Casting the Roles

As the captain of the winning team at the sequencing conference, and having sparked controversy surrounding genetic issues, Zhang Xuezhou had to make an appearance in a film or television drama.

He had previously reserved the role of Hou Renying with the production team through communication.

This character didn't get much screen time; he was arrogant and domineering, running rampant because of his sect's power, and he died quite quickly.

Zhang Xuezhou enjoys playing these kinds of roles.

Firstly, because the role belongs to a young person, and secondly, because playing this kind of role doesn't take much time.

After finishing his many tasks, he even made a special trip to the film and television production base.

As a film and television drama aimed at countering public opinion, the production team of "Swordsman" has attracted a lot of attention. Moreover, Song Fengying's daily updates from the production team have also generated buzz for this unfilmed series.

There is a great deal of discussion about this TV series online.

However, the related discussions have received mixed reviews.

Compared to the normal production cycle of film and television, director Wen Yishan didn't have much time, and this drama needed to be filmed as quickly as possible.

However, as a film and television drama intended to counter public opinion, it cannot be poorly made and become a bad film.

Chang Kong Yinghao made it very clear that this drama must be of high quality. In addition to its premiere on Western Capital TV, it will also be distributed to TV stations in various provinces and cities for rotation, and will be broadcast regularly during the winter and summer vacations every year.

To completely transform the sequencing event into a film and television talent show, he would have to conduct repeated brainwashing until people's perceptions were changed.

Whenever someone mentions a certain sequencer or a sequencing event, others will scoff and say, "It's just a martial arts fight scene in a movie, what's the big deal?"

If it can be done to this extent, the "Swordsman" production team will provide money, manpower, and venues as needed, and traffic lights will be turned off for them to proceed smoothly.

The corresponding chief director, Wen Yishan, is under a lot of pressure.

When Zhang Xuezhou drove to the film and television base in Western Capital, he saw that the chief director was unshaven, with a dark complexion and dark circles under his eyes, resembling a made-up Turkalando.

"Be more carefree, even more carefree! Do you know that the most distinctive feature of this movie character is carefree spirit? It's about being free and unrestrained from the heart. Don't hold back! Damn it, I told you to be more carefree, why are you so restrained!"

The lead actors are professional film and television actors invited by the director to take on the main roles.

The other person had fair and delicate skin, a dignified appearance, and High Antiquity.

However, actors inevitably need to follow the director's advice, which makes him somewhat restrained when playing a role, and he appears unnatural.

If even Zhang Xuezhou could see it, then it's perfectly normal for Wen Yishan to be dissatisfied.

"Director, the biggest star is here!"

A stagehand ran up to Wen Yishan and whispered something in his ear.

"Big shot? We don't have any big shots here. Everyone has to listen to me... Oh dear, what wind blew you here!"

Wen Yishan was not familiar with Zhang Xuezhou, only knowing that Zhang Xuezhou was the captain of the champion team at the sequencing event.

He knew Zhang Xuezhou's mother, Zhang Xuezhou's father, and Zhang Xuezhou's sister, among others.

During the initial filming, his attitude towards everyone was no different from that of the lead actor currently filming.

It wasn't until Zhu Kuang, who had come to play a minor role, gave him a severe scolding that Wen Yishan realized who he could scold and who he had to serve like a grandfather.

He can spew filth at film and television actors, even the most popular leading men, but Wen Yishan can't afford to offend his boss's boss's friend.

With a fawning smile, he quickly directed the camera crew.

"Everyone, take a break. Hou Renying from the Four Beauties of Qingcheng is here. Let's film the script for the Four Beauties of Qingcheng first!"

As someone whose role was already booked in the script, Zhang Xuezhou's casting was very consistent.

The eldest of the Four Heroes of Qingcheng is Hou Renying, and the others are Hong Renxiong, Yu Renhao, and Luo Renjie. The four names together are called "Heroes and Heroes".

The scene involving these four was not particularly large; they were initially beaten by Linghu Chong in a restaurant, and later killed by Lin Pingzhi.

As for the four characters' lines, there are only a few. If Zhang Xuezhou doesn't want to memorize the lines, he can solve the problem by reciting '1234567'. The rest can be left to the voice actors.

"You really want to play Hou Renying, who was easily kicked seven or eight times by Linghu Chong when he was fighting two opponents at once?" Wen Yishan asked in a low voice.

