Chapter 94

Because everyone was familiar with each other, Zhao Weixin spoke straightforwardly without any courtesy, pointing out the key issue.

Making a movie, it all comes down to money.

Ye Ming had to explain, "Actually, I applied for a support fund from the State Administration of Radio and Television. They have a program to support young directors, right? I applied, and they approved 500,000 yuan. I'll try to find a bit more, but I think making a movie shouldn't be a problem. Besides, Third Master agreed to give us a discount on the equipment rental, charging us a friendship price. I estimate it will cost around 1.5 million yuan in total."

Similarly, Zhao Weixin's eyes lit up. Although she cared about money, she cared even more about the prestige of the support fund from the State Administration of Radio and Television. This represented their focus on nurturing talent, and with this title, there would be fewer obstacles.

Therefore, Zhao Weixin nodded without hesitation and said, "If that's the case, there's no problem. What role do you want us to play? Tell us."

Fan Binbin also asked curiously, "Yeah, yeah, what role? I love challenging roles."

Ye Ming said apologetically, "Actually, it's a male-dominated story. The women are just supporting roles. Here's the script for you two to look at."

Saying this, Ye Ming handed over the script.

After the two of them had read it, Ye Ming said, "Zhao Weixin, I want you to play the role of the male lead's wife, and Binbin, you'll play the little girl in the arcade. What do you think? The pay isn't low, 5,000 yuan each, which isn't bad for a supporting role."

5,000 yuan, according to the current market, wasn't a bad price for a supporting role.

Fan Binbin complained, "Brother Ming, the role is too small. Can we switch? How about I play the wife of Dao Ge? I think that would be quite challenging. Have you found someone for that role yet?"

Ye Ming shook his head and said, "No, that role isn't suitable for you in terms of style. I already have someone in mind. I think you'd be perfect as the little girl."

Hearing this, Fan Binbin picked up her chopsticks and started eating aggressively, as if turning her frustration into appetite.

This silent protest was amusing, and Fan Binbin's protest was indeed unique.

Zhao Weixin didn't mind. She had also wanted to challenge herself and play the role of Dao Ge's wife, but when she heard Ye Ming had someone in mind, she didn't push further.

Zhao Weixin nodded decisively and said, "No problem. I've read the script, and it won't take many days. I'm completely fine. When exactly will the shooting start?"

Ye Ming thought for a moment and said, "In about a month. I'll notify you when it starts. Also, if you see Huang Xiaoming, ask him if he's interested in the role of the thief. I think it suits him. If he's willing, he'll get the same pay as you. It's a small production, so there's not much money."

Being able to involve his friend in the project, Ye Ming wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Since Ye Ming and Huang Xiaoming weren't very close, he had to rely on Zhao Weixin to find out his thoughts.

To his surprise, Zhao Weixin said, "How many more people do you need? Why don't I bring Chen Kun over? They're idle anyway and would be happy to get some practice."

Hearing Chen Kun's name, Ye Ming nodded and said, "Sure, take the script back with you. If there's no problem, the role of Xie Xiaomeng will be his. Time is tight, and the task is heavy, so you need to work hard."

Compared to finding unknown actors, Ye Ming preferred to work with familiar ones, like his friend and Chen Kun.

The next day, Ye Ming found Hong Fei again. At this time, Hong Fei was busy with the album. The company could only make money through Ye Ming, so they had to give him special attention, or the company would go bankrupt.

Therefore, the company took Ye Ming's album very seriously.

Ye Ming found Hong Fei and said, "Brother Fei, can you help me find an actor? For 'Crazy Stone,' I need one more actor, and I want someone suitable."

Hong Fei then remembered that Ye Ming was planning to make a movie. He thought for a moment and said, "Who are you looking for? With the budget of your movie, how many famous actors can you find in the industry? We also need to take care of our company's people."

A company naturally promotes its own artists.

Ye Ming knew his weak point, so he said without hesitation, "I know the budget is tight, and there are many expenses. I need to keep 300,000 yuan for post-production. Therefore, the actors I've found are all newcomers. I've found the main roles, all of whom are my friends, and the pay is 5,000 yuan, which isn't a big deal. I just need one more female actor to play the wife of the leader of a gang of thieves.

As for our company, Brother Fei, be honest, apart from Li Dachuan, what can the others do? They're all new, so they can play minor roles. I've already decided on Li Dachuan for a supporting role."

