Chapter 94: The Script is King (Fourth Update)

  It can be seen that the director has given this work a reflection on war, and Sun Shucai is an important tool for expressing this reflection. He was originally a young man from a northern farming family who was appreciated by Cao Cao for his good kickball skills. He had no intention of killing, but was forced onto the battlefield, ultimately dying in front of his good friend Sun Shangxiang. He was a simple person with simple thoughts, just wanting to eat well and have a simple life, but he was powerless in the face of war.

  After Wu Yuesen briefly introduced the character of Sun Shucai, He Mu expressed his own thoughts: "Sun Shucai is just an ordinary small character, a soldier who wouldn't even leave a name in history books, and maybe even a bit foolish. But I think this character is the most lovable, he has no ambition like Cao Cao, no responsibility like Zhuge Liang or Zhou Yu, he has a pure heart, only hoping to finish the war early and go home to see his mother. Actually, this kind of person really has the broadest representativeness."

  Wu Yousen stared blankly at He Mu, he didn't expect that someone in his early twenties would have such a profound understanding of history, and could accurately guess his intentions with just a few words. Indeed, the young are formidable, and Tong Dawei had already given Wu Yousen a new perspective, but He Mu seemed to be no less impressive.

  Wu Yousen chatted with He Mu for over ten minutes about topics unrelated to Red Cliff and Three Kingdoms, roughly understanding his cultural background and characteristics. As for acting skills, they didn't discuss it, but Hu Lang had handed him several video clips of He Mu's performances, including "Flight Attendant" and "Soldier". These works are enough to show that He Mu can handle the performance requirements of different roles. Maybe He Mu's acting is not as natural and effortless as Tong Dawei's, but playing a simple-minded rural boy shouldn't be a problem, and he himself comes from a rural area.

  Wu Yuansen didn't say whether he would use He Mu or not, but just smiled and said that he still needed to discuss it with the production side, asking him to go back and wait for news.

  After He Mu left, Wu Yousen's work for today also ended. Finally, he wrote the names of Tong Dawei and He Mu on his own list of opinions. Today, I saw so many mainland actors, but only these two people were most satisfactory to him. Since the main roles were all decided by him, the decision-making power for secondary roles had to be handed over to the production side, and he was only responsible for putting forward his own suggestions.

  ——————

  He Mu didn't have time to go home, nor did he have time to meet his girlfriend. After saying goodbye to Wu Yousen, he rushed to catch the plane to Shanghai, then took a taxi to Hengdian, and returned to Xiaobailou at dawn, where he went out to work with Shi Shi and others. Except for dozing off on the plane, he almost didn't rest for a whole day and night.

  The news of He Mu's trial mirror "Chibi" had not spread widely, and most people did not know about it. They just thought he had some urgent matter to attend to when he asked for leave. The next day, when they saw him return, everyone saw the dawn of a successful outcome.

  "How was it yesterday?" Among the crowd, only Liu Shi knew the inside story and asked He Mu with concern.

  "I also said nothing, Director Wu's expression was calm and unpredictable, although he said he appreciated me earlier, his face remained very flat, and in the end, he didn't say anything special. I suspect that he says 'I appreciate you' to every interviewee." He Mu said, yesterday when Wu Yu Sen was observing He Mu, He Mu was also observing Wu Yu Sen, it's just that the last sentence really wronged Bai Wu.

  The year-end is approaching, and "Xin Shi Nian Niang" only has a few scenes left to shoot. Everyone is rushing to finish filming, with less rest and fewer requirements. Three days later, the final shot will be completed, marking the end of the entire drama's shooting. The previous three units have already completed editing, and some special effects are also done. Perhaps this drama can be seen on TV soon.

  After returning to the capital, He Mu and his party returned to Hu Lang Company. As soon as they returned, Xiao Fang gave them a good news that the broadcast license for "The Young Yang Family Generals" had been obtained. Xiao Fang ran many relationships and invited many banquets. Tang Ren thanked him by giving him a considerable concession in the share of northern copyright distribution, which also made Xiao Fang feel that he had not worked in vain.

  This will be the first TV series of He Mu's poem to be broadcast on Star, and they are also very happy, and at that time they will notify their families to watch it for the first time. Now Tang Ren is negotiating with Anhui Satellite TV about the relevant broadcasting matters. At the beginning, because there was no such license, everyone couldn't cooperate, now finally can continue to talk.

  Although relying on the strong distribution capabilities of Tangren Film, "The Young Yang Family Generals" has already covered most provinces in Taiwan and Southern China with local stations, but this kind of gradual territorial expansion is definitely not as fast as casting a wide net. Broadcasting via satellite is like casting a wide net, covering the entire country at once, and He Muxi's influence can also be taken to a higher level through this means.

  Shi Shi saw that there was nothing for her to do here, so she left first. Before leaving, she told He Mu that during this period of time, she would be staying at her parents' house and celebrating the New Year with them, implying that no one would be coming to freeload off He Mu anymore.

