1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 409 Filming Details, Beijing Film Studio Character Team
March 31st.

It was another overcast day in Beijing, with a few thin gray clouds drifting across the sky, carried slowly eastward by the cool breeze.

Early in the morning, Cheng Kaiyan got up and sat at her desk, making some minor revisions to the manuscript she had written over the past two days.

"Dong dong..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Cheng Kaiyan's mother, Xu Yuxiu, walked straight in. She had come to help Cheng Kaiyan pack her belongings.

On April 2nd, Cheng Kaiyan will be flying to Japan.

"Have you checked the weather in Japan? Is it cold or hot these past month or two?"

Xu Yuxiu walked to the wardrobe and asked carefully.

She rummaged through the clothes in the closet, unsure of what to get for him.

Most of these were bought for Cheng Kaiyan in the past two years at shopping malls or made by tailors. Some were sweaters and trousers that she knitted herself.

Over the course of a year or two, the once empty wardrobe gradually became full.

"Japan is an island nation surrounded by the sea and has a long and narrow territory. In the Tokyo area, the temperature is similar to that of Beijing, but in places like Hokkaido, it will most likely snow in April."

According to Liang Xiaosheng from Beijing Film Studio, the filming schedule is as follows: first, they will go to Tokyo to finalize filming arrangements with the Japanese side, then proceed to Hokkaido. They will also need to pack several spring and winter outfits.

Cheng Kaiyan kept writing with his pen, explaining as he went.

He actually felt that they could have just filmed in China and there was no need to go to Japan, since it's not like there's no snow in China, or snow-capped mountains.

He thought, actually, it could be placed in Harbin, it would be extremely beautiful too.

Winter, snowscapes, snow-capped mountains, the frozen Songhua River, bustling heavy industrial cities...

However, it is said that the film "Love Letter" has been selected by the cultural departments of both countries as one of the key projects for friendly cultural exchanges between China and Japan.

The Japanese seem quite interested in the work "Love Letter".

After all, this is a deeply moving and tear-jerking love story written by a great writer and talented scholar from an ancient Eastern country, about Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan.

This is truly a perfect gimmick and selling point, which may be quite attractive to moviegoers and boost box office revenue.

Since learning about this filming project last year, the Japanese side has paid close attention to it and expressed its willingness to participate fully in the filming process, including providing funding, photography equipment, and post-production support.

This is a true Sino-Japanese co-production, a win-win situation.

Since the film was shot by a domestic team, it is perfectly reasonable for them to film in the cities featured in the original work.

Previously, Cheng Kaiyan was curious about which version of "Love Letter," the Sino-Japanese co-production, was being filmed.

The novel version, or the revised screenplay version.

But the news Liang Xiaosheng brought yesterday was that both films would be shot.

One Chinese version was released in the country, and the other Japanese version was released in Japan.

The former uses the revised film script by Cheng Kaiyan, with a domestic story background, character settings, and scenes.

The latter is more faithful to the original work.

When Cheng Kaiyan heard this, she had many questions in her mind.

The two versions differ in character design, makeup, clothing, setting, and other aspects.

Just like the schools, teaching buildings, libraries, and other details in the two countries are definitely different.

He's still not quite sure how to handle these shooting details.

Cheng Kaiyan planned to ask about the specifics when she went to the Beijing Film Studio later.

These messages were shared with him yesterday afternoon by Liang Xiaosheng from the Beijing Film Studio.

In addition to these messages, Liang Xiaosheng also sent him plane tickets, passport, visa, bank cards, and other documents that the Beijing Film Studio had arranged for him.

And I jokingly asked him, this great writer, to go to the Beijing Film Studio tomorrow to guide the filming work.

The real meaning is to let Cheng Kaiyan get to know people before filming officially starts, otherwise it will be awkward and troublesome if she doesn't know many people later, which will affect the filming schedule.

Cheng Kaiyan readily agreed and explained that she had been busy lately with new works, awards ceremonies, and the like.

