Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Dialogue in Chapter 1593
"Master Sa, is she also auditioning? She's not the lead actress? Is there no other choice?"

“Even if it’s just one person, they have to audition. Even if it’s just one person, they have to audition until I’m satisfied. Their scenes can’t be filmed until they pass the audition.” Master Sa replied.

“Yes. It’s always been like this.” Yanqiu nodded. “The founder was very strict.”

"So, Master Sa, if you want me to review the auditions with you, are there any standards you want to tell me? Or shall we go outside and talk about it?"

"It's not us who will be trying it together, it's you who will be trying it."

"what?"

"What do you mean 'what'? I already said you're the boss now, you're the producer. So, you're in charge of reviewing her. If you think she's good enough to film, then she's approved; if you don't, then she's not."

"So, are there any standards?"

"You can set the standards, of course. I've given you the script; you can handle it yourself. Well, I won't disturb your work any longer; I have other things to do here."

After saying that, he walked straight out and closed the door.

This is land that has been rented by the film crew, and their location is accessible only through the staff entrance. In other words, it's just the two of them here.

【Three of them.】Apollonia appeared next to Shangluo. 【Ahem, the producer is here to interrogate you.】

"Ah~~ Your Excellency, spare my life!"

"Can you please stop playing along with her?" Shang Luo pressed his forehead. "So what do we do about this? I don't know anything about it. You're the only one here who knows how to act, right?"

“Actually, you don’t necessarily need to know acting,” Yanqiu replied. “First of all, you can completely trust my professional abilities, right?”

"This is true."

"So, assuming my professional skills are not an issue, the key to this problem lies in whether I can adapt to the script. Therefore, we just need to read the script carefully, and then you can see if I meet the requirements of the script."

"Ah, no wonder we started talking about the script as soon as we came in."

No wonder you called me to be your subordinate, right?

"Well, you don't actually talk like that. There are only the three of us here, so you can use your mouth."

Shang Luo could always hear it. Yan Qiu could also hear it—as one of the best among the new generation of Xuan cultivators, she could directly hear Apollonia's words from the beginning, and now that ability had been enhanced, although her method of hearing the voice was different from Shang Luo's. As long as Apollonia changed her channel, she couldn't hear it anymore.

But now, Apollonia is making sure they hear it.

【No, I won't use my mouth. Hehe, this way I can speak clearly inside your heads.】

"But you're right next to me right now, which keeps giving me the impression that the voice is coming from you, but your words come directly into my head. It's a weird feeling, you know?"

Apollonia added in stereo: 【How about this?】

"You actually have this skill?"

We can sing karaoke in your head if you want. You can even listen to surround sound symphonies if you wish.

"No, no, no, that sounds like I'm crazy."

"You two have a really good relationship."

"Ahem, sorry to make you laugh. So, shall we start reading the script?"

"Yes. I've already read it. I started reading the script a long time ago. You haven't read it carefully yet, since you've only had it for a short time."

"Apollonia, read this for me."

I knew it. Having a little genius at home is so convenient, isn't it?

Apollonia took the script and flipped through it several times like shuffling cards, taking about twenty seconds.

"Hmm, you showed me this script. It's very interesting. Would you like me to give you a summary now?"

"No need." Shang Luo moved aside. "I'm handing the task over to you. You decide. If you say yes, it's yes; if you say no, it's no."

After Apollonia read the script, he directly copied what Master Sa had just done to him.

[Did you learn this on the spot?! You can even learn how to shift blame so easily?]

"The skills taught by the Celestial Master are truly excellent. Then I'll have to trouble you, my supervisor."

[The director pushes the producer aside, the producer pushes the executive producer aside, and we have this feeling that our production team is doomed.]

"Don't worry about that," Yanqiu reassured her. "Our investment is substantial; we won't go bankrupt no matter what."

"What you said makes me feel even more gloomy. So, let's begin. Master Sa just said to start from page thirteen, so let's start here."

