novelraw Chapter 25 How did a perfectly good movie turn into a sect competition?
Chapter 25 How did a perfectly good movie turn into a sect competition?
Lin Yu ultimately failed to assemble the Beijing Film Academy All-Star lineup he desired.
In early November, Li Zhenlin, the director of the Academic Affairs Office of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, came to the Beijing Film Academy for research and exchange.
Old Wang has absolutely no sense of secrecy; he took the script and started showing it off to his old friend.
After reading the script, Li Zhenlin only casually praised it a couple of times, but he was already making plans in his mind.
The next day, Principal Zhang Huijun's office became lively.
Li Zhenlin arrived with people from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and incidentally, he also informed Liao Xianghong, the dean of the Central Academy of Drama, who then came as well.
It's rare to see three top universities all together, just for a freshman's script.
Lin Yu, who was in class, was called out of the classroom by Wang Chunzi, who said that the school leaders wanted to see him.
Lin Yu followed the counselor, completely bewildered. He couldn't figure out what had happened recently. Could it be that the script had been revised? But there was no need to rush.
Pushing open the door to the small conference room, he found five or six people already sitting inside, all staring at him as if they were about to be interrogated.
Lin Yu subconsciously checked his zipper and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there was no problem.
"Come, come, Lin Yu, have a seat." Principal Zhang Huijun greeted him warmly, his face beaming like a Maitreya Buddha.
Lin Yu was even more confused. Logically speaking, the principal shouldn't know his identity, so why was he being so enthusiastic?
He had barely sat down when a kind-looking middle-aged man spoke up: "Young man, you are quite the handsome young man. Would you be interested in studying at our Shanghai Theatre Academy?"
What's going on? Have I been poached again? And by someone from the Shanghai Theatre Academy?!
Seeing Lin Yu's bewildered expression, Wang Jinsong, who was sitting next to him, whispered an explanation: "They're teachers from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, here to steal roles."
Lin Yu nodded, roughly understanding the situation: "Thank you for your kindness, teacher. I am very satisfied with my life at Beijing Film Academy and have no plans to transfer schools for the time being."
After Lin Yu finished speaking, he relaxed and leaned back in his chair, casually looking around the conference room.
Zhang Huijun nodded in satisfaction and began to introduce the people present to Lin Yu: "This is Liao Xianghong, the vice president of the Central Academy of Drama, and this is Li Zhenlin from the Academic Affairs Office of the Shanghai Theatre Academy."
"Hello, teachers." Lin Yu nodded as a greeting.
Liao Xianghong looked at Lin Yu with a smile, her eyes appraising him like she was appreciating a rough gem: "Little Lin, I read your script the other day, it's really well written. I wonder if you've found all the actors yet?"
Under normal circumstances, such low-budget films would not even catch the eye of Li Zhenlin and Liao Xianghong, but the current situation is indeed special.
The script was written by a freshman, and the investment was already secured before it was even finalized. China Film Group took four million and also helped secure the copyright. Wang Jinghua took two million without even looking at the script.
There isn't a fool here; everyone knows perfectly well what all of this means when put together.
This film is destined to become a focal point in the industry. Even better, it's an ensemble piece with twelve characters, each with their own highlight moments. Isn't this the perfect stage to showcase the teaching achievements of various schools?
Lin Yu quickly calculated in his mind: "Most of the roles have been decided, and I probably have ideas for the remaining roles as well."
In the days since leaving Tian Zhuangzhuang's office, Lin Yu has also been busy.
First, they brought in Dou Xiao through Zhou Dongyu. Yes, that's the one who later went bankrupt trying to marry into a wealthy family but failed.
She also brought in Li Xian, the future "current boyfriend," through Zhang Yishan.
He also contacted Zhang Ruoyun through the teacher. Zhang Ruoyun is the male protagonist in the adaptation of male-oriented novels into film and television. In 26, he was subjected to intense team building in the comments section by netizens because of his wife's "outstanding" performance on the show "Sisters Who Make Waves".
