Chapter 122: The Advantage is Yours? Want to See Zhang Liangying Topping the Charts
“This song is in Shen’s consistent style, with an uplifting melody, rich and sunny lyrics, and explosive vocals. Shen Qing is truly a genius!”
“It’s hard to imagine every song he writes is good.”
“Right, that’s his unbeatable strength. Look at David Tao’s new album; only ‘Marry Me Today’ is a bit good, the rest are very ordinary.”
“The key is that not only is it good, but he can also create according to the album’s style. The difficulty of writing to a prompt is much greater than free improvisation.”
“Even the pre-release single is this good, the title song ‘Wish’ must be incredibly strong, and I’m also really looking forward to its MV.”
“Whispers say there will be two versions of the MV. The one in the album will be the same length as the song, and the movie version is expected to be two hours long. It will be renamed if released in cinemas.”
“……”
The Liangfen fans downloaded the MP3s one after another, listening to them while walking, shopping, eating, and sleeping. Some even used it to spice up their romance.
Zhang Liangying Bar was buzzing with discussions from morning till night.
……
Chengdu.
Zhang Guiying woke up early to go to the wet market with her neighbor. Passing by a music store, Old Li called out to her, “Hey, Guiying, your daughter released a new song.”
“Ah? I didn’t know!”
“Haha, you’re not as well-informed as I am. Come, let me play it for you. The song is called ‘The Brightest Star in the Night Sky,’ and your future son-in-law wrote it…”
Hearing ‘future son-in-law,’ Zhang Guiying beamed, “Oh, that’s still a long way off. They’re just collaborators.”
The neighbor said enviously, “Liangying is so lucky to have found such a great boyfriend. Sigh, if only my son were one-tenth as capable as Shen Qing.”
At this moment, Old Li clicked on Baidu MP3, found the saved song, and with a gentle click, the sound of an electric guitar came from the speakers.
“It’s good!”
“This melody is really nice.”
“That Shen Qing kid is too talented.”
As Liangying’s familiar voice came through, Zhang Guiying listened with a smile. Facing the envious remarks of her neighbors, she was extremely happy.
On the other side.
Shen Qing’s father rode a vintage bicycle to work. Some of his colleagues teased him, “Your son sent you over a hundred thousand yuan, why don’t you buy a small car and drive? Why are you still riding a bike!”
Old Shen, no, he should be called Zhong Deng Shen.
Shen Qing’s father is forty-five years old this year, not too old yet.
He said with a laugh, “My monthly salary isn’t even enough for gas, so I’ll pass. I’ll enjoy myself when my son earns more money later.”
“Brother Shen, is it true that your son is investing 15 million to make a movie? The young girls at the factory have been spreading rumors about it.”
“How would I know these things? I don’t understand my children’s affairs.”
……
A few days later.
The script passed the review of the Film Bureau and successfully obtained a filming permit. Shen Qing convened a production mobilization meeting, personally serving as the producer.
The final directors were Feng Xiaogang, Ning Hao, and Li Yang, among others. Ning Hao would temporarily serve as Shen Qing’s deputy, responsible for executing Shen Qing’s instructions, while Feng Xiaogang would be the general director.
After the meeting.
The casting process proceeded simultaneously.
Although Shen Qing gave the directors some autonomy in casting, the final decision-making power still rested with Shen Qing.
Shen Qing understood the principle of grasping the big picture and letting go of the details.
In the entertainment circle, how do you make actors respect you? By controlling their destiny and firmly holding onto role resources.
After revisions and optimizations, the script now has five chapters. The internal project name is tentatively set as ‘Wish Movie Version,’ and the external promotional name will be determined through public voting.
These five chapters are: ‘The Eve,’ ‘Encounter,’ ‘Win the championship,’ ‘Return,’ and ‘Hello, Beijing!’
Shen Qing: “For this movie, I have only 12 words for my requirements: historical moments, collective memory, and head-on collision. I believe in the abilities of all you directors. Let’s go!”
Shortly after the meeting ended, a voting campaign to solicit names for the movie was established on Sina, with three candidate names: ‘My People, My Country,’ ‘Mountains and Rivers Are Safe,’ and ‘My People, My Parents.’
Instantly.
The Liangfen fans were the first to arrive at the voting site. When they saw the three names, they chose ‘My People, My Country’ almost without hesitation.
Perhaps this is the romance ingrained in the hearts of Chinese people…
They chose it for no reason.
Additionally.
The casting process officially began.
Shen Qing specifically chose Qingying Studio as the audition location.
The reason was simple.
It was to let the actors see that the person deciding whether they get cast or not is the boss of this studio—Shen Qing.
As ‘Qingying’ invested in more and more large-scale productions, actors would frequently come for auditions, which would invisibly solidify Shen Qing’s position as the decision-maker.
Shen Qing, Feng Xiaogang, Ning Hao, and others sat in the meeting room. The first to enter was the crew for ‘The Eve,’ a segment personally overseen by Feng Xiaogang.
‘The Eve’ tells the story of the design of an electric flag-raising device on the eve of the founding ceremony, and how the protagonist ultimately overcomes numerous difficulties to ensure the flag-raising.
Old Feng handed several resumes to Shen Qing, “President Shen, these are the information for the main actors. Shall we start now?”
Shen Qing nodded, “Then let’s begin.”
