novellhall Chapter 28: Fixed Angle
Chapter 28: Fixed Angle
"What? You're going to lower your fee to act in this film too?"
Gu Qing looked at Fan Binbin in front of her and felt a little strange.
Shouldn't Huang Xiaoming have gone back to Huayi Brothers to persuade Li Binbin to reconsider?
"What do you mean by 'also'?"
Fan Binbin sensed something was wrong. He hadn't gotten the favor of being the first to participate in the film, and now he wasn't even given the first opportunity to lower his salary.
"Before you, Huang Xiaoming said he would lower his salary and agreed to invite Li Binbin to star in the film."
"Director Gu, I am fully prepared for this film, and I am willing to act in it for free!"
Fan Binbin spoke with a serious expression.
At this moment, she truly regretted it. She should have agreed earlier; that way, she could have gained some favor.
In her opinion, the paycheck is not important at all. What can you do with just one or two million? What matters is fame and the various gigs, endorsements, and gigs that come with it.
Her contract is about to expire, and she doesn't plan to renew it with Huayi Brothers, which demonstrates the importance of connections.
Losing a few hundred thousand in exchange for getting to know a promising director like Gu Qing is a huge win!
Unfortunately, she didn't realize this sooner; adding flowers to brocade is never as timely as providing charcoal in the snow.
"Binbin, thank you for your trust in the crew. I'll remember this favor."
"However, I still have to tell Huang Xiaoming, since I had already promised him that I would ask Li Binbin to star in the film."
"So, if Li Binbin isn't willing to lower his fee to act in this film, then I'll choose you."
Although he was somewhat surprised by Fan Binbin's actions, he genuinely had no intention of disrupting the market.
However, it must be said that Fan Binbin's proposal was really tempting to him, and the conditions he proposed were just a way to save face for both parties.
"Director Gu, I'm sure our time together will be very pleasant."
Before leaving, Fan Binbin smiled and shook hands with Gu Qing, clearly confirming that the two would be working together in the future.
Huang Xiaoming was quite bewildered when he received Gu Qing's call.
For most actors, their pay is fixed, but there are exceptions, such as those who participate in works by renowned directors or perform in art films.
Clearly, Gu Qing does not fall into either of these categories.
"Director Gu, you're not joking, are you?"
"I'm so sorry, Xiaoming, but Fan Binbin contacted me and offered to act in the film without any payment."
Gu Qing said apologetically, "However, that's how the entertainment industry is. Even if it's just a verbal agreement, or even a signed contract, it can still be broken."
"What I said before still stands. You can join the crew next week. By the way, your salary doesn't need to be reduced. The crew's funds are still quite sufficient."
"Director Gu, you're too kind. I'm quite familiar with Binbin, so you don't need to feel awkward. The payment is the same; just give me whatever you think is appropriate."
On the other end of the phone, Huang Xiaoming rejected Gu Qing's request without much hesitation.
He still holds the same idea as Fan Binbin: building connections is the most important thing.
However, he found it difficult to talk about Li Binbin.
Sigh, I should have known better than to be so quick to speak.
Huang Xiaoming paced back and forth in his villa, carefully considering how to respond to the upcoming phone call.
In terms of closeness, he and Fan Binbin had worked together before and had known each other for a long time, but in terms of their relationship, Fan was clearly not well-liked within Huayi Brothers.
Because of their different acting styles, and with former leading lady Li Binbin clearly becoming close friends with Fan Bingbing, the bond between the two is obviously stronger than that between Fan Bingbing and Li Binbin.
After careful consideration, Huang Xiaoming made his decision.
There are three people involved, and someone has to take the blame, especially since the other party did break the rules first.
……
"Okay, I understand."
"Xiaoming, I'm very curious, how much is she willing to pay for this role?"
Li Binbin sat upright on the sofa, his five fingers gripping his phone turning slightly white. Although he had a smile on his lips, his eyes were icy cold.
