Chapter 105: Ning Hao's return of favor, Zhang Guoshi's depression, Liu Yifei's invit
Chapter 105: Ning Hao's return of favor, Zhang Guoshi's depression, Liu Yifei's invitation
"With your words, I feel relieved."
Ning Hao rubbed his hands, feeling that the passion in his heart could no longer be suppressed.
I can’t wait to make the movie "Crazy Stone" right away to make my presence felt.
"By the way, Qingzi, do you have any good suggestions for actors?"
Ning Hao then stared at Zhou Qing and asked.
Although directors don't like investors interfering in casting, Ning Hao feels that he still has to keep a proper attitude.
Qingzi’s product is exclusive!
All the investors of "Crazy Stone" paid for it all!
Plus, I'm just a new director with no reputation, so I have to compromise on some things.
Besides, after all, they invested so much money, so what's wrong with just throwing in two actors?
No problem!
If you have the ability, don’t use other people’s money.
Ning Hao was still able to see things clearly.
"Brother, just do what you want."
Zhou Qing smiled and gave such an answer.
Ning Hao was stunned and almost burst into tears of gratitude.
It turns out that Qingzi had no intention of interfering with the casting!
How much trust does this require?
He invested 4.5 million without blinking an eye.
Then there was no interference with the script, and now there is no interference with the casting either, I can completely let myself perform!
A confidant.
A sentence suddenly popped up in Ning Hao's mind: A gentleman will die for his friend!
He felt that Zhou Qing now was the confidant mentioned in this sentence.
So even though Zhou Qing gave all the power to him, Ning Hao felt that he should also express his opinion.
He made a decision quickly.
"Qingzi, for the two artists under your studio, Huang Bo and Wang Baoqiang, I think there are two roles that are quite suitable for them."
Ning Hao said to Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing couldn't help but feel a little surprised when he heard this.
Huang Bo is not so bad as he was already in "Crazy Stone". In fact, Huang Bo became famous through the role of Hei Pi.
But Wang Baoqiang?
I can only say that Ning Hao is a relatively good person.
“Who are you going to ask them to play?”
Zhou Qing asked curiously.
In fact, what he was most curious about was Wang Baoqiang's role.
"As for Huang Bo, I think Heipi is quite suitable for him, and Baoqiang can play Xiaojun."
Ning Hao explained to Zhou Qing.
Huang Bo’s dark skin did not surprise Zhou Qing, but Xiaojun?
That little gangster who hung out with Hei Pi and Dao Ge?
It's not impossible.
"If you think it's suitable, you can talk to their agents, or they can talk to them themselves."
"Whether they perform or not is entirely up to them. I will not interfere."
Zhou Qing said to Ning Hao again.
Zhou Qing has always been friendly to the artists under his management.
They are not treated as tools to make money, but are given a considerable degree of freedom.
Otherwise, if Huang Bo changed companies, how could he be so capricious in turning down so many roles?
However, according to Zhou Qing's estimation, there shouldn't be any major problems with Wang Baoqiang.
After all, Baoqiang used to be a minor actor in the Beijing Film Studio. Although he acted in "A World Without Thieves", the movie has not been released yet.
Wang Baoqiang's status has not changed much. When there is a play that invites him to act, he is still a serious supporting role.
Wang Baoqiang should be able to do it.
But it’s hard to say what Huang Bo said.
With his current status, I'm afraid he would look down upon the role of Heipi.
"Your artists are really free."
Ning Hao uttered such an exclamation.
Isn’t Qingzi such a conscientious boss?
Zhou Qing smiled and waved his hand without saying anything more.
The reason why he has the confidence to be so willful is that he is friendly to artists, but the most important thing is that these two people are destined to become popular in the future.
If that’s the case, why are you exploiting them now?
It's just that you earn less money, so what?
Money is earned endless.
What's more, the pay of artists nowadays is generally not high. Even if Zhou Qing insists on taking a cut, how much can he take?
To be honest, he really doesn't care about the speed at which Zhou Qing makes money by making a movie.
Of course, if he encounters those truly key characters, Zhou Qing will definitely intervene.
For example, if Wang Baoqiang didn't want to take over Xu Sanduo, then Zhou Qing would definitely have to persuade him to take it.
But now Heipi is not that important to Huang Bo, so Zhou Qing is too lazy to ask about it.
"Can you also give some advice to my other actors?"