This script was written by Tianyi Guiren, and Tianyi Guiren's scripts are all very "well-structured." This is because Tianyi Guiren's creations are entirely based on dramatic theory.

According to common dramatic theory, a script is inherently formulaic, requiring fixed ups and downs in fixed places—because standard scripts have format requirements, so page numbers can be used to indicate the format.

A typical 160-page script usually guarantees a 120-minute finished film. Pages one through twenty-five typically represent the film's development phase. This corresponds to the period right after the audience sits down in the theater, when the film has just begun.

In the first twenty-five pages, pages one through ten generally lay the groundwork for the plot, establishing the protagonist's daily life and explaining the film's worldview; pages eleven and twelve act as catalysts, establishing a trend that disrupts daily life. For example, Chekhov is expected to draw his pistol on page twelfth.

Because the beginning of the story is relatively simple and there is no room for foreshadowing, Chekhov usually has to be a quick-draw gunman here—he draws his gun and fires immediately.

Pages 13 to 25 represent the conflict phase of the entire narrative. The world-building established on page 10 and the world order disrupted on pages 11 and 12 will have their first major dramatic impact starting on page 13.

This is the standard format for commercial films. For viewers familiar with movies, they often grasp the theme of the plot by focusing on the opening scene, and then find their own points of interest during the viewing.

In some ways, it's similar to writing an exam essay. Here, the entire film is a story that the producers want to present to the audience, and the story needs to grab the viewer's attention at the beginning so that the "scoring points" can be determined.

The first ten pages of this script depict the daily life of the Oracle's Office. Pages eleven and twelve show the conflict between the Flying Yaksha and the dead, and murder begins on page thirteen.

“Wait a minute.” Yanqiu suddenly noticed something. “That’s not right! Wang Lingguan isn’t on page 13 at all. This script is different from the usual scripts. This is a movie series, and everyone knows what Wang Lingguan is like, so the protagonist’s appearance is delayed. The opening setup process is reserved for the Flying Yaksha; this is where the Flying Yaksha appears.”

"That's right," Apollonia replied. "So, let's begin."

“Wait a minute.” Yanqiu pondered for a moment, “Ah, I understand.”

Yanqiu immediately understood, and she began her impromptu performance—she moved a stool over, leaned back, and fell asleep. [Perfect! You passed! Congratulations, you're our lead! Go find the producer and sign a contract!]

"Wait, what do you mean by this?"

Hmm...how about letting her explain it to you?

“That’s right,” Yanqiu replied. “Because Wang Lingguan wasn’t in the script at the beginning, I had to act out the scene where he wasn’t there. The murder happened at nine in the morning. The time difference between Delphi and the capital is five hours, which means it was four o’clock for Wang Lingguan. Wang Lingguan is a person with a very regular daily routine, and he was sleeping at four o’clock.”

Look, isn't this amazing? He can act on camera, and he can also portray the character so vividly off-camera. He's an actor among actors; this is art!

"Sitting there sleeping, it really looks so lifelike!"

“Hey, this is different.” Yanqiu pointed to the stool behind her. “There’s a reason for my sleeping posture. I’m playing Wang Lingguan, who is working overtime at the police station and hasn’t gone home yet. He’s so tired that he’s sleepy in the middle of the night, so he’s leaning back in his chair and falling asleep. Oh dear, I’m so into this role that I feel like I have a stiff neck.”

"That's too much work, would you like me to massage you?"

“No.” Yanqiu refused. “The old version of Wang Lingguan is a tough guy. How can he be massaged on the shoulders like that? Even if he has a stiff neck, he still has to go to work at the criminal investigation team like a normal person.”

"See? I told you she was fine, right? Her understanding of the character is incredibly deep. The method director trains actors who are also method directors."

"My God!" Shang Luo covered his forehead. "How come it makes sense?"

[At least it's quite convincing, right? If it's convincing, then it's a good movie.]

"Alright, that's settled then. Miss Yanqiu, you've got the job. Go to the finance department and collect your onboarding bonus."

"Finance? Where's the finance department?"

