Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Is the script for Chapter 123 for sale?

"My Brothers and Sisters" won't be released until July, so we'll have to do at least half a month of promotion beforehand.

These days, promotion is not like it used to be, where directors would take actors to all over the country to promote the products. Now, it's basically up to the promotion staff to do it themselves, going to various places to promote the products on the ground.

Wu Yuchen didn't plan to bother with the matter. He gave an interview and then handed over all the responsibility to Yu Dong, the distribution expert. With this guy in charge, he was quite confident in the distribution. After all, Yu Dong built Bona into what it is today through distribution; it's his specialty!

Wu Yuchen is currently busy with the preparations for "If Love Has a Destiny". He went to see several filming locations these past few days and picked out one that he was satisfied with.

This time, when filming "If Love Has a Destiny", we still used the label we bought from Beijing Film Studio. This is how private film companies operate when they want to make movies.

……

"Liu Ye, Teacher Chang is looking for you!"

In the dormitory, Liu Yexin's heart skipped a beat, and she jumped up to ask, "Didn't Teacher Chang nod yesterday?"

"We don't know, maybe you're seeing things!" Chen Minghao teased him.

Yesterday, the first-year students at the Central Academy of Drama just finished their major assignments. Those who passed can finally breathe a sigh of relief, which means they shouldn't be expelled anymore.

Now that Teacher Chang had called Liu Ye over, he couldn't help but feel anxious and afraid that he was being called over to say that he had failed his major assignment and that he was going to be expelled.

"And you, Chen Minghao, Teacher Chang called you that too!"

"Huh?! No way, how could I have failed! Teacher Chang praised me yesterday!" Chen Minghao said in surprise.

Liu Ye immediately laughed: "We have no idea, maybe you're just imagining things!"

Liu Yexin was relieved, at least she had company now!
When the two arrived at the office, they saw Teacher Chang chatting and laughing with a young man.

Chang Li waved to the two of them and said, "They're here. Take a look."

When the young man turned around, the two of them were shocked to recognize that it was Wu Yuchen!

Chen Minghao, quick-witted, realized something good was coming and immediately greeted him with a smile: "Director Wu, hello!"

When Liu Ye saw Wu Yuchen smiling at her, she felt a little embarrassed, remembering how he had seen her crying half a year ago. She awkwardly replied, "Hello."

Wu Yuchen nodded, then smiled and said, "I'm about to start a film, and I've got roles for you two. I wonder if you two are available for the next two months?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Minghao and Liu Ye both looked at Teacher Chang, as Mei Ting's example was still fresh in their minds.

Chang Li smiled and said, "Director Wu's film is fine!"

Chen Minghao immediately smiled and said, "Yes, yes! Director Wu, I've seen all your movies, I'm your most loyal fan! I'm so excited that you came to see me!"

Liu Ye was also very excited at this moment. After all, Wu Yuchen was the best director in Berlin. For him to be cast as a actor, who was at the bottom of the class, was a huge affirmation!
Liu Ye smiled happily: "Thank you, Director Wu!"

Wu Yuchen waved his hand: "Don't thank me yet. I still need to take you to the audition to see how you perform with the female lead. If it doesn't work out, I won't use you!"

Liu Ye and Chen Minghao exchanged a glance, both with only one thought in their minds: they must perform well later.

Wu Yuchen nodded as he looked at Jiang Qinqin and Liu Ye standing together. Liu Ye, who was over 1.8 meters tall, and Jiang Qinqin, who was 167 cm tall, looked like a perfect match.

Then he pulled Liu Ye aside and said, "Smile, be even more genuine."

Seeing that Liu Ye seemed a bit oblivious to the concept of simplicity, he simply said, "Just grinning like an idiot!"

Sure enough, the next moment when Liu Ye's silly grin started to look rather amusing, Wu Yuchen also smiled.

