Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years
Chapter 136 - 133: Overbudget Is Fine (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 136: Chapter 133: Overbudget Is Fine (Requesting Double Monthly Tickets)

Zeng Li has no problems with her looks, her resources aren’t particularly good, but she does have leading role opportunities; unfortunately, she hasn’t seized any.

This makes it hard not to associate it with some sort of superstition.

During their class reunion, someone jokingly suggested she try spreading a rumor with Qi Hao.

It just so happened that "Steel Piano" had an opportunity, so Qin Hailu helped introduce her.

"Steel Piano" only offered Zeng Li a small role.

But she wasn’t picky.

Film resources are inherently higher-end than television.

Many so-called lead roles in TV shows are reduced to small roles in films.

The role Zeng Li played this time wasn’t particularly difficult.

Her first scene with Wang Qianyuan had a theatrical performance vibe.

This posed no difficulty for them as Central Academy of Drama graduates, as long as they listened and did their assignments carefully during school.

Zeng Li knew Wang Qianyuan too.

Their 96-level performance class teacher was Professor Chang Li, who was very strict, assigning a lot of homework.

If the homework wasn’t completed, one might even face expulsion.

Zhang Ziyi and Liu Ye couldn’t complete their assignments, cried desperately while begging their senior brother for help, eventually muddling through by his assistance in a skit, barely passing.

It’s said that this senior brother was Wang Qianyuan.

He was the class president of the 93-level.

Later, Hu Jing also sought his help in designing a skit.

In fact, Wang Qianyuan’s acting is indeed good.

It’s just unclear why he’s not famous.

"Cut..."

Qi Hao shot the second scene first, then fell into contemplation.

Something about it felt off.

Just as Zhang Meng wanted to walk over and explain the issue, Qi Hao suddenly figured it out himself.

He directed the camera crew to adjust the positions.

Usually, camera setups at eye level with regular viewers are the most comfortable, and that had been the norm before.

However, Qi Hao realized that relying solely on visuals couldn’t generate enough confrontation.

You can’t just go about it with mutual strikes.

So he shifted the setup to an unusual low-angle shot.

The scene gave a medium shot of two characters, establishing their relationship—two people positioned in left and right opposition, with the background subtly indicating their unequal status, economically and in terms of capability.

The left side where Wang Qianyuan stood was noticeably more desolate.

While his wife’s right side had more modern and orderly buildings.

Even the canopy above was tattered on one side and intact on the other, resembling a pair of angel wings.

The low-angle shot allowed viewers to clearly feel the confrontation and the solid stance between these two.

To further accentuate this effect, Qi Hao had Zeng Li swap her black coat for a brighter, lighter shade.

Following this was the Hollywood cliché narrative shot of alternating close-ups after the dual medium shot—one for each.

Paired with lines like "Divorce is mutual fulfillment, one lets the other off, like this", the sense of confrontation peaked.

The final presentation effect was indeed very good.

Zhang Meng stroked his stubbly chin.

This guy is something else, thinking exactly like him.

If the previous good handling was someone’s teaching, then this shift in camera angle demonstrates Qi Hao’s talent.

In the directing business, having talent is crucial.

If you lack talent but have skills, you’re at best a mason, but once you have talent, you become an architect.

If lucky, filming a classic in movie history isn’t impossible.

"Meng! Meng!"

Qi Hao’s call brought Zhang Meng back to reality: "What’s up?"

"What do you think about this approach?"

Qi Hao was lacking confidence; directing for the first time made him anxious, needing Zhang Meng’s seasoned advice.

"Great, very great!"

What else could Zhang Meng say?

I thought you’d sit beside me while I directed, yet I find myself speechless beside you.

It wasn’t quite that exaggerated.

After all, this was Zhang Meng’s script; both had their own expressions and interpretations, which couldn’t completely align.

Thus, Zhang Meng still had ample opportunity to voice his opinions.

Yet Qi Hao wouldn’t blindly listen; through communication and contention, he also grew.

Moreover, Qi Hao didn’t only rely on Zhang Meng.

Making a movie relies not just on the director.

Photography, art design, planning, lighting—every department contributes their expertise.

Most of them come from formal training, with solid theoretical knowledge.

What Qi Hao needed was to harness these skills to present a work meeting his standards.

Shooting outdoors for several days in a row.

The crew, although not fully convinced, at least no longer considered Qi Hao just a placeholder.

Plus, Qi Hao left the impression of a workaholic among the crew.

He worked over twelve hours each day.

This film doesn’t have separate A and B teams. The two assistant directors are in a supporting role at best, occasionally getting the chance to shoot some unimportant shots under Zhang Meng’s guidance.

Actors can work in shifts, and the crew just needs to coordinate so no one really has to work over ten hours. But as a director, Qi Hao stays from start to finish every single day.

The key is, even after working twelve hours, he shows no sign of fatigue.

Sitting in the resting chair for about ten minutes, he immediately becomes lively again.

That’s right, the resting chair!

With a system version of the resting chair, it’s naturally used to the fullest.

