Chapter 720
Emergency Rescue
The assistant director had finally managed to get Jinli to film the movie, and he wanted to keep a close eye on her, afraid that she would run away.
So when Gu Cheng and Jin Li went out to eat together, neither of their assistants accompanied them, but the assistant director stayed close to them the whole time.
He's more like an assistant than an assistant himself.
Gu Cheng and Jin Li didn't say it out loud, but they both felt that this assistant director was too eager.
During the meal, the assistant director went out to answer a phone call, leaving only Jinli and Gu Cheng in the private room.
Jinli couldn't help but touch Gu Cheng's arm and asked softly:
"Is there some kind of funding problem with the production team of 'Desperate Counterattack'? Why is it necessary for the actors to film in advance?"
Before actors join a production team, they usually sign a contract, and most production teams will follow the terms of the contract.
We can start work whenever we want, and all necessary arrangements will be made, including RVs, daily meals, and fixed rest times.
Only some poorly organized production teams will end up in such a mess.
However, given their status, they wouldn't receive such invitations from production teams.
It's not that the production teams didn't want to invite them, but rather that their fees were simply too high; only production teams with sufficient investment dared to invite them.
Jinli was puzzled.
"Comeback from Desperate Circumstances" is not a small-budget production; both the director and the production team are big names in the industry.
This assistant director is like a wolf eyeing its prey, as if he hasn't eaten meat in a long time, and he's been trying to pluck the actors off the spot.
After learning of Jinli's thoughts, Gu Cheng said helplessly:
"Have you noticed something? Since you arrived on set, the production coordinator hasn't come over at all; it's always the assistant director who's been taking care of you."
Jinli was taken aback.
She hadn't noticed until Gu Cheng mentioned it.
But when Gu Cheng brought it up, she also realized something was wrong.
Yes, why was the assistant director the one who hosted the film crew?
Is it because the assistant director has too low a status here, or because the production team attaches too much importance to them, so they specially sent a heavyweight to receive them?
"What's going on?" Jinli asked.
She speculated, "Could it be that this production crew is discriminating, with the assistant director doing less work than the script supervisor, and the assistant director doing all the dirtiest and most tiring jobs?"
Gu Cheng clearly knew something, and said with a wry smile, "Him? He gets discriminated against? It's already good enough that he doesn't use his power to discriminate against others."
He didn't keep anyone in suspense and said directly, "This assistant director was sent over by the investors. To be precise, he is one of the investors who wanted to get involved in the directing industry out of passion."
Because he invested a lot, was sincere, and eager to work, the director promoted him to assistant director with a wave of his hand.
However, he has no filming experience and is still learning; he only has the name, not the rights.
Jinli suddenly understood.
Because the assistant director is also an investor, that's why he's keeping such a close eye on things; he doesn't want to waste his investment.
"He tricked us into starting filming early just to save money?"
Gu Cheng nodded without hesitation: "I heard that this director is an accounting major, so he is very strict about saving money. The crew's finance department is so busy that they have nothing to do."
Jinli's eyes flickered slightly: "Judging from your tone, it seems there's more to the story."
Gu Cheng said calmly, "If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. The larger the production team, the more it has to give up some of its interests if it wants to maintain harmony and stability."
Starting with the accountant is the easiest way to make money by falsifying accounts. Now, the assistant director is keeping a tight rein on the accounting department, which has already caused dissatisfaction among some people.
Those people were all long-time employees who had followed Director Zheng from the beginning, putting Director Zheng in a difficult position.
Jinli: "So?"
"So, in order to give this assistant director something to do, Director Zheng put him in charge of entertaining the actors. This was a job that involved coordination and production management, but the assistant director took it all on."
At this point, Gu Cheng said helplessly, "Since this assistant director took over the coordination of actors and food expenses, he has strictly followed the regulations."
There were only a few minutes less, not more. My rest time was also meticulously planned and very strict; I'm sure you'll soon understand.
Jinli asked curiously, "I'm going to film a night scene tonight. Is the assistant director also on set? Isn't he incapable of directing?"
Gu Cheng said definitively, "He won't be filming, but he will come over to supervise."
If your performance goes well, he'll give you a few extra minutes of rest.
If you're not performing well and have too many NGs, he'll use a stopwatch to time you, saying you need a three-minute break, and you'll get a three-minute break—not a second more.
Jinli frowned. "Is it really that strict?"
Gu Cheng was about to say something when a noise suddenly came from the other side of the door.
A short while later, the assistant director appeared.
The two of them tacitly stopped talking and silently ate the food in their bowls.
