Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years

Qi Hao has been in the industry for more than ten years. He recently shot two films in a row, so preparing a new one is not troublesome.

The most crucial part is still the selection of actors.

"The script doesn't specify the age, but I think it's about eight or nine. We can't find actors who are too old."

As a director, the most headache-inducing issue for Qi Hao is casting actors.

In his previous life as an actor, he didn't have to worry about such things at all.

Directors had the final say in casting, and he never had a say.

If you recklessly tell the director who you think should play a role, and threaten to quit if they don't cast them,

that's a sure way to screw yourself over.

Actors are just tools in a crew, and those with too much individuality can't survive.

"That means those born after 2000, except for a few child stars, would have to be selected from ordinary people, and this is not something that can be done quickly."

Shi Feng threw cold water on Qi Hao's excitement.

"Do we have anyone suitable in Xiangjiang?" Qi Hao asked.

He thought back on it himself and didn't find anyone suitable. Young stars at this age are rare anywhere.

"Couldn't think of anyone suitable... How about we start looking for auditions now!"

Old Tian is very decisive. Although he constantly teases Qi Hao, he never hesitates to help fulfill any of Qi Hao's requests without compromise.

This is also the tacit understanding they have developed after years of cooperation.

"Alright, Yang Liu, you arrange it, and then see if there are any recommended candidates for other roles."

Qi Hao's approach is somewhat unconventional.

Usually, major production companies coordinate and split the first wave of actors among themselves first.

After the split, the rest are available for selection.

Some are chosen through discussions between the directing team and the writing team, while others, like Qi Hao's open audition for a young girl, are done openly.

"The male lead is the boss, I think An Feng could be the female lead."

Gao Fei has now become the backing behind An Feng.

"Forget it, she can't play this role, it's not her type at all."

Qi Hao decisively dismissed this proposal.

Fei, can you man up a bit, and not act like a simp, pushing every role towards An Feng.

"An Feng really isn't suitable, Qi Hao, what do you think?"

Old Tian also doesn't believe An Feng can handle a role filled with negative elements like nightclubbing, careful reading, and being a single parent.

It's not beneficial to An Feng's acting career.

As of now, shedding the idol burden is already a difficult attempt for An Feng.

Too much is as bad as too little; An Feng's fans' feelings need to be considered.

"Song Jia, Fan Xuexue, Hao Jie... these should be fine; they have acting skills and can be quite open."

Qi Hao thought for a moment and said.

"If you're talking about being open, then Tang Wei is even better; I heard she did real action in 'Se Jie' with Li An and Liang Chaowei being real maniacs."

Senior Legal Affairs Yao Weihong chuckled.

It couldn't have been Tang Wei demanding real action, so the only ones who could make such a request and be hard to refuse are Li An and Liang Chaowei.

As for who did it, anyway, it was Liang Chaowei who enjoyed it.

"Ahem, Old Yao, keep it down."

Qi Hao reminded him, didn't he see that Miss Gao Fei is still here?

Aren't you afraid you might wake up to find yourself buried alive in a small coffin?

"Fan Xuexue may not be suitable. She has some acting talent, but her range is a bit narrow, and at her status, would she still be willing to play such a role?"

Old Tian thinks Song Jia and Hao Jie are fine.

Song Jia performed well in 'Curiosity Kills the Cat', bringing a seductive mistress to life.

And if Hao Jie wasn't good, Deng Zhao wouldn't have broken up with her.

"Let's reach out to Song Jia and Hao Jie, check their schedules, as our filming is a bit rushed."

Qi Hao knows both of them.

Song Jia is someone from his small circle.

Hao Jie recently acted with Wang Baoqiang in 'My Brother's Name is Shunliu'.

"For the killer role, An Zhijie could be an option."

Anyone present could recommend actors, but whether they'll work depends mainly on Qi Hao.

"It's from the Hong Kong Circle, check them out."

Qi Hao doesn't have a particularly favored choice on his mind. If An Zhijie has availability, he can give it a try.

An Zhijie was once also a favored figure in the Hong Kong Circle, but unfortunately never really took off.

Now that this film is planning to be produced in Xiangjiang, you can't not use people from the Hong Kong Circle at all; otherwise, there would be trouble.

No matter how influential Qi Hao is, he has to adhere to the principle that a strong dragon does not crush a local snake.

"We could also look for the other two villains in Xiangjiang as well; they're abundant there." Old Tian, who has also been in the industry for ten years, gave his suggestion: "For the mob boss role, Ren Dahua could be considered; if he participates, ordinary people wouldn't dare disturb the crew, and for the second in command, Yin Zewei is skilled at playing twisted characters..."

"Old Tian thinks the same as I do~!"

Qi Hao was emotional.

"Get lost, stop being cheesy." Old Tian didn't want to show any tacit mutual understanding with him.

"Oh!" Qi Hao noted the names down.

Nothing is finalized yet; these actors might not be available for the production.

If they aren't available, a backup plan needs to be implemented.

