Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 98 What the hell is this?

The plot of the movie "My Brothers and Sisters" is actually very simple.

In a small town in Northeast China during the 70s, there lived a happy family. The father was a music teacher, and they had four children. Although the family struggled to make ends meet due to the father's political background, he always managed to bring joy to his children through music. However, one night, while taking his seriously ill wife to the hospital, the couple was killed in a car accident, leaving their four children orphans.

The eldest brother, being young, had no choice but to personally give his three younger siblings away to adoptive families, and the siblings were separated from each other. More than a decade later, the second sister, Qi Sitian, returned to China and, taking advantage of a performance opportunity, began her search for her siblings.

Therefore, the important characters in this movie are quite clear: this family of six.

However, because the film is divided into two time periods, one is the childhood scenes in the 70s and the other is the adult scenes in the 90s, four actors were needed to play the four siblings.

Of the two parents, the seriously ill mother has fewer scenes; she is a traditional, kind, and gentle middle-aged mother. Therefore, Wu Yuchen directly found an actress at the Beijing Film Studio.

The father's role is quite important; he has a lot of screen time and is the central figure in the childhood scenes. The production team cast Cui Jian, who wasn't an actor before, to play the role, and it proved to be very effective.

Although Cui Jian's acting skills are not as polished as those of professional actors, and are even somewhat raw, the roles of father, husband, and elementary school music teacher have a magical effect on him, which is why Wu Yuchen once again specifically asked Cui Jian to play the role.

Sure enough, Cui Jian was quite interested in this first film experience and readily accepted the offer after reading the script.

The eldest brother is a seemingly rough character, but deep down he is very kind. He appears crude and awkward in front of outsiders, but is full of warmth towards his younger siblings. His performance is nuanced and layered, perfectly capturing the character's personality. The original Jiang Wu was excellent in both appearance and acting, so there's no reason to consider replacing him.

Then comes the female lead, Qi Sitian, the second sister who sets the stage for the story.

Han Sanping asked, "Director Wu, has the female lead been decided yet? If we can get an artist from Hong Kong or Taiwan, we're willing to pay extra."

The character Qi Sitian went abroad with her adoptive parents and grew up to become a famous and talented conductor. Therefore, according to the setting, it is more fashionable to find a female artist from Hong Kong and Taiwan. The original version was played by Leung Wing-ki.

Honestly, Wu Yuchen would most like Jiang Qinqin to play the role, but this isn't just his project anymore; he has to discuss it with both partners. Han Sanping, on the other hand, values ​​box office performance the most and hopes to bring in a Hong Kong or Taiwanese star to boost the box office.

However, Wu Yuchen and Han Sanping also analyzed that if they were to invite female artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan, they should only invite those with high profiles; otherwise, inviting second-tier artists would not be of much benefit to the publicity.

Wu Yuchen said, "Director Han, I didn't consider candidates over 30 years old because of the role fit issue. Also, considering the character's temperament, I only sent invitations to two people when I went to Hong Kong this time."

"Which two?"

"One is Vivian Chow, the 'Jade Girl' icon. She has a great temperament and image, and is also a singer. She is not only beautiful but also very talented, and is very popular in China. However, her agent replied that she has recently stopped working and declined our offer."

Wu Yuchen sighed inwardly. At this time, Zhou Huimin was already planning to go to Canada with her scumbag boyfriend Ni Zhen, so she naturally rejected them directly.

Han Sanping nodded after listening: "And the last one?"

"And another one is Wang Zuxian."

Upon hearing the name Wang Zuxian, Han Sanping didn't need Wu Yuchen to introduce her further and said with a smile, "It would be even better if we could invite Wang Zuxian here!"

Wang Zuxian is not only famous, but also has the right image and temperament, and her acting skills are beyond question.

"Um, Director Han, I'd like to too, but she's not in Hong Kong. I asked someone to contact her and sent her the script, but I haven't heard back yet."

Wu Yuchen estimates that Wang Zuxian's chances are slim. After the Lin Jianyue incident in 94, she became disillusioned with the entertainment industry and had no desire to set foot in Hong Kong. She has likely just rekindled her relationship with Qi Qin and is unlikely to return to the entertainment industry because of them.

Han Sanping sighed upon hearing this: "The film industry in Hong Kong is very developed, and many stars do indeed look down on the opportunities here."

Then Han Sanping said, "If you can't invite them, that's fine. Director Wu, you can just choose one you like."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Director Han, don't worry, I guarantee I won't let you down!"

