novellhall Chapter 8: Joining the Cast of "Curse of the Golden Flower"
Chapter 8: Joining the Cast of "Curse of the Golden Flower"
Goodbye, Mom. I'm off on my voyage with my backpack.
Humming a little tune, Wei Yi hailed a taxi after leaving Yiwu Airport and headed straight to Hengdian.
He's going to Hengdian to report for duty.
Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower" production team is currently scouting locations and casting in Hengdian.
Zhang Yimou is now undoubtedly the number one director in China.
Countless people in the entertainment industry wanted to join the cast of "Curse of the Golden Flower".
Normally speaking...
Wei Yi is a freshman majoring in directing at Beijing Film Academy who has never attended a class.
It's impossible for him to join Zhang Yimou's film crew.
But Wei Yi himself is abnormal.
Posts about him are still very popular on Tianya and many other forums.
Zhang Yi agreed after just one phone call from Mu Deyuan.
But Tian Erzhuang still felt it wasn't enough. He felt it wasn't enough to make Wei Yi think the photography department was better.
We can't let the photography department steal the spotlight from the directing department.
Old Tian then made several phone calls as well.
Finally, Wei Yi easily joined the group.
Even before "Curse of the Golden Flower" has started filming.
He had already become a member of the production crew.
He became one of the casting directors and location scouting assistants.
He was already earning two salaries even before the movie started filming.
That's it.
Even someone as stingy as Zhang Weiping wouldn't dare to say anything.
After all, Zhang Weiping has a somewhat arrogant personality.
But it's still 2005.
Zhang Yimou has not yet been cemented his status through the Olympics.
Zhang Weiping wasn't as arrogant as he would become later.
Zhang Yimou simply told him that this person is now the apple of everyone's eye at Beijing Film Academy.
Offending him is tantamount to offending the entire top management of Beijing Film Academy.
No need!
It's just a few tens of thousands of yuan anyway.
Zhang Weiping takes it all in stride.
Wei Yi is on his way to report for duty.
I asked the driver and learned that it would take about 40-50 minutes to get to Hengdian.
Wei Yi simply called out the Sand Sculpture System in a soft voice.
[Host: Wei Yi]
Current Level: Beginner
[Sect: Hehuan Immortal Sect (Beijing Film Academy)]
[Techniques: "The Myriad Manifestations of Heavenly Net Remembrance", "The Nine Palaces Locking Heaven Array Diagram Explanation", "The Instantaneous Creation and Extinction Light and Shadow Technique"...]
[Skill: The Mirror Flower Karma Technique]
Finally, I've officially "entered the door," and the Silly System is officially activated.
The system interface is also very different from before, with the addition of cultivation techniques and skill bars.
Currently, there is only one skill, which is the Mirror Flower Karma Technique, a system reward.
Thanks to this thing, all the senior executives at the Beijing Film Academy who have seen his photos and videos now think he is an unparalleled photography genius.
Even Wei Yi himself was drawn to the things he filmed.
This thing is weird!
This also proves that although this broken system is a bit silly.
They certainly have the ability.
only……
Looking at the pile of cultivation techniques in the system menu.
Wei Yi couldn't help but twitch his eyelids.
the reason is simple.
Because these incredibly powerful martial arts techniques, judging by their names alone, were not given to us by the system.
These were the names the system gave them after Wei Yi learned them.
For example, this "Remembering the Myriad Phenomena of Heavenly Net".
It gives people the feeling that if you cultivate it, you can become an immortal, right?
The system's annotations for it also look quite impressive:
[The "Myriad Manifestations of Heavenly Net: A Treatise on Gratitude": This technique can help the host cultivate the foundation of the Heavenly Eye and Heavenly Ear. Even those who only begin to grasp its basics can perceive the most subtle sounds and rhythms of all things in the world. Those who achieve mastery can control the sounds and sights within a hundred miles with a single wisp of divine thought.]
That's incredibly clever, isn't it?
But actually?
This means that Wei Yi accepted special tutoring from Tian Erzhuang and Xie Xiaojin.
He appeared while studying the required course "Fundamentals of Audiovisual Language" in the Directing Department of Taipei Film Academy.
In other words, this "Universal Net of Gratitude" is actually just a technique for analyzing camera angles, lighting, and sound during film screenings...
