Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 532 - 341: New Album Planning

They said filming was about to wrap up, but due to Chu Tian’s arrival, some minor adjustments were made. Combined with reviewing the raw footage, this ended up delaying things by several days.

Fortunately, when the script was delivered, the storyboards were exceptionally detailed. After all, being a system production, there was no question of its quality.

Never mind Cao Zheng; even if a rookie director took charge, the basic quality would be largely the same, with differences only in the expressive nuances.

Based on Chu Tian’s observations over the past few days, although special effects hadn’t been added yet, the show’s plotline was complete. The visuals were incredibly compelling, and there were no issues with emotional expression.

Even the novice actors performed remarkably well. They delivered strong performances where acting skills were crucial, and in moments where their acting couldn’t fully convey the emotion, clever camera work masked any deficiencies.

Overall, the show was better than Chu Tian had expected, with virtually no need for reshoots or additional takes.

Of course, this result was achieved entirely because Chu Tian had indeed given the crew significant autonomy. Consequently, the money spent also exceeded expectations.

The initial investment for this TV drama was only 10 million yuan. However, during production, because it was their first attempt at an Immortal World genre show, there was a lot of wasted footage.

Even though it was the digital age, unlike the past where large sums were spent on film stock, there was no need to be frugal with shooting. Once the camera was rolling, whether it recorded for ten minutes or ten hours, the main consumable was just a little electricity.

But one shouldn’t forget that time also costs money. With such a large crew, daily expenses alone amounted to nearly 800,000 yuan.

Reshooting a scene a couple of extra times could add up to a significant sum.

When filming finally wrapped up and the producer saw the accounting figures, his face turned green.

He didn’t even dare to make a peep when he approached Chu Tian, fearing a scolding from the boss.

Luckily, Chu Tian wasn’t concerned about these figures. He merely glanced at the preliminary accounting amount; the original budget of 10 million had already ballooned to nearly 22 million, yet he still didn’t say much.

The producer breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, His boss was truly generous.

Little did he know that Chu Tian had never been a producer, and the company had never made this type of show before. They had been very conservative when making the budget, so the initial amount wasn’t very large to begin with.

If the amount had been sufficient, that would have been great. Even if it wasn’t, and they went over budget, it was still within his expectations.

He wasn’t aware of how much "Chinese Paladin 1" had cost to make in his previous life. It could have been several million, or perhaps ten to twenty million yuan.

But times were different. The era when the first "Chinese Paladin" was filmed was long past; prices were different now, and so was the equipment.

The quality of the finished show was already leagues ahead, so spending a bit more money wasn’t a concern. What mattered most was that the quality was up to par.

As for whether it would incur losses or reap profits, that was a matter for later.

"The TV drama ’Xiaoyao Town’ wraps up shooting successfully!"

"Wishing ’Xiaoyao Town’ soaring viewership!"

Two banners were held high by staff members, while a group busily organized everyone for a photo.

"President Chu, please stand in the center. Director Cao, join President Chu. Yan, come quickly, stand over here. Li Jian, you stand here."

"Everyone, smile!"

"President Chu, please take a photo with Director Cao."

Chu Tian cheerfully posed with everyone, following instructions. Besides the production’s camera team, there was also the still photographer and the behind-the-scenes crew, so several cameras were in action.

"President Chu, how about we take another picture with each department?"

"Sure, let’s do it."

"Teacher Xu, could I take a photo with you? You’re so beautiful!"

"Li Jian, Li Jian, can we take a picture? This is your promotional still; can you sign it for me?"

The end of filming is generally the happiest moment for the crew. A phase of work is complete, and they can look forward to rest and getting paid—who wouldn’t be happy?

Naturally, at this time, various crew members had their own thoughts. Generally, the more seasoned staff were quite eager to get autographs and photos.

After all, having been in the industry long enough, they knew that—while not universally true—most stars didn’t actually enjoy taking pictures or signing autographs. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

If you approached them, they likely wouldn’t refuse, out of politeness. However, if you encountered a petty star, they might complain to the director or your team leader behind your back, which could make your subsequent work difficult.

There had also been instances of people joining as temporary staff only to frantically collect autographs for resale. Consequently, such behavior was generally discouraged within the crew.

However, if one or two younger people asked, it wasn’t a big deal, as long as they weren’t too over-the-top about it.

It was rather amusing, though, that Xu Ruyan—who, strictly speaking, hadn’t even debuted yet—already had fans right there within the crew.

This suggested that, at the very least, she had a decent personality. Otherwise, people in the same crew would have known better and wouldn’t have been so warm towards her.

After Chu Tian finished taking photos and gave a short, energizing speech, he turned around just in time to see this scene.

Once she was done, Chu Tian waved her over.

She approached, and they moved slightly to the side. Once Xu Ruyan confirmed no one else was nearby, her demeanor instantly changed. Smiling broadly, she looked at him and whispered, "HEH HEH HEH, Brother-in-law!"

"When did you get here?" Chu Tian asked.

"I just arrived this morning. Look, I haven’t even changed my clothes!" she replied.

She had been shuttling between two film sets. Initially, Cao Zheng had been reluctant to allow it, but since the request came from Wei Chuan, he had to concede. Consequently, the production team later adjusted her shooting schedule.