On set.
Zhang Ye was directing the production.
"Begin."
"Cut, alright, we've passed!"
"Shanshan, not bad. Your expressions are on point!"
"Old Yao, well done!"
"Let's go. Let's move on to the next scene!"
Many of the actors were also getting into the groove. They were all the best actors of the past, so there was no need for Zhang Ye to explain too much about how to act. Basically, they could understand it with just a hint. Moreover, the entire film crew was in a very good working condition. Everyone used an extremely short period of time to quickly get used to it. Usually, when they were taking breaks or changing sets, no one would look at their cell phones or play games. Instead, they would discuss the roles and the plot. Everyone was very serious. That kind of conscientiousness and dedication to acting was something that could not be found in the other male actors.
Ning Lan said, "Old Yao, give us more of your expressions."
Yao Jiancai said, "That's enough. It wouldn't be good if it were too much."
Shu Han said, "Teacher Yao is right. I think it's enough."
Jiang Hanwei said, "Director Zhang, I'd like to change my lines for the next scene."
Zhang Ye said, "Sure, the lines are fixed. It's mainly up to you guys to improvise. There's no need to follow the script. That would be meaningless."
Jiang Hanwei said, "OK."
Ning Lan said, "Director Zhang, I'm wondering how you practiced your acting skills."
Zhang Ye said, "Haha, take a guess."
Yao Jiancai said, "Yeah, Zhang 'er has made me look at him in a different light. He has such a strong presence. When he was acting with me today, I nearly lost to him."
Shu Han said, "Hur hur, that's why we mustn't treat our director as a newcomer. Although Director Zhang has never acted in a TV series before, don't forget what he's capable of. When he really acts, he's definitely not any worse than us so-called Best Actors and Best Actresses. Otherwise, would he still be called Zhang Ye?"
Ning Lan said, "That's a good boot-licker."
Shu Han laughed, "Pfft!"
Jiang Bin said, "Today's filming really brought back the feeling of filming back then."
Yao Jiancai said, "Yeah, back when I first debuted, wasn't that how the scenes were filmed? It's not like the other film crews these days, where they can just hire a male hunk and everything will be fine? They can't remember their lines? They need a stunt double for all the scenes? They don't even care about their acting skills anymore? What the hell is this? "
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "Actually, in my opinion, there's no such thing as a lead or a supporting role in this drama. As long as they act well, everyone can be the lead. Every character has their own shining points and can perform a different style. This is also the effect that I want to achieve, so if any of you have any skills, just show them to me. If you miss this opportunity, there won't be another one."
Ning Lan said, "I'm just afraid that my aura will suppress you and steal your show."
Zhang Ye said, "Alright then. As the male lead, I'm actually here to serve everyone's roles. Hur hur, but it won't be that easy to steal my scenes."
Ning Lan said, "Alright, let's give it a try."
Zhang Ye said, "If today's filming goes smoothly, we can add two more scenes."
Yao Jiancai: "I'm fine with it."
Dong Shanshan: "Sure."
Some people were particular about slow work to produce fine work. A director like Li Ke was such a director. A movie often had to be polished and reshot over and over again. Others were particular about actors. As long as the actor was popular enough, as long as the actor could carry the show, everything else could be lowered. Every director had their own style of directing. Zhang Ye's style was one that focused on efficiency. He wanted both the quality of the filming and the speed of the filming. It wasn't that he didn't want slow work to produce fine work, but in his opinion, if a TV drama was shot with a bunch of veteran actors in the crew and they had to polish every detail and scene over and over again, that would be a real shame.
…
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
Time passed very quickly.
On the tenth day of In the Name of the People's filming, many people were already discussing the recent TV dramas on Weibo. They were all looking forward to it. It was currently an empty period for TV dramas. At the end of last year, Heavenly King Guan Zhaohua's xianxia drama had set the highest viewership ratings in recent years. After that, there weren't any other popular TV dramas. A lot of people were complaining about the lack of TV dramas and were looking forward to the appearance of a blockbuster.
Heavens of the Gods, a xianxia drama starring the male idol, Li Shao.
And Age of Kingdoms, a period drama starring the male idol, Chi Hao.
Both of these TV dramas had been heavily promoted recently, and the people were also looking forward to it.
"Li Shao's new drama is about to start."
"I'm really looking forward to it."
"I like Chi Hao."
"He's the most handsome!"
"The viewership ratings for this year's TV dramas will all be supported by the two of them."
"Yeah, last year was Guan Zhaohua's year. This year, it should be our Li Shao's turn. The Heavenly King's position is just around the corner!"
