Chapter 322: Actors and Screenwriters in Place
“Crack.”

Chen Yuan’s fingers flew as he quickly tapped the keyboard, occasionally stopping to smoke a cigarette, look at the script, think about the details, and try to stick to the original script as much as possible.

“Dingling~”

Just as he was immersed in restoring the script, the phone suddenly rang, scaring him so much that the cigarette butt in his hand fell out of his hand.

“Fuck.”

Chen Yuan jumped up in shock and quickly patted his military coat. Looking carefully, he saw a black spot stained by cigarette ash on it, which almost got a hole burned by it.

“Do you want to die.”

Patting his clothes, Chen Yuan took out his cell phone and saw that it was Qin Fen calling, so he greeted him directly.

“Did you eat gunpowder?” Qin Fen was a little confused.

“Eat shit, what do you have to say?”

Chen Yuan snorted in annoyance, picked up the cigarette butt on the ground, took two quick puffs, and then put it out in the ashtray.

Then he used a piece of tissue to clean up the ashes on the ground.

“The God of Wealth is really powerful. He found a lot of actors for me early in the morning. Although they are all unknown small-time actors, they are completely enough for us.”

Qin Fen instantly forgot Chen Yuan’s greeting and was as excited as Ye Zhi was in the early morning.

This is a solution to the urgent problem.

With these actors in place, we can start filming right away, and by working overtime to catch up on the schedule, there will basically be no problem launching the film before the Spring Festival.

“Have you auditioned yet?”

Chen Yuan seemed quite calm. He knew that the God of Wealth had some connections in this industry, and it was agreed upon last night. It was strange that there was such a lack of efficiency.

“The auditions are difficult. Most of the actors are not here, so we can only do video interviews. According to the standards of online movies, the overall results are good, but there are some surprises.” Qin Fen smiled and kept the secret.

“What a surprise.”

Chen Yuan put his phone on the table, turned on the speakerphone, continued editing the script, and asked casually.

“There are several actors from the provincial capital who came here for an on-site audition today. One of them put on a Taoist robe and looked just like a real Taoist priest. The audition shots were all great. I feel like he is the best protagonist for this web drama.” Qin Fen was very excited.

For a good film or TV work, in addition to a solid script and decent filming, the acting skills are undoubtedly the most important.

A good actor can elevate a mediocre script to a higher level, and maximize the effect when the hardware is insufficient.

Qin Fen felt that the Taoist priest had come out of seclusion and found the actor.

“That’s great. What’s the actor’s name?” Chen Yuan asked with a smile.

“Peng Hongyu.” Qin Fen blurted out. He remembered this good actor very clearly.

“Who?”

Chen Yuan’s hands that were typing on the keyboard suddenly stopped, his eyes slightly widened with a hint of surprise, and he immediately lowered his head and asked again into the phone.

“Peng Hongyu, is there any problem?”

Qin Fen on the other end of the phone was a little confused. What happened to the wronged ghost today? Why was he so startled? He was acting weird right after the call was connected, and now he’s here again.

“Is there an audition video? Show me the clip of his audition.” Chen Yuan asked seriously, his voice becoming a little solemn.

“Yes, wait a minute, I’ll send it to you right away.” Although Qin Fen felt a little puzzled, he still sent the audition clip after hanging up the phone.

Chen Yuan clicked on it immediately and saw Peng Hongyu dressed as a Taoist priest in the camera. The corners of his mouth couldn’t help but rise up and a bright smile appeared on his face.

It’s really him.

What good luck! I didn’t expect that the God of Wealth could introduce me to Peng Hongyu.

Peng Hongyu is none other than the male protagonist who plays a Taoist priest in his previous life. He can be said to be one of the few actors who promoted the online movie.

In 16, he won the Best Actor Award for a Network Movie for his role in a Taoist Priest. In 15 and 16, when people talked about network movies, they would talk about Peng Hongyu, as he was the number one male lead in network movies.

In addition to the Taoist Priest Comes Out of the Mountain series, Peng Hongyu has also participated in many high-quality popular online dramas, such as the subsequent Maoshan Taoist Priest and the Super Eunuch that Chen Yuan is currently editing.

There are also Onmyoji, Late Night Bookstore series, Infant Spirit, etc.

Not to say that all of them are hits, but at least each one of them is of high quality. He is even called the successor of Uncle Jiu by many netizens because the Taoist priest came out of seclusion to collaborate with Uncle Jiu.

With this label, Peng Hongyu has been able to thrive in this field. Although his subsequent attempts to impact the big screen were not successful, his achievements in the online movie industry are undeniable.

It is definitely a cash cow in the eyes of capital.