Under the expectant gazes of Liu Ye and Chen Minghao, Wu Yuchen took out two scripts and handed them to the two of them respectively.

"Liu Ye, you're playing the male lead, go back and think about it carefully."

Chen Minghao, although your role is listed as the third male lead, it has a lot of screen time and is very important. Prepare well.

"Director Wu, don't worry, I will definitely cherish this opportunity!" Chen Minghao said immediately.

Liu Ye was as happy as a fool. Before coming, he thought he was just a minor supporting actor. He never expected that he would be chosen to play the male lead. He was completely stunned!
He bowed deeply to Wu Yuchen, saying, "Thank you, Director Wu! Thank you, Director Wu!"

After they left, Jiang Qinqin came over and asked, "Are you sure you want to choose them? How was their acting?"

"Their acting skills are still a bit raw, but that's not a big problem. They are both teachable. My current criteria are mainly temperament and image, and the two of them are a good match."

In a pure love movie like "The Classic," the image and temperament of the main characters are very important. Acting skills can be honed on set, but age, image, and temperament are difficult to change.

Liu Ye was someone Wu Yuchen had his eye on before. Yesterday, when I went to see Liu Ye's final performance, I happened to see Chen Minghao and thought he would be perfect for the role of the male lead's best friend in the movie—a funny yet kind boy. Since the two are classmates, it's a perfect match, and they'll have even better chemistry on set.

Jiang Qinqin nodded upon hearing this. Since Wu Yuchen had said so, there was nothing to worry about.

However, neither of them left. After waiting there for a while, two more people were brought over.

As soon as they entered the room, they greeted each other in unison, "Hello, Teacher Wu!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinqin couldn't help but cover her mouth and smile.

Wu Yuchen looked at Huang Xiaoming and Chen Kun in front of him, and waved his hand with a helpless smile:
"Don't try to get close to me. I only care about compatibility. If it doesn't work out, being affectionate won't help."

I never expected that after showing off once, people in his class would stop calling him "senior brother" and start calling him "Teacher Wu" instead.

"Chen Kun, you come first, stand over there and let me take a look."

There's another important character in the movie, the second male lead, who could also be considered the son of Liu Ye's character. Wu Yuchen is having the two of them audition for this role.

Wu Yuchen had Chen Kun stand next to Jiang Qinqin, and then had them change their costumes repeatedly. After that, they set up a scene and watched it for a long time.

This character is undoubtedly a handsome guy, which is why the female protagonist and her best friend in the modern timeline both fall for him.

Not only is he handsome, but he also appears cool on the surface. In reality, he is a warm-hearted person who secretly loves the modern female lead.

Previously, Wu Yuchen's first choice was Chen Kun, after all, the "factory flower" (Chen Kun's nickname) was indeed handsome and cool. However, after pairing the two together and observing them carefully, he discovered that Chen Kun's temperament...

Chen Kun now exudes a youthful energy that blends melancholy, rebellion, marginality, and sensitivity, naturally related to his upbringing. As his homeroom teacher, Cui Xinqin, said, he seems like a hedgehog, and it won't soften for another couple of years. This quality of Chen Kun might appeal to some art-house film directors, but it doesn't quite fit the character's description.

Wu Yuchen frowned and told Chen Kun to come down and Huang Xiaoming to go up instead.

Huang Xiaoming is undoubtedly handsome, but...

"Xiao Ming, give me a smile."

Wu Yuchen immediately rejected Huang Xiaoming after seeing his silly, husky-like laugh. Huang Xiaoming is a bit better now than when he first entered school, but he still looks immature, the kind of person who wants to be cool but can't quite pull it off.

"Alright, you two go back and wait for our notification." After the two left, Jiang Qinqin came over and asked, "What's wrong? Neither of them will do?"

"I need to think about it."

Wu Yuchen pondered carefully. Huang Xiaoming was definitely out of the question, but what about Chen Kun?