At the Beijing Film Studio, Jiang Qinqin excitedly grabbed Wu Yuchen's hand and said, "You really want me to act? This time I don't need to audition?"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and gently stroked her nose with his finger: "What, you don't want to act this time?"

"Of course I want to! But didn't you say before that you couldn't make a decision on your own?"

"The person I invited probably can't come, so I recommended you. It should be a sure thing. Think about the role carefully."

Hearing Wu Yuchen say that, Jiang Qinqin smiled and kissed him on the cheek: "I knew you'd be the best to me~"

Jiang Qinqin wasn't cast in "Run Lola Run" before, but this role of Qi Sitian is actually quite suitable for her. It's a good opportunity to promote her through this high-grossing film.

Wu Yuchen smiled and then said, "Oh right, there's also the role of the youngest sister. Go ask Chen Shasha if she'd like to play it. If she does, I'll cast her right away."

The younger sister's role doesn't have many scenes; she's just a bit rebellious, and Chen Shasha would be perfectly fine playing her.

"She'll definitely agree! I'll tell her when we get back." Jiang Qinqin smiled, her eyes crinkling.

After the bell rang for the end of get out of class, Wu Yuchen, a student in the 96 performance class, knocked on the door.

After Cui Xinqin opened the door and looked inside, she smiled and said sarcastically:

"Hey, isn't this our Teacher Wu, our counselor Wu? You finally remembered!"

The students still sitting in the classroom had a very strong impression of Wu Yuchen standing at the door. He had fooled them quite a bit when the semester started, and they all really thought he was their counselor. In the end, they realized that he was just a senior who was a year ahead of them!

At this moment, two boys in the class started shouting and jeering, "Hey, Coach Wu, you can't run away again! Stay here today and give us some proper guidance!"

The girls all smiled and whispered when they saw Wu Yuchen. Zhao Wei, for example, looked at him with shining eyes. Having been at the Beijing Film Academy for a few months, they all knew of Wu Yuchen's reputation as a genius director—a Berlin Golden Bear winner for Best Short Film and a Tokyo International Film Festival Grand Prize winner. Zhao Wei really wanted to work with this talented senior!
Wu Yuchen unexpectedly ran into Cui Xinqin, and felt slightly embarrassed by her teasing, but he was thick-skinned:
"Teacher Cui, I'll come and teach them a lesson another day when I have time. I have something important to discuss with you today; I've started a new show."

Upon hearing this, Cui Xinqin immediately understood. After closing the door, she smiled and said to Wu Yuchen, "You can choose whoever you like!"

"Teacher Cui, won't you take a look at the script first?"

Cui Xinqin waved her hand: "I don't trust others, but I can trust you! If you dare to cheat us, I'll go and complain to your teacher, Teacher Xie!"

In fact, she had heard about Wu Yuchen's new film, since Qingying Film Studio had invested in it, and Cui Xinqin naturally trusted Dean Hou Keming's judgment. Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Thank you so much for your trust, Teacher Cui. I have a supporting role I'd like Chen Kun to play. What do you think?"

Chen Kun was cast to play the role of the third brother, Qi Tian, ​​who grows up to be a college student at Harbin Institute of Technology. Chen Kun himself grew up when his parents divorced and both remarried. He lived with his maternal grandmother until he was 11 years old before his mother took him in.

Therefore, based on his own experience, Chen Kun should have a deep understanding of this character who was separated from his family at a young age. He doesn't need to have any profound acting skills; playing himself is enough.

Cui Xinqin thought for a moment and asked, "When? How long will it take?"

“I’m not in a hurry. He can come to Harbin after his final exams.” Wu Yuchen knew what Cui Xinqin was thinking.

Upon hearing this, Cui Xinqin immediately replied, "No problem, I'll help you persuade him!"

Then Cui Xinqin said, "Wu Yuchen, Teacher Cui has a favor to ask. If your production team has sufficient funds, could you give him an extra one or two thousand yuan in salary? If not, I can personally make up the difference for you."

Before Wu Yuchen could ask, Cui Xinqin explained to him:

"Chen Kun's family is in some financial difficulty. When school started, I noticed that he was always sleepy in class and didn't pay attention, so I criticized him several times. Later, I heard from the dormitory manager that he had stayed out all night several times, so I called him in and gave him a good scolding. When I asked him, I found out that he was running out every day to earn tuition fees."