Li Dachuan, being his brother, naturally took the role of the money-obsessed Sanbao.

Hong Fei saw that Ye Ming was being practical. Hiring famous actors would definitely exceed the budget.

So, Hong Fei said, "Minor roles are fine. Let them get familiar with the production. Tell me, what kind of person are you looking for? Who do you have in mind?"

Without hesitation, Ye Ming said, "Tang Wei, I need a female actor named Tang Wei. She's 19 years old and is said to be a model, but I don't know which modeling agency in Beijing she's from."

Tang Wei, it turned out, had a tumultuous life. However, in the previous life, Ye Ming had closely followed Tang Wei's information, so he remembered that she was already a model at this time. Therefore, if he asked her to play the role of the leader's wife, it would be quite suitable.

Hong Fei thought for a moment and said, "If you have a name, it will be easier. I'll give you a response in three days. The modeling industry is a small circle, so as long as she's in the industry, it will be easy to find her."

The modeling industry and the entertainment industry are closely linked. Given Hong Fei's status in the industry, finding a model wouldn't be difficult.

However, what Hong Fei was concerned about was Ye Ming's album, which was the company's main focus.

So, Hong Fei said bluntly, "Don't worry about the movie for now. I'll help you find the actor, but what about your album? Have you decided on the songs? If you need someone to write songs, that will be a significant expense, but I don't think you need to hire anyone, right?"

To save money for the company, they had to cut costs wherever possible.

Hong Fei knew very well how much a good song could cost, which was even higher than the pay of a second-tier actor.

Therefore, he thought that with Ye Ming's talent, there was no need to hire someone to write songs.

Ye Ming, feeling a bit embarrassed, flattered Hong Fei, "Brother Fei, you know me well. For the songs, I've chosen 'Rats Love Rice,' 'I Believe,' 'Blue and White Porcelain,' 'Invisible Wings,' and a new song I just wrote called 'Legend.' We'll start with these five songs, and the album will be called 'Legend,' which will also be the main song."

These songs were actually within Hong Fei's expectations. If Ye Ming's album used these songs, it wouldn't be surprising, but 'Legend' was a song he hadn't heard of.

So, Hong Fei frowned and said, "The first few songs are fine, and they are widely known. But the main song is called 'Legend'? I think 'Blue and White Porcelain' or 'Invisible Wings' would be better. 'Blue and White Porcelain' is a song from the Spring Festival Gala and has become a symbol of popular music.

Or 'Invisible Wings,' which is also excellent, as it's the theme song of a Zhang Yimou movie. Both of these songs would promote the album. Using other songs might not be appropriate."

However, Ye Ming was very firm and said, "That can't be changed. The first three songs have already been exposed, especially 'Blue and White Porcelain,' which was on the Spring Festival Gala. Although it was a bit lucky to be on the Gala, it has been exposed, so it's not suitable as the main song. 'Legend' it is. This is a promise I made, and I guarantee it will be just as good. For the five songs, I suggest 'Rats Love Rice' be presented in an anime format, and the rest be made into music videos. What do you think?"

Generally, when a singer releases an album, it consists of ten or twelve songs, but this is a misconception.

In fact, according to international standards, a basic album should have at least four songs or be over twenty minutes long.

Of course, this includes all types of music albums, whether vocal or instrumental.

Hong Fei thought for a moment and said, "The company will fully support you. After all, we will benefit from your fame. Try to prepare the other songs, and it's best to have twelve songs ready before recording."

The others at Yonghua couldn't be relied on, at least not for now. Even Li Dachuan was only a third-tier actor, so they still had to rely on Ye Ming.

It would be strange not to fully support Ye Ming at this time.

Ye Ming answered without hesitation, "Brother Fei, don't worry. Baihuagong has agreed to record my album for free. I also have the master tape of 'Invisible Wings' recorded at Lingxiaodian. The songs will be recorded in about a week. The music videos will take more time, so please take care of that."

At this moment, Hong Fei was surprised. Baihuagong, one of the top three recording studios in the country, would be much more expensive if they went to Hong Kong's Eden or Taiwan's Buckingham Palace. Hong Fei was just figuring out how to cover the costs.

He didn't expect Ye Ming to have everything sorted out so quickly. Selecting the songs was the most stressful part of releasing an album, but now that wasn't a problem, making everything easier.

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