Chapter 83

Under Hua Jie's guidance, Li Xue successfully negotiated the contract with the "Journey to the West 3" production team, adding a clause: Liu Tao would not shoot any kissing or bed scenes. £∝

For this, Mengren Film and Television made a concession, reducing Liu Tao's per-episode pay by 200 yuan, to 3,000 yuan per episode.

In the television industry, there are two main methods for calculating the pay of major actors: one is a lump-sum payment, and the other is a per-episode payment.

The lump-sum payment is suitable for big-name stars. The production team first lets the actor review the script and informs them of their role. Both parties agree on the role and the duration of the shoot, and then the payment is made in one lump sum.

This price is often a friendly price, but the stars don't lose out.

For them, time is money. Finishing the shoot ahead of schedule allows them to shoot ads, attend commercial events, and take on other TV series, still making money.

For ordinary actors like Liu Tao, it's impossible to enjoy such treatment. Once they join the production, they must follow the schedule, even if they only have one scene today, it won't be postponed to tomorrow.

The per-episode pay is not calculated by multiplying the total number of episodes by the per-episode pay.

According to the script, "Journey to the West 3" has a total of 40 episodes, but her pre-tax pay is not 3,000 yuan multiplied by 40.

The number of episodes for pay calculation is clearly specified in the contract. Each episode must have at least five scenes to count as one episode, with adjustments for less or more.

Her main scenes are concentrated in the latter half, so her pay would be around 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.

After deducting taxes, company fees, and agent commissions, the actual amount she receives is not much.

Therefore, a 200 yuan reduction per episode is not significant. Mai Xiaoyu is more focused on the "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" production, which is set to start filming at the beginning of next year.

Before signing the contract for "Journey to the West 3," he had already arranged for Liu Tao to start reading "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," studying the characters and their personalities. After the contract was signed, he arranged for Li Xue to start contacting the "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" production team.

When Su Youpeng invited him to dinner for the second time, he specifically reminded him to finalize Liu Tao's role by the end of the month, making it clear what he meant.

Some roles' auditions are just formalities, or even unnecessary.

Like Su Youpeng, who plays the lead role of Zhang Wuji, does he need to audition?

If it weren't for his full schedule this year, the production would have started filming in the second half of the year.

Mai Xiaoyu wanted to help Liu Tao secure the second female lead, a role that many people were vying for.

Su Youpeng's recommendation alone was not enough. Signing the contract for "Journey to the West 3" would add a significant entry to Liu Tao's acting resume, and now they could start working on it.

This is like preparing for a postgraduate entrance exam; you can't wait until the results are out and start preparing for the interview. By then, it's too late.

It's better to start building relationships early, leaving a good impression on the mentors, who can give you a head start, making the interview easier.

Now, Li Xue needs to contact the "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" production team and maintain good communication with the director's team. They need to know about Liu Tao, who has just joined the cast of "Journey to the West 3" and has a significant role, and is interested in competing for the second female lead.

With Su Youpeng's recommendation, the production team will consider Liu Tao when selecting the second female lead.

When the time comes to make a real effort, Mai Xiaoyu will naturally step in to help Liu Tao secure the role.

With Liu Tao's matters temporarily settled, the daily operations of Mengren were handed over to Deng Chao, and Mai Xiaoyu began preparing for his trip to South Korea.

These days, he has been in constant email contact with Jeon Ji-hyun, learning that the IHQ Image Division is interested in investing in "My Sassy Girl" and is evaluating the investment risks, considering whether to accept Mai Xiaoyu's funding.

Yesterday evening, he received a call from a section chief at the IHQ Image Division. They reached a preliminary verbal agreement over the phone to co-invest in "My Sassy Girl" and invited him to come to South Korea as soon as possible to discuss the details.

Regarding the two conditions he proposed, the other party only agreed to arrange for Yang Xiaoxing to join the production as an assistant director, but not for Zhang Xiaoquan to be the cinematographer.

Mai Xiaoyu was not surprised. When he initially proposed the cinematographer, it was just a bargaining chip to ensure that Yang Xiaoxing would become the assistant director.

This morning, Mai Xiaoyu came to the company and called Yang Xiaoxing and Zhang Xiaoquan to his office.

"Old Yang, how's your Korean?"

"Anihasayo, manrasopamgangabseumida. Jeoneun Yang Xiaoxing imnida, chalbokamida." (Hello, nice to meet you. I am Yang Xiaoxing, please take care of me.)

Mai Xiaoyu nodded, "Not bad, that's interesting."

"Hehe, let him say a few more sentences."

"Shipal! Chaga, saying that is unprofessional."

"Alright, alright, being able to introduce himself is enough. I'll be going with him anyway."

"Boss, you're coming with me?"

Of course.

Mai Xiaoyu has invested in "My Sassy Girl," and he needs to bring the money and sign the contract.

Investment, box office split, script, theme song—these all need to be negotiated and signed.

He didn't tell Yang and Zhang about these details. The one million yuan investment was his personal funds, not from the company's account... well, the company's account couldn't afford that much anyway.

"Old Yang, have you gotten your passport?" Mai Xiaoyu asked.

"I got it a few days ago!"

Yang Xiaoxing was excited, finally becoming an assistant director, taking a solid step toward his directorial dream.

Zhang Xiaoquan looked a bit dejected. He also had a dream, to be a cinematographer, not for ads, but for films and TV series!

"Chaga, I'll definitely help you with that later."

In the production team, the cinematographer's status is usually second only to the director, much more important than an assistant director, and not so easy to achieve.

"Chaga, Old Yang and I are flying to South Korea tomorrow. Take care of the company here."

"Don't worry, I'm much more reliable than that guy." Zhang Xiaoquan nodded, "Yuer, can you get your passport in time?"

"I have a passport, I often travel abroad." Mai Xiaoyu said casually.

"Then what about your visas? If you apply for them now, you won't get them by tomorrow."

"No problem. Old Yang, give me your documents by noon, and we'll have the visas by tomorrow."

You must be kidding, how can visas be that fast!

Yang Xiaoxing advised, "Boss, you can't fake a visa."

Who would be so foolish as to fake a visa to travel abroad?

The South Korean government stipulates that for visitors invited by medical tourism institutions, the visa issuance time is one to two days, which the section chief from the IHQ Image Division specifically told him.

As for how to get an invitation from a medical tourism institution... as long as you're willing to pay, there are plenty of intermediaries in Beijing willing to help!

That afternoon, Mai Xiaoyu's personal one million yuan was in place.

The next noon, the intermediary delivered their visas.

At around 4 PM, Zhang Xiaoquan drove them to the Capital International Airport.

They checked in, went through security, and boarded the flight to Seoul, South Korea...

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