Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years
Chapter 108 - 107 Bald, and Also Stronger (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 108: Chapter 107 Bald, and Also Stronger (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"That song we recorded earlier, ’This Life Will Not Change’, should also be included in the album."

The MV task is already completed, so Qi Hao doesn’t have a reason to release that single right now.

Since it hasn’t been released yet, it can be included in the album and released together.

"No problem, the quality of this song is very good, and the MV is well-shot; it could even be the title track."

Jin Dazhou took out a notebook and started recording the wealthy boss’s requests.

"About how many songs does an album usually include?" Qi Hao asked.

He wasn’t very familiar with this and hadn’t considered learning about it before.

After all, crossing industries is shameful.

"There’s no fixed number. If it’s more, a double CD can include twenty to thirty songs; if less, ten to fifteen songs is more normal. An EP only needs three to six songs..."

Jin Dazhou showed Qi Hao different albums from his workbench.

"Let’s make it five or six songs then."

Qi Hao was interested in an EP, thinking that as long as it’s substantial enough, it wouldn’t be seen as just a money-grab.

"I’ll gather the songs for you as soon as possible."

Jin Dazhou is capable of composing himself.

But Qi Hao, the boss, wants quality and quantity quickly, so it would have to come from other creators within the industry to be fast enough.

Jin Dazhou had only been back from abroad for two years, but he’s highly skilled, and many domestic creators are willing to collaborate with him.

So when he announced he was collecting songs for movie star Qi Hao, and at a high price, he was bombarded with calls from people in the industry.

The recording industry is currently in a slump, and artists are releasing fewer albums, making life difficult for composers as well.

Encountering someone like Qi Hao, who isn’t stingy with money, everyone brought out their "treasured" songs.

Some were even trying to pull strings to sell their unwanted stock at a high price to Qi Hao.

They’re treating Qi Hao as a sucker.

Jin Dazhou didn’t indulge these people; he at least knew who was worth maintaining as a valuable network.

Someone like Qi Hao is a top-notch star, also involved with capital, who can potentially offer him work this year, like a benefactor.

And those creators still depend on him for a living.

So, Jin Dazhou sifted through the submissions from insiders while reaching out to top creators to commission songs.

Anyway, Qi Hao said money was not an issue.

A quality album must be crafted for him.

It might not even result in a loss.

Qi Hao belongs to the top-tier idol category, with millions of fans, so the album might just sell big.

From the submitted songs, Jin Dazhou did find a few of decent quality.

For instance, Liang Xiaoxue’s song "Why Bother Being Together".

Liang Xiaoxue is a new creator, like Jin Dazhou, who also came back from studying abroad.

Why even be together/Let me fall for you/At least living alone doesn’t have to be too oppressive...

It quite fits Qi Hao’s playboy image with many rumored girlfriends.

Previously, Li Ronghao, who served as music director for Chen Kun’s album "Mystery Me", also provided two good songs.

One is "Old Street", and the other is "Model".

If it’s good, it’s worth the high price.

Jin Dazhou offered Li Ronghao and his team prices that surpassed the market rate.

There’s also a newcomer named Xu Song, who provided a song called "Excessive Explanation".

He composed, wrote, and arranged the song all by himself.

It’s said that he originally planned to include this song in his debut album "Customization" to be released next year.

But despite his talent, he lacked the funds to promote it, and any money he gathered was all invested into album production.

Albums are easy to produce but hard to promote.

Good liquor is afraid of a deep alley.

So, he sold a song to Qi Hao, at least gaining some promotion funds.

This song has a bit of a playboy vibe, and placing it in his own album seemed a bit out of place. In Jin Dazhou’s eyes, it clearly suits Qi Hao better.

These unsolicited works don’t match the caliber of a top idol like Qi Hao.

So, besides making "This Life Will Not Change" the title track, he also sought help from top industry experts.

He pretty much harassed every big shot in the circle.

Eventually, Jin Dazhou acquired a song "Where Has the Time Gone" from Dong Dongdong.

Dong Dongdong is considered a peer to Jin Dazhou, although he debuted earlier.

After graduating from the recording department of the Beijing Film Academy, he started composing for films, TV dramas, animations, and advertisements in 2003.

He initially planned to use this song as a soundtrack piece for a TV series.

When Jin Dazhou requested it for one of the four major stars of the entertainment industry, Qi Hao, he didn’t hesitate much before handing it over.

Some creators are quite willing to sell their works to cross-industry singers, while others are very resistant.

Dong Dongdong, for example, is willing.

Together with his wife Chen Xi, he’s created a large number of songs for films and singers, and he has even sung himself, but few people actually know them.

He felt that writing a song for Qi Hao could increase his visibility.

Those who are unwilling worry that cross-industry singers like Qi Hao simply won’t sing their songs well.

But it doesn’t matter; Jin Dazhou already holds ’This Life Will Not Change’, ’Where Has the Time Gone’, ’Why Bother Being Together’, ’Excessive Explanation’, ’Old Street’, and ’Model’, a total of six songs.

It’s a bit barren for an album, but definitely sufficient for an EP.