"Get lost! The new Heavenly King will definitely be our Chi Hao! "
"Heavens of the Gods should be wrapping up filming soon, right?"
"Yes, it'll be done soon."
"By the way, how's Zhang Ye's drama coming along?"
"I don't know."
"Yeah, I didn't hear anything about it."
"Has the anti-corruption drama started filming yet?"
"I didn't see any promotions for it?"
"I think they've just started filming? Don't count on it for a political drama. There are all sorts of restrictions and all sorts of high-profile dramas. It's usually not interesting and takes a long time to film. If it were the Zhang Ye of yesteryear, there would really be no need for him to take on a drama that doesn't look good. But now, his appeal is really far from that of a male idol. Moreover, with that temper of his and how he's offended so many people, who would invest in a drama for him? He can only take on such small jobs. "
"Hai, it's such a pity that a Heavenly King has fallen."
"Yeah, just look at the comments and the popularity. It's obvious at a glance. In the Name of the People, no one is looking forward to or paying attention to it."
…
Elsewhere.
At the Central Publicity Department.
At this moment, some people were also thinking about this drama.
Although this drama was planned and funded by the Central Publicity Department, Zhang Ye's identity was still too special. He was Deputy Minister Wu's husband, so who would dare to question him? Today, Chief Liu, who was in charge of this project, saw the news online and called Supervisor Ke over to check on this matter.
Chief Liu asked, "How's the filming going?"
Supervisor Ke said, "I didn't ask."
Chief Liu did not get angry.
If it were any other director, even if it were a big shot director like Li Ke, the Central Publicity Department would have to keep an eye on them every day. Had the filming started yet? How far had the filming progressed? They would definitely have to report to them every day. After all, it was the Central Publicity Department that was paying for it, so of course they had to keep an eye on it. But Zhang Ye was different. He was Deputy Minister Wu's husband, so who would dare to keep an eye on him every day? If that happened, how would Minister Wu view them?
Chief Liu said, "It's been so many days, let's ask around."
Supervisor Ke immediately said, "Alright, I'll ask around then."
Chief Liu said, "The filming should have started by now, right?"
Supervisor Ke nodded and said, "I think they've just started."
Chief Liu said, "Let's find out about the situation. This is not a small sum of money for the department. If the leaders ask about it later, we have to give them an explanation. We can't just ignore everything."
Then, Supervisor Ke made a call. He did not call Zhang Ye directly but instead called Assistant Director Ha Qiqi. Ha Qiqi was usually in charge of external communications. Supervisor Ke also knew that Ha Qiqi was the person in charge of external communications at Zhang Ye's Studio. She was also Zhang Ye's temporary agent most of the time.
The call connected.
Supervisor Ke said: "Director Ha."
On the other end: "Hello, Supervisor Ke."
Dean Ke said, "Then, is the cast and crew ready?"
"Yes, it's ready."
"Has the filming started?"
"Ha Qiqi?"
"It's already been ten days? Has it not started yet? "
In the end, Supervisor Ke was stunned by what he heard.
"What do you mean, has the filming started? We've already wrapped up the filming! "
Supervisor Ke looked dumbfounded. "What?"
Ha Qiqi said, "We just wrapped up the filming an hour ago. All of the scenes here have been completed, so we should be returning to Beijing tomorrow. After that, there's still some editing work to be done. Director Zhang said that he will personally handle it and edit the scenes one by one. After everything is done, we'll send the source footage to the SARFT for approval. Once it's approved, we can contact the television station. Supervisor Ke, don't worry about the progress of the TV series. When has Director Zhang ever delayed anything?"
After hanging up, Supervisor Ke was dumbfounded.
Chief Liu looked at him. "What's the matter?"
Supervisor Ke wiped his sweat. "They said —"
Chief Liu frowned. "They haven't started filming yet?"
Supervisor Ke didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "T-They've already wrapped up the filming!"
Chief Liu was dumbfounded. "What? They've already wrapped up the filming? T-It's only been a few days! "
Supervisor Ke was also going crazy!
Writing a novel!
Recording a radio broadcast!
Recording a variety show!
Writing a song!
Everyone knew of Zhang Ye's other nickname — the fast shooter!
Back then, Zhang Ye's feat of recording several episodes of variety shows consecutively in a single day had shocked the entertainment circle many times!
But it was different this time!
This was a fucking TV series!
A TV series that was scheduled to have over 40 episodes?
You wrapped up the filming in just ten days?
You filmed four episodes a day?
Aren't you too fucking fast?!
How is this a fast shooter! This is a fucking machine gunner!
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