novellhall Chapter 23: MV Female Lead, Filming Preparation
Chapter 23: MV Female Lead, Filming Preparation
5 pm.
Lin Zixuan walked into the Beiping Coffee Shop.
In a quiet corner, I met Wen Muye, who was typing away on his laptop.
Upon meeting, Wen Muye stood up in surprise and looked him up and down carefully several times. "What's wrong with you? It's been more than two months since I last saw you. How come you've become even more handsome? Are you trying to kill us ordinary handsome guys?"
"Really? You filmed a TV series and played a supporting role."
Wen Muye was a little skeptical. "Really? Acting in TV dramas can make you more handsome? You didn't secretly go to Korea, did you?"
"Get lost. Do I need to go to Korea? There's nothing I can do. I'm just naturally beautiful, and you can't be envious of me."
"Get lost, you pretentious show-off. It's just that God has been too biased towards you."
At this moment, the waiter came over, and Lin Zixuan ordered a latte.
After the waiter left, he said to Wen Muye in an annoyed tone, "You have the nerve to talk back to me? Tell me honestly, did you sell the news of my return to someone else?"
To everyone's surprise, Wen Muye wasn't embarrassed at all. "What do you mean by 'selling'? What's wrong with friends helping each other out and sharing some information?"
Lin Zixuan was so angry at his shamelessness that she laughed. "So helping a friend means you can betray my whereabouts?"
"Could it be anyone else? They're all your ex-girlfriends, and ultimately, this is all your fault."
"I think you should give up being a director and go sell crutches instead; you're such a smooth talker."
"Thank you for the compliment, but I'm more suited to being a director."
At this moment, the waiter brought Lin Zixuan's coffee over.
After the waiter left, Wen Muye couldn't wait to start talking about the preparations for the film crew. For him, from filming GG to shooting the MV, it was a rare opportunity, and he cherished it very much.
"Zixuan, the entire crew is ready. The cameramen, lighting crew, stylists, and makeup artists are all on standby. All the props are ready, and the location has been chosen."
"Oh, which outdoor locations did you choose?"
"Given our budget, we definitely need to choose a place that costs little or no money. 'Autumn Never Returns,' I think Miaofeng Mountain is a perfect fit, as this season is just right."
"Wait a Minute" would be better filmed in Fragrant Hills.
"Damn Tenderness" was filmed at the Temple of Heaven Park.
After saying that, he pulled up the photos taken in those locations on his computer and showed them to Lin Zixuan.
"Good, it seems you haven't been slacking off lately."
"Now all that's missing is the female lead. By the way, have you chosen the female lead yet? If you don't decide soon, it will be too late."
"Almost, the choices are mostly made."
"Quickly tell me who they are. I'm warning you now, don't blame me if the photos don't turn out well if they're not pretty."
"Don't worry, they're all great beauties. Zhou Muyin will play the female lead in 'Autumn Never Returns'."
Lu Chen will play the female lead in "Wait a Minute".
"See, I told you that you and those two weren't normal. You even had the nerve to interrogate me just now."
But they are both really good-looking. One was the prettiest in the class of 03, and the other was the prettiest in the class of 04. Plus, they are both your ex-girlfriends. The music video they make will definitely be beautiful. Hey, you're not really still hung up on them, are you?
"What are you thinking? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
Wen Muye glanced at him sideways without saying a word, his meaning clear.
"Well, after all, I had a relationship with them, so I should help them out if I have the chance."
"Anyway, it's up to you. Oh, and one more thing, who should we choose for the female lead in 'Damn Tenderness'? Shouldn't we choose someone from the class of 05?"
"Yes, I wanted to choose someone from the class of 05, but my favorite person didn't sign up. I'm thinking of whether I should take the initiative to invite them."
"Who is it? You don't happen to have your eye on Yang Mi, do you?"
"Yeah, if she were to star in it, wouldn't the music video easily become a hit?"
"Forget about Yang Mi, you can't afford her salary."
