novellhall Chapter 102: Two Younger Sisters, Rumors
Chapter 102: Two Younger Sisters, Rumors
Although Gu Qing didn't pay much attention to the film "The Beginning," it doesn't mean that the film wasn't a masterpiece.
It doesn't matter whether it's his first web series or not; what matters is whether it's his first high-quality web series.
Web series are characterized by low cost, short production cycle, and strong storytelling.
Gu Qing used the production costs of a high-quality TV series, plus a group of industry elites to film it, and he never doubted the quality of the TV series.
This first shot must be fired loudly and beautifully.
He thought he would be working hard for a while, but apart from the first week of filming, he didn't have to worry about anything else.
He actually had a feeling that he had become a tool. Yes, the entire crew had become an experimental filming base for the directing, cinematography, and even acting departments of the Beijing Film Academy.
His standards were already high enough, but how could they compare to the standards of the older generation of teachers at the Beijing Film Academy?
In his opinion, some of the filming locations were already perfect, but in the eyes of his seniors, they were even subpar and needed to be done better.
Suddenly, he thought of Jiang Wen, who had also filmed the same content over and over again, more than a dozen times, and in the end, he chose the first one.
Gu Qing couldn't help but feel a little fortunate that he had used a digital camera.
"Teacher Mu, the way you're doing this makes me feel like I'm not involved at all."
Looking at the busy crowd, Gu Qing felt strangely idle.
Mu Deyuan and Xie Xiaojing had already taken on all the work of the crew, including photography and directing.
If he didn't know that these two didn't have any ulterior motives, he would have felt like he was being sidelined.
"Gu kid, you're just being smug. You're happy to have us old guys working for you."
Xie Xiaojing laughed and scolded, saying that he hadn't been at school these past few days, but had only returned after receiving a call from Lu Tianming.
He also learned some things about Gu Qing, and to be honest, he admired her quite a bit.
He originally came to ask about Lu Chuan, but since Gu Qing is about to become one of his own, there's no need for him to step in and play the good guy.
"Teacher Xie, you flatter me. This is my first time filming a TV series. I was hoping to gain some experience."
Gu Qing smiled shyly, showing no remorse whatsoever.
What a joke! He himself couldn't be happier to relax a bit. Although he doesn't do any work, he still holds the title of director and is responsible for vetting and selecting the content to be filmed.
He's not like Lu Chuan, and these teachers aren't like Jiang Wen either.
"In that case, why don't you stay by my side for the next few days? I'll teach you some photography skills; your previous film was shot too crudely."
Mu Deyuan smiled maliciously, showing considerable interest in the suggestion.
"No, Teacher Mu, I have enough confidence in your professional skills, so I'll just take charge of the overall situation."
"I have a lot to do, so I need to focus my energy on polishing the storyline."
Gu Qing's expression changed, and she decisively rejected the other party's suggestion.
Are you kidding me? If he were just an ordinary student in the directing department, he might accept this rather tempting request.
But now he's a famous director, and it would be too embarrassing for him to be an intern under a teacher.
Besides, he didn't think the other party could teach him anything in terms of business acumen.
Seeing Gu Qing flee in panic, Mu Deyuan and Xie Xiaojing exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
It was rare to see Gu Qing with such an expression, and even for their age, they found it quite amusing.
As for being rejected by Gu Qing, they didn't care much. Gu Qing wasn't an undergraduate, and besides, she already had skills when she became an apprentice, so she naturally didn't need to stay by their side to learn.
"Old Mu, you've recruited a good student."
"If I hadn't been away that day, you would never have gotten the bargain."
Xie Xiaojing looked slightly regretful, and even more dissatisfied with Tian Zhuangzhuang. How could such a proud person have let this opportunity slip away?
"Hehe, you can't force fate. Gu Qing and I are just destined to be together."
Mu Deyuan said with a smug smile, of course he wouldn't reveal what happened that day.
"By the way, I haven't asked you yet, how did you suddenly come here? Old Li and I are enough."
The "Old Li" he mentioned is a photography teacher; putting aside everything else, he certainly has the ability to direct a TV series.
"Oh, it's nothing, just wanted to ask about Lu Chuan. Lu Tianming called me the other day..."
Xie Xiaojing didn't hide anything. She sighed and then explained the whole story.
At the symposium that day, Lu Chuan and Gu Qing somehow clashed, and the two had a very unpleasant argument in public. Although the specifics are unknown, Lu Chuan ran away crying.
