Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 447 Liu Luoguo Starts Filming

September 26th was a clear and crisp autumn day.

That morning, Zhang Yan and Chen Hong clocked in at the company, and then, accompanied by a group of bodyguards and assistants, went to the film and television base across the street. Today was the day of the opening ceremony for "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo".

As the most expensive film ever made by the couple, they naturally had to be present on set. Although "The New Dragon and Phoenix" was also a big production, it was filmed before the devaluation and inflation.

As I walked in through the employee entrance, I saw several men in long robes and mandarin jackets coming out of the office building. The older ones were beaming with pride, while the younger ones were ruddy-faced. One of them, a short, chubby man, was especially happy.

He vaguely heard phrases like "You'll never have to worry about food," "You've really struck gold," and "You're not going to the capital anymore, are you?" Zhang Yan couldn't help but shake his head secretly.

He doesn't object to bringing crosstalk into film and television bases, but recruiting so many people would be enough to create a whole crosstalk street, yet truly talented people are few and far between.

After all, established stars wouldn't bother with this fixed salary.

When I take over the film and television base, I'll fire them all, then set up a small, self-sustaining venue and see if they really have the ability to make money standing up.

When they arrived at the replica of the main hall of the Taihe Palace, a large crowd had already gathered in the square. In addition to the crew members, there were also a dozen reporters and people with connections who came to watch the spectacle.

Upon seeing Zhang Yan and Chen Hong appear, many people quickly moved to surround them, with the reporters being the fastest to run.

"Mr. Zhang, you're investing heavily in historical dramas again. Do you think this kind of TV series will become mainstream?"

"Mr. Zhang, recently some people have criticized the idea that retelling history in a humorous way is a distortion of history. What is your opinion on this statement?"

"Mr. Zhang, I heard that the auditions for 'The Age of Glory' have been completed. Which do you think is more important and more interesting, 'Prime Minister Liu Luoguo' or 'The Age of Glory'?"

“Mr. Zhang, we’ve heard that you personally drove Rosamund Kwan to the hospital when she was admitted. Could you please tell us what happened at the time?”

Why are there reporters from Hong Kong Island here?
Zhang Yan paused, and Chen Hong, who was holding his arm, immediately said, "Why are you Hong Kong media making things up again? I was the one who took Guan Zhilin to the checkup that day."

Zhang Yan quickly added, "Today is the opening ceremony for 'Prime Minister Liu Luoguo,' so I won't answer any irrelevant questions."

At this moment, Zhang Guoli and his crew squeezed forward and escorted the two to the center of the venue.

Once the reporters were separated by staff, everyone relaxed and started chatting.

This is Zhang Guoli's second time directing, and he's making a film in the same style. This time, he's clearly more confident, and the way he stands in the middle of the crowd is completely different.

Moreover, the conversation wasn't about "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo," but rather about "The Age of Glory."

"I heard that 'Seabiscuit' is scheduled to air next spring? They've only just started casting, is there enough time?"

“Fashion dramas are easier to film, and ‘The Age of Glory’ has a total of 28 episodes, which is 12 episodes less than ‘Liu Luoguo’.” Zhang Yan then changed the subject: “I heard you worked through the night to finish editing ‘A Messy Life’?”

"Feng Xiaogang and I edited it together. Now all that's left is to polish the details. I'll set up an editing room on set later, just to refresh my mind."

When he was young, Xiao Gangpao was really good at building relationships. After noticing that Zhang Guoli was a little wary of him joining the company, he took the initiative to help Zhang Guoli edit videos, which made Zhang Guoli feel a little embarrassed.

As they were talking, Feng Xiaogang arrived, followed by Cheng Jie, Zhang Yibai, and Gai Lili.

Several directors spontaneously gathered around Zhang Yan, and they mostly talked about the progress of the film crew.

Gai Lili walked over to Chen Hong and whispered, "I recently heard that Gong Li might join our company. Is that true?"

