Movie Variety Show: Starting from a New World

Inside the director's tent on the set of "The Big Talk," Wei Yu sat down with A Fen and Yin Yin. Looking at the simple furnishings around them, Wei Yu had even more faith in Director Zhou's pragmatism.

When he was in Mingzhu, he had worked with Director Yuan on several films and had also met Director Zhou. Although he was often said to be cold and unapproachable, Wei Yu still thought highly of Director Zhou.

This is a true artist. His works will not disappoint any actor, even those who are insignificant supporting roles, and they will leave a deep impression on people. That is true skill!

Although Director Zhou has not yet achieved great success, he has already shown his talent, and this is his first attempt at this project.

"Director Zhou, I'm not here for any guidance work, but rather to ask if you could give these two women behind me a chance. They want to learn from you in your film crew!" Wei Yu said with a smile.

"Mr. Zhao, do you have any specific requirements for these two roles?" Director Zhou looked at the two actors he had wanted to invite before. Although he was happy inside, he still had a troubled expression on his face.

Negotiating terms? That's how it is! We can't just happily accept it, right?

“Of course, it would be better to have some important characters!” Wei Yu said with a smile.

"This is a bit difficult!" Director Zhou said with a troubled expression and a somewhat serious tone.

"How about this? If Director Zhou has any difficulties, you can tell me and I'll try my best to help you. In return, you can arrange some important roles for the two ladies. What do you think?" Wei Yu knew this was a difficult matter, after all, the movie had already started filming, and it was normal to feel awkward about putting people in at the last minute.

Hearing Wei Yu's words, Director Zhou was secretly delighted. Although he still had a troubled expression on his face, the corners of his mouth that were quietly turned up betrayed him.

"Mr. Zhao, the only problem our crew has right now is that we don't have enough extras, and it's not easy to recruit people in this weather. We're having crew members fill in for a lot of scenes! I wonder if you could help us solve this problem?" Director Zhou asked tentatively.

"Does Director Zhou mean we're short-staffed?" Wei Yu asked.

“That’s right. If Mr. Zhao can help me solve this problem, I will definitely arrange important roles for the two ladies!” Director Zhou said confidently.

"Okay, then how many more people does Director Zhou need?" Wei Yu asked.

Looking at Wei Yu's relaxed expression, Director Zhou roughly calculated in his mind that it would be best to have another hundred extras, so that the scenes he envisioned would be large enough.

It's not that Director Zhou doesn't want more people, but although the cost of living is low in mainland China, extras can earn 5,000 a day, and 50,000 a month!

According to my own ideas, more money should be spent on film production, and personnel expenses should be minimized as much as possible!

So Director Zhou nervously held up one finger, just about to say one hundred.

"A thousand people? Isn't that a bit too many? Can your production crew even use a thousand extras?" Wei Yu said.

"Not a thousand, but a hundred!" Director Zhou said helplessly. If they really brought a thousand people, they could bankrupt the whole country just by feeding them!

"That's easy, let me make a call!" Wei Yu said, standing up and walking out of the tent towards the corner.

"Hello, Uncle Feng, this is Zhao Weiyu, the fifteenth son of Zhao Chengjia!" Weiyu took out his phone and called Captain Feng Xuedong of the Armed Police Corps.

Feng Xuedong was the son of Tian Huaizhong's old comrade-in-arms. Wei Yu had met this Captain Feng at home when he was a child.

"Wei Yu? I heard from your dad that you're filming at Xi'an Film Studio in Chang'an. Why did you suddenly call me? Did someone bully you? If someone is really being unreasonable, tell Uncle Feng, and Uncle Feng will stand up for you!" When Feng Xuedong heard it was Wei Yu, he immediately felt that the child might have been bullied, which was why he was calling him.

If it were any of the other children in the Zhao family, Feng Xuedong might not have been so direct. But as Uncle Tian's grandson, if Wei Yu were bullied, no one could find fault with Feng Xuedong standing up for him. After all, Zhao Cheng's position was what it was, and he couldn't be easily offended.

"No, Uncle Feng, I'm in Yinchuan right now. A friend of mine is filming a movie here and they're short of some extras. You know how hard it is to find people at this time of year!" Wei Yu quickly explained.

If it had been any later, it would have been troublesome if Uncle Feng had actually gathered the people.

"The film crew is short of extras? That's easy to solve. The militia training in Yinchuan is still ongoing and they haven't been disbanded yet. Just have them send out a company!" Feng Xuedong said casually.

Although mobilizing regular troops requires procedures, mobilizing militia members who are currently in training is not a problem; as the commander-in-chief, I can issue the order.

It's not a big deal as long as the child is being bullied.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Feng. I'll come visit you as soon as I'm done with this!" Wei Yu said with a smile.

"Okay, then I'll have your aunt prepare some snacks to go with the drinks. When you arrive, have a good drink with your uncle!" Feng Xuedong said.

After exchanging a few more polite words and agreeing on a time, the call ended.

"Director Zhou, I've taken care of the extras problem for you! A whole company of militia!" Wei Yu said to Director Zhou as he returned to the tent.

"That's it?" Director Zhou looked at Wei Yu, who sounded relaxed, and said in disbelief.

The people of Yinchuan are known for their fierce and tough nature. I couldn't even hire anyone with my own money, but Zhao Sheng solved it with just one phone call? Even though it's just a militia, they're still soldiers!

Once a unit has been trained, it is organized and easier to command than ordinary extras!

Li Qing remarked with admiration, "Look at that, otherwise he wouldn't be a high-ranking member of the Actors Association! He can summon a whole company of militia with just one phone call."

He wasn't Director Zhou and didn't know the inside story. These militiamen were basically composed of retired soldiers, who could also be considered as reserve personnel.

This isn't something ordinary people can just train to get by! No wonder they're from the Zhao family of Beijing; their connections are truly extensive.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Zhao!" Director Zhou finally couldn't hold back anymore, stood up, and excitedly shook Wei Yu's hands.

"No need to be so polite, as long as Director Zhou can make proper arrangements for the two ladies!" Wei Yu said with a smile.

"Definitely, I will definitely arrange the roles for the two ladies properly!" Director Zhou said.

"Alright, then I'll head back first. I came here to pay my respects to an elder, so I'll be leaving now!" Wei Yu said.

"So eager to leave? Have a meal before you go!" Director Zhou and Li Qing asked at the same time.

"No, I've already made the arrangements. I don't want to keep my elders waiting, so I'll leave now! Ah Fen, Yin Yin, don't worry about filming here. If you need anything, just ask Director Zhou or Section Chief Li!" Wei Yu said with a smile.