Liang Xiaosheng also expressed his understanding, saying that he would convey it to his leaders and colleagues when he got back.

Cheng Kaiyan rested her chin on her hand, recalling what happened yesterday afternoon.

"Then I'll bring you a few of each. If you really can't find any, you can buy them over there. Just make sure you have plenty of money with you."

After listening, Xu Yuxiu understood and quickly packed his clothes, shoes, socks, towels, and other daily necessities.

"Don't worry too much about money. This trip is for official business, and the Beijing Film Studio will cover my living expenses."

Cheng Kaiyan waved the foreign exchange certificate in her hand and explained with a smile.

Actually, we didn't have to spend a single penny; the Beijing Film Studio covered our living expenses.

Because the country adopts a lump-sum foreign exchange system, the expenses for official overseas trips are borne by the state and the individual does not need to pay. However, this only includes basic living expenses and miscellaneous official expenses during the trip.

"Bring some, just in case. How much?"

Xu Yuxiu nodded. "Fixed reimbursement by the employer"—this is a phrase that would make so many people overjoyed to hear it in this day and age.

If you save money and cut back on expenses, you can manage to save some.

"It's about 100,000 yen per month, which is about 750 yuan."

Cheng Kaiyan smiled.

"so much?"

Xu Yuxiu was astonished; seven hundred yuan was enough for an ordinary family to live on for four or five years.

"It sounds like a lot, but actually, 100,000 yen can barely last a month at the current cost of living in Japan. A bowl of ramen costs 400 yen there."

Cheng Kaiyan shook her head.

"Then you should exchange some money and take it with you."

Xu Yuxiu clicked her tongue in amazement. Seven or eight hundred yuan was only enough to live on for a month. This level of consumption was too high. If word got out, it would probably scare a bunch of middle-aged women to death.

I packed Cheng Kaiyan's luggage this morning; it was about two suitcases.

After the meal, Xu Yuxiu gave him another thousand yuan and told him to take the proof of payment to exchange it for foreign currency.

"Sigh... If it's April 2nd, didn't Xiaoli's mother mention in her last letter that she had a train ticket to Beijing for the 1st? It just so happens that she's coming, and you're leaving soon?"

Xu Yuxiu suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked.

"Hiss... thankfully, we have one day."

Cheng Kaiyan was also taken aback. If Aunt Wan came to Beijing and she didn't pick her up, Aunt Wan would most likely be angry.

Fortunately, I had a free day.

"By the way, we need to get the house and furniture ready before Aunt Wan comes, otherwise we won't have anywhere to sleep."

"That's true. I went to check on it last week. Master Liu has already finished most of the furniture. Only your wedding bed is left. It should be finished by now."

"I'll go get the furniture sorted out this afternoon, and then get all the household items ready. That way it will be convenient when Aunt Wan comes over."

"Okay, go ahead."

……

On a main road leading directly from the entrance of Beijing Film Studio to the factory area.

Several staff members wearing armbands were leaning against ladders against trees on both sides of the road, holding up a red banner with a black background that read:

"A warm welcome to Comrade Cheng Kaiyan for visiting and guiding our work at Beijing Film Studio!"

On the road, several young men and women stood with their hands on their hips or arms crossed, watching coldly.

After Liang Xiaosheng from the scriptwriting team brought back the news yesterday that Cheng Kaiyan was coming to the Beijing Film Studio, the studio's leaders took it very seriously. They arranged a welcoming ceremony overnight and even had a banner hung up early in the morning to welcome Cheng Kaiyan to the Beijing Film Studio to provide guidance.

This left many people at the Beijing Film Studio puzzled, and even shocked.

"Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss over a young person's visit? Anyone who didn't know better would think some kind of leader was coming to inspect the place."

One of the young men, tall, fair-skinned, and with regular features, asked in bewilderment.

