Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 52 Meeting
Considering that it was the first day of filming, the production team and Li Qiutang did not arrange too many filming tasks for today, and it was finished at 8 o'clock in the evening.

But after work, Li Qiutang still had to go back to the hotel to attend today's summary meeting.

Although the efficiency was good and we shot several usable footage, many problems still arose.

"Driver, hurry up. I'm already here, and I still have to wait for you to bring extras over. Waiting for you to get here, change clothes and put on makeup will waste time. I'll start filming as soon as I get here, so I don't have time to wait for you."

"Take good care of the people in your group and don't make stupid mistakes like the microphone operator entering the picture today."

After talking about a few issues, Li Qiutang also said: "Today's efficiency is good, everyone keep it up. The conditions of the crew are limited, everyone should overcome it."

Conditions were indeed limited. Li Qiutang and the four main actors all lived in ordinary double-bed rooms, and their assistants lived in standard rooms in pairs. No one had their own RV, and they all took the crew's car to and from the set.

But no one seems to complain about the bad conditions, because this is how most crews work now.

Before the meeting ended, Li Qiutang specifically instructed the production director of Life Production: "Please keep an eye on it for me. During the filming, no matter if you are on the set or not, except for work banquets, no one is allowed to drink! No matter how addicted you are, hold back."

Li Qiutang recalled the scene when filming "The Night the Comet Came" last year. Fortunately, it was discovered in time. If he had drunk too much, it would have wasted the whole day.

"What happens after the show is over?" asked the Life Producer.

"You are not allowed to drink after the show." Li Qiutang showed his unreasonable arrogance on this issue, "Don't say you can control us. Who can control us after we are at the table? It's a one-size-fits-all policy. No one is allowed to drink."

The production director nodded and said, "Okay, I will find someone to take charge of this." Although he felt that Director Li was making a fuss about this, and that he should just not drink on the set, and it was up to you to decide whether he drank after the filming. But since Director Li had specifically mentioned this, it was better for them to follow his instructions. After all, it had been several months since the project was prepared, and he knew that Director Li was sometimes very overbearing, and it was better for him not to appear on the set if he didn't like something.

"Okay, let's adjourn the meeting. We've been busy all day. Go back and have some rest. We have to get up early tomorrow." Li Qiutang dismissed the summary meeting. Everyone packed up their things and slowly left.

Li Qiutang was the last to leave, and the elevator door opened.

"Director Xiao Li!" a surprised voice came from the elevator.

Ok?
Li Qiutang looked and saw Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaoli in the elevator. The others should be the staff of "The Forbidden Kingdom". It was Liu Xiaoli who called him.

"Hey? Are you staying in this hotel too?" Li Qiutang was very happy as this was like meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

"Yes," Liu Yifei was also very happy, "I am filming "The Forbidden Kingdom" in the Qin Palace."

"We are watching Along the River During the Qingming Festival." Just chatting.

Some staff members of "The Forbidden Kingdom" also greeted Li Qiutang, and Li Qiutang responded.

Aunt Liu was very considerate and said that she would come to visit Li Qiutang in class when she was free. Li Qiutang naturally welcomed her.

Before they could say a few words, the elevator dinged.

"I'm leaving first." Li Qiutang said with a smile as she walked out of the elevator.

Li Qiutang had just entered the room, put down her bag and was about to change into slippers when there was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

"Director, it's me." It was Huang Xiaoming's voice.

"Wait a moment." Li Qiutang said, changed his shoes and went to open the door.

Huang Xiaoming was seen holding a bottle of wine and a bag of cooked food.

"You want to die by knocking on the director's door in the middle of the night?" Li Qiutang scolded with a smile, but still let Huang Xiaoming in.

"Two men, what can happen?" The entertainment industry has not been corrupted yet, and the audience and the media generally do not think anything wrong when it comes to interactions between homosexuals.

Huang Xiaoming came in, dragged a stool over, put out the wine and cooked food, and said, "Please have a drink, director. Thank you for what you said to me during the day. I really benefited a lot from it." "I also want to make the filming smoother for myself." Li Qiutang sat down, "Don't open the wine. I just had a meeting with them and said that no one in the crew is allowed to drink before the filming is finished, no matter whether it is on or off the set."

"With so many dishes, we should have something to drink, right?" Huang Xiaoming put down the wine.

Li Qiutang stood up and said, "I'll boil a kettle of water, and we can just drink some hot water."

This was indeed very disappointing, but since Li Qiutang had proposed that the entire group comply, he had to take the lead.

Huang Xiaoming had no choice but to obey in front of the director.

While eating and drinking, Huang Xiaoming sincerely asked the director who was 7 years younger than him: "Director, I want to switch to the big screen. What do you think is lacking in me?"

It’s no wonder he thinks so. Nowadays, all actors with a little fame want to move to the big screen.

"You're not bad." Li Qiutang took a sip of hot water. "No one wants you to act in a movie now because the market hasn't developed. There are too few projects every year, the scale is too small, and there are so many actors. It's normal that you can't get a chance."

However, Li Qiutang added: "You shouldn't be short of roles to play." Huang Xiaoming was so popular that many film crews wanted to invite him.

“There are many crews that have invited me, but it’s hard to decide after choosing so many.”

Huang Xiaoming has two paths before him. One is to just take on roles and shoot more if he wants to make it to the big screen. The disadvantage of this is that he will inevitably take on bad films, which will damage the actor's reputation. The other is to sacrifice exposure and be picky. The disadvantages are also obvious. Without exposure, he cannot make money. In addition, Huang Xiaoming's team must have enough vision to select high-quality dramas for him, otherwise this path will become a joke in the end.

From a practical point of view, Li Qiutang supports the first path. During the development period, you have to shoot more and get more exposure. There is no other way. The market opportunities are so limited and they must be seized.

You are too aloof and refuse one or two offers, so people won't come back to you again.

But if you want to go a long way on this road, you need to have one or two excellent films from time to time, with outstanding acting skills, so that the audience and the film company will recognize you. If you keep making bad films and your performance is not good, then don't blame the market for being ruthless.

You said so, Sister Mi.

Huang Xiaoming did not expect to get any secret techniques from Li Qiutang. He came here tonight just to thank Li Qiutang for his help in analyzing his character during the day.

Drinking hot water is indeed not suitable for chatting. After drinking two glasses of water, Huang Xiaoming stood up and said goodbye.

"It's getting late. I'm going back now. I have to get up early tomorrow."

Li Qiutang stood up to see him off: "Take the wine back with you."

"I'll leave it here with you. We'll drink together after the filming is finished." Huang Xiaoming said.

"Okay, let's drink after it's finished." Li Qiutang said.

Li Qiutang washed up and went to bed.

At 6 o'clock the next morning, the crews of "The Forbidden Kingdom" and "No One in My Heart" met in the hotel restaurant.

Liu Yifei casually asked, "Why isn't your director here?" He knew Li Qiutang from the crew of "No One in My Eyes", and Xiao Ming was not in this scene.

"We get up early to set up the scene. The actors need to put on makeup. He is the director, so he doesn't need to get up so early. He usually arrives at the crew around 7 or 8."

"Is that so? Is your director fierce on set?"

"What director isn't fierce on the set?"

Li Qiutang showed up at the restaurant at seven o'clock, had breakfast, and arrived at the crew at seven-forty. He checked the crew's layout and stood next to the machine: "The weather is good today, let's hurry up and shoot two more shots." Then he called for work to begin.

(End of this chapter)