"Have you recorded it?" Cheng Xiaodong asked loudly.
"It's all recorded, Director Cheng." Someone in the crowd agreed.
Li Tang looked around, and sure enough, a buddy was filming there with a miniature camera. I guess he was filming some preliminary preparations, but I didn't say anything in advance, otherwise he might act more handsome.
Cheng Xiaodong was a little eager to give it a try, but when he thought about the terrifying power of Li Tang's last shot, he decided not to do it. He had old arms and legs, and it wouldn't be worth it to injure him accidentally. I regret not bringing a martial arts brother with me this time. Otherwise, I could have tried a few tricks with Li Tang.
As for Director Zhang, his wrinkled face was filled with an honest smile. He whispered a few words to Zhang Weiping before saying to Cheng Xiaodong: "Director Cheng, is it okay?"
Cheng Xiaodong said quickly: "It must be no problem."
Director Zhang understood, beckoned Li Tang to come over, and said with a smile: "Xiao Li, thank you for your hard work. I originally wanted to have a good chat with you today, but Teacher Wada suddenly came over today... But it doesn't matter, we have seen everything we should see. , I will notify you as soon as I have the results."
Li Tang knew that he had basically passed the test. A big production like "Hero" is not like Hollywood's producer responsibility system. The director's opinions are only for reference, and the final decision must be made by the producer. But important roles always need to be discussed, even if it is formal.
"Thank you, director."
He nodded repeatedly, and then asked: "Director, when will our play start?"
Zhang Yimou thought for a while and said: "I guess it will be around the middle of the year. Is there any conflict with your schedule?"
"No, no. Director, then I will just wait for your call."
This sentence not only tested Zhang Yimou's attitude towards him, but also did not conflict with the "The Third Man" he was currently preparing. Li Tang was very satisfied.
Then, he said goodbye to all the big guys present.
Mrs. Hotan finally held his hand and said specifically: "Li Sang, I hope there will be opportunities for cooperation."
"Thank you Wada-senpai, goodbye."
In response to the old lady's kindness, Li Tang gave her a Japanese-style bow.
The old lady also bowed quickly in return.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Weiping whispered to Zhang Yimou beside him: "Isn't Wada Huimei attracted by this young man Li Tang?"
Director Zhang looked at his old partner in surprise, then rolled his eyes and turned his head to the side.
After Director Zhang finished talking to the old Japanese lady, several people sat down to discuss. Cheng Xiaodong was paid to work as an action guide and his opinions were used as a reference.
Although Hong Kong people always stick together, Li Tang's performance is obvious to all, and he will not tell lies with his eyes open.
"Li Tang's shooting skills are good, and Danny is the action director."
Not a single word disparaged Li Tang, but it also indicated that Donnie Yen, as the action director, could do the same.
Since the action skills are balanced, Li Tang is definitely the winner in terms of acting skills. He has a professional background, the winner of the Huabiao Film Newcomer Award, and the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor. Director Zhang didn’t even audition for the role, which shows his trust in Li Tang’s acting skills.
Then there is the financial calculation. Although the investment in "Hero" is 30 million US dollars, which is equivalent to more than 250 million yuan, which seems to be a lot, don't forget that Li Lianjie alone accounted for one-tenth of the salary. Three million dollars! This is the price of friendship that Li Lianlian pays for Director Zhang’s face. You should know that his salary in Hollywood has reached 9 million US dollars.
Next is Tony Leung and Zhang Manyu's salary of one million US dollars each. Even if Zhang Ziyi is a friendship price, it will cost two million yuan. After Zhen's film "Fist of Fury", her salary increased to HK$5 million, which is more than 5 million RMB at the current exchange rate.
It has to be said that the pay gap between mainland actors and Hong Kong and Taiwan stars is very big these days. For the same Cannes best actor, Uncle Ge's pay may only be less than one-third of Tony Leung Chiu-wai's. Zhang Ziyi's external offer of 3 million has already been This is the ceiling for the salary of mainland actors.
So how much is Li Tang's salary? Three hundred thousand or four hundred thousand, even if it is five hundred thousand, it is only one-tenth of Zhen's salary.
What's more, Li Tang's popularity in the mainland is now enough to overwhelm Zhen Bullet, who is on the front line and second line in Hong Kong.
When these items were laid out one by one, Second Young Master Jiang could only hold his nose and recognize them.
Director Zhang also breathed a sigh of relief. As a director, although he has the final say, to be honest, he is not willing to offend others.
As soon as Li Tang returned to the courtyard in his little Toyota, his ex-girlfriend couldn't wait to ask: "How are you doing? What kind of show is this?"
"I was asked to demonstrate a set of marksmanship. It seemed that Director Zhang was very satisfied and asked me to wait for news. I didn't say what the specific scene was, but it must be a martial arts scene."
A director of Zhang Yimou's level has received too much attention from the outside world, especially since his last film "Happy Days" was widely evaluated by the outside world as "the talent of the director has been exhausted". In order to avoid unnecessary trouble and concentrate on creation, all news about the new movie is kept secret. Even audition actors like Li Tang are kept secret before the contract is signed. But no matter how secret it is, some rumors will eventually get out.