He also asked some students privately and roughly learned about the situation.
But now that Gu Qing is also a directing student, he couldn't very well get involved. So he came to the "Beginning" crew to try and mediate between the two. But Gu Qing didn't take it to heart, so what could he say?
Does that mean Lu Chuan goes home crying every night? He himself would be too ashamed to admit that.
"Sigh, let the younger generation handle their own affairs. We should just focus on teaching our students."
Mu Deyuan didn't say much; this was indeed not their business.
He used to admire Lu Chuan, but he was afraid of comparing the two. Now that he had the better Gu Qing, he naturally looked down on Lu Chuan.
Xie Xiaojing was a little better off, as she had a personal relationship with Lu Tianming, but she couldn't possibly put on airs in front of Gu Qing. After thinking about it, she didn't have any good ideas, so she could only let it go.
Meanwhile, after leaving, Gu Qing went straight to the actors' dressing room.
The director's office is full of old men, it's so uncomfortable to stay there. It's nothing like the actors' lounge here, it's full of young people.
"Yi Long, how's it going since you joined the film crew?"
Gu Qing lay on the recliner, with Liu Yifei serving him tea and water, and Shu Chang massaging his shoulders, feeling quite comfortable.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yilong looked somewhat shy and stammered as he shared his thoughts on joining the production team.
Looking at Gu Qing, who wasn't much older than him, he felt a bit strange. Then, looking at Shu Chang massaging Gu Qing's shoulders and Liu Yifei pouring tea, he felt even more absurd.
However, he also knew that Gu Qing didn't have those kinds of feelings, otherwise they wouldn't have become friends.
"I'm not a performance professor, so I don't need to nitpick. I can only suggest that you relax, be bolder, and observe and ask more questions on set."
"You don't need to be so reserved. I'm only serious in front of the camera, but I'm actually quite easy to get along with."
Gu Qing took a bite of his apple and said with a smile that he thought highly of Zhu Yilong, since the two were from the same hometown.
Seeing how reserved the other person was in front of him, he couldn't help but say a little more.
"Director Gu is right, I was a little too reserved."
Zhu Yilong could only nod in agreement. That's true, but as a newcomer, his first TV series was as the male lead, and there were so many experienced actors in the crew. How could he not be nervous?
There's no way to change that; you can only hone your skills through experience.
"Brother Qing, I noticed you're not easy to get along with usually. You always have such a long face."
Shu Chang gently massaged Gu Qing's shoulders, her eyes darting around before she teased him.
"Yes, yes, I don't dare to say a single word in front of you."
Liu Yifei nodded in agreement, but there was not a trace of fear in her eyes.
Gu Qing is not an arrogant person, and Liu Yifei is quite lively in private. The two were too serious when they first met, but after spending a week together, they can finally get to know each other.
"Hehe, if I were difficult to get along with, you would have been thoroughly berated by me long ago."
Gu Qing pretended to be angry, but she wasn't angry at what the two said.
It's his own fault, after all, who wouldn't want two attractive girls by their side? Putting aside everything else, just looking at them is a pleasure.
Actually, there were several pretty girls in the cast of "Chinese Paladin", but he didn't dare to look at them too much, for fear that Jing Tian would get jealous.
Hmm, he seems to be acting a little inappropriately.
"Brother Qing, if you have any projects next time, remember to consider us sisters!"
"No, once is enough. Any more and I'll get scolded."
Gu Qing raised her hand, stopping Shu Chang from speaking.
No one knows who acted as a mouthpiece, but Jing Tian somehow found out about what was going on here, and she questioned him for a long time.
Although he hasn't been in the industry for long, the actresses he's worked with, including Fan Bingbing, Li Bingbing, Zeng Li, and now Shu Chang in this film, are all beauties.
He only needs to work with these people once; if he works with more than that, he's afraid the rumors will start to spread.
"Qing-ge, you're not afraid of Sister Tiantian, are you?"
Shu Chang, always eager for a good show, remarked that although she had never met Jing Tian in person, she admired her ability to subdue Gu Qing.
The reason why she and Liu Yifei are not afraid of each other is most likely because the other party already has a girlfriend.
"How old are you? Maybe Sweetie is even younger than you."
"I'll be there in August!"
"I'll be there in August!"