“Fatty, have you signed a contract with Peng Hongyu?” After confirming that it was Peng Hongyu, Chen Yuan called Qin Fen and asked directly about the contract.

“He just finished the audition and has the intention to cooperate, but we haven’t had time to discuss the contract. What, do you want to sign him to Yucheng Film and Television?” Qin Fen was very smart and guessed Chen Yuan’s intention from his words.

“If you have this idea, why don’t you ask him if he has a contract now?”

Chen Yuan did not deny it.

If possible, he would definitely be willing to sign Peng Hongyu, even if he had to pay him liquidated damages.

“We talked after the audition, and he is currently a free agent,” Qin Fen said.

Bang!
Chen Yuan was overjoyed when he heard this. He could not help but lightly punch the table and said excitedly, “Sign him. You must sign him. Sign him as long as possible. The contract benefits can be improved, and you can even get a share of the box office revenue.”

In his previous life, Peng Hongyu had joined other entertainment and film and television groups and had a contract. I didn’t expect that he didn’t have one in this life. How could he miss such a good opportunity?

With excellent scripts such as the Taoist Comes Out of the Mountain series, The Taoist of Maoshan, The Super Eunuch, and Onmyoji, and with the addition of Peng Hongyu, it will definitely quickly set off a wave of online movies and occupy market share.

“Brother, do you know him?”

Qin Fen on the other end of the phone was very confused. From the tone of Chen Yuan’s voice, it sounded like he had met an extremely talented person and he was eager to sign him. Did they know each other before?

“Since I want to enter this industry, I must have looked at the current market. During this period, I saw some of his works and thought they were good. From the audition clip, he is indeed suitable for this role. I also have a sequel in my mind. I want to create a series, and the protagonist should not be changed.”

Chen Yuan casually gave the reason.

“Wow, you want to create a Taoist series, brother, you are quite ambitious.” Qin Fen was surprised when he heard Chen Yuan’s goal.

“A soldier who doesn’t want to be a general is not a good soldier. A boss who doesn’t want to eat cake is not a boss at all.” Chen Yuan chuckled.

“Haha, then let’s eat together.” Qin Fen laughed.

Perhaps at this moment, he didn’t realize how big the cake he was about to get.

“Oh, there’s one more thing. The God of Wealth introduced two screenwriters to me, but they were born as animation screenwriters. I don’t know if they can adapt to this field. Can you take them with you first?”

After talking about Peng Hongyu, Qin Fen talked about screenwriting.

Regarding this, the God of Wealth must have abundant resources. After all, he is engaged in this industry and can introduce several people to you in minutes.

“Okay, ask them to add me on WeChat,” Chen Yuan replied. Originally, Qin Fen was supposed to be in charge of the scriptwriting, but things were busy in the initial stage, so Qin Fen was not only responsible for filming, but also for setting up the company.

The most important thing is that Chen Yuan must control the quality of the script.

Therefore, the screenwriting department is temporarily under the charge of Chen Yuan.

“Do you have any requirements for the director? The God of Wealth also has connections there.” Qin Fen went on to talk about the director.

“You are in charge of the director team. It would be best if they are professionally trained and have certain shooting experience and abilities. If you find a good one, sign it to Yucheng Film and Television. After all, the director team has to keep up with the subsequent high-intensity production.” Chen Yuan said.

The script, actors and director are the three major elements that ensure production, and none of them can be missing.

“Then I will lead the directing team. I will take them together for the first part. I will tell you if you have the ability, and then we can take the script and shoot it separately.” Qin Fen agreed.

“No problem. Prepare and start filming as soon as possible. You and Xie Di will take care of the funds. Save where necessary and spend where necessary. If it’s not enough, tell me.” Chen Yuan urged to start filming as soon as possible.

As for the funds, they have already been in place, including from the village committee, and have been deposited into the account of Yucheng Film and Television.

“The actors, scripts, directors, venues, etc. are all in place, the stage has been set, and it’s time to start the performance. I’ll make some more preparations here, and if everything goes well, we’ll start filming tomorrow. Would you like to come to the opening ceremony then?” Qin Fen asked.

Although tomorrow is New Year’s Day, time is tight and the task is heavy. Besides, a new year brings new beginnings, which is also a good sign.

“Doesn’t that mean we should prepare a red envelope for the startup?” Chen Yuan laughed and agreed.

Although Yucheng Village should be very busy during the holidays, the first online movie of the new project has started shooting, and as the largest shareholder, it is still time for them to show up.

At the same time, Chen Yuan also reminded the shooting progress.

The process of online movies and big screen movies is the same, and there is no difference in shooting. Apart from the different quality requirements, the biggest difference is the intensity of shooting.

Why are online movies so efficient and productive?

Not only is the quality requirement low, the main reason is the high-intensity shooting.