But this child has a very strong sense of pride, and he might not accept help even if someone deliberately tries to help him. You've come at the perfect time; he can join your production team, mentor him, spark his interest in acting, and also ease his financial burden.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen nodded: "Teacher Cui, okay, I'll remember this. I'll give him a few thousand extra dollars later. The production team can afford that."

"Thank you so much!" Cui Xinqin said with a warm smile.

Two days later, Wu Yuchen, along with his crew and his parents, took the train ahead of him.

This shoot will begin with the scenes depicting the child's childhood, so the actors playing the adult roles can come to the set later in January. That's why he suggested that Chen Kun could come after his final exams.

On the train, Cui Jian asked the question that had been bothering him: "Director Wu, I heard that you specifically asked me to act in this role. I'm not a professional actor, so why did you choose me?"

"Because your temperament matches perfectly!"

Your father was a trumpet player, so you grew up surrounded by that kind of father. And you yourself have an inner rebellious streak, making you a perfect fit for the role of Teacher Qi in the film, who is treated differently because of his family background.

In addition, you are now a father, so I really think that in every respect, Teacher Cui, you are a perfect fit for this role!
As for the acting, you don't need to act deliberately. Just follow the script and express yourself naturally using your own life experiences.

After analyzing the situation, Wu Yuchen added one last sentence:
"One more thing, Teacher Cui, you are my idol. Working with you even once would be a dream come true for me!"

Cui Jian was amused by Wu Yuchen's words, but he also felt that Wu Yuchen's analysis made a lot of sense, so he felt less pressured.

This time, the Beijing Film Studio specially sent a producer to help Wu Yuchen coordinate and manage various affairs of the crew. In fact, they had arrived in Harbin a step earlier than Wu Yuchen, and the initial selection of child actors was organized by them.

After getting off the train, Wu Yuchen barely rested before immediately starting to select child actors. After all, child actors are crucial in this film, responsible for at least half of the audience's emotional moments. Therefore, the selection of these four child actors was of paramount importance.

However, after Wu Yuchen picked up the photos and documents and looked at them...

Young people recall their bitter past as candidates:

Zhang Han, 12 years old, height...

Jia Nailiang, 12 years old, ...

Han Geng, 12 years old, ...

Wu Yuchen frowned. What the hell is all this?

He glanced at the producer standing next to him and thought, "Damn it, did you take money?"
The producer noticed Wu Yuchen's expression and asked, "What's wrong, Director Wu? Are you not satisfied?"

"None of these will do; their looks and ages don't meet my requirements."

On one hand, I don't need the character to be particularly good-looking, but they must have a friendly smile, like a big kid from the countryside. None of these are suitable.

On the other hand, as the eldest brother, he needs to be significantly taller than his second sister, Qi Sitian, by half a head, so that the audience can distinguish them. A 12-year-old boy isn't enough; you need to look for someone thirteen or fourteen.

After listening, the producer realized that he had made a mistake in the criteria, and could only apologize and hurriedly start screening from the materials he had received before.

Wu Yuchen looked at the other three child actor candidates and breathed a sigh of relief. At least there were some he thought were good enough to call over and take a look at in person.

It took Wu Yuchen another three or four days to select the child actors. He was very satisfied with one of the actresses who played the girl Qi Sitian. She had a cute appearance and big eyes that made her look pitiful and could easily touch people's hearts. This was the effect that Wu Yuchen wanted. He wanted the audience to feel that the child was cute and pitiful, which would make it easier for them to cry!
Wu Yuchen was quite satisfied with the location scouting; he didn't need to look for new locations and immediately started filming with the crew and actors.

However, the filming of "My Brothers and Sisters" did not go smoothly from the start.

"Crack!"

Normally, after several takes, Wu Yuchen would probably yell at the actors. But now, he could only calmly walk up to a child and smile, saying:
"Miaomiao, what's wrong?"

"I...I can't cry..."

"Then tell your brother, is there anything that's making you sad?"

……

Wu Yuchen knew beforehand that filming with children was difficult. First, you can't scold them, otherwise it might backfire; a tyrant on set wouldn't work. Also, children are hard to control like adults. Children's attention spans are limited; sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't.

Therefore, during this period of time, Wu Yuchen racked his brains to find ways to help the children film smoothly, and the crew also encountered many setbacks.

This is why Wu Yuchen told the adult actors not to come over first; otherwise, they would just stay there and watch how Wu Yuchen coaxes the children.
While Wu Yuchen's filming had already begun, Wang Zuxian, far away in Taiwan, was hesitating between two scripts in her hands.

(End of this chapter)