"I can do somersaults! Not just seven or eight, I could do seventy or eighty!" Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

Zhang Xuezhou used to be as weak as a sick chicken; he could hardly walk properly, let alone do somersaults.

But after using advanced medical technology to cure the chronic illness caused by the medication, his health returned to normal.

Moreover, there are many parts of the body that need to be trained when practicing the Kunpeng Fighting Technique, so somersaults and such are not difficult for him.

"Then let's film one scene. Let's finish filming your scene today," Wen Yishan said. "I'll call everyone over first, so it won't take up too much of your time!"

"No problem!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

He booked the insignificant role of Hou Renying, but actors Zuo Teng and Luo Gaogao didn't even notice this easy role.

Zhang Xuezhou flipped through Song Fengying's broadcast and saw that Luo Gaogao was playing Peach Blossom Fairy, one of the Six Immortals of Peach Valley, and Zuo Teng was playing Lin Pingzhi.

"He's actually going to be stabbed to death by Zuo Teng's sword!"

Song Fengying's live stream included many short clips, which Zhang Xuezhou, who was familiar with the original book, easily recognized.

"He might be capable of carrying a heavy load, but Zuo Teng is a man who loves to scheme and has a history of Lineage infighting. Playing a character like Lin Pingzhi is probably just his true nature!"

Zhang Xuezhou watched the various role-playing videos with delight, feeling that these videos made him more familiar with the script and allowed him to better immerse himself in the role.

Where's my mom?

Zhang Xuezhou flipped through the display screen for a while before realizing that Song Fengying was nowhere to be seen in the theater.

"Ms. Song has some scenes that need to be filmed on the mountain, and they are currently at the outdoor filming location!"

"Oh!"

"Ms. Song's portrayal of Ning Zhongze is absolutely perfect!"

Regardless of whether Song Fengying's films are good or bad, Wen Yishan has to shamelessly praise them.

To Wen Yishan's surprise, Song Fengying, who was not formally trained in acting, was indeed very good at it.

Perhaps due to her extensive experience in front of live cameras, Song Fengying's portrayal of Ning Zhongze is both gentle and firm, perfectly capturing the essence of the original character.

"My dad..."

"He's not really suited to play the role of Yue Buqun. I recommended him to play Dan Qingsheng, one of the 'Four Friends of Jiangnan,' and he played the role very well," Wen Yishan continued to praise.

"Fewer scenes, easier!"

Dan Qingsheng was a master of the Sun Moon Cult tasked with guarding Ren Woxing. Although he didn't die on screen, his role was indeed quite small.

Zhang Xuezhou nodded, indicating that he understood.

He waited for five or six minutes, and then he saw three young actors dressed in white robes rushing over, followed by Zuo Teng in purple robes. In addition, the lead actor Linghu Chong was waiting in the venue. Almost everyone in their small theater had arrived.

"You, the captain of the championship team, only acted for a few minutes? Are you kidding me?"

Upon seeing Zhang Xuezhou, Zuo Teng couldn't help but complain repeatedly.

He also read "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" several times, compared the rankings of the sequencing conferences, and then determined the weight of his role based on the rankings.

Zuo Teng estimated that Zhang Xuezhou would most likely play the lead role, but little did he know that this guy was looking for an easy way out and actually chose an insignificant little role.

"You really don't want money even if you have it?"

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou's smiling face, Zuo Teng couldn't help but be a little surprised.

"What money?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"Our show will be broadcast many times," Zuo Teng said in a low voice. "Broadcasting on TV is money. Even if the ratings aren't great, the repeated broadcasts and extensive promotions are irresistible. The Zhu family wouldn't dare to take advantage of this. The revenue from the broadcasts will be distributed as a profit-sharing system. After deducting the fixed salaries for professionally trained actors, the remaining profit-sharing will go to actors like us who ranked highly at the event."

"Like this?"

"When we distribute profits, we do so based on the proportion of time a character appears in the film or television series," Zuo Teng said. "For example, if my character appears a lot, I'll get at least two to four percent of the profits, maybe even ten or twenty million!"

"What about mine?" Zhang Xuezhou asked anxiously.

"Your role... should earn you at least eighty to one million in compensation!"

Zuo Teng estimated Hou Renying's appearance time, and after a quick calculation, he felt that Zhang Xuezhou's potential was only this high.

This made Zhang Xuezhou instantly regret his actions.