"Guoqiang, you don't understand the leaders' deeper meaning, do you? Cheng Kaiyan is the male lead of our movie and also the screenwriter. This project is related to Sino-Japanese cultural exchange, so of course we have to support him. Otherwise, what if we ruin everything?"

A thin young man with long hair next to him chuckled and teased.

"What kind of male lead screenwriter is he? Is there anyone like him? He only came over right before he was about to leave. What's the point of coming? He might as well not come at all."

Tang Guoqiang crossed his arms, and his words seemed to carry some emotion.

"Love Letter" is a project that Beijing Film Studio attaches great importance to this year. After filming "The Peacock Princess", he was selected by Teacher Shui Hua to play the best friend of the male and female leads.

That is, Akiba Shigeru in the original work, and Ye Fansheng in the movie script.

This is a character with a lot of screen time but not particularly outstanding, and who might even be disliked by the audience due to the controversial nature of the story.

Cheng Kaiyan is the author, screenwriter, and male lead all in one, so he naturally has an extraordinary significance in the production team.

Therefore, many jobs cannot do without Cheng Kaiyan.

Revisions to script details, confirmation of the male lead's character, and the adjustment between the male lead and other characters in the script all take time.

But Cheng Kaiyan is different; she basically never shows her face.

This leaves other actors with no opportunity to discuss the script, the characters, or work on their relationship with him.

"Hahaha! Comrade Guoqiang, you must be hoping he doesn't come, so you'll have a chance to play the male lead, right?"

A bright and elegant woman in a white shirt standing nearby made a joking remark with a smile.

Everyone in the "Love Letter" crew knew that Tang Guoqiang wanted to play the male lead.

"Comrade Liu Xiaoqing, it's not my fault, it's just that Cheng Kaiyan is hogging the position and not doing his job!"

Tang Guoqiang snorted coldly. Although he had never met Cheng Kaiyan, this young man who was only in his early twenties, he was still a stranger to her.

However, the renowned director Shui Hua and the first assistant director Chen Huaikai in the crew often mentioned him, saying that the prototype of the male lead in "Love Letter" was Cheng Kaiyan, and there was no one more suitable than him.

Tang Guoqiang had heard similar words no less than ten times during this period, which really bothered him.

He didn't believe that Cheng Kaiyan was as suitable as the handsome young man in the original novel; Tang Guoqiang believed that his appearance was no less than anyone else's.

Since starring in "The Peacock Princess", many people in the industry have followed Chen Chong in calling him a "cream boy", meaning that he is fair-skinned, handsome and has delicate features.

Although Tang Guoqiang was dissatisfied with this, he may not have been unaware that the word contained a sense of affirmation towards him.

"What are you talking about? Don't say anything out of line when Comrade Cheng Kaiyan arrives!"

Not far away, a man of medium build, thin and wiry, with a slightly hunched back, walked over.

"Teacher Chen."

Tang Guoqiang, Liu Xiaoqing, and the others lowered their heads and greeted the messenger respectfully. "Comrade Cheng Kaiyan has been very busy lately and simply cannot find the time to come. Please don't be upset."

The detailed filming schedule will only be finalized after we go to Tokyo and meet with the Japanese side. There will be many adjustments, and the current arrangements may not be able to be maintained by then.

Chen Huaikai, dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit, spoke earnestly with a pipe dangling from his lips, wisps of blue smoke rising from his nose in the sunlight.

"understood."

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Hey……"

Chen Huaikai shook his head. Don't these young people pay attention to the news and newspapers?

Last week, news about Cheng Kaiyan was everywhere.

I guess they've been spending all this time repeatedly reading and understanding the script, so they haven't had the time or inclination to watch the news.

Thinking of this, Chen Huaikai looked up at the gate and saw a young man riding a bicycle enter his field of vision in the dim light of the overcast sky.

"coming!"

Chen Huaikai gave the order and stepped forward first, followed by the young people.

"Ding ding..."

The bicycle bell rang, and it stopped in front of everyone.