Ning Hao continued to speak with great interest, "The protagonist Bao Shihong, what do you think of Wang Han?"
Wang Han?
Zhou Qing was just slightly stunned, then he reacted immediately.
It seems to be true. Ning Hao did not look for Guo Tao at the beginning, but Wang Han.
That’s right, it’s Wang Han, the host of Day Day Up.
However, after Wang Han got the script, he disliked this role. After all, Bao Shihong was a ticking boy, and Wang Han felt that it would damage his image.
That's why Ning Hao later looked for Guo Tao again.
Considering this situation, Zhou Qing did not give any advice, but just casually asked: "Is his acting skill acceptable?"
"Let's audition first. Besides, what does our director do?"
Ning Hao didn't take this kind of problem too seriously.
Zhou Qing didn't say anything more.
The two sides also communicated about some other characters, and they were similar to what Zhou Qing remembered.
"The actors that Senior Brother selected are all very suitable. I have no objections."
Zhou Qing told the truth.
With Zhou Qing's affirmation, Ning Hao became more confident.
"By the way, Qingzi, I have to say hello to you in advance. I need to borrow your tiger skin while the movie is being prepared."
Before leaving, Ning Hao also greeted Zhou Qing specifically.
There was no way. He was just a pure newcomer in the circle, and things would be much easier if he had the name Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing had no objection to this.
"Crazy Stone" was indeed produced exclusively by him, which is an indisputable fact.
"The film "Crazy Stone" has been approved and will be produced exclusively by Zhou Qing Studio."
"Directed by new director Ning Hao and exclusively produced by Zhou Qing Studio, Crazy Stone has started casting."
"'Crazy Stone' has attracted attention in the industry. The film is fully invested by Zhou Qing, the director of '127 Hours' and 'Departures'."
"Ning Hao, the director of Crazy Stone, was once the executive director of Director Zhou in La La Land."
It can only be said that Zhou Qing’s name is still very useful nowadays.
This new project by a new director like Ning Hao has also attracted a wave of attention in the industry.
Many actors are eager to make a move.
Although Ning Hao is a new director, the one who pays the money is Director Zhou Qing.
Director Zhou Qing can't ruin his own reputation by investing in a bad movie, right?
There are still many people who are optimistic about this project.
"Qingzi, do you think so highly of Ning Hao?" Huang Bo was still a little surprised.
Although he was not from the directing department, he got to know Ning Hao because of Zhou Qing.
The two sides had met several times at Zhou Qing's place and were quite familiar with each other.
"Ning Hao is quite talented. All he lacks is an opportunity."
Zhou Qing said this to Huang Bo.
Huang Bo didn't say much. He still believed in Zhou Qing's judgment.
"By the way, he asked me to play a supporting role in the film, the dark-skinned one. Did you know about this?"
After chatting for a while, Huang Bo got down to business.
"I know. Ning Hao mentioned it to me."
Zhou Qing nodded and admitted it.
"Then what do you think?"
Huang Bo asked again.
In fact, Huang Bo himself didn't want to take the role, although he thought the role of Heipi was quite interesting.
But now that it’s not the leading role, he really doesn’t think much of it. If it’s a supporting role, it should at least be an important supporting role, right?
But since this play was exclusively invested in by his boss, Huang Bo felt that he still had to ask his boss's opinion.
"I don't have any idea. If you want to answer it, then answer it. If you don't want to answer it, then it's up to you."
Huang Bo finally felt relieved after hearing Zhou Qing say this.
"Then I won't take it. The key is that this role is indeed a bit too small."
Huang Bo told Zhou Qing his answer, and Zhou Qing was not surprised.
As for Wang Baoqiang?
Baoqiang's choice also did not surprise Zhou Qing.
After receiving the acting offer from Ning Hao, the other party happily accepted it without any hesitation.
Although that character was also not big, even smaller than Heipi.
But in any case, it is a much bigger role than Wang Baoqiang had taken before.
Not only does he have several scenes, but he also has quite a few lines. He's a serious supporting role!
Wang Baoqiang is already very happy.
"Don't worry, Director Zhou, I will definitely act well!"
Wang Baoqiang made a solemn promise to Zhou Qing.
"House of Flying Daggers" has been released for more than a week, and the situation can only be described as shocking, even unexpected.
Before this movie was released, everyone watched it as another "Hero".
But who could have imagined that it would receive such overwhelming abuse after its release.