Qi Hao certainly won't postpone shooting for one or two actors; his main goal is to complete the mission.

Old Tian gave him a sidelong glance, paused, and asked, "Are you planning to find Emperor Entertainment for investment?"

Currently, the most frequent dealings in the Hong Kong Circle are with Emperor Entertainment.

"Not going with Emperor Entertainment, maybe Universe or... Liu Dehua, not sure if China Film is interested on our mainland side."

Qi Hao remarked a bit whimsically.

Although China Film's investment might not enjoy a green light treatment, there would still be some benefits.

"Hard to say." Shi Feng shook his head.

This film is a bit too bloody and violent, China Film is very cautious about their reputation, and will probably not get involved.

"You can let Jiang Wen ask around."

Zhanqi Laiden wasn't particularly interested in this kind of stuff; his role was to fill in any gaps for everyone.

"By the way, how much is the total investment for this film approximately? If we are shooting it ourselves, the amount doesn't matter much, but if it involves Hong Kong investment or other capitals, we need to be very clear about it."

Gao Fei had changed a lot by now, and her capability had been quite honed.

"Tentatively... 35 million."

Qi Hao hesitated for a moment, then gave a figure based on Yao Weihong and the team's estimation.

For "Steel Piano," besides making some money from the investment, he didn't earn any directing fee; "First Love, This Little Thing" was the same without high remuneration and directing fees.

This time, although Qi Hao wasn't planning to take too much, he definitely had to take something.

Friendship is one thing; business is another.

At the very least, he needs to take 5 million out of this 35 million.

Equivalent to a total of 5 million as remuneration plus directing fee, then earn a share from the investment profit.

Out of 35 million, Feiyang Media only needs to take 15 million.

The rest will be split with Zhonghao Film and Television Media, and some to find other capitals to join hands.

With the previous successes of "Wait and See" and "Steel Piano," there's no worry about people not coming to cooperate proactively now.

Qi Hao's proposal of approaching China Film was not at all wishful thinking.

Miss this opportunity, and it won't come around again.

"Try to leave some leeway, don't end up needing additional funds."

Gao Fei was almost blatantly saying Qi Hao would go over budget.

Don't you have any sense at all? Have you forgotten you're a notorious overspender?

The previous "First Love, This Little Thing," by the end, there was actually not much money left.

The subsequent promotional distribution was worrisome, and Gao Fei ended up shelling out another 2 million.

This film cost a total of 10 million, with An Feng and Feiyang Media each contributing 50%. Qi Hao and An Feng did not take any remuneration, Qi Hao only took a directing fee of 1.5 million.

But honestly, Qi Hao got the short end of the stick.

Because of the 70-30 split with Feiyang Media, he really only accounted for 15% of the total investment, so not taking a fee was not feasible.

Later, Gao Fei also personally put in another 2 million as a kind of compensation to Qi Hao.

"So, 40 million then? Wouldn't it be too much?"

Qi Hao was a little uncertain.

When shooting "Steel Piano," because 3 million was spent buying the script and another 3 million blacklisting Lu Yu, the total cost suddenly soared to 11 million.

Fortunately, the box office reached 30 million, and it also sold TV rights.

This movie at least didn't end up losing money.

"First Love, This Little Thing" cost 12 million, and it's still in post-production, not sure if it can break even.

The first two films both just slightly over 10 million.

This third one, the cost directly surged to 35 million, and it needs to gross over 100 million in box office to break even.

According to 2008 data, a box office over 100 million could make it into the top ten domestic box office rankings.

"I have no problem with it... An Feng..."

Gao Fei wasn't much interested in money, she just thought it was a pity An Feng couldn't act.

"If she is willing, she can make a cameo as your wife."

Old Tian thought this was a great idea, given the boss's relationship with An Feng, if they invited her for a cameo, she definitely wouldn't refuse.

Qi Hao this worrisome fellow, would he even bother to pursue a girl?

Given his inconsistent approach, he'd better prepare to be single forever.

"Alright, I'll ask later."

Qi Hao wasn't opposed to giving An Feng a role, it's just that there weren't any particularly suitable ones.

A movie is a movie.

Can't just choose a role recklessly for a woman.

In the afternoon, when work resumed, Feng Bufan, who came for an action director interview in the morning, had already read the script.

"I'm not very good at judging the quality of scripts."

Feng Bufan had lunch with Tang Chuan.

The two were from the same hometown, and had some connections in mentorship.

Only, Tang Chuan was quite young, Feng Bufan had already been invincible in their martial arts hometown when Tang was still a kid.

Feng Bufan learned about Qi Hao's impressive traits from Tang Chuan.

This is a big investor.

He figured he should do whatever he could to secure this job.

He's over forty now, hoping to save up enough to get married again soon.

"No worries, mainly I want to ask, from your professional perspective, is it possible to realistically achieve the one-against-many fight scenes described in the script?"

Qi Hao was asking if the plot seemed too far-fetched.

Especially during the grand finale, where the lone agent storms in, taking down one small fry after another with a single shot.