If it weren’t for the fear of being too conspicuous and sent for research, and because Qi Hao still needs to save eight hours at night for training, he might be shooting sixteen hours a day.

Even so, the filming progress of "Steel Piano" isn’t particularly fast.

Since Qi Hao is directing for the first time and is not willing to compromise, he often finds many shots unsatisfactory after one take, or suddenly comes up with a new idea and shoots another version.

Shooting repeatedly.

Even after shooting, it’s possible to discard and re-shoot.

There was even a scene that, after three days of shooting, Qi Hao returned to re-shoot with the team.

Zhang Meng had to remind him that this way, it’s easy to exceed the budget.

The average film footage ratio in domestic films is 1:3, meaning three feet of film is used for one foot of footage.

When Jiang Wen directed "Sunny Days," he burned 250,000 feet of film — a footage ratio of 1:15.

Qi Hao isn’t as exaggerated as Jiang Wen.

But his average consumption has exceeded 1:6, which made Zhang Meng feel heartbroken. If he were shooting, he could achieve a 1:2.5, or even 1:2 ratio level.

Unexpectedly, even you, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, exceeded the budget.

Qi Hao didn’t mind, so what if they exceeded the budget.

Jiang Wen overspent by tens of millions, to the point where the producers wanted to escape, but at most, he’d only exceed by hundreds of thousands or a few millions.

If worst comes to worst, we’d just add more investment.

The time quickly arrived at New Year’s Day, and 2009 marched forward resolutely.

The past year had both disasters and the Olympics, and with the help of the system and Gao Yang’s favor, Qi Hao had a foot in the door of the capital.

The other foot would step in only after the film is released and turns a profit.

If it’s profitable, of course, it will become a hit in the capital market, but if not, even though Gao Yang won’t say anything, Qi Hao’s investment will surely become more cautious.

He wasn’t as shameless as Daoist Suiyun.

This fake Daoist was having a great time playing in the Northeast, reluctant to leave after staying for over ten days.

Qi Hao let out a sigh of relief.

He was worried that this fake Daoist might get arrested by the police, requiring bail payment if that happened.

It seems you could be subjected to 10 to 15 days of administrative detention and a fine of up to 5,000 yuan.

If a colleague suddenly stops showing up for work and asks to borrow money, it might be because they were caught.

The filming process for Qi Hao wasn’t smooth sailing either.

This he was mentally prepared for. After all, he’d been on sets for more than a decade; it was just that before, any problems in the crew had nothing to do with him, and he just needed to focus on shooting.

Now that he’s the director, all the pressure falls on his shoulders.

When the incident occurred, the crew was filming a motorcycle team setting out to capture the irresponsible scoundrel who got Fatty’s daughter pregnant.

The kind of igniter youth every old Deng hates.

As they drove out of the factory gate, two motorcycles collided.

Although the speed wasn’t particularly fast, one of the extras was still injured.

Qi Hao quickly had the injured extra taken to the hospital.

However, that afternoon, the extra’s family and friends came over, with over ten people rushing into the crew demanding compensation.

Actually, the crew was going to compensate anyway.

But it was clear these people wanted more than just medical fees, nutrition fees, and lost wages, which the crew had already promised. They were also asking for damages for mental anguish.

Damages for mental anguish are unpredictable.

Moreover, the collision between the two motorcycles was mainly due to the extra’s mishandling; the crew just chose not to pursue it because it would cost a lot to stop production for a day.

As expected, the extra’s family asked for 500,000 yuan in damages for mental anguish right off the bat.

Clearly extortion.

Qi Hao definitely wouldn’t give it; it was just a scratch, not even a fracture.

This is where Zhang Meng’s role as producer came in handy.

Without a word, Zhang Meng called in reinforcements.

Don’t forget we’re in Tieling.

And Zhang Meng’s father is the director of "Country Love," a TV drama starring Zhao Benshan.

Zhang Meng himself has collaborated with Zhao Benshan many times, serving as the director for some of his comedy sketches.

Beyond Shanhai Pass, if there’s trouble, you can find Zhao Benshan.

The King of the Northeast indeed is different from the rest. These people came at two, Zhang Meng made the call at two thirty, and they were gone by two forty-five, taking less than an hour in all.

They didn’t even dare utter a threat before leaving.

Resolving it, of course, is the best outcome. If it really couldn’t be resolved, Boss Gao who has our back isn’t someone to mess with either.

He’s able to open bars and nightclubs all over, which wouldn’t be possible without some influence.

It’s not the law that’s scary; it’s those who put down the law and pick up a weapon that’s scary.

In January, Qi Hao took a trip back to the capital.

Penguin invited him to attend the 2008 Star Gala organized by Penguin Network as a guest.

This time, Penguin held it in grand style.

Reportedly, three to four hundred stars and artists from the industry were invited.

Qi Hao didn’t think much before deciding to attend.

It didn’t matter much whether he participated or not before, but this time, he’s a shareholder of Penguin, holding over 6.5 million shares of Penguin stock. Of course, he needed to support his own family’s event.