Why not change Chen Kun's character to a melancholic and rebellious type? But that setting would be completely useless for the plot.

Wu Yuchen shook his head. As for the other candidates, the first requirement for this role is that he must be handsome enough to be recognized as a great-looking guy at first glance.

In terms of looks alone, Chen Kun and Huang Xiaoming are the most outstanding in recent years. As for the Central Academy of Drama, Liu Ye is the most handsome. Wu Yuchen has been counting back four or five years and found that neither the Beijing Film Academy nor the Central Academy of Drama could match their looks.

Suddenly, a handsome face that Wu Yuchen had just seen a few days ago flashed through his mind.

Three days later, Wu Yuchen looked at Wu Yanzu standing next to Jiang Qinqin and said, "Azu, smile!"

Seeing Wu Yanzu's dashing and handsome smile, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but nod; his image and temperament were both excellent. Moreover, Wu Yanzu was about the same height as Liu Ye, and his height matched Jiang Qinqin's quite well.

Wu Yuchen gave the two of them an OK sign, and Wu Yanzu walked over and asked, "Director Wu, are you really going to let me play the second male lead? I've never been involved in acting before!"

Wu Yuchen smiled at him: "I called you all this way, how could I let you come for nothing?"

"It's okay, just think of it as a vacation!" Wu Yanzu laughed.

"Don't worry about acting, just listen to me. This role isn't that difficult; the main thing is that your image and temperament are really suitable. But there's one thing: can you speak Mandarin?"

Wu Yanzu scratched his head: "My kung fu master is from Beijing. He usually speaks Mandarin. After I went to university, I came to Beijing to learn kung fu for an exchange program and studied for a year. But I haven't spoken it for two years now. I only know a very simple bit now."

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this:
"It's good that you have a foundation. Here's what I'll do: I'll hire a personal tutor for you. For the next month, you'll have two things to do. One is to follow the crew and watch our filming, read the script and get to know your character. The other is to learn Mandarin, at least to be able to deliver your lines properly."

The production team was originally filming along two storylines: one was Liu Ye's story in the 70s, and the other was Wu Yanzu's story in the 90s. The first month or so was spent filming Liu Ye's storyline.

Now that he has money, he has plenty of funds for filming, and he's quite interested in slowly training these newcomers.

……

In a rented room, a scruffy man leaned back in his chair, listening to the cicadas chirping outside the window, lost in thought.

Zhang Yibai had just experienced a setback and spent a whole year in Chongqing, where he created a script for a special period drama, depicting the history of Chongqing from a special era to the reform and opening up.

That was his first time writing a TV drama script. Previously, he mainly directed music videos for singers, so his scripts focused more on creating emotions and atmosphere, with fewer lines for the characters. He can still remember the scene two months prior when a TV producer pointed his finger at him and berated him.
"Is this what you call a TV drama script?! A TV drama script has to speak, everything has to be explained clearly in the dialogue, don't you understand?! You keep having characters run silently along the riverbank, making the main character half-mute, how are you supposed to film this? Say something!"

This infuriated Zhang Yibai, who came from the Central Academy of Drama. He thought to himself, "I'm not going to film it the way you say. I'm going to make one and show you!"
So, after returning to Beijing, Zhang Yibai gathered several classmates from the Central Academy of Drama and held a three-day meeting in a room, forcing each of them to reveal their secret love stories and to write all the usable material into the script.

The team he worked with on the script would be considered top-tier by today's standards:

The film features Diao Yinan, who won the Berlin Golden Bear for "Black Coal, Thin Ice"; Huo Xin, who wrote "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" for Stephen Chow; Zhang Yang, a representative of the sixth generation of directors who just finished filming "Spicy Love Soup"; and Wang Bin, Zhang Yimou's literary consultant.

The script was finally finished, but they couldn't attract any investment. The Shanghai TV station's assessment of him was: "A fool got a really bad script!"

