Even after seeing Li Hanyue, Xiao He's mission in Qin City was not yet completely finished.
Old Qi drove them to a quiet coffee shop in the center of Qin City.
As soon as I opened the door, a shop assistant came over to greet me.
"Hello, I have an appointment."
Liu Rulan spoke a few words with the shop assistant, who then led them upstairs.
The group followed the staff into one of the private rooms.
Director Yang Li had just arrived and had just taken off his coat and draped it over a chair. When he saw Xiao He and Liu Rulan come in, he greeted them with a smile: "You're here? Have a seat, make yourselves at home. It's just the few of us this time."
"Good job, Yang."
Xiao He responded with a smile, pulled out a chair and sat down. Liu Rulan, who came in next, stood at the door, told the clerk her order, and then smiled and greeted Director Yang Li before sitting down.
"I already explained the situation to you before you came. Since you were willing to come, you must have agreed to the preconditions we gave you, right?"
After the staff served the coffee, Yang Li got straight to the point.
"Yes, that's right. Actually, we've always been interested in participating in this type of project, but we haven't had the opportunity to get involved. We're very grateful to Director Yang for giving us this opportunity..."
Xiao He immediately and clearly expressed his attitude.
In fact, not just anyone can get into these patriotic filming projects. First, connections and background are essential. Second, there are political vetting and considerations regarding public opinion. Finally, acting skills and the suitability of one's own role are also important.
To be honest, the latter two conditions are the simplest for Xiao He now. Apart from the fact that he is a criminal intern who is flirting with the censorship, his parents are fine, and he has just won the Best Actor award at the Hundred Flowers Awards, so his strength does not need to be proven.
If Director Yang Li takes a liking to him, he will definitely go for it, even if it breaks his original "villain" principle. However, gaining official recognition will undoubtedly be a greater boost to Xiao He's development.
"That's good. Let me tell you about the general situation."
Director Yang Li took a file out of ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) his bag and said, "You should know that next year will be the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March. Under normal circumstances, we will shoot one or two films as tribute films, and this time I am in charge of one of the themes, namely the Long March in the snow-capped mountains."
He placed the file on the table, then glanced at Liu Rulan and confirmed with Xiao He again: "Many of the scenes in the snow mountain this time were filmed on location. You should be prepared. If you have any doubts, you can ask me now."
Xiao He immediately assured him, "Director Yang, don't worry! I'm very hardworking and have a lot of professional skills. I can definitely meet your filming requirements!"
Yang Li stared intently at Xiao He, as if confirming something, then nodded: "Okay."
Xiao He then took the document from his hand and opened it to examine it.
The film's title is simple: "Red Journey Through the Snowy Mountains." It mainly tells the story of the difficulties the Red Army encountered when crossing Jiajin Mountain, the first snow-capped mountain during the Long March.
The plot is still the familiar one, using a small story to illustrate a larger one, showing the hardships of the journey from a personal perspective, and portraying a vivid group of characters. Xiao He's status is naturally not high enough to be a protagonist. The document that Yang Li showed him directly included the supporting roles he was to play.
Chen Shitou, a soldier in the transport platoon, was from Sichuan Agricultural University. He was honest, stubborn, and strong. He was responsible for carrying the company's medical kit and some of the dry rations. He had a relatively short time on screen and sacrificed himself at a crucial moment when crossing the snow-capped mountains.
Xiao He only glanced at it briefly, but he already had a general idea of what the plot was like.
After all, they had heard similar stories since childhood and seen countless similar plots and celebrations. Overall, it wasn't particularly new, and Xiao He would never have been interested in it in the past.
While the characters are great, their portrayals are stereotypical and one-dimensional, and not particularly outstanding. This is an unavoidable choice for ensemble films.
It's a real shame that Xiao He's acting skills were wasted on such a minor role.
However, such a small role wouldn't take more than a few days to film. If I could use this opportunity to connect with Director Yang Li, I would have more chances to get involved in more important roles in the future...
“I can do it.”
Xiao He handed the document to Liu Rulan, who was standing to the side, and gave Yang Li a direct reply.
Yang Li breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, the filming will be tough, so please prepare in advance."
“Yes, I understand.” Xiao He nodded. “It’s just that the filming time, roughly when? I already have a schedule for the second half of the year, so if we’re going to film, the timeline might be a bit tight.”
"We're in a bit of a rush, mainly to catch this year's snow season, which is around December to January. In addition to on-site filming, there will also be some studio filming, but that will depend on the actual situation," Yang Li explained. "I will let you know in advance, so don't worry."
“Okay.” Xiao He expressed his understanding. “We will follow your arrangements at any time.”
They should have just finished filming "Time Standoff" at that time, and had a perfect opportunity to seamlessly transition to this location.
"Great, it's settled then."
Director Yang Li finalized the deal directly.
"Thank you, Director Yang, for giving us this opportunity."
Liu Rulan immediately stood up, shook hands with Yang Li, and thanked him.
Yang Li smiled and shook his head: "You earned this opportunity yourselves."
If Xiao He wasn't good enough, he would never have cooperated with them.
There's one more thing—
Yang Li was quite satisfied with Xiao He and Liu Rulan's attitude, and couldn't help but offer a few more words of advice: "We chose to film in Rong City this time. It seems that the tourism bureau there is preparing for winter tourism promotion activities. If you are interested, you can try to contact them."
Sure enough, Liu Rulan's eyes lit up immediately. Although Xiao He didn't know much about it, he knew that any official cooperation would definitely be beneficial to him.
"Tourism has been booming across the country in recent years, and the government is also willing to support it. They have followed up by filming a series of short films. The previous works were themed around grasslands, deserts, hills, and beaches, while this time the theme is snow-capped mountains. So scenic spots across the country are making great efforts."
Director Yang Li, as expected of an official non-staff member, knew more about these matters than Xiao He and Liu Rulan. This time, he only said a few more words because Xiao He was indeed a very good young man: "Our filming this time will also be in cooperation with the official team. You guys should show yourselves more. I heard that they also plan to combine it with skiing. Xiao He, your resume is very good. Maybe you can really participate in their local cultural tourism filming."
Xiao He's resume did indeed give him a lot of competitive advantage. Director Yang Li discovered Xiao He's athletic abilities when reviewing the resume, and based on that alone, he wouldn't mind letting Xiao He go further.
There are very few young people left who are still able to keep improving themselves.
Being a cultural and tourism ambassador brings just as much fame and positive impact as participating in a mainstream film.
If Xiao He can use these opportunities to "clear" his "villainous" reputation, winning awards later might not be as difficult as it is now.
If a person wants to keep moving forward, they can't just keep going down a dark path. Positive feedback is essential, and their demeanor and the prevailing atmosphere must be positive.
Xiao He quickly nodded: "I understand, thank you for your guidance, Director Yang."
So indeed, different types of directors have different styles. Director Ning Jiaqi's school mostly makes commercial films, and the resources they have are mostly related to capital, while Director Yang Li mostly makes patriotic films, has closer cooperation with the government, and the resources he has are mostly related to the government.
I really need to work on expanding my network!
