Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1592 Audition
"So, it turns out that filming scenes at the Oracle's Office doesn't require going to the Oracle's Office itself."

Yanqiu looked at the majestic mountain in front of her—the mountain was as high as Mount Olympus, and the Temple of the Sun on the top of the mountain was as dazzling as the sun itself.

This isn't the real Delphi, but a film studio in Cyprus. The mountain is just part of the set and can be moved around at any time.

“We’re just going to Delphi to get permission,” Shangluo replied. “We won’t actually film at the temples in Delphi. They’re historical sites, and it would be terrible if we damaged them. But once we get permission, how we film is up to us. Oh, by the way, let’s get acquainted.”

Shangluo saw a familiar face ahead and waved to him.

"Who is that person in front?"

“You may have seen him, or you may not. Mr. Titus, he’s going to play the foster father of the Flying Yaksha.”

"Huh? Flying Yaksha's adoptive father? Is this character in our script?"

"No, Master Sa decided to add it last night."

"The script's already finished, and they can still add characters???"

"The investors, the investors," Shangluo said in a low voice, "In short, the Oracle thinks this is a great thing and has invested a lot of money. Master Sa also gave them face and had Tianyi Guiren revise the script overnight. As far as I'm concerned, having Tianyi Guiren write the script doesn't seem very sincere."

"It's alright, it doesn't matter." Yanqiu waved her hand. "Anyway, Master Sa is an method director, he'll revise the script himself."

"Wait a minute, what does 'method director' mean?" This was the first time Shang Luo had worked with Master Sa, and it was also the first time he had heard the term "method director."

The term "method acting" is supposedly used to describe actors—those who have undergone method acting training. This school of thought places great emphasis on the emotions of a character, requiring actors to transform their own feelings into artistic expression.

"The meaning of 'method director' is that he pays great attention to his own emotions and will transform his emotions into artistic expression."

"Isn't that just doing whatever you want?"

“He’s a Taoist master, what can I do?” Yanqiu shook her head. “You know that, right? Once he’s made up his mind, do you dare to argue with him?”

"Ah this."

"If it were just a regular investor or a big shot, that would be one thing. The key is that he's always right, which makes it even harder for others to argue with him. Plus, he respects us and pays us a lot of salaries. So you know what I mean?"

Shangluo nodded. With Master Sa acting this way, no one had a reason to oppose him, so the film crew naturally went along with him.

Most importantly, he doesn't actually need any assistants—his crew is very small. All the repetitive work, and even the small portion of creative work that he personally reviews at the end, is handled by Tianyi Guiren.

"However, there is a premise to his doing this—the Wang Lingguan movies we filmed before were all adapted from comics, and there was originally a comic book. So no matter how the script was generated, it was all based on the same principle, just with different formats. This time, the plot is quite different."

Because this storyline spans between the old and new versions of Wang Lingguan, it doesn't belong to either of them. Therefore, the plot of this movie is completely original.

Can Master Sa really use the "method acting" approach to film his own story, which is completely original, and express it as he pleases?
This puzzled Shang Luo—even for a Celestial Master, to possess a vague and ethereal world within one's heart and to express it firmly is likely a challenge. Because it has little to do with strength, but rather with state of mind. Because it suggests that he probably possesses a world within his heart that others have never seen.

I think you should proactively ask Master Sa for his opinion on this issue.

"I think we might have touched on some very serious issues."

[Really? How so?]

"Tell me, what kind of person could so confidently describe a world that no one else has ever seen?"

Who is this person? Does such a person even exist?

"Me. I am."

"Ah, indeed, that's exactly you. You describe your own world with such conviction. Wait, are you implying that Master Sa is like that too?"

“Otherwise, I can’t think of any reason why he would have such a firm idea about the story of Wang Lingguan—he mentioned Wang Lingguan to me.”

That was a long time ago. Master Sa mentioned that he had a disciple named Wang Lingguan. At the time, Shangluo thought Wang Lingguan was a prototype for a story, one of his former disciples. This disciple's story was embellished, and that's how Wang Lingguan came to be.

But now it seems the problem is not so simple. Master Sa seems to really know about this part of Wang Lingguan's history—in fact, this history is very close to the modern era.

[That makes a lot of sense. Actually, I've had this speculation too: you said that Emperor Agassiz had his own power in other histories. Then perhaps the Celestial Master also has his own history?]

"It's possible. In fact, it's quite possible."

[And Shangluo! I have a chilling thought that I'm having! I wonder if you've realized something.]

“I guess we think the same thing: Why are there so many Celestial Masters? Why are there only a handful of True Persons? But there are five Celestial Masters all at once, and all five seem to have the power to destroy the world. Among these five, apart from the Dao Ancestor who has a clear origin, the origins of the others are unknown.”

The answer then becomes obvious—it's not that the number of Celestial Masters and True Immortals is roughly the same. Rather, it's that once someone reaches the Celestial Master level, they can "visit" each other.

Just as a deity transcends time once they become a god, existing freely and eternally, the existence of a Celestial Master is also absolute; they will exist under any circumstances.

So why are so many celestial masters ignoring their own histories and coming here?

“I think there are two possibilities. First, referring to the example of Agassiz, their management style allowed them to handle multiple historical matters simultaneously. Second, another possibility is that the world we live in today is very important, extremely important, and worth the effort they put into dealing with this matter.”

[Perhaps both are possible. Wow, do we really know this much just by making a movie?]

"Perhaps that's why he wanted me to get involved in this. I'll go ask him about it in a bit."