"It hasn't been decided yet."

Chen Hong smiled and said, "Zhang Yan plans to recommend her to be the principal of Tianjin Film Academy, on the condition that she signs her agency contract with our company. Gong Li said she needs to think about it first."

Gaili asked in surprise, "Isn't it the Film and Television Technology Academy?"

"It is already preparing for the upgrade. It may be affiliated with Nankai University as a secondary college, and then add undergraduate performance classes and junior college continuing education classes. Directing, cinematography and the like will also be added."

This arrangement actually diminished the thrill of having Gong Li in her lap, but Chen Hong knew Zhang Yan had done his best. After all, Gong Li wasn't a newcomer to the industry, and empty promises wouldn't win her over. Hearing that he was the dean of a secondary college at Nankai University, Gai Lili couldn't help but show a look of longing.

In the 1990s, Nankai University, a pure liberal arts institution, had not yet fallen into decline. Last year, it consistently ranked among the top ten universities in unofficial university rankings. To serve as the dean of a secondary college at such a university is certainly a sign of establishing a new school of thought.

However, Gai Lili also knows that this is something that cannot be envied. There are very few actresses in China who are qualified to reach this level, and among those under the age of thirty, Gong Li is the only one.

Amidst her感慨 (feelings of deep emotion), she suddenly leaned close to Chen Hong's ear and asked, "Which road did she take?"

"The path to becoming an international film queen."

Chen Hong interrupted, "Why hasn't your 'Gan Shijiu Mei' crew wrapped up filming yet?"

"The budget hasn't been spent yet, but the director wants to reshoot a few action scenes. The stuntman had already gone to the capital, but he managed to lure him back by using Cao Ying."

"What does Cao Ying have to do with this?"

"It seems she's dating that action actor named Wu Jing."

"Is that so? Then I'll create more opportunities for them later."

A smile crept across Chen Hong's lips. Zhang Yan had mentioned to her that Cao Ying had once offered himself to her, and she was also aware of how much Zhang Yan valued Wu Jing.

Now that these two have come together, they have another way to control Wu Jing.

At this moment, Zhang Yan walked over with Feng Xiaogang and others, and said with a smile, "It's almost time. Let's move aside a little so as not to delay them from offering incense and praying to the four directions."

The producer led the way in offering incense and praying to the four directions, followed by the main members of the production team. As the company's main leaders, Zhang Yan and Chen Hong were responsible for lifting the red cloth covering the camera.

"boss Zhang."

At this moment, Assistant Lin handed over the mobile phone and said, "It's Mr. Lung Wu from Hong Kong Island."

Zhang Yan took the call and heard Long Wu laughing loudly on the other end: "You were right again, brother. I just got back to Hong Kong Island and those old guys can't sit still. They say they want to hold a meeting to discuss how to break into the mainland cinema market."

Just recently, both China and the United States released signals indicating that the first phase of trade negotiations was about to be reached and that an agreement would be signed on October 10.

Import quotas for Hollywood films were one of the key items in these negotiations.

This news naturally caused quite a stir among Hong Kong's film moguls.

"Haha~"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Fifth Brother. It would be best if you could invite them all to Tianjin."

"It's not easy."

Long Wu slightly suppressed his smile and said with a sneer, "These old foxes won't act until they see a clear benefit. As long as the British still have influence, they will be cautious and leave room for maneuver in their actions. I estimate that they will send a trustworthy representative to participate."

"It will be fine as long as you can send someone."

Zhang Yan said indifferently, "Whether we can reach an agreement or not is not my concern. I'm only responsible for setting the stage for them to perform."

Then they have to pay for the platform repairs.

The two chatted for seven or eight minutes before hanging up. By then, Chang Jihong and Pan Hongye had already started burning incense.

The incense stick was about a thumb thicker than a thumb. After being lit, it was placed in the incense burner, and the smoke rose up and soared upwards, as if reflecting the future development prospects of realizing dreams.

(End of this chapter)