Everyone looked up and saw the young man clearly.

He was dressed in black, with a slender figure and fair skin.

He had soft black hair, a handsome face with gentle features, and a gentle, timeless scholarly air. His eyes were particularly bright in the sunlight, sparkling like two translucent golden beads.

"That's Cheng Kaiyan? No wonder he got the lead role!"

"Tsk tsk, what's rare is this clean and relaxed demeanor."

"Teacher Cheng Kaiyan!"

Liu Xiaoqing glanced at Tang Guoqiang, who was pursing his lips in slight dissatisfaction, and her eyes crinkled into a smile as she waved and greeted him in a generous manner.

"Comrade Liu Xiaoqing, do you still remember me?"

Cheng Kaiyan smiled and glanced at everyone in front of her, her fingers holding the dragon head unconsciously flicking the bell.

"Of course I remember."

Liu Xiaoqing nodded earnestly. For some reason, she adopted a relaxed and joking demeanor in front of this young man, which she usually didn't show to others, and even seemed a little nervous and awkward.

"Hello everyone, I'm Cheng Kaiyan."

Cheng Kaiyan ignored her and waved to the crowd.

"Hello, hello, Comrade Cheng Kaiyan."

"I am Tang Guoqiang..."

"I'm……"

Regardless of what they were thinking, everyone greeted each other politely and exchanged names.

After all, this young man doesn't seem like a simple person.

"Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, I am Chen Huaikai, the assistant director."

Chen Huaikai watched this group of young people who were usually so arrogant and domineering, and couldn't help but smile and wave his hand in greeting.

"Professor Chen, I've long admired your name. I've seen your film 'Battle on the Plains,' it's truly excellent!"

Cheng Kaiyan reached out and shook hands with him. His hand felt rough, but his bones were unusually strong.

"Haha, it's an old movie. I hope we can collaborate on a great romance film this time!"

Chen Huaikai has two film projects planned for this year: Love Letter and Soulmate, but he is naturally most optimistic about Love Letter.

"If everyone works together, I believe 'Love Letter' will definitely surpass 'Romance on Lushan Mountain'!"

Cheng Kaiyan nodded with a smile.

"Tch... The love story of Lushan is not so easy to surpass. Let's be more down-to-earth."

Upon hearing this, Tang Guoqiang couldn't help but retort.

"Comrade Tang Guoqiang, is the story of 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' as touching as 'Love Letter'? Will 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' be released in both China and Japan? Surpassing 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' is not a difficult thing. We should have confidence in our films."

Cheng Kaiyan said in a calm tone, he still recognized this face.

"This……"

Tang Guoqiang had thought Cheng Kaiyan was a mild-mannered person, but he didn't expect Cheng Kaiyan to retort. However, what he said made sense, and for a moment Tang Guoqiang couldn't find a point to refute him, so he had to shut his mouth, his face showing some dissatisfaction.

He actually got lectured by a young man in his early twenties.

"Alright, you all go ahead and get busy. I'll take Comrade Cheng Kaiyan for a walk around."

Chen Huaikai couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. This Tang Guoqiang was indeed a proud and arrogant young man, and Cheng Kaiyan, though seemingly calm, also had a temper.

"Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, everyone in the crew is really looking forward to your role as the male lead screenwriter. Let's go meet him and have lunch together."

Chen Huaikai turned to look at Cheng Kaiyan, and pulled him along as they walked and talked.

"No problem, that's exactly what I was thinking too. I've been so busy lately, otherwise I would have come earlier..."

"Haha, Comrade Cheng Kaiyan is indeed a great writer. The news and newspapers were all over the place a few days ago. He even appeared in the People's Daily and on CCTV!"

……

CCTV? People's Daily?

"Is Teacher Chen referring to Cheng Kaiyan?"

The two gradually walked away, but their voices were clearly heard by the young people behind them, who all turned to look!

Tang Guoqiang, in particular, turned pale and then flushed.