In the past, those who made online movies had a minimum of about 18 hours of production time, and some even worked around the clock. This is why online movies have a miracle of short production cycles and high returns.

“pat~”

After chatting with Qin Fen for more than half an hour, after the call ended, Chen Yuan picked up the cigarette box on the table, took out a cigarette and lit it, looking at the script on the computer screen, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but rise.

A good script and good actors, a perfect match.

He could already see the cake of the online movie market waving at him.

“Let’s deal with the super-powered eunuch today, and then we’ll create the Taoist series.”

Now that Peng Hongyu has joined, the IP of this series has to be put on the agenda. Starting with a masterpiece, if the IP series continues to be popular, it will definitely set off a wave.

There are also extensions such as Maoshan, Onmyoji, and even Yingling, which will definitely have an unshakable position in this track.

“Buzz.”

Just when Chen Yuan was planning the Taoist series IP, the sound of a WeChat message rang on his mobile phone. Qin Fen had already pushed his WeChat to the two screenwriters introduced by the God of Wealth.

When I opened it, I saw that the friend request had arrived.

Chen Yuan approved it immediately, and then set up a Yucheng film and television screenwriter group and brought the two in.

“Welcome both of you to join the Yucheng Film and Television family.”

Chen Yuan expressed his welcome.

The two screenwriters responded politely and then introduced themselves.

The two are named Tong Mo and Zhou Yinan, both are young, in their twenties. Although they are not professionally trained, they have very rich imaginations.

“I am temporarily in charge of the screenwriting department. The two teachers used to be animation screenwriters, so they are in the same category and should be able to get started easily. However, there are still some differences between online movie scripts.” Chen Yuan said.

“Please give me some advice, Teacher Chen.” Tong Mo sent a message, followed by a fist-holding gesture.

Zhou Yinan followed and asked for advice.

“First of all, the length. When the two teachers were writing the script, they kept the story to about 80 minutes.”

The concept of online movies has just been born. In order to develop and allow more people to participate, each platform has set a threshold of no less than sixty minutes.

But there are many restrictions.

Sixty minutes long, it can neither apply for the Dragon Mark nor go through the theater channel, and it cannot even be called a movie. When discussing cooperation with other channels, it can only be in the form of a program.

If a movie is longer than 80 minutes, it meets the standards of a theatrical movie and will have more possibilities in terms of channels and profit models.

In a nutshell, eighty minutes sells better than sixty minutes, you can make more money, and your profits will be maximized.

And with the development of the online movie industry, some entertainment companies will soon propose an 80-minute system. Although it is not a hard requirement, it can gain extra points on various platforms and maximize benefits.

Since Chen Yuan wants to go the route of high-quality blockbuster products, then it is natural for him to do it in one step.

“Secondly, online movies need a gimmick at the beginning to attract audiences. I believe both teachers understand this.” Chen Yuan continued.

The two screenwriters responded in the group.

“The second is the rhythm. The rhythm of an online movie doesn’t need to be too fast, and the story doesn’t need to be as complicated as a screen movie, but the rhythm at the beginning must not be slow, especially the first six minutes.”

Both editors understood this.

Since I have chosen to work as a screenwriter for online movies, I naturally have some understanding of this.

According to the standard concept of online movies proposed by a certain art form, the current box office sharing is based on effective on-demand viewing, and viewing for more than six minutes is considered effective on-demand viewing.

In other words, the producers can get a share of the money if the audience watches for six minutes, so the plot in the first six minutes is extremely important. If the audience cannot be retained from the beginning, they may not even think about fast forwarding, so the box office performance can be imagined.

As for the time limit system, that will be a subsequent policy.

“Finally, online movies are a new industry with low barriers to entry, low investment, high returns, and short payback periods. All these factors combined mean that this industry will be filled with a large number of crude and vulgar eye-catching works.”

“But Yucheng Films is pursuing the route of high-quality blockbusters, so these vulgar plots cannot be used, even if they are close to the edge. We must ensure the quality of the script.”

“Of course, high quality requirements mean high energy investment, so Yucheng Film and Television will definitely not treat screenwriters worse than its peers, and will even implement a box office revenue-sharing model based on platform ratings.”

“All screenwriters will be partners of Yucheng Film and Television.”

Chen Yuan put forward quality requirements, which is the foundation of our business.

At the same time, they also promised profit-sharing benefits to inspire screenwriters to create.

As the saying goes, there is always a brave man under a big reward. Under the stimulation of high benefits and dividends, I believe that screenwriters will devote 100% to their creation, which will stimulate their imagination and creativity.

Sure enough, the two screenwriters were extremely excited in the group. They expressed their gratitude and promised to work hard to create a high-quality hit.

(End of this chapter)