"Sweetie was born in July, so she's definitely older than you guys. Older my foot! She was born in '88, so she's a year younger than you!"
Gu Qing thought for a moment and was about to nod when she suddenly remembered that Jing Tian was born in 88, and immediately rolled her eyes at the two of them.
To everyone's surprise, the two of them immediately looked at Gu Qing with disdain.
"Sweetie is a year younger than all of us, how could you even do that?"
Liu Yifei said indignantly, "That's not good, considering Jing Tian is actually a year younger than me."
I heard that Gu Qing and Jing Tian have known each other for two years, which means he set his sights on her when she was 18. That's really weird.
"What are you thinking? I'm only 25! I'm not that much older than you guys."
Gu Qing glanced at Liu Yifei's expression and guessed what she was thinking, and immediately felt a little embarrassed.
"Go, go, go! Filming is about to start, hurry up and look at the script!"
"Hey~, if we can't win the argument, we'll change the subject and stop playing with you."
The two women teased Gu Qing for a while longer before leaving the lounge, laughing and joking.
The two of them can laugh at each other about this for quite a while.
Gu Qing shook his head and chuckled. That's why it's better for opposite-sex friends to keep their distance. These two girls are getting more and more unruly.
After enjoying a comfortable time on set, Gu Qing was quite reluctant to leave.
He didn't need to worry too much about filming; the directing professors would take care of it, and they didn't want their reputations to be ruined.
Sometimes Gu Qing listened patiently and gained quite a bit of insight into composition and color.
In their personal lives, the crew had the lively duo of Shu Chang and Liu Yifei, which provided plenty of fun outside of filming.
After finishing filming at night, he would chat with Jing Tian to help her fall asleep, so his schedule was packed every day.
But suddenly, an unexpected phone call interrupted his life.
"Feed? It's me."
"Sure, sure, I have time."
Gu Qing hung up the phone, a smile appearing on her face. After waiting for so long, she finally couldn't sit still anymore?
"Teacher Mu, please sit here for a while. I have something to attend to and need to go out for a bit."
"What kind of matter requires you, a great director, to handle personally?"
"Hehe, since President Wang of Huayi Brothers invited me, I have to give him face no matter what."
Gu Qing waved goodbye to the crew and left.
Meanwhile, within Huayi Brothers...
Inside the general manager's office, Wang Zhonglei looked at the man in front of him with a headache, occasionally pulling out a tissue to wipe the saliva off his face.
"Director Chen, let's talk this out calmly, don't rush."
"Mr. Wang, this is unethical! I've had my eye on that work for a long time. How could the copyright have been bought by someone else? This is a serious violation of the unspoken rules!"
Sitting opposite Wang Zhonglei was Chen Guofu, a producer who had recently joined Huayi Brothers Group.
He had just finished producing "If You Are the One" and originally wanted to buy the film and television rights to the novel "The Message," but was informed by the author Mai Jia that the rights to the work had been bought by someone else at a high price not long ago.
At this moment, Chen Guofu was also indignant. Who had stolen his thunder? The mainland film and television companies were too impolite.
"Director Chen, in the film and television industry, you can't do anything without taking action in advance. Now that the copyright has been bought by someone else, there's nothing I can do."
Wang Zhonglei also said with a headache that when Feng Xiaogang wrote "A World Without Thieves," he waited for the author to finish serializing the novel before he actually managed to snatch the copyright.
It seems Chen Guofu is still not very skilled in his work.
Did they mention which company it is? And what is their offer?
"It's a personal studio, I think it's called Tianmeng. They spent 150 million to buy the copyright. This guy is crazy."
Chen Guofu felt somewhat uncomfortable after being scolded by Wang Zhonglei.
It's just a spy novel, and it hasn't received much attention in the mainland film and television industry.
To be honest, the price of 150 million is far beyond what is expected.
The current mainstream style is still stuck in mythology, history, and comedy, and even in television dramas, there are no works like that.
Therefore, he didn't pay much attention to it. It was only a verbal agreement at the time. Who would have thought that by the time he finished his work, the copyright would be gone.
"Mr. Wang, I am determined to adapt this novel into a film or television series, and I want to direct it myself."
"Tianmeng, I understand. You can go out now. The company will do its best."
Wang Zhonglei frowned and waved his hand, signaling the other party to leave first.
If the price is low, he can still do something, but at 150 million, there's nothing he can do.
But why does Tianmeng Studio seem so familiar?