Huang Bo stepped forward, nodded, and smiled, “Hello, President Shen, Director Feng, and all directors. My name is Huang Bo, born in ’74. I’ve acted in ‘Get in the Car, Let’s Go,’ ‘Life and Death of a Migrant Worker,’ and also Black Skin in ‘Crazy Stone.’”
Huang Bo didn’t look young even when he was young.
In any case, he didn’t look much different from how he would in over a decade.
“What are your thoughts on the character Lin Zhiyuan? Give me three points.”
Shen Qing asked him with a smile.
Shen Qing actually quite liked Huang Bo as a person.
He wasn’t handsome, even a bit unattractive, but the movies he acted in were quite likable. He was a rather unique actor in China.
Huang Bo thought for a moment and said, “First, excitement. He is very excited and thrilled to participate in such a great historical moment as the founding ceremony; second, immense pressure…”
After speaking for about two minutes, Shen Qing nodded, “Okay, you can go sit outside for a while. I’ll talk to you again later.”
Chen Liang: “Next!”
Afterward.
Those who came in were Bao Jianfeng, Tong Dawei, Wang Qianyuan, Jiang Wu…
“President Shen, hello. I am Wang Qianyuan…”
“Hello, President Shen. I am Tong Dawei…”
“……”
Every actor who entered greeted him with “President Shen.”
To be honest.
Shen Qing felt quite pleased.
But Shen Qing also knew that apart from Huang Bo, few of them were genuinely calling him President Shen; it was just a formality.
It’s like this in any circle.
Only when you are strong enough will they truly respect you.
However, it didn’t matter. Shen Qing directly crossed off the names of those who didn’t show genuine respect, saying, “Toad with three legs are hard to find, but actors with two legs are plentiful.”
The second group was for the ‘Encounter’ segment.
This segment was handled by Li Yang.
Li Yang was the director of ‘Blind Shaft,’ and he had been working behind the scenes for years, with considerable directing skill and ability.
“Hello, President Shen. My name is Zhang Yi. I’m from the Beijing Military Region General Political Department Repertory Theatre. I played a squad leader in ‘Soldiers Sortie’…”
“Has it aired yet?”
“Not yet, it will air at the end of this year.”
“I remember Wang Baoqiang played Xu Sanduo, right? You play the scene where Xu Sanduo is discharged for failing basic training. You are the political instructor of the rookie camp; how would you counsel him?”
“Ah? I don’t think there’s this plot…”
“There is now!”
“Oh, okay, let me prepare myself.”
Zhang Yi began to furrow his brow in thought.
The thought of Xu Sanduo made Zhang Yi unable to control the corners of his mouth.
Suddenly, Zhang Yi burst into laughter.
Shen Qing: Still this annoying habit, you think you’re the only one who can laugh, the only one who talks too much? Fine, this role with no lines is yours, let’s see if you can handle it!
The male protagonist of the second chapter, Gao Yuan, is a scientist working on the front lines of nuclear physics engineering, who hasn’t contacted his family for three years.
Later, he falls ill and has to leave his post. On a bus, he encounters his former lover, Fang Min. He leaves a deep impression without a single line of dialogue throughout.
At this moment.
As Zhang Yi stopped laughing, before he could even perform, Shen Qing said, “You can go out now. Wait for our news.”
Zhang Yi’s spirits plummeted.
“Sigh, I still can’t control this bad habit of laughing…”
“My audition is a bust again.”
As he looked up, he bumped into Gao Yuanyuan.
Yuanyuan nodded at him and entered the meeting room.
……
Zhang Yi found a deserted corner and sat down. While he was feeling dejected, a very fair-skinned young girl sat down next to him.
Zhang Yi glanced at her and thought, “She’s dozens of shades whiter than me!?”
Jing Tian saw this dark-skinned guy and giggled, “Are you here for an audition too? Which role did you try for? Did Brother Qing pass you?”
Zhang Yi: “I’m waiting for news…”
Just then, Chen Liang called out, “Next group, Jing Tian!”
“Coming!” Tian immediately stood up and then showed Zhang Yi her pearly white teeth, “See you later, I’m going in.”
Watching her swaying mini-skirt, Zhang Yi sighed, “Alas, why is she so fair? It’s all the fault of the ‘Soldiers Sortie’ crew for not having sunscreen.”
……
This round of interviews basically finalized all the actor lists. The next day, Ning Hao and Li Yang began filming.
Shen Qing didn’t have them all start working at the same time, as that would require five film crews and incur unnecessary expenses.
Anyway, the movie is scheduled to be released in cinemas at the end of December, and there is still plenty of time for filming.
As for promotion, there’s no need to worry.
Liangying’s second album ‘Wish’ is about to be released, which will be the best promotion. What needs to be done now is to put more effort into recording.
……
Time flew by.
In September, Jay Chou’s seventh music album ‘Still Fantasy’ was grandly released, bringing another storm to the music scene. Li Yuchun, who released her album at the same time, had nowhere to cry.
She avoided Zhang Liangying’s single but couldn’t avoid Jay Chou… but she couldn’t delay any longer, or she would have no chance when Zhang Liangying’s second album was released.
Li Yuchun: Jay Chou is a man, I am a woman. There is no competition between our albums, so this gap is chosen well; the advantage is mine!
Shen Qing: Is that so? Liangying and Jaylen’s duet ‘Chrysanthemum Terrace’ seems to be dominating the charts. Do you want to see where your title song ‘Queen and Dream’ ranks?
