The composition of a regular film crew was quite complicated. In addition to the actors, there were also producers, production directors, directors, producers, planners, art directors, cinematographers, and so on.
In addition, there were stage managers, makeup artists, art designers, lighting artists, and prop masters …
Together with the financial assistants, the number of people could easily exceed a hundred, and even a few hundred was common.
The crew of "A Chinese Ghost Story" was relatively small. Because there were not many characters in the film, the number of actors was relatively small. However, the necessary people could not be missing.
Apart from the dozen or so members of Lu Chen Studio, most of the crew members were sent by Jiayang Pictures. Some of them were temporarily hired by the latter and did not belong to Jiayang Pictures.
This was very normal. Otherwise, with the scale and strength of Jiayang Pictures, it would be impossible to support so many people. Even large film companies would pay attention to the number of employees.
In the film and television industry, there were specialized agencies to solve this problem. Once a film company needed people for a new project, whether it was actors, scriptwriters, cameramen, recording artists, or even directors, they could be hired through an agency. This saved money to a great extent.
There were five people who suddenly proposed to quit the crew. They were all assistants and handymen in the logistics department. They were not important people, and the crew could still operate without them.
However, this was undoubtedly a dangerous signal. The dead cat incident on the set had caused the hearts of the crew of "A Chinese Ghost Story" to become very unstable. The filming plan was facing a serious situation.
But it was not over yet. In the afternoon, the car that the crew had parked in the parking lot of the Film and Television City had its tires punctured, and all four tires were punctured!
Zhang Xiaofang had brought people to buy lunch boxes in this car yesterday and at noon. The intention of the saboteur was very obvious.
"Call the police!"
Lu Chen said to Chen Wenqiang, "Complain to the Film and Television City's management committee again."
Lu Chen could still tolerate the dead cat being thrown at the set in the morning, but now he could not take it anymore!
He knew very well that neither calling the police nor complaining would solve the problem. Even if the troublemakers were caught, the punishment would not be severe. They would be released after a few days in jail, and they could continue to cause damage.
Moreover, it was still unknown whether they could find the culprit.
This was not a criminal case.
As long as Hong Hua's side continued to harass them, it would be enough to make the entire production team restless. They would not be able to focus on filming.
The most disgusting thing about these gangs was that they could still achieve their goals without resorting to violent means of killing.
In the face of such trouble, if the crew did not have strong enough connections, they would have no choice but to submit, pay protection fees, or share the profits to avoid the disaster.
Lu Chen had also thought of spending money to avoid disaster, but the other party wanted a foot after taking an inch. Things definitely wouldn't end well.
Calling the police and filing a complaint was to show that he would never bow down!
Chen Wenqiang nodded. "I'll deal with it right away, but …"
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "But without direct evidence, we'd better not accuse Honghua."
Even if you used your toes to think, everyone could figure out that this was done by Honghua. However, knowing was one thing, pointing it out to the police and the management of the film studio was another.
Without evidence, the other party would definitely sue them for defamation. Nowadays, these gangs had learned from the lessons of their predecessors. When they started companies, factories, and industries, they would hire lawyers to act as amulets. They were very good at using legal means to achieve their goals.
Honghua might even be waiting for the crew to file a complaint against them!
Chen Wenqiang's explanation was an eye-opener for Lu Chen. He didn't know that the underworld nowadays could be played like this.
However, at this point, he couldn't back down.
Chen Wenqiang had just taken out his phone to call the police when his phone suddenly rang.
He picked up the phone and said a few words. His expression suddenly changed.
The other party hung up very quickly.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Chen keenly sensed that something was wrong. He immediately asked, "Did something happen again?"
Chen Wenqiang nodded with a bitter smile and replied, "Liu Zhaohui is not acting anymore. He quit the crew."
Liu Zhaohui was the actor who played the role of Grandma Tree Spirit. He was a local of Xiangjiang and had played countless roles in the past few decades. He was quite famous for playing villains. Lu Chen had seen him many times when he watched Xiangjiang movies.
The cast of "A Chinese Ghost Story" could be said to be weak. Liu Zhaohui was also considered a small star.
Since Liu Zhaohui didn't have any scenes in the past two days, he wasn't on the set. However, it was obvious that he knew what had happened here. That was why he took the initiative to quit.
This kind of veteran actor was usually very trustworthy. If his reputation was ruined in this industry, then no crew would be willing to hire him. It was equivalent to destroying his own rice bowl.
If it wasn't for the great pressure, Liu Zhaohui definitely wouldn't break the contract like this.
"Motherf * cker!"
The more Chen Wenqiang thought about it, the angrier he got. He couldn't help but curse.
This original actor was really a "grandma." Lu Chen was almost amused by Chen Wenqiang's curse.
"Wasn't Liu Zhaohui hired by Jiayang?"
This role was fought over by Jiayang Pictures during the negotiation. Now that Liu Zhaohui broke the contract, it was also a slap in the face to Jiayang Pictures. How could Jiayang remain indifferent?
Chen Wenqiang smiled bitterly. "It was Jiayang's people who informed me."
Then there was no turning back!
Lu Chen also had the urge to curse. He suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a deep voice, "Uncle Qiang, don't call the police. Please ask Uncle Ma to come over."
Chen Wenqiang was stunned. He immediately understood what Lu Chen meant.
Liu Zhaohui ran away. If the other more important supporting actor, Ma Rongzhen, also ran away, then the crew would be paralyzed. It would be a complete mess.
Compared to Liu Zhaohui, who was doing well in the industry, Ma Rongzhen, who had always been a flop, was probably even weaker.
Therefore, at this time, Lu Chen couldn't panic. He had to find a way to stabilize the crew's morale. The first step was to ensure that an important role like Ma Rongzhen wouldn't go wrong.
Ma Rongzhen soon arrived.
Ma Rongzhen was also a supporting actor, and he also didn't have any scenes to shoot. Ma Rongzhen was different from Liu Zhaohui, who disappeared after the opening ceremony. He had been with the crew the whole time and even helped with some chores.
Maybe because he had lost it before, Ma Rongzhen knew how to cherish this opportunity. He didn't brag, but used his actions to show his efforts.
"Young Master Lu, you wanted to see me?"
Lu Chen asked directly, "Uncle Ma, did anyone ask you to leave the crew?"
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