Divine Lucky Star-Chapter 192 - : Cool Entrance
Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Cool Entrance
The novel’s all set, so naturally, it was time to visit the film crew.
Decisively, Wang Hao whipped out his lucky dice and took a deep breath, “Last time I came back it was bad luck; almost killed me. Today, dear dice, please grant me some power! Let’s go—”
“Rattle-rattle—” The dice spun on the table and quickly stopped. Wang Hao burst out laughing, “Hahaha! Lucky!”
Good luck, not bad, now it’s time to head to the film set!
Wang Hao immediately took out his phone, found Director Gao’s number, and dialed: “Director Gao, what are you up to?”
“Brother Hao! Hahahaha! Everything good today?” Gao Mingxing’s voice sounded as if he was up to mischief: “We’ve been shooting smoothly these past couple of days so I didn’t trouble you, but today’s scene is tricky, I didn’t dare bother you—thank heavens you called, thank heavens!”
Wang Hao: “…”
What’s going on? Did the film crew run into another problem?
Wang Hao: “Everything’s OK on my end. Got up this morning and did some calculations—smooth sailing all the way, no doubt about it!”
Gao Mingxing: “That’s great! Finally have a solution!”
Is this guy muttering about running out of money again?
Wang Hao: “Director Gao, where are you now? Should I come over?”
“Sure, sure!” Gao Mingxing immediately sounded excited: “I’m at Tianlong Film City. You know the place, right? Most of the main crew members are here, hurry over, Brother Hao.”
Wang Hao: “Alright, I’m on my way!”
Located in the southwestern corner of Zhonghai City, Tianlong Film City was a mid-sized film and television production base, primarily focusing on modern urban-themed movies and TV series. Many big movies had shot scenes here in recent years, earning a solid reputation.
Of course, the most crucial factor for Wang Hao wasn’t the reputation but its proximity to his home—it was just a half-hour taxi ride directly via the fifth ring expressway.
After getting dressed and hailing a cab, Wang Hao arrived at Tianlong Film City by two o’clock in the afternoon.
“Brother Hao, here, here!” Zheng Yue waved frantically from a distance, “Hurry, everyone’s waiting for you!”
“Coming, coming,” Wang Hao strolled over, smiling, “Everyone’s here? What’s the big rush?”
“Don’t even mention it,” Zheng Yue pouted unhappily, “Isn’t it always about money? We’ve reached the scene where you play the piano at a gala, which needs a lot of extras, and even a swimming pool. According to Director Gao’s plan, this scene should cost around fifty thousand. But Mr. Li only allocated twenty thousand for this. He said we could save on music royalties, so these things surely wouldn’t cost much.”
Wang Hao: “…”
Mr. Li really is a penny pincher…
Following Zheng Yue to the largest Tianlong Hotel within the Film City, indeed, Director Gao Mingxing, actors Yang Yunfei, Zhang Muqing, Ma Ming, and others had already gathered. Everyone familiar, they quickly stood to greet him: “Brother Hao!”
There was no helping it; Brother Hao was indispensable. Without him, the film crew couldn’t have come so far.
“Here, here,” Wang Hao settled down with a cheerful laugh then asked, “Director Gao, what’s the situation exactly? If Mr. Li said the budget is tight, why not simplify the shooting?”
“I wish,” Gao Mingxing sighed, handing Wang Hao a cigarette and passing them around for a smoke. Once everyone was lit up, he slowly explained: “All the main crew members are here, ready to shoot anytime, but we’re short on regular actors. Brother Hao, as you know, everything we’ve shot so far has been top-notch, but we can’t let the quality drop. Every shot needs to be perfect, so even the extras need careful selection. Clearly, we’re quite short-staffed.”
“Director Gao, you mean…” Wang Hao thought for a moment, “We need to hire a bunch of extras, right?”
“That’s about right,” Gao Mingxing nodded, “Not too many, just twenty to thirty with decent looks and passable acting skills. But even for those, you’d calculate two hundred per day, which would cost at least a couple of thousand, not including the venue fee.”