A few minutes later, the assistant director put down his chopsticks and asked, "Are you all full? Can we go back to filming now?"
Gu Cheng and Jin Li were still holding chopsticks.
Before Jinli could speak, Gu Cheng said first, "We haven't eaten enough yet, Assistant Director. If you're in a hurry, you can go back first. We'll be there within half an hour."
Upon hearing this, the assistant director hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
It will take another half hour.
The director looked somewhat embarrassed.
It's 6:50 now, and even if it's half an hour later, it will be 7:20.
Gu Cheng promised to arrive at the film set at 7:20, while the film crew's night shoot was scheduled for 7:30, so this was 10 minutes early.
However, judging from the assistant director's expression, he was still very dissatisfied and hoped that Jinli and Gu Cheng could speed things up.
The assistant director subconsciously looked at Jinli, thinking that Jinli was easier to talk to.
Gu Cheng's personality is too cold. No matter how he tries to make amends, he still has the same attitude, which is inexplicably annoying.
However, Jinli kept her head down, pretending not to notice the look in her eyes, and ate her food in silence.
The assistant director left shortly afterward; he had other things to attend to.
Jinli then asked, "Wasn't he supposed to be supervising the actors' filming? Why did he come back to the set early? Does he also want to supervise the staff?"
Gu Cheng said without changing his expression, "No, he's going to check the accounts."
He needed to know every single expense for each actor. As for the crew's finances, he no longer managed them; it was probably something Director Zheng had discussed with him privately.
Jinli: "...He's such a busy man."
Recalling her first impression of the assistant director, she said, "Although he was a hot potato, it was actually a good thing that he was around."
Gu Cheng asked curiously, "How so?"
Jinli smiled and said, "This director is obviously a master of thrift and managing a household well. You're right, water that's too clear has no fish."
If he's willing to loosen his grip a little and keep the pressure within a certain range, that will be fine.
However, he cannot completely relinquish control, otherwise the corruption within the production crew will become even more severe.
As you know, many film crews claim to be big productions, but the real bulk of the money isn't spent on the film itself, but on various other expenses.
On the surface, it seems that the actors' salaries account for the majority of the production team's investment, but in reality, some people receive even more in return than the actors' salaries.
I'm not saying that "Desperate Counterattack" is like that, but it's clear that this production team also has the same interpersonal dynamics as ordinary production teams.
Since the production team has received so much money from the investors, they still need to work hard to make a good film, and not just think about making money.
Gu Cheng nodded thoughtfully.
He was initially annoyed by the assistant director, but after Jinli said that, he suddenly realized that an assistant director was necessary in a film crew to maintain a good balance.
The two quickly finished their meal, chatted for a while, and then strolled leisurely back to the film set.
They arrived at the film set before 7:30. Jinli sat back down in the dressing room; her makeup had been wiped off and she was now getting a fresh coat.
This makeup is more natural and sheer, looking almost like a bare face, giving the impression of natural beauty.
Before the makeup artist arrived, Chen Qin whispered in Jinli's ear:
"At 7:20, you and Gu Cheng hadn't arrived yet. The assistant director was very anxious, asking around if anyone had seen you two, and frequently looking at his watch."
At 7:25, you appeared, and the assistant director visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Qin paused, her brows furrowing: "I always felt that this assistant director was strange. He didn't seem like a director at all; he seemed more like a production coordinator."
At the same time, he gave her the feeling of being a boss.
They are the kind of bosses who are very strict about deadlines, wanting employees to finish today's tasks first, and then immediately adding new tasks after today's tasks are completed.
After listening, Jinli couldn't help but glance at Chen Qin.
In her eyes, Chen Qin was actually quite intelligent.
They met outside the Taoist temple, and she took a liking to Chen Qin at first sight, hoping that she could become her assistant.
At that time, she felt that Chen Qin was quite talented.
If the world were rich in spiritual energy, Chen Qin could probably achieve great things through diligent cultivation.
However, in this degenerate age where spiritual energy is almost nonexistent, cultivation has become very difficult.
Chen Qin is at most just more intuitive than the average person, and can sense more things.
This time, after observing the assistant director, she noticed a characteristic that many people couldn't.
Jinli told Chen Qin about the assistant director's identity, and then said:
"Although we are not afraid of offending the assistant director, since he is an investor in this drama, we should pay a little more attention to what he says in the future and remember to remind me."
Chen Qin nodded in realization.
It turns out this assistant director was an investor, which explains all his actions.
No wonder they were in such a hurry.
Every minute that the actors and crew are delayed is burning through his money.
