China Entertainment 1997

For the role of Huang Silang in "Let the Bullets Fly", Cao Xuan spent a whole day and a half just setting the makeup.

After all, he is Mr. Huang. He has many styles and costumes. He changes clothes almost every time he changes scenes, and he also has several styles.

Cao Xuan did a rough calculation and found that he changed more than thirty sets of costumes and six or seven looks in this day and a half, and this is not all of the entire movie. Additional changes may be made at any time during the filming process.

But Cao Xuan is used to it. This is not the first time he has acted in a rich and noble drama. There are also more costumes.

For example, Jin Yanxi in "The Golden Family" has at least hundreds of sets of clothes in dozens of episodes of the TV series, and there are dozens of sets in "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff", but the colors are somewhat similar, so it's not obvious.

The makeup was finalized for a day and a half, and the script was reviewed with the director. Cao Xuan didn't start filming until the third day.

Goose City, Huang Mansion interior filming location

Cao Xuan was wearing a silk mandarin jacket and a down jacket. He was sitting on a luxurious sofa and kept adjusting his posture in front of the camera.

Hu Ge, who played Hu Wan, had his hair parted in the middle, his ears were covered with blood, he looked a little nervous, and kept mumbling his lines.

"Be steady and don't be nervous."

Cao Xuan saw this and comforted him. Hu Ge nodded and took a deep breath, but it didn't bring much relief.

It’s no wonder he was nervous, this was the first time he had played directly opposite Cao Xