Chapter 341: Chapter 320: The Script that Makes One Fall_1
After doing some research on Quantum View, Lin Yuan skimmed through System’s script for “Hachiko”. Consequently, tears welled up in his eyes and slid down his cheeks, mixing with the mucus from his nose.
Lin Yuan was a man who was easily moved to tears!
Even the most cliched and emotional scenes from short videos could bring him to tears.
Of course,
If the emotional scene itself was bland enough, and the accompanying music lacked soul, then even the most heart-wrenching plot wouldn’t move him—
His discernment for music could win over his vulnerability to sentimentality.
“Humph…”
Lin Yuan wiped his tears and snivel, then dove into scriptwriting.
Normally this type of work is straightforward; all he had to do was copy the tasks given by the System.
But today, Lin Yuan was struggling with it.
As he was writing, Lin Yuan felt an acid sensation in his nose and a warmth in his eyes, almost as if something was stuck in his throat.
“I feel like crying, but my tears won’t come out,”
Lin Yuan couldn’t help but think this as he completed the script for that night.
As tear-jerking as this script was, its filming difficulty paled in comparison to “The Life of Pi”!
If anything made it difficult to film, it would probably be the coordination required with a dog.
A movie needs cooperation between humans and animals, and while humans are controllable, animals are not.
But this wasn’t a problem for Lin Yuan.
Because Lin Yuan had special props provided by the System.
One of the props was called “Emperor’s Charm Potion”. Normally, this prop was prepared for actors. It would generate an emperor-level performance based on the actor’s appearance and style.
But as Lin Yuan read the instructions for this prop,
He discovered that dogs can use it as well, because dogs too play parts in movies.
This was a special note added by the system and Lin Yuan had noticed it before. He wasn’t surprised by it since animals are often unavoidable elements in many movies.
Some movies feature cats; others have dogs.
Just like in the previous film “Sound Mixer”, there were scenes involving a cat. However, since it only had few scenes, simple guidance was enough to shoot it.
Hence, Lin Yuan didn’t use the Emperor’s Charm Potion.
The dog in this movie, Hachiko, appeared in many scenes, so Lin Yuan was certain he would need the Emperor’s Charm Potion, or else it would greatly delay progress.
The hardest part of this film was to coordinate the interaction between humans and the dog, right?
Once this problem was solved, filming “Hachiko” wouldn’t pose as a challenge.
Then, there came the second problem.
“Hachiko” required a male lead with exceptional acting skills, a literary aura, or a scholarly disposition.
Hachiko was a dog, and its owner was a professor at a university…
Being a professor at a university obviously required a certain scholastic aura, a look of decency and courtesy, and a face that gave others a good impression.
Lin Yuan wouldn’t just pick according to the original version.
Everyone has a different aesthetic taste.
Blue Star had its own aesthetic taste which leaned more towards traditional values, advocating qualities like gentleness and elegance. It would be hard for foreigners to comprehend.
Fortunately, Lin Yuan himself could solve this problem.
This time, Lin Yuan had an ideal candidate for the male lead in his mind. He was certain he had made the right choice without needing any suggestions.
His name was Zhang Xiuming, a male actor.
This man was Starlight’s film emperor, a true superstar.
Although Lin Yuan didn’t particularly enjoy working with big names because they demanded a high pay,
He wouldn’t insist on using ordinary actors for roles only suitable for superstars.
Moreover, although the pay for big names would take up a portion of the budget, the company would share the cost with him.
This time, Lin Yuan planned to invest half the money with the company.
Why did Lin Yuan know Zhang Xiuming?…
Because the original owner of this body was a big fan of Zhang Xiuming.
Zhang Xiuming could play an emperor or a common laborer.
He could be a kind and gentle good guy, or a cunning and spiteful villain.
He had done a fantastic job portraying a different persona to each character in acting.
If Lin Yuan had to name someone Zhang Xiuming reminded him of, it would be a famous actor from the Celestial Dynasty.
Of course, this wasn’t in terms of physical appearance but in acting skills and style. After all, Blue Star wouldn’t have Earth actors.
…
Lin Yuan didn’t contact Ol’ Zhou because the budget for this script wouldn’t be particularly high.
If they could reduce the pay for the lead roles, it could even be considered a low to medium budget film.
Therefore, Lin Yuan contacted Zhang Xiuming directly.
Being in the same company, it was easy for Lin Yuan, with his status, to get in touch with an artist within the company.
He just gave a few instructions to his assistant, Gu Dong, and soon the “Hachiko” script was in the hands of Zhang Xiuming.
“You’re saying, Teacher Admirable Fish wants to work with me…”
Zhang Xiuming looked up at his agent.
The agent laughed and said, “Yes, this script was just handed over to me by his assistant. They wanted you to be the main male lead. Of course we will have to reject since you have already accepted Mr. Long’s film, but we should at least read it first to avoid offending anyone.”
Unlike Liu Zhengwen,
Zhang Xiuming, being an accomplished actor, wasn’t short of script invitations. Therefore, he had plenty of options.
Moreover, Zhang Xiuming had just accepted an offer for a movie.
The screenwriter for that film was Long Yang, a representative figure of the screenwriter-centered employment system, who was extremely good at creating compelling scripts. He was a highly respected screenwriter in the industry.
Zhang Xiuming had previously worked with Long Yang, and naturally, he had chosen to star in Long Yang’s new film this time. Although both parties hadn’t officially signed a contract, they had roughly confirmed the situation.
“Let me take a look.”
Zhang Xiuming spoke softly.
If this had only been about Admirable Fish, who made “Flirting Scholar”, he wouldn’t have given it much thought and would have declined the offer.
It’s not because he looked down on it, but because he knew that that style of performance did not suit him.
But he had recently watched “Sound Mixer”.
This film indeed amazed Zhang Xiuming.
Therefore, when he found out that Admirable Fish wants him for his new script, Zhang Xiuming was quite happy.
After all, he genuinely loved “Sound Mixer”, and being recognized by the screenwriter of this film was definitely a cause for celebration.
Under these circumstances, it was impossible for him not to carefully review this script called “Hachiko”.
Even if he didn’t accept it, there was no harm in just reading it right?
Just because he couldn’t cooperate now, doesn’t mean he can’t in the future.
That was Zhang Xiuming’s thoughts when he opened the script.
He had already made up his mind. He was going to participate in Mr. Long’s film, because he really liked that script.
Yes.
Until Zhang Xiuming started to read through “Hachiko”, he was steadfast about collaborating with Mr. Long.
Many things always start this way.
People tend to believe that their choices will never change.
Just like Zhang Xiuming at this moment.
But often times, when people believe nothing will change, unexpected surprises strike.
The surprise this time was called “truly fragrant”.
Half an hour later.
Zhang Xiuming’s agent witnessed such a surprise.
Or to be more accurate, it wasn’t a surprise but a real shock.
Zhang Xiuming’s agent was truly shocked!
He saw Zhang Xiuming slowly stand up, tears streaming down his face, seemingly at the brink of a breakdown, and resolutely state, “I want to act in Admirable Fish’s film.”
What about Mr. Long’s side?
Forget it.
The agent wisely closed his mouth.
He knew that when an actor is deeply moved by a script, that’s often a sign that they’re hopelessly drawn to it.