Gu Cheng also filmed night scenes.
He was supposed to be filming an action scene today, a very important and intense one among all the action scenes.
If this fight scene is filmed well, it will definitely be included in the trailer and may even be promoted across the entire internet.
In order to film the key scenes at night, he began to adjust his emotions during the day.
Director Zheng also intended to keep him calm and prevent him from overexerting himself, so he arranged for him to play only relatively simple dialogue scenes.
Jinli also has scenes tonight, but they're scheduled to be different from Gu Cheng's.
She will be filming a scene in another set where her abilities are discovered.
After Jinli finished her makeup, she went to Group B under the guidance of the staff.
Group A and Group B are separated, so you don't need to pass through Group A to get to Group B.
However, she could occasionally hear a few clanging sounds, like something hitting the railing.
Whenever she heard that sound, she couldn't help but tilt her ear.
Upon hearing it for the third time, Jinli suddenly stopped and asked with a serious expression:
"What was that sound? Has something happened to someone?"
The staff member seemed quite familiar with the production crew's arrangements and quickly replied, "There's no accident in that direction; they're filming an action scene."
Another staff member said, "It should be Gu Cheng's action scene. I heard that tonight's action scene is the highlight."
Not long after the words were spoken, another dull thud was heard.
Even the staff who were in a hurry heard it.
One of them exclaimed, "Judging from the sound, Gu Cheng is really hitting himself; he's too ruthless."
Another person familiar with the matter said, "Director Zheng asked him if he needed a stunt double, but Gu Cheng refused, saying he could do it himself."
Seeing Jinli's worried expression, Chen Qin said, "Does the crew have a massage therapist? With the intensity of this fight scene, if she doesn't get treatment in time, she probably won't be able to get up tomorrow. She has many bruises on her body."
"Yes, yes, every production crew with a lot of action scenes will have one."
Jinli still had a furrowed brow, with a bad feeling about her.
Another clanging sound followed.
She suddenly stopped and said, "This voice is not right."
"What?" The two staff members who were leading the way looked at her.
Jinli said, "I have good hearing and can hear sounds that many people can't. The clanging sound I just heard was very strange."
When the production team was building the sets, did they test whether the props could withstand the conditions of the scene?
"This……"
The two staff members looked at each other in bewilderment.
They really didn't know anything about the testing equipment.
However, they joined the crew much earlier than Jinli and had already seen the scenes of celebrities filming.
So they were aware of whether the props had been tested after they were set up.
The answer is no.
But seeing Jinli's calculating look, should she say "no" or not?
Now, not only Jinli, but even Chen Qin noticed the staff's guilty conscience.
Having been by Jinli's side for so long, she could guess what Jinli was thinking at that moment.
At this moment, Jinli shouldn't speak; it would be better for her to speak instead.
Chen Qin decisively said, "I require the crew to check all the props for filming. Jinli will be using them later, so please check them all."
Not only that, all the props used by the film crew had to be inspected.
"Isn't Gu Cheng filming an action scene? Let's go check out the quality. If the set is shaky and unstable, Jinli won't be able to film it."
After Chen Qin finished speaking, she pulled Jinli and walked in the opposite direction, saying, "Let's go check out Group A first."
One of the staff members realized what was happening and quickly stopped them: "Hey, don't go, you have to report to Group B first."
Without turning her head, Chen Qin said, "Then you should check all the props first and make sure there are no safety hazards before calling us."
This is written in the contract. Ensuring the safety of the artists during filming is the production team's responsibility. Anyone with objections should present the contract to me.
Before long, the two walked away, leaving two staff members standing there dumbfounded.
"What should we do now?"
"Okay, you go to Group B to clock in first to make sure we're not late, and then I'll go find the assistant director and tell her about Jinli's requirements."
Jinli felt a little uneasy and ran towards the end.
Chen Qin caught up with Jin Li and was just about to suggest that they ask a staff member for directions to Group A.
But Jinli seemed to have a telepathic connection with the route, and after several turns, suddenly, the gate to Group A was right in front of her.
Jinli walked in and saw Gu Cheng hanging precariously on the edge of a building, clinging to the concrete wall.
Gu Cheng's body was already suspended by wires, so even if he let go, he wouldn't fall.
The director shouted through a megaphone: "Gu Cheng is going to jump from the cement house to the bamboo house in a bit, wire crew, get ready!"
Jinli frowned, her heart pounding faster and faster.
What exactly is wrong?
She looked at the makeshift frame made of bamboo poles, her expression instantly turning serious. (End of Chapter)