Many people gave the same evaluation as Shanghai TV. After all, he's just a music video director who doesn't follow the conventional scriptwriting style. What are you so arrogant about?

This made Zhang Yibai very depressed and dejected.

Just then, his phone rang, and he heard Diao Yinan's voice on the other end:

"Hey, Yi Bai, come quick! I had someone deliver the script to Wu Yuchen, and he wants us to go over there!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yibai immediately stood up and excitedly asked, "Is he willing to invest?"

"We don't know yet, but since they invited us, they must be interested. Let's come quickly!"

With Wu Yuchen winning Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival, everyone in the industry knows him now. Zhang Yibai heard that their company is already producing its own TV series, so there might actually be hope!
……

In the office, Wu Yuchen flipped through the script in his hand, which was still called "Love Follows." Wen Hui and Yang Zheng were definitely the leads in "Love Will Carry On to the End."

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" can be considered the first youth idol drama in mainland China. It was popular for several years and launched the careers of many stars, including Li Yapeng, Xu Cainu, Wang Xuebing, and Liao Fan.

Of course, this also made Zhang Yibai, the small-eyed, dark-faced man standing in front of him, an instant star, establishing his reputation as the "Godfather of Youth".

To be honest, Wu Yuchen quite liked the drama "Love Will Carry On". It has love, dreams, trends, and romance, but at the same time, it also has the helplessness and confusion of reality. It is quite realistic in the youth idol drama, which is why it was able to resonate with so many young people at the time.

But he wasn't really keen on using Zhang Yibai. That guy had taken drugs in his past life.

In the entertainment industry, any celebrity exposed for having been involved with this stuff would be ruined, but Zhang Yibai managed to thrive, even participating in the tribute film "My People, My Country," where he was listed second only to Kai Zi, and ahead of people like Guan Hu and Ning Hao.

The above actions are truly baffling; it just shows that the requirements for directors and the standards for actors are different.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and asked, "How do you plan to film it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yibai began to explain his own methods: shooting raindrops, wind, light and shadow, dilapidated factory buildings... In short, it's about capturing atmosphere, emotions, and states of being.

After listening, Wu Yuchen said, "Zhang Yibai, what you said is all fine, but TV dramas and music videos are different. Don't you think this is too little?"

Zhang Yibai fell silent after hearing this. He had resented the previous producer's criticism, but now that it was Berlin's Best Director Wu Yuchen who was speaking ill of him, it made him start to doubt himself.

Wu Yuchen then asked, "Any other preparations?"

Zhang Yibai whispered, "Is there anything else?"

Wu Yuchen sighed: "I'm not saying we should draw storyboards like in a movie, but the script should show the shots and camera positions. We need to do that, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yibai swallowed hard and could only remain silent. He graduated from the Department of Dramatic Literature at the Central Academy of Drama, not the Department of Directing, and had only directed music videos before, so he was lacking in some areas.

Wu Yuchen continued, "How much money are you planning to ask for?"

Zhang Yibai mustered his courage and asked, "400 million?"

Wu Yuchen shook his head upon hearing the figure. This TV series was entirely an urban drama with no grand scenes whatsoever, and the actors were all newcomers. If it were in his hands, he could film it in less than a month, earning a maximum of a million.

But in his previous life, Zhang Yibai, a complete novice, spent three months filming and a month practicing. At the beginning, he didn't even know how to explain scenes to the actors. His first one-minute scene took him two whole days to film; even filming a movie didn't take him this long.

Coincidentally, Hu Ge was among the extras in this scene. He later mentioned this to Zhang Yibai: "I was sitting in the corner on the bus. You filmed for two whole days. You were still filming when the crew was giving us a break for meals. By the time I got there, there was no food left."

Zhang Yibai and Diao Yinan had a bad feeling when they saw Wu Yuchen shake his head. Sure enough, the next moment Wu Yuchen asked:

Are you selling the script?

(End of this chapter)