lin Mo then pointed at Gao Yuliang.

"Teacher Zhang, the character you played, Gao Yuliang, was the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Handong. He was a law professor by training, spoke succinctly, and seemed very upright. But in the end, he fell—not for money, but for a woman, and for his own intellectual sentiments."

Zhang Zhijian adjusted his glasses and nodded slightly.

Lin Mo recounted each character's personality, fate, and key lines in his mind, able to recall them effortlessly.

He paused for a moment when he mentioned Qi Tongwei.

"Mr. Xu Yajun, the character Qi Tongwei is the most complex in the whole series. He wasn't born a bad person. He knelt down, cried, and fought for his life. But fate repeatedly trampled him into the mud. In the end, he chose the most extreme way—to commit suicide by shooting himself."

Xu Yajun leaned back in his chair, his expression serious, his eyes already pondering the role.

"I don't expect you to act that scene in a particularly tragic way," Lin Mo said, looking at Xu Yajun. "I just want you to portray that sense of resentment. The resentment of a once-proud young man being driven to the brink of despair."

Xu Yajun nodded: "Understood."

When the topic turned to Zhao Dehan's scene with the cash wall, Hou Yong raised his hand.

"Director Lin, um... how do we film this with over two hundred million in cash?"

Lin Mo smiled: "Teacher Hou, don't worry about that. Prosecutor Zhao said he can coordinate with the bank to borrow real money. You'll have a mountain of money in front of you then."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Using real money to make movies? That's incredible!

For over an hour, Lin Mo did not refer to the script and spoke entirely from memory.

He explained the background of each character, the purpose of each scene, and the implied meaning of each line clearly.

The veteran actors present initially showed politeness, but gradually became serious, and finally admired the actors.

When the meeting ended, Wu Gang walked over and patted Lin Mo on the shoulder: "Little Lin, I've been acting for over thirty years, and this is the first time I've seen such a young director explain the script so clearly."

Zhang Fengyi chimed in, "The key is that the script is well-written. The scenes are all in the script; we just need to act according to it."

Lin Mo said a few modest words, but he knew in his heart that the game was in the bag.

……

Three days later, filming officially began for "In the Name of the People".

The first scene was set at Zhao Dehan's home.

In an old residential building in a neighborhood, the corridors are narrow and the walls are mottled.

Hou Yong, wearing an old jacket, sat at a broken table eating noodles with soybean paste, slurping them down with relish.

Lin Mo sat behind the monitor, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"start!"

Hou Yong put down his chopsticks, looked up at the door, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

Hou Liangping, played by Lu Yi, pushed open the door and showed his work ID: "Director Zhao, we are from the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Please cooperate with the investigation."

Zhao Dehan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Supreme People's Procuratorate? Comrade, are you sure you're not mistaken? I haven't embezzled a single penny."

That smile was honest and kind, with a hint of grievance.

Lin Mo nodded silently behind the monitor.

Hou Yong's sense of proportion was spot on.

"Click! Pass!"

The first round was completed in one take.

The audience erupted in applause.

Hou Yong wiped his mouth, walked over to watch the playback, and smiled with satisfaction.

Next, Zhao Dehan was taken to the secret mansion, where the wall that had been converted from a refrigerator was opened.

Stacks of cash were neatly arranged.

Zhao Dehan's legs went weak on the spot, and he had to be supported by two staff members, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.

"I didn't spend a single penny! I didn't dare spend any! I'm terrified of being poor!"

Hou Yong cried until his eyes were red and his voice was hoarse.

After that shot was filmed, the entire place was silent for several seconds.

Then came applause again.

Wu Gang muttered to himself, "This performance is absolutely brilliant."

……

Lin Mo emphasizes speed when filming.

Because he has the complete picture in his mind, he knows exactly what angle, lighting, and emotion are needed for every shot.

So unlike other directors, he doesn't shoot a single shot more than ten times.

A maximum of three; once you pass, you pass.

The veteran actors also cooperated well—the script was good, the director understood it, and they were comfortable acting.

Many scenes were filmed in one take.

Old Zhao, the executive director, also played a role.

He arranged everything perfectly, from on-site coordination and urging actors to perform and logistical support.

Lin Mo only needed to sit behind the monitor and focus on the performance.

Soon, the most difficult scene arrived—Qi Tongwei swallowed a gun.

It was evening, and the light was just right.

Xu Yajun was wearing the uniform of the Director of the Public Security Bureau, his face showing signs of hardship.

He raised the gun and pressed it against his chin.

Lin Mo didn't shout "Start," but walked up to Xu Yajun and whispered a few words to him.

No one knows what Lin Mo said.

All that could be seen was that Xu Yajun's eyes reddened after hearing the story.

He nodded.

Lin Mo returned behind the monitor and shouted, "Start!"

Xu Yajun raised his head, looked at the distant sky, and his lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't say anything.

Then, a shot rang out.

He lay on the ground, his eyes still open, staring at the gray sky.

"Click!"

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Passed."

No one applauded.

It's not bad, it's too good.

It was so good that no one had yet recovered from that feeling.

Xu Yajun walked over to watch the playback.

He watched it twice and said to Lin Mo, "Director Lin, thank you."

Lin Mo patted him on the shoulder without saying anything.

……

More than a month later.

The final scene was filmed, and the shoot was over.

When Lin Mo announced, "Cut! That's a wrap! 'In the Name of the People' is finished!" the entire audience erupted in cheers.

More than a month later, 55 episodes were released, a full half month ahead of schedule.

This is considered incredibly fast in the history of television drama production.

Old Zhao walked over, his eyes a little red: "Director Lin, I've been with the crew for over twenty years, and I've never seen you have it this smooth."

Lin Mo smiled and said, "It's not that I'm lucky, it's that these teachers acted so well."

Wu Gang walked over with a cup of tea: "Xiao Lin, don't be modest. A good play, a good script, a good director—all three are indispensable."

Zhang Fengyi chimed in, "Director Lin, are you going to cast me in your next film?"

Lin Mo agreed to all of them.

He knew in his heart that this was just the beginning.

After filming, there's still post-production.

Editing, composing music, dubbing, color grading, submission for review...

But at least, the hardest step has been taken.

All that's left is to let the world see this play.