……

On the other side, Chen Huaikai led Cheng Kaiyan into the photography studio area.

"This is Ma Bingyu, our production supervisor... This is Zou Jixun, the photographer... This is Zhu Xiaodi, who is in charge of costumes and makeup... And Wang Biao, who is in charge of props..."

Chen Huaikai pointed to a group of people who were preparing to clean the equipment and introduced them to Cheng Kaiyan one by one.

"Is this Teacher Cheng Kaiyan? He's so young! So handsome, no wonder everyone says he's the male lead destined for the role. He's so good-looking, it'll be difficult for me to do your makeup, hehe."

Zhu Xiaodi, who was in charge of makeup and styling, was cleaning up her cosmetics, sewing supplies, and clothing when she saw Cheng Kaiyan and started teasing her with a smile.

"What's so difficult about it? You're worried that you look worse with makeup on than without, right?"

Chen Huaikai wanted to help Cheng Kaiyan get closer to him, so he made a joke on purpose.

"Haha! That's true!"

The crew members all burst into laughter and looked at Cheng Kaiyan.

"Hehe, Sister Zhu is joking."

Cheng Kaiyan smiled gently and helplessly, a gesture that won her the favor of many.

In a short time, the distance between everyone narrowed considerably.

After meeting with the twenty-odd people in the film crew, Cheng Kaiyan followed Chen Huaikai to Teacher Shuihua's office.

"Long time no see, Comrade Cheng! Congratulations on winning so many literary awards!"

Teacher Shuihua offered her congratulations with a smile.

"Thank you."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three began talking about the filming of the love letter.

"There will be two versions of this shoot, you already know that, right?"

Teacher Shuihua poured everyone a cup of tea and said...

"I understand. Comrade Liang Xiaosheng mentioned it yesterday, but wouldn't filming two versions of the film, one for China and one for Japan, be too troublesome and complicated?"

Cheng Kaiyan didn't quite understand, so she asked out of curiosity.

"Dividing it into two versions is indeed complicated, but not difficult. It's just a matter of different voice-over, text, costumes, and venues."

For example, clothing is relatively easy to solve in the cold winter.

Scarves, coats, and snow boots are common clothing items. Families with average means mostly wear cotton-padded jackets, the only difference being the style.

For example, filming locations include schools and city streets.

The two countries are definitely quite different, so some modifications are needed. Anyway, we'll film what we can, and film what we can't film back home..."

Teacher Shuihua took out her notebook and explained in detail. Although it sounded a bit confusing, Cheng Kaiyan still understood.

During filming, the clothing styles of the characters, the city streets, and the schools were chosen to be similar to those in the two countries.

If all else fails, we can adapt it to a domestic style; if that still can't be resolved, we can go back to China to reshoot.

It is indeed quite complicated.

Cheng Kaiyan spent the entire morning in Teacher Shuihua's office, discussing filming, script revisions, and characters.

I finally have a better understanding of the filming process.

Before I knew it, the morning had passed.

Cheng Kaiyan had lunch with the film crew at the Beijing Film Studio canteen at noon, and then went home.

They first went to the woodworking street and found that all the furniture had been prepared. Cheng Kaiyan then led the carpentry apprentices, pulling a cart, to Tuanjiehu.

It took me an afternoon to set up all the furniture.

Then he cleaned the whole house again, and put new mattresses, sheets and duvet covers on both rooms, all of which he went back to get.

Then he went to the street and bought daily necessities such as firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, soap, towels, bowls, and chopsticks.

In the evening, after an afternoon of tidying up...

Cheng Kaiyan was covered in sweat from exhaustion and washed her face in the bathroom before coming out.

Looking around the two-bedroom apartment, he felt a sense of peace and satisfaction: "Finally, it feels like a home..."

at the same time.

At Harbin Railway Station, Jiang Wan, carrying large and small bags of luggage, boarded the train bound for Beijing.

(End of this chapter)