Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 85 Child Laborer Xiao Zhang
"Xiao Zhang, come over and help set up the cannon." A bearded stagehand waved to Zhang Ruoyun.

"Hey! Here I come."

Zhang Ruoyun smiled and enjoyed it very much. He felt that everything on the crew was fresh and interesting. He could also see powerful actors like Feng Yuanzheng and the overall command of his idol Lu Kuan up close.

The "cannon" is to be set up and lowered, and it must be operated by professional site staff. Even if an inexperienced person has some brute force, he may not be able to do a good job in one or two hours.

Before the domestic film industry became industrialized on a large scale, many Hollywood crews did not have fixed staff for the specific jobs they required.

Just like today's final stage performance, which requires track laying, it should be done by a professional track engineer, but at present we have only asked experienced stage staff to do it as well.

"Hey! Xiao Zhang, you have a pretty good understanding. You've become so proficient at this job after only a few days of doing it." The field clerk, Old Wang, praised the high school student with a smile.

Zhang Ruoyun had dust all over her face, and she wiped it carelessly with her hands, making her look even more disheveled.

I've gotten to know the crew members well these past few days, and no one understands why a young man like him would have to go through so much hardship on the set.

"Teacher Huang, you're here!" Zhang Ruoyun greeted Huang Bo excitedly when she saw him walk into the studio with a script.

"Mr. Huang, let's start auditioning roles today. I feel ready!"

Lu Kuan assigned him the role of a front-row audience member in the final concert hall, so naturally there was no dialogue.

But facial expressions and eye contact must follow the plot, not just keep your eyes open until the camera moves away.

Huang Bo smiled noncommittally. To be honest, he was surprised that the young man could persist until now.

In addition to basic performance practice every day, there is a lot of tedious stage management work, which is all arranged by Lu Kuan.

Lu Kuan and Ning Hao were planning the lighting for the last scene. They caught a glimpse of the female assistant Yang Siwei running over again. He said something to Ning Hao and walked aside.

"Guide! Guide! I think I still need to talk to you."

Yang Siwei felt a little timid when she saw Lu Kuan's unfriendly and impatient eyes, but for the task assigned to her by Wang Jinhua, she still plucked up the courage to run to the crew for several days in a row.

Lu Kuan said without even turning his head: "Just follow me first, don't talk about anything else."

Zhang Ruoyun was still asking her acting teacher Huang Bo some questions about acting, and she would improvise from time to time to find the feeling in front of the camera.

Suddenly, someone patted my shoulder from behind: "Xiao Zhang, how do you feel about being on the set?"

Zhang Ruoyun looked back and saw that the road was wide. He stood at attention excitedly with his body straight.

He arrived at the set at 6 a.m. every day this week and worked until dark. He witnessed with his own eyes how a movie was born in the hands of the creators.

He has great admiration for Lu Kuan's professional ability and spirit in coordinating the overall situation and guiding the lighting, photography, and actors.

"Hello, director. I'm fine! I feel fulfilled!" Xiao Zhang had an excited look on his face as if he didn't want any money. He must have forgotten his identity as a rich young man.

Yang Siwei looked at Zhang Ruoyun's still slightly dirty face and said dissatisfiedly, "Director Lu, we agreed to let Ruoyun come here to learn acting, but now..."

Lu Kuan's face turned stern, and Zhang Ruoyun and Yang Siwei were both shocked. They had seen many crew members who made mistakes being scolded by him in the past few days. Several girls in the makeup team were crying in grievance.

Although he looks like a handsome young man in daily life and usually cares about and takes care of the crew members, he is really a ruthless person at work.

Zhang Ruoyun was a little speechless: "Sister Siwei, please don't worry about it. I'm fine here! Helping the crew is also learning acting."

Yang Siwei looked at him depressedly and said, "I am ready to fight to the death, why does Your Majesty surrender first?"
Lu Kuan nodded in satisfaction. This kid was naturally enthusiastic and had a good personality. He volunteered to help the crew and never complained. "Xiao Zhang, you're right. For example, if you were to help the cameramen lay the tracks, you'd understand how the camera actually works. If you become an actor in the future, how would you handle it if you didn't know how to find the shot?"

"Also, many film festivals abroad give awards to stagehands and ordinary crew members called Professional Spirit Awards. Did you know that a tea waiter abroad won an award for his diligence?"

Xiao Zhang straightened his back even more: "Yes! Director!"

Of course, this was just Lu Kuan's nonsense. He also imitated Zhuang Zhong in "Whiplash" and fed Zhang Ruoyun some toxic chicken soup.

Later, the 37th Hong Kong Film Awards did give the Professionalism Award to a tea worker named Yang Ronglian who had worked in various crews for nearly 30 years.

She excitedly accepted the award from Fang Long and asked her makeup artist to dress up and prepare for the dinner. She waited from 4 pm after the award ceremony to 8 pm, but was told by the staff that she was not eligible to sit at the table.

The entertainment industry is so realistic, there is no such thing as delicious chicken soup.

But now the staff and crew members around are watching, and the boss and director Lu Kuan can only instill positive energy in everyone and motivate the still young Zhang Ruoyun.

Watching Lu Kuan walking away with an ugly capitalist face, Yang Siwei secretly pulled Zhang Ruoyun aside.

"Ruoyun, are you stupid? He's been making you do odd jobs for a week and hasn't even mentioned giving you a role. Why don't you resist?"

Zhang Ruoyun's answer was quite wise and foolish: "Just do good things and don't worry about the future!"

"I...you..."

Yang Siwei looked speechlessly at the high school students who had been madly brainwashed by Boss Lu, and inexplicably felt that he was redundant in the crew.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

Lu Kuan walked around and came back, looking at Yang Siwei, who was at a loss as to what to do in the crew, with confusion.

"I...!"

She cursed this harsh-mouthed director over and over again in her heart, but the situation was too strong for her and she had no choice but to pretend to be timid.

"Sister Hua asked me to stay with Xiao Zhang, so I didn't dare leave."

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Are you accompanying the prince to study?"

"You're a freshman, right? What made you want to do this?"

Yang Siwei adjusted his glasses and said, "The entertainment industry is interesting. My favorite game is The Sims. Being an agent is the same."

Boss Lu's mouth twitched. The Sims, which was only released in 2000, must have no mods at this time, otherwise he would like to recall the joy of various cuckoldry.

Yang Siwei is still too young, so let her train under Wang Jinhua for a few more years. Lu Kuan suddenly thought of another well-known agent in the circle who is related to her and has not yet made a name for himself.

Lu Yao.

He started out as a film journalist and later worked as a production manager at Polybona. After switching to agency business, he signed with Fan Bingbing Studio. It was during this period that he met Fan's then agent Yang Siwei, and the two co-founded One Heart Entertainment.

In 2001, he should have just joined the Literature and Art Department of Shenjiang Service Guide as a film reporter. He was a good candidate for Lu Kuan, who now needed to gradually build a team for a cultural and entertainment company.

He took out his cell phone and assigned Sun Wenwen another task.

(End of this chapter)