Wang Hao understood immediately.
Typically, a significant scene could take a day or two or even three to four to shoot.
Otherwise, if an entire scene could be wrapped up by noon, wouldn’t a film be done in a few months?
But now with Mr. Li offering just twenty thousand yuan, that wouldn’t even cover the venue, let alone pay for the extras!
No wonder Gao Mingxing was so nervous, wanting to secure more investment, but Mr. Li wasn’t playing ball. That left no choice but to bring yourself in, didn’t it?
“Actually, it’s not really a big problem,” Wang Hao thought for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, “There’s always a solution. Oh, is the swimming pool venue all set up?”
“It’s all been negotiated,” the crew member in charge took a heavy drag on his cigarette and said, “Three thousand a day, my lips are practically worn out and still no discount.”
Wang Hao: “…”
It seemed that the price was indeed hard to negotiate.
But not to worry, there’s a saying that luck is also a part of strength—Brother was in luck today, invincible, bring it on!
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
“I thought it was something serious,” Wang Hao said cheerfully, “It’s just about money. Director Gao, you first tell me what’s needed now, and I’ll take care of it.”
“Really?” Director Gao was surprised, “Brother Hao, we only have a budget of twenty thousand yuan. After deducting the venue cost, we’re left with seventeen thousand, and that’s just for one day. I’m too scared to even start shooting, are you sure it’s no problem?”
“Don’t worry,” Wang Hao smiled, “When we encounter problems, we solve them. The film must be shot, right?”
“That’s true,” Gao Mingxing thought for a moment and then said, “We need a location, which has already been arranged. Then we need some drinks and food for the PARTY, and we’ve followed your previous method—all fake, made by a pastry chef, reusable. Then we need about thirty young extra actors. After all, this is a youth idol drama, and the scene has to involve young masters and mistresses—the issue is, the youngest extras start at two hundred a day, and the higher ones are three hundred!”
“Understood!” Wang Hao got up as he spoke, “Wait for the good news!”
…
After Wang Hao left the hotel, everyone looked at each other. One of the crew members named Zhou said, “Brother Hao… Will this work?”
“I don’t know either,” Gao Mingxing also felt unsure, “Thirty people, that’s at least eight or nine thousand a day, and with all the other bits and pieces and the venue, we’ll barely have a chance for one day.”
Yang Yunfei sighed lightly, “Making a film is so hard. I’m okay; I can adapt, but without money, it’s truly impossible to manage.” He turned to Zhang Muqing, “Mu Qing, maybe call your boyfriend…”
It was a desperate move—who else could he ask?
“He’s been busy these past two days,” Zhang Muqing shrugged helplessly, “I can’t even get in touch with him.”
Everybody heaved a sigh together—well, let’s rely on Brother Hao then!
…
“Ah, if you’re talking about finding actors, there is actually a good place,” Wang Hao stroked his chin, “but how to get there is the question. By taxi? Not imposing enough. Driving? I don’t have a car…”
He pondered while stroking his chin, then his eyes suddenly lit up, “Got it!”
Twenty minutes later…
Outside Zhonghai Feidao Electric Scooter Store.
“Speaking of which, this is my first vehicle,” riding the electric scooter, Wang Hao felt a delightful sensation, “This feels pretty great!”
He soon arrived at the gate of Zhonghai Film and Television University, parked the scooter, casually lit a cigarette, and took a slow drag. Then, watching the curious and slightly eager eyes of the students passing by, Wang Hao chuckled and then shouted loudly, “Casting actors for a web series, anyone interested sign up fast!”
Boom! As soon as those words left Wang Hao’s mouth, the onlooking crowd exploded—
“Hahaha! Did you see that? This guy is actually recruiting actors! Recruiting actors on an electric scooter, hahaha!”
“That’s hilarious, is this guy still dreaming or what?”
“Hey, buddy, you’re not still half asleep, are you?” At that moment, a student approached, chuckling, “You, casting actors? Can you even afford it?”
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Visited my grandma back home today, so guaranteed two updates.
Still asking for monthly subscriptions though!