This is one of the few times that Shangluo can directly know the location of Master Sa. He's outside the studio and will be coming in soon. For the next period of time, just like every year when filming for Wang Lingguan begins, he will stay on set, and you can find him at any time.

If you calculate it that way, he's allocating far too much time and energy to this. He'll probably spend a lot of effort presenting the other world that he firmly believes in.

Why do you make that guess?

Shangluo and Yanqiu stood before Master Sa.

"I was the one who told him. I said, 'Master, when you're making movies, you have an extraordinary sense of conviction. Like...'"

"Like what?" "Like, you're not telling a fictional story, but telling history?"

“What I’m telling is history—hasn’t the comic about Wang Lingguan already been published? Since it’s already been published in popular culture, it is of course part of history.”

"What I mean is, is this a piece of history that you, Master Sa, know about, but we don't?"

“Hmm,” Master Sa pondered for a moment, “How about I offer you another possibility?”

He took a stack of scripts from his desk. The scripts bore two names—the authors of the comics about two generations of Wang Lingguan.

"So besides your guesses, there's another possibility: I teamed them up before filming started, and they worked together to come up with this script. Because it wasn't released to the public, you didn't know it existed. In reality, I still filmed according to the existing story."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, that's it." Master Sa nodded. "I've offered you this possibility. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. Do you believe it?"

I don't really believe it.

Master Sa reached out and tapped him on the head three times: "You don't believe me? Well, that's the only explanation I have. Want another explanation? Go find someone else."

"Oh"

"I called you here today because I have an important task for you. Put this on first."

Master Sa tossed him a garment—a vest, sleeveless and collarless. The vest had many pockets, enough to hold many odds and ends.

"Like it?"

"Not bad?" Shang Luo glanced at the mirror next to him.

This vest makes it look like a military uniform—

"Ah!" Yanqiu noticed the logo on his chest, "Producer?!"

"Huh?" Shang Luo glanced at his left chest, where the words "producer" were indeed embroidered.

"So, I'm still missing a producer. After thinking it over, I've decided to give this position to you."

The producer is the most important person during filming—although the director is the most important person on set, there are many other things involved in filming outside of the shooting location. The person in charge of these is the producer.

"Master Sa, my goodness, is this job really your responsibility? I don't know anything about it!"

“It’s alright, this position doesn’t require you to know anything special. Do you know what the most important ability for a producer is? It’s having face. Outside the crew, you need to have face with everyone else on set. Inside the crew, you need to have face with every member. When the crew needs you, you can call in people—that’s what a suitable producer is. From this perspective, I think you are the most suitable producer I’ve ever met, without a doubt.”

“But,” Shangluo scratched his head, “I’m completely clueless about this job.”

"It's alright, just follow my instructions. As the producer, you've just received your first task—to help me with casting."

"Casting means choosing actors who are suitable for the role?"

"See, you've learned a little bit now."

Who wouldn't understand this level of understanding?

"You're the producer."

"?" Shangluo looked around. "Who are you talking to, sir?"

"Who else could it be with?"

"Me?! What does this have to do with me?"

"If it has nothing to do with you, then why are you saying this? You're the one, Huiming Envoy. The producer will send Shang Luo, and you'll be the supervisor."

[So, your team was also assembled on the spot, right?]

"Of course, don't let my wandering around fool you, I'm usually quite busy. This job is very demanding, and since you all happen to be here, we'll just assign tasks on the spot."

Okay. But Master Sa, what's the difference between a producer and an executive producer?

“That’s a very good question. These two responsibilities are actually quite similar, but I’ll break them down for you right now—there’s a reason I made you the producer. The producer manages the entire film production, while the producer oversees the production. So who does the producer represent to oversee? Surprisingly, the investors. Your Oracle has invested a large sum of money, and they told me they need to send a producer to oversee how that money is used, so you’re the perfect candidate.”

So this is where I was waiting for, huh? So I'm the only producer then?

"I'm the executive producer because I'm the main investor. The other investors will also have their own producers, but I didn't let them be on set. You're the one on set. You need to supervise their work carefully. A producer is also a type of producer, so on this set, you're under two managements. You're managed by both me, the executive producer, and Shangluo, the general producer. No objections?"
【Alright~~ Supervisor, right? I quite like this one.】

"In short, Shangluo and Huiming, I've assigned you two important tasks—a film must balance commercial appeal and artistic merit. As the director, I'll be responsible for the artistic aspects on set. As producers, you'll be responsible for balancing commercial success and artistic merit. This is a valuable experience; try putting together a film, and you'll know everything."

“Okay.” Shangluo nodded. “I understand. I will do my best.”

"Oh right, Yanqiu."

"Eh!!" Yanqiu immediately stood up straight. "What are your instructions, Master?"

"I'll give you a B-team director position. You'll direct and act at the same time, and I'll give you an extra director's allowance—I just delegated the commercial aspects, and now there's the artistic aspect, which I'll put in charge of."

"Wait, is that the director of Group B? I thought it was the assistant director."

"The assistant director is my subordinate; I don't need subordinates. I need you to organize a second-tier shooting team outside of me, and you will be the director. All the shots I don't shoot will be your responsibility. You don't need to report to me regularly, because we are two parallel shooting teams; you only need to report to the producer. As for which shots I will shoot and which shots you will shoot, that's up to the producer—okay, that's settled. Now, everyone get moving and begin the first task:"

Master Sa said, "Let's start casting. Shangluo, come sit behind the table with me. Huiming, go get the camera. Yanqiu, prepare for the lead actor's audition. No need to change your costume. Start the rehearsal on page 13 of the script. Stop whenever I say stop."

(End of this chapter)