Similarly, there is the "Nine Palaces Locking Heaven Formation Diagram Explanation".
The sand sculpture system's annotation is: [An ancient treasure of array cultivation, based on the Nine Palaces, reversing the universe. Practicing it allows one to transform every flower, tree, frown, and smile into a trap to imprison the enemy, causing onlookers to lose their composure and unknowingly fall into the array.]
Actually?
TMD refers to the composition and camera movement techniques used in filmmaking, including various rule of thirds, golden ratio, and mise-en-scène techniques!
Let me give you another example.
In the system's cultivation technique interface, Wei Yi has a cultivation technique called "Words Become Laws: The Law of Cause and Effect".
Words spoken become law!
The name alone is incredibly cool.
The system annotation is equally challenging: [The prerequisite mental technique for the Golden Words Divine Power. The words written by the host are the laws of heaven and earth, capable of influencing cause and effect, causing mortal bodies to perform extraordinary deeds, and determining life, death, honor, and disgrace with a single word.]
In reality, it forms the foundation of the script and the director's concept, serving as an additional effect when writing the script or making director's statements.
There are more than just these few.
All the other techniques, such as "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Soul-Capturing and Puppet Control Technique," "Instantaneous Creation and Extinction Light and Shadow Technique," and "Primordial Chaos Universe One Cut to Return to Truth Technique," are all the same!
Wei Yi just wanted to say that the Silly System's capabilities are real.
But it's also really silly!
Half an hour later.
Wei Yi arrived in Hengdian.
As soon as he got out of the car, he took out his phone and made a call.
"Senior brother, I've arrived."
The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Okay, I'll come out to pick you up right away."
A moment later, Wei Yi saw a white Volkswagen pull up in front of him. The door opened, and a burly man in his thirties stepped out and looked at Wei Yi, saying, "Junior Brother?"
"Senior brother?"
"Damn, you're so handsome! How did you end up in directing school? And I heard you got a perfect score on your college entrance exam, why did you decide to go into this line of work?"
"Um, well, this is my dream."
"...You're awesome, having dreams is amazing!"
Li Hua was shut down by Wei Yi's words.
But if someone else said that, Li Hua could retort with "Go to hell with your dreams."
But the junior in front of me is a genius who got a perfect score on the college entrance exam.
The school's precious treasure.
Before he arrived, Li Hua's teachers, department heads, and even school leaders all called him.
Let Li Hua, a senior who graduated from the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, take care of this junior as a mentor.
This treatment...
Li Hua was both speechless and envious.
But when I think of his feat of getting a perfect score on the college entrance exam and getting into the Beijing Film Academy.
Li Hua felt that he understood again.
"Alright, let's go. I'll take you to see Director Zhang first, and then I'll take you out for a meal."
"it is good."
Wei Yi got into the car.
"Senior, what's your role in this film crew?" Wei Yi asked curiously.
"Assistant director."
Wei Yi gave a thumbs up: "Awesome!"
"Bullshit!" Li Hua said dismissively. "They call themselves assistant directors, but aren't they just doing odd jobs? Director Zhang's films don't require us to teach acting; we just need to keep an eye on the actors."
"Okay. I heard the lead actors for this drama have already been cast?"
"Yes, the male lead is Chow Yun-fat, and the female lead is Gong Li. These two have already been cast."
"Then what's the point of casting?"
"The rest haven't been decided yet, right? Besides, casting and promotion are all the rage these days. It's a good way to find suitable roles and also to generate buzz beforehand. You know Zhang Weiping, right? He's the one in charge of it."
The two chatted casually until they arrived at the hotel where the "Curse of the Golden Flower" film crew was temporarily staying.
Li Hua readily brought Wei Yi to the renowned Director Zhang Yimou.
"Director Zhang, this is Wei Yi."
Zhang Yi glanced at Wei Yi and nodded.
Let's make some arrangements.
Li Hua then took Wei Yi downstairs.
There are no nonsensical scenes of contempt or pretentiousness, nor any outrageously exaggerated Dihua (a derogatory term for a certain type of person) segments.
A perfect score on the college entrance exam might at most make Zhang Yi take a second look, and the presence of the North Power Plant behind the scenes would only make Zhang Yi pay a little more attention.
The tracks are different.
Zhang Yimou wouldn't really pay much attention to a college student who has just graduated from high school.