Fan Binbin, you're really something, aren't you? You're addicted to grabbing resources, aren't you?
"I can only say that it's a price that's hard to refuse."
"Alright, Binbin, we have plenty of film and television roles in our company, so one more won't make a difference."
"Okay, I understand, thank you."
After hanging up the phone, Li Binbin angrily threw his phone onto the sofa.
Although Huang Xiaoming is right, it's infuriating that Li Binbin has once again had her role stolen by Fan Binbin.
She was willing to bet that she was the first choice for the female lead in that movie, but somehow this woman found out and offered some kind of condition to steal the role.
"Alright, it's just a movie lead actress. The company has a script that's a collaboration with Hong Kong, directed by Johnnie To, and the cast is the same old police and gangster crew. I've already booked it for you."
"Who knows how badly this movie will flop? Don't worry about it."
Hearing the commotion, Li Xue, the younger sister, came over. After learning what had happened, she said it without any concern.
Although Li Binbin was overshadowed by Zhou Xun within Huayi Brothers, Li Xue, as the manager of the artist department, naturally favored her own sister.
After these two top celebrities divided up Huayi Brothers' internal resources, what slipped through their fingers was only left for the lower-level employees.
In the past two years, Fan Binbin has been forced to film TV dramas, and he only obtained some film and television resources through connections in Hong Kong.
"That director told me to lower my fee to act in the film, but I'm afraid she'll act for free, or even pay me out of her own pocket."
"Haha, she's a young director, full of youthful vigor. That's just her usual style. Changing the cast on the spot is neither here nor there."
After whispering amongst themselves with their sister for a while, Li Binbin's anger subsided considerably.
However, a shadow lingered in her heart and could not be dispelled.
Was Fan Binbin trying to spite her, or did he genuinely see something special about this movie?
Considering that Huang Xiaoming voluntarily took a pay cut to star in the film, and Fan Binbin even worked for free, Li Binbin had a bad feeling.
But since things had come to this, there was nothing she could do but leave it to fate.
On the other hand, after learning that Li Binbin had refused, Gu Qing immediately finalized the casting of Fan Binbin and Huang Xiaoming.
One was half price, and the other was free; it was a pleasant surprise.
As for the remaining couple, without much consideration, they called on Fu Dalong, who then recommended his girlfriend.
There's also a sailor role, for which he invited Zu Feng, a classmate of Huang Xiaoming, to play Li Ya in "Lurking" next year.
At this point, the casting for all six roles—three women and three men—is complete.
Huang Xiaoming received a 600,000 yuan fee as a "friendship price," while Fu Dalong's fame soared after starring in "The Dog," and Gu Qing received a 400,000 yuan fee.
Before starring in "The Dog", Fu Dalong's acting salary was barely enough to make ends meet. He was also fortunate to have his girlfriend take care of him, which prevented him from having any thoughts of changing careers.
Now that the production team has sufficient funds, he has raised the price for the other party, because good actors should not be buried.
Zu Feng debuted early and has acted in television, movies, and stage plays, making him a celebrity. He received a salary of 200,000 yuan. Zeng Li received 100,000 yuan. As for Jing Tian, she only received a token amount of 10,000 yuan.
This price was only because the other party offered a fixed price after the music EP became a hit; otherwise, Gu Qing would have been willing to pay a few thousand yuan.
"Brother Qing, why am I only getting ten thousand yuan a month for my role?"
Holding the invitation contract in her hand, Jing Tian angrily rushed to Gu Qing, grabbed the latter's collar and questioned him.
Although she doesn't care about the amount of the pay, this is still too stingy.
"Dude, don't you know your own skill level?"
"His screen time was less than ten minutes, and he didn't even have ten lines. I'd rather pay him ten thousand yuan!"
Gu Qing looked down at Jing Tian, and seeing her cheeks puffed up like little soup dumplings, he chuckled.