  When there were only He Mu, Xiao Fang and Da Tang left in the office, He Mu walked up to Xiao Fang and asked, "How confident are you about getting the role of 'Chi Bi'?"

  "It's hard to say," Xiao Fang said with a serious expression, "Director Wu Yousen gave his opinion after seeing several actors, and it was between you and Tong Dawei. It can be seen that he really appreciates you, but the final decision is made by the investors, in other words, it's decided by Orange Sky. What I can do to help is ask Han Sanping to say a word or two on your behalf when the final decision is made. This is already me putting my old face out there to beg for your sake, and whether it will have a decisive effect, I'm not sure."

  "Anyway, I still want to thank Gege." He Mu said very seriously. If he hadn't met Xiao Fang, if Xiao Fang hadn't helped him wholeheartedly, he would probably have returned to his hometown to take over the family business and work with pork.

  Then the three of them talked about He Mu's work plan after the new year.

  "Shooting commercials, of course we have to shoot commercials. Let's start with two to get some practice in. A celebrity who doesn't shoot commercials can't make money for me, right? Now that you're somewhat famous, you can use commercials to supplement the company." At this point, Xiao Fang's capitalist face was exposed without any reserve.

  "Don't just leave me alone to bear the pressure, you can also appropriately give Po a bit of responsibility." He Mu attempted to shift the blame.

  Da Tang shook his head: "Shi Shi's commercial value is far less than yours now, and Shi Shi has not shown a strong desire to make money by filming commercials, so there is no need to arrange those for her for the time being."

  "When can I shoot a film then?" He Mu asked. Shooting commercials for money was easy, but shooting films was where he could realize his value.

  "It depends on what kind of play you want to shoot," said Da Tang, "If you don't picky, I currently have four TV drama invitations in my hand, and I'd like to invite you to star in them. One is a male lead, and three are male supporting roles, but the script..." Da Tang started to build suspense. "What's wrong with the script?"

  "It's a mess," Xiao Fang took over with a smile, "but it doesn't matter, TV dramas are like that, as long as you're popular, people will watch, whether it's a good story or not is actually irrelevant, right Xiaomuzi?"

  He Mu shook his head: "No, a good script is enjoyable to act in, while a bad one is torture. Honestly, Tang Ren's script this time has been a bit torturous for me. I hope to take the high-quality path of acting, even if it means fewer productions."

  Xiao Fang patted his thigh: "That's right, don't rush to shoot the film. You've already shot four TV dramas and haven't had time to digest and absorb them. You can slow down your pace appropriately."

  "That can't always be shooting commercials." He Mu frowned.

  At this time, Da Tang asked Xiao Fang: "Director Xiao, are there any filming plans for the company this year?"

  Xiao Fang sighed, "Although the returns from 'Yang's Family Generals' and the two previous TV dramas have been partially received, 'Soldier' and 'Stewardess' have not yet made a profit. The company doesn't have much money in its account now, and it can't independently support the production of a TV drama. However, as long as there is a good project, I will definitely find a way to get the money, even if it means using the copyright of 'Stewardess' as collateral for a loan. The problem is that I don't know what to shoot now. Our company's weakest department is not publicity, sales, or production, but screenwriting! They can't even write good scripts themselves, let alone distinguish between good and bad when buying from outside."

  The script is indeed a big problem, and He Mu insists on the concept of "script is king". A play's script cannot be sloppy, if there is no good script, then only a luxurious star lineup can make up for it, which can compensate for the defects of the script to some extent, but the cost is too high, not suitable for a third-rate company like Hu Lang.

  The Great Tang looked at He Mu: "I've always thought that He Mu is a person with vision, what do you think are the most promising topics nowadays?"

  He Mu smiled and said, "Tang Ge, don't say that. I'm just an actor, after all. I believe Hu Lang must have a clear understanding of the TV dramas with high ratings and attention in recent years. I won't say more about this aspect. Let me talk about which type has no prospects instead."

  "What's the point of saying anything?" The Tang Dynasty was confused.

  Xiao Fang's eyes lit up, the less promising it is, the easier it is to make a difference. What kind of popular type of film and television drama was not a unpopular niche before it became popular? "Go on," Xiao Fang encouraged.

  "I think the type of TV drama with the least prospects now is martial arts dramas," He Mu said after some thought. "As a unique type of Chinese TV drama, the decline in output of martial arts dramas in recent years is obvious. Only remakes of Jin Yong and Gu Long's works can survive, and occasionally, Liang Yusheng and Wen Rui'an will join in, but to be honest, it's just barely scraping by. Except for Zhang Jizhong's grand remakes of Jin Yong's works, which have achieved relatively great success, the results of other works are only so-so, with average ratings, and can't justify such a large investment. Domestic martial arts dramas have fallen into a strange circle where they can't survive without remakes. From the audience's perspective, it's strange if these outdated storylines on TV get high ratings."

  "What good advice do you have?" Xiao Fang asked.

  ……

  PS: Thanks for shashazhuzhu's reward and encouragement, today Lao Fo updated more than 10,000 words, are you all satisfied?