Especially the major media, they all gave negative reviews as if they had agreed beforehand.
I don’t know if it has anything to do with the beating of reporters by the crew of “House of Flying Daggers”.
"House of Flying Daggers? I advise everyone not to fall into the ambush of this movie."
"House of Flying Daggers is a horrific scam. Don't be fooled."
"I had the greatest hope, but what I got in return was the greatest disappointment. House of Flying Daggers can't even tell a good story."
Not only the media, but also the audience's reputation has collapsed and cannot be saved at all.
Under such circumstances, the box office performance of "House of Flying Daggers" is really hard to describe.
Although earning 1 million in days seems good, becoming the second domestic film to break the million box office mark, it is far from the previous industry predictions.
What’s even worse is that the media’s unanimous pessimism also affected the box office.
Judging from this situation, there is no hope of even breaking 200 million, let alone surpassing "Hero".
To make matters worse, many cinemas decided to cut prices for sales because "House of Flying Daggers" was not selling very well!
This was an even heavier blow to Master Zhang.
Master Zhang has been extremely depressed these days.
"Director Zhou, what do you think of the negative reviews for House of Flying Daggers? Do you think it's a good movie?"
Zhou Qing was accidentally caught by reporters and was asked such a sharp question.
"I feel it is unimportant and meaningless. There are a thousand Hamlets for a thousand readers. We directors are only responsible for making movies. How to interpret it is up to the audience."
"Director Zhou..."
"Sorry, I have something else to do."
Zhou Qing didn't bother with the reporters any more. He got into the car with the help of the driver and assistant and went to Huantiankong.
Just yesterday, Fantasy Sky sent a letter saying that the post-production of "La La Land" has been completed.
"Director Zhou, the finished film is out, and we're just waiting for your review."
"Then let's see."
I watched the finished film carefully from beginning to end and there were no problems in any aspect.
Zhou Qing expressed great satisfaction.
The cooperation with Huantiankong is indeed very worry-free.
After returning, Zhou Qing contacted Venice and completed the final registration.
Now, I don’t have to worry about the film festival. I just need to wait for news from Venice.
On August 8, "House of Flying Daggers" was taken off the screen, having earned a total of 16 million yuan at the box office.
It indeed did not exceed "Hero", and was even 100 million less than "Hero".
But what can I say? Even so, "House of Flying Daggers" reaches a height that other domestic films cannot reach!
Over 100 million, at present, apart from Master Zhang, no one else can do it.
It seems that the only work that holds this hope is "The Promise" by the great poet Chen.
However, "The Promise" is different from "House of Flying Daggers" in that it involves a lot of special effects.
After the filming was completed, producer Chen Hong said that the post-production would take ten to twelve months to complete and the film would not be released until the Lunar New Year holiday next year.
"Booooooo, my movie didn't even make a splash."
Liu Yifei came to Zhou Qing's studio and took a look around, crying.
Her film "May Love" was also released on July 7 and just ended today, with a total box office of less than 16 million.
I almost fell to my grandma's house.
If Zhou Qing hadn't known about this matter a long time ago and even went to the cinema to show his support, Liu Yifei would have been embarrassed to talk about it.
"Box office doesn't tell the whole story. In fact, the movie is pretty good."
Zhou Qing just smiled.
It's not really a comfort to Liu Yifei. From Zhou Qing's professional perspective, although the movie is average, it's not too bad.
At least it's much better than the crappy movies Liu Yifei made later.
What Zhou Qing didn't know was that "May Love" had a rating of 7.3 on a certain platform.
Among the many films in Liu Yifei's career, this one definitely gets a high score.
"Really? You really think so?"
When Liu Yifei heard this, her eyes lit up and she felt much better immediately.
"Of course Sissi, this movie is good, and you are very beautiful in it."
Zhou Qing gave a positive attitude and praised Liu Yifei.
Liu Yifei smiled more and more.
"Really? You're not going to do this just to cheer me up, are you?"
"I always speak my mind."
Liu Yifei was even happier.
"By the way, my birthday is coming up in a few days, you must come."
The two chatted briefly for a while before Liu Yifei took out an invitation and placed it in front of Zhou Qing.
It turned out that the girl’s birthday was on the 25th, and she came to invite Zhou Qing specifically.
"Sissi's having a birthday, of course I have to go and show my support."
Zhou Qing took the invitation and agreed without much hesitation.
(End of this chapter)