"I've been saying that Director Zhang is going to make a martial arts blockbuster, and it turns out it's true!"
The ex-girlfriend's face was full of longing, and then she said: "So, you are quite hopeful this time?"
"Well, that should be it."
Seeing Li Tang's confident look, his ex-girlfriend was envious but also a little complicated. As Li Tang's development got better and better, she regretted her original choice more and more.
But there is no regret medicine in this world. All she can do now is cherish the moment, so she took Li Tang's arm and said softly: "How long can you stay this time?"
Looking down at his ex-girlfriend's big, expectant eyes, Li Tang hesitated and said, "Let's leave tomorrow... uh, the day after tomorrow."
The direct result of using up a box of Durex with raised thread thermal devices in two days was that Li Tang's feet were still dangling when he boarded the plane.
Two hours later, the plane landed.
Zeng Jia, who came to pick him up at the airport, was startled when she saw his tired face and his eyes like pandas, which inevitably gave him a bad association.
"Brother Li, are you okay?"
"fine."
Li Tang yawned and covered it up: "Maybe it's because I haven't slept well in the past two days. Take me home first."
"good."
When walking out, Zeng Jia deliberately slowed down and walked behind Li Tang. She observed carefully and made sure that his walking posture was normal, then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Jiajia..."
As the cooperation went on for a long time, Li Tang gradually recognized Zeng Jia's abilities, and his title changed from "Xiao Zeng" to "Jia Jia".
Li Tang turned his head and didn't see Zeng Jia. When he turned around, he found that she was lagging behind and staring behind him. He couldn't help but wonder: "What's wrong?"
"Oh it's all right."
Zeng Jia hurriedly took a few steps to catch up and said with a guilty conscience: "I was just thinking about something and got distracted."
"Did something happen to the crew?"
"No, nothing happened, everything is normal." Zeng Jia said hurriedly.
Li Tang originally wanted to ask about the situation of the crew during his absence in the past few days. Hearing what Zeng Jia said, he felt relieved. He couldn't help but yawned and urged: "Let's go quickly."
The driver was waiting outside in a Jinbei van newly purchased by the crew. Cars are indispensable for filming, and he originally wanted to rent one, but Li Tang considered that the little Changan he drove at home was about to be scrapped, so he simply bought one. It was not expensive, and the actual price was about the same as Xu Guangtou's little Sail.
The cost of buying the car can be put into the production cost, and then sold to your hotel at a low price later.
After getting in the car, Zeng Jia had the opportunity to ask: "Brother Li, how was it when Director Zhang came to talk to you this time?"
"It's okay. Director Zhang is going to shoot a new movie, so he asked me to give it a try... Oh, please pay attention during this period. Director Zhang will notify you as soon as there is any news. I left your business card. .”
When Zeng Jia heard this, she was immediately surprised and said: "Is that right?"
"I haven't given a definite answer, but I think it's probably close to ten, otherwise I wouldn't have kept your business card." Li Tang said.
As long as the interview is passed, the next step is between the agent and the producer. The actor and director generally will not be personally involved.
Surprised, Zeng Jia asked again: "Is there any time conflict with our current drama?"
"Probably not. Director Zhang's side won't start until the middle of the year. You can urge Director Cheng later, and we'll try to hurry up here too."
"Well, I understand."
There was no conversation all the way. When he returned to his old apartment on Wuyuan Road, Li Tang simply took a shower and fell asleep. He didn't even eat dinner and slept until early the next morning.
I got up and ran around, but I felt seriously lacking in physical strength. Fortunately, my energy recovered a lot.
…
"Brother Li, congratulations!"
When he arrived at Shanghai Film Studio in the morning, Cheng Er, who had always been taciturn, was the first to congratulate him.
Li Tang waved his hand, pretending to be humble and said: "We haven't even written the horoscope yet, and everything is not settled until the contract is signed."
Fortunately, Cheng Er doesn't talk too much and took the initiative to report: "Brother Li, the exterior scenes are almost finished now. I plan to rent a studio to shoot the scenes at Xiao Ke's house."
Almost one-third of the entire film was shot in Xiao Ke's home. If it were shot in real location, it would not be possible to use the location, and it would also be afraid of disturbing the public. The best way is to set up a scene, but this involves budget.
Running a business on a small budget requires careful budgeting for everything, except for the location. For example, Lin Mo's home is located in Cheng Er's apartment in Xinzhuang, while He Wei and Xiao Feng's home is Li Tang's home in the city. Fortunately, there are not many shots in either place.
Li Tang had already been mentally prepared for this and asked, "How much budget increase is needed?"
"About 150,000."
Cheng Er thought for a while and gave a conservative number.
"Instead of 150,000, let's count it as 200,000."
There are bound to be bumps and bumps during filming, as well as various unexpected situations. It's best to relax your budget to avoid being stretched again.
There are actually advantages to shooting on location, that is, you are free from interference and can create with peace of mind. You can shoot day and night if necessary, saving time.
After all, as soon as the camera is turned on, the entire crew of fifty or sixty people will spend money on food, drink, equipment, etc. If you can turn off the camera one day early, you can save a day's money.
First update! There are a lot of things during the day these two days, so the update may be a little late, the second update will be before 12 o'clock.
(End of chapter)