"What kind of pay? Such a great opportunity, can't she just act for free?"
"Stop dreaming. She's already famous. Her role as Guo Xiang in The Return of the Condor Heroes last year made her a star."
Do you think she needs your music video, or your music video needs her more?
She's not going to let you get something for free. Besides, she has an agency and can't make her own decisions. Last time, one of my clients wanted to hire her to film a sex scene, and do you know how much her agent asked for?
"How many?
"30 yuan, no bargaining, I was scared away as soon as I heard that."
"So expensive?"
"So, I suggest you give up and quickly choose another one. There are many beautiful girls in the class of 05. Otherwise, our production budget won't be enough to pay her salary alone."
"Alright, let's change the actress. Let's choose Duanmu Chonghui and let her be the female lead in 'Damn Tenderness'."
"Not bad, you have good taste. Actually, she's the prettiest girl in the class of 05."
. . . . . .
The two discussed and finalized all the details of the filming, deciding that the crew would officially begin assembling tomorrow and filming would begin the day after tomorrow.
To be honest, Wen Muye did a lot of research, even noting down the number of outfits and what kind of clothes the male and female protagonists wore in each song's music video.
In his plan, Lin Zixuan needs to prepare 3 different suits, 3 different trench coats, and 3 different casual wear.
Each of the three female leads also needs to prepare two dresses of different colors, as well as a white shirt and jeans.
They even specified the colors of each outfit and the shoes to match.
To be honest, after Lin Zixuan watched it and imagined it in his mind, he felt very satisfied. As expected of a director who has made it big, his aesthetic sense is still on point.
On the spot, Lin Zixuan officially signed a contract with him in the name of his studio. The total cost of shooting the three music videos was 15 yuan (excluding the male and female leads' salaries and costume costs). Lin Zixuan would pay 10 yuan the next morning, and the remaining 5 yuan would be paid after the music videos were finished.
The filming order is: "Autumn Never Returns", "Wait a Minute", and "Damn Tenderness".
The filming time for each song's music video is estimated to be 2 days.
Afterwards, Lin Zixuan called the three girls to inform them of the specific filming time and to ask them to prepare in advance, especially to prepare the costumes required by the script.
Of course, these are also common clothes for girls in daily life, and normally they should all have them, or at least most of them.
However, Lin Zixuan guessed that in order to have a more beautiful image in the MV, they would probably all buy new ones.
After all, they were all students and life was not easy. After thinking about it, Lin Zixuan decided to give each of them 2000 yuan as a film fee, as a clothing allowance.
With current prices, if you're not looking for a particular brand, 2000 yuan should be enough to buy these clothes.
When Duanmu Chonghui from the Class of 05 received the call, she was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly, promising to make all the necessary preparations as requested.
She was then surrounded by her roommates, who only let her go after she agreed to give them a ton of snacks, much to their envy and jealousy.
Zhou Muyin and Lu Chen reacted differently, probably because they had already been happy after receiving the news from Lin Zixuan.
After receiving the call and hearing the request, their first reaction was to ask Lin Zixuan if they needed to prepare clothes, and they all wanted to invite Lin Zixuan to go shopping with them.
Lin Zixuan couldn't agree to that, so he had to lie to them, saying that he had already bought his clothes and that he had other work to do the next day.
Hearing Lin Zixuan say this, the two women were unwilling, but thankfully they did not continue to insist.
Finally, Lin Zixuan asked Wen Muye, "Aye, what kind of courses do you study in the directing major?"
"What's wrong? You want to be a director?"
"When I was filming on set, I would follow the director around and observe when I wasn't filming. I gained a lot of insights and want to learn more."
"You're talking nonsense. With your looks, wouldn't it be better to just focus on acting and become a star? Why are you trying to steal our directors' jobs?"
"Don't get agitated. It's always good to learn more. Besides, in today's film and television industry, directors are the ones who truly have the power, aren't they?"
"That's true. Okay, I'll give you a reading list. If you don't understand something, come to me, and I'll tutor you at a discounted price."