Though there’s still some regret.

That is, Jin Dazhou’s own stock wasn’t included.

His original plan was that if there weren’t enough songs collected, he could sneak in his own, thus earning a bit more himself.

But now there’s already enough for six songs.

Adding another song would make this EP a bit bloated.

However, Qi Hao’s reply was very simple: six or seven songs, it doesn’t matter, the key is to ensure quality.

He’ll start recording once he returns from Jiangcheng.

At this time, Qi Hao entrusted the album’s matters to Jin Dazhou, while he himself was already in Jiangcheng, busy with the filming of "Lost on Journey".

Most of the scenes in the movie are shot in Jiangcheng.

The opening ceremony naturally took place in Jiangcheng as well.

In fact, Ye Weimin had considered holding it in the capital, inviting all the rumored girlfriends willing to cameo with Qi Hao.

By inviting some media over for a little hype, the anticipation for this film could be maximized.

Unfortunately, Qi Hao vetoed it.

The impact of hype is strongest at the beginning, and once that’s past, it fizzles out.

Then comes the sage mode.

If you put all the hype at the start, by the time the movie is released, there’s nothing new to offer.

It’s better to keep a low profile at the beginning.

Therefore, only the actors with recent scenes were present: Qi Hao, Wang Baoqiang, An Feng, Gao Yuanyuan, and Li Xiaoran.

An Feng accepted Qi Hao’s invitation to cameo as a con woman.

Actually, it’s hard to clearly explain favors within the entertainment industry.

Qi Hao introduced An Feng to the "October Fortress" crew, which definitely counted as a favor for An Feng, who had been blacklisted.

Now, An Feng joins the "Lost on Journey" crew for a cameo.

It’s hard to say who owes whom a favor.

An Feng’s status is there, and taking on such a small role, especially one that’s unflattering, can indeed be seen as An Feng repaying Qi Hao’s favor by participating.

However, An Feng’s resources haven’t fully recovered yet.

Qi Hao inviting An Feng to participate is also a gesture, akin to offering help in dire need.

Looking at it this way, it seems An Feng continues to owe Qi Hao.

Moreover, An Feng’s standing in the entertainment industry is mainly in TV dramas, without any particularly impressive film achievements.

Like a standout supporting role in "Lost on Journey", it’s also a kind of resource.

But none of this really matters; it’s impossible to make things that clear-cut.

As long as you get the benefits, it’s fine.

Ultimately, for "Lost on Journey", the participation of An Feng, one of Qi Hao’s ex-girlfriends, genuinely adds quite a bit of publicity hype to the film.

Moreover, An Feng is a local of Jiangcheng.

The opening ceremony was simple but not shabby, everything that should be there was there.

Since this movie project was solely produced by Little Fatty Sheep, the company’s behind-the-scenes boss Gao Yang made a special trip to attend the opening ceremony.

He even brought along a Daoist.

This Daoist Master wasn’t very tall, had a full beard, wore a dark blue Taoist robe, and exuded a bit of a mystical aura.

"This is Xi Yufei, Dao name Suiyun, you can call him Daoist Suiyun."

Gao Yang introduced them to Qi Hao and the others very solemnly.

"Hello, Daoist!"

The entertainment industry is full of superstitions, and Daoists and monks often appear in various settings.

Since the big boss revered the Dao, naturally, everyone went along with it.

"Um... Daoist Master, could you perform a ritual?"

Ye Weimin, upon seeing the Daoist, thought it wouldn’t hurt to take advantage of the situation, especially if the Daoist had some skills.

"A ritual?" The Daoist was taken aback for a moment, but still nodded.

Everyone saw him unbuckle a long sword from his back and started performing moves nimbly.

Whether he had mystical powers was unclear.

But that sword was definitely real, and the way he wielded it dazzled everyone, giving the sense that he had some real skills.

And considering Gao Yang, as a billionaire, only brought this Daoist besides a driver.

He probably also served as a bodyguard.

After performing a set of swordsmanship, the Daoist perhaps felt it wasn’t enough to impress and then took out yellow paper and cinnabar and other things...

The opening scene was suddenly ablaze with flashes and sparks.

Everyone watched in amazement.

Though Qi Hao was only a middle school student, the crew often used props, so he could understand flames created through chemical reactions.

However, the flashes were truly magical.

"To avoid accidental injury to everyone, the lightning is a bit smaller."

The Daoist seemed a bit regretful.

"That’s enough, that’s enough."

Even the experienced Ye Weimin was taken aback.

Do you really intend to summon a lightning bolt as thick as a bucket and strike us dead?

"Come on, everyone, let’s take a group photo, then the launch is officially done."

The actors in this movie all play ugly roles, so the makeup photos were quite casual and didn’t require much effort, just a quick snap.

An Feng wore very ordinary clothes.

Later during filming, scars would be painted on her face.

And Qi Hao couldn’t escape either.

Ye Weimin thought he looked too handsome, which affected the comedic effect, so he decisively shaved his head.

He even applied something that made Qi Hao’s head shiny and slick, making him look bald.

He went bald, but he gained strength.