Chapter 2389 - 2382: Equipment Malfunction
Unfortunately, not to mention Chen Xiang’s pay for one episode, even all of Chen Xiang’s pay is insignificant to him.
"I don’t want compensation," Wang Dadong shook his head and said.
"No compensation? Then, brother, you are?" Director Wei was taken aback upon hearing this; it was the first time he had heard of someone not wanting compensation in Hengdian.
Due to his appreciation for Wang Dadong, Director Wei had already started calling him brother.
Wang Dadong leaned over and whispered a few words to Director Wei.
Director Wei’s expression was a bit troubled, but in the end, he nodded.
Wang Dadong’s request was actually the same as Chen Xiang’s, which was that no stunt doubles be used.
The main reason being that the stunt double was really too...
However, mispositioned shooting could be used.
That is to say, Liu Yan would personally show up, but during filming, the two of them wouldn’t actually kiss.
It is believed that Liu Yan should be able to accept this.
In fact, when no suitable doubles could be found in the past, Liu Yan did it this way too.
By this time it was almost mealtime, so the director suggested eating first before continuing with the shoot.
Wang Dadong called the Female CEO, who told him that she might take some more time to wrap up on her end.
Telling him not to worry about her.
From the Female CEO’s voice, Wang Dadong detected a hint of excitement.
It seems Lin Shiyan was quite enjoying acting.
Thinking about how Lin Shiyan used to work overtime day and night, it was good for her to have a chance to relax a bit now.
Wang Dadong had a meal with the crew.
Through chatting, he found out that Director Wei’s full name is Wei Hua, who runs a film company, albeit a relatively small one.
There were some female artists signed under them, and Liu Yan was one of them.
But being able to support a second-tier star like this company was already quite challenging for Hua Chen.
Hence, the male lead had to be signed from another film company.
Upon understanding some of the circumstances of these film companies, Wang Dadong realized it was not just the actors who had it tough—these film companies had it tougher.
First and foremost, obtaining investment was a big issue. Securing major investments was extremely difficult, and then there were the actors.
Choosing big-name actors meant huge fees, but if a play didn’t have a single big name, it was destined to struggle.
The budget was limited; if it was spent on actors, the production budget would inevitably shrink significantly.
This is why, in recent years, the reputation of Huaxia’s film and television industry has plummeted.
The so-called five-cent special effects are as common as cow’s hair.
Even films starring big names weren’t spared.
There’s nothing to be done; production costs are too low, so five-cent special effects are quite good already.
Actually, no director wants to produce a bad play; they all hope to create an unprecedented good one.
Unfortunately, there isn’t enough funding.
Take the movie that Hua Chen is shooting this time, for example; the total budget is around six million.
Just the male and female lead’s pay occupies two million.
Almost a third of the entire play’s budget.
Adding in other supporting roles, extras, and the crew’s daily expenditures, there wouldn’t be much left.
Originally, this was a fantasy play, but due to funding constraints, most fight scenes were skipped.
Because special effects production is too expensive.
All the special effects have been condensed into the final scenes.
Perhaps Chen Xiang also knew that the finale was critical to the whole play, which is why he caused a scene at the last moment.
"You’re saying the special effects production fee is only around five hundred thousand?" Wang Dadong furrowed his brow.
"Yes," Liu Yan nodded, looking a bit helpless.
Not only do directors hope to make a good show, but actors do too.
But the entertainment circle is really tough nowadays.
Even if she’s already gotten to be a second-line actress, she only gets slightly more appearances than those third and fourth-liners, and as for earning money, she actually doesn’t make much.
Hua Chen claims publicly that Liu Yan’s salary starts from ten million, but in fact, this is just to elevate Liu Yan’s value.
Other film companies do the same, intentionally claiming their artists’ fees are high.
In reality, the artists’ pay is much lower than publicly announced.
Moreover, even if it’s ten million, nine million of it goes to help artists with publicity and hype.
These days, if you want to become famous, it all depends on hype.
A ten-million valuation, but only one million is actually pocketed.
Everyone thinks actors are super rich, with luxury homes and cars and such.
Actually, many of those things are deliberately used to inflate the artist’s value.
Of course, this doesn’t exclude some artists who are genuinely wealthy, but those are first-line stars.
And they’ve usually been in the entertainment industry for many years.
Wang Dadong once again gained a deep understanding of the hardships of actors.
Even a second-tier actress like Liu Yan lives with such confusion, so what about third-tier stars, fourth-tier stars, or those who can only be extras?
In short, no road in this world is easy.
Once you’ve chosen a path, you must stick to it and overcome all obstacles to have a chance at success.
Who can understand the bitterness behind the glamorous facade of stars?
Just like Liu Yan, a second-tier actress, almost had to give up her principles for a million.
Chatting with a beautiful actress while eating the crew’s boxed lunch.
Honestly, it really wasn’t very good, not nearly as tasty as the food Wang Dadong cooks himself.
But he’s not picky; back when he was on missions, he could even eat bark.
After eating, the equipment was booted up.
"Something’s wrong, Director Wei!" A staff member hurriedly ran over.
"What happened?" Director Wei frowned.
"The wire equipment, the equipment, all of it—it’s all been damaged..." the staff responsible for the equipment swallowed and said.
"What!" Director Wei’s face changed drastically upon hearing this.
While the wire equipment isn’t expensive, the hassle is in setting it up.
Setting up such wires usually takes several days to complete.
According to the plan, they’d finish shooting today, then proceed to post-production, followed by distribution, and then release.
If delayed by a few days, it would definitely affect the distribution and release times.
The release date of a film is crucial, as all the pre-release advertising and promotion reach their peak effect on that day.
We can say the release day of a film should be its peak in terms of attention.
If the release is delayed, audiences might lose interest and choose another film instead.
Furthermore, delaying the release by a day means an additional day of advertising expenses.
Advertising costs already account for a major part of the budget, with the expense for a single day being quite steep.
If it’s delayed for several days, the actors might as well not get paid.
"Why is this happening? The equipment was fine before; why did it suddenly break!" Director Wei, furious, exclaimed.
Of course, he understood the consequences of delaying a film’s release.