[Mr. Shangluo, it seems you, as the producer, haven't appointed anyone as the treasurer?]

"What? Nobody's here? Where's the original accountant?"

Originally, Master Sa was the producer, but our production is centered around the producer, so the profits will naturally come from you.

"Wow, so my salary wasn't taken for nothing, right?"

After all, you get 5% of the box office revenue.

"Then I'll have to raise the price."

Although he was told to raise prices, he complied anyway; he figured he had to get things done properly before raising prices. He called in the finance department.

"When did I become your accountant?" Phaethon asked in surprise. "So what are you doing here?"

“An audition,” Yanqiu replied. “He said I passed and then told me to come and collect a stipend.”

"Therefore, Phaethon, I hereby appoint you as the executive producer of the production team, in charge of the finance department, and concurrently as the accountant and cashier."

"How could I possibly have time to work here?!"

"You can decide how much to pay yourself. And you can also hire people."

"I," Fahrenheit pressed his forehead, "if you're going to do this, you should at least discuss it with me first."

"Isn't this exactly what we're discussing with you?"

"Do you think I have the right to refuse?" Faetong shook his head. "Alright, give me the ledger, I'll take responsibility for this. By the way, wasn't Master Sa supposed to invite you to perform? How come you've started managing the crew while the performance is going on?"

"Perhaps this is what it means to be a hero. With great power comes great responsibility."

"Actually, upon closer reflection, it seems you haven't been in charge of these specific tasks before. If you could get this business running yourself, it would probably be of great help to you."

"But then again, are these things really useful?"

"Yes, it's very useful. Doing this kind of work once would be extremely helpful. Let me give you an example you already know—you know Yang Xiuqing from your area, right?"

"Which one? You mean the one that says 'I am the Father'?"

The Yang Xiuqing that Shangluo knew was the same Yang Xiuqing who frequently claimed to be possessed by the Heavenly Father. He was also the de facto commander of the Taiping Army.

Yes, that's him. Yang Xiuqing was actually a charcoal burner by trade, so did his military talent just appear out of thin air? Of course not. At the time, he was the leader of a charcoal burner's team, leading a thriving gang. And back then, any gang like that faced extremely complex problems when trying to interact with society.

Yang Xiuqing's job was to burn timber from Guangxi into charcoal and then send it to Guangdong. He was responsible for the entire process—from purchasing timber, transporting timber, burning charcoal, retailing, and managing the entire gang—all by himself.

Although these merchant guilds were small, they were crucial to the livelihoods of hundreds of families, and therefore could not be taken lightly. It was from this experience that Yang Xiuqing learned how to lead a team to face real-world challenges. When he applied this ability to the military, its effectiveness was terrifying.

This is why Qi Jiguang prioritized recruiting miners from Yiwu into his army. These workers led highly organized lives, and even their armed conflicts were surprisingly effective.

"I see. So I'm actually managing a work group now?"

[Yeah, making a movie is incredibly challenging. And you have to manage to cover all the costs within your 5% budget from the box office. You don't want to lose money after making the movie, right?]

“Tsk, there’s no way we can lose money.” Shang Luo smiled slightly. “Since we’re doing this, don’t blame me for nepotism—of course, I’ll put all the positions in my own people first, and make sure they get paid first. Apollonia, call and find more people for me.”

Whom should we shake?

"Call them all. Just call whoever is free."

What if I'm not available?

"If he's too busy, just say you're issuing credits and see if he comes."

"Coming, coming!" Han Xingzhi arrived in less than two hours. "Big brother, I heard there are credits, so I came. What are we going to do?"

"Over there," Shangluo pointed to the mop and bucket in the corner, "mop the floor here first, then wipe the walls, and then go buy ice cream for 50 people."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

"Wait a minute, don't rush off yet." Shang Luo handed over a script. "Read the script while you're mopping the floor, and come over for the audition after you're done."

[What are you using him for? He's not a perpetual motion machine.]

"He should thank me."

(End of this chapter)