These people have all signed contracts, and to prevent them from running away, the penalty for breach of contract has been fixed.
Lin Yu had originally planned to bring Nazha along if they couldn't get everyone together, but considering Nazha's "disastrous" acting skills, he hesitated.
He really wanted to help Nazha, but if Nazha did, it would be a disaster. Not only a disaster for Nazha's acting career, but also a disaster for Lin Yu's directing career.
Zhang Huijun cleared his throat: "Lin Yu, these teachers have read your script and given it very high praise. The school has discussed it and wants to make this film a teaching exchange project among the three schools."
Principal Zhang paused, observed Lin Yu's reaction, and then continued, "Of course, the school will definitely prioritize your ideas. Feel free to share your thoughts, and we'll discuss them together."
Lin Yu nodded. He had no objection to the film being included in the three-school exchange program. The more attention the script received, the more meticulous it would be, and the more successful his initial launch would be.
Lin Yu recited the names of Dou Xiao, Li Xian, Zhang Ruoyun, and others, then added, "The remaining six roles haven't been finalized yet."
After listening to Lin Yu's words, Principal Zhang nodded. "Then how about this: for the remaining six roles, the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy will each recommend two students, and you'll make the final decision. If you think they're suitable, we'll use them; if not, we'll find replacements. How does that sound?"
Lin Yu thought about it and agreed that the plan was indeed good. He nodded, "No problem, then I'll trouble you all."
Liao Xianghong and Li Zhenlin exchanged a glance and both smiled with satisfaction.
The film increased its visibility; Beijing Film Academy gained control of the exchange activities; Central Academy of Drama and Shanghai Theatre Academy got the exposure they wanted; and the participating students received guidance from teachers of the three prestigious universities.
This is a win-win-win situation, one more than a win-win-triple situation. Everyone is winning!
As for how much pressure the actors will face, Lin Yu can't control that. The contracts have already been signed, and none of them are going to run away.
After the meeting, Lin Yu walked out of the conference room and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Wang Jinsong patted him on the shoulder, "You really made me proud today. I'd like to see who will say that the Beijing Film Academy's acting department can't produce actors after this event."
Lin Yu glanced at Old Man Wang sideways and said, "Old man, aren't you getting a little too excited? What if, I mean, what if the final product comes out and the Beijing Film Academy's acting is overshadowed by someone else's? Would you still be laughing then?"
"Who are you calling old man? No respect for elders!" Wang Jinsong raised his hand and slapped Lin Yu on the back. "How could my students be worse than them?"
Lin Yu didn't say anything, just quietly looked at Old Man Wang, his eyes saying, "Don't you have any self-awareness?"
The corridor suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.
Wang Jinsong's smile froze on his face as he quickly went through the list of students he had taught over the past few years.
As he thought about what kind of students the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy would send, sweat began to bead on his forehead.
He remained silent for a while, then finally sighed: "Give me the finalized list, and I'll bring it back to you in the next few days to catch up."
Lin Yu nodded in satisfaction: "I'll send it to you when we get back. We're counting on you to bring glory to Beijing Film Academy."
Wang Jinsong sighed, not expecting that he would have to push himself so hard at his age. He then told Lin Yu, "Don't be idle these next few days, or you'll embarrass yourself if you don't do a good job."
Wang Jinsong's heart skipped a beat. This kid was laughing like that; he must be up to no good.
"If I don't make a good film, I'll embarrass myself. Just put Director Tian's name on the director's list and I'll be the assistant director."
"If the audience is not satisfied, just say that these audiences do not understand the art of film. Then find a few people in the industry and film critics to praise it, and another artistic masterpiece will be born." Lin Yu revealed his burning technique.
The air in the corridor seemed to freeze.
The three people walking in front, Zhang Huijun, Liao Xianghong, and Li Zhenlin, paused at the same time, and all three pairs of eyes turned to look at them with complicated expressions.
This kid... his methods don't seem to be from the right path.
Tian Zhuangzhuang, who was walking at the very back, blushed again after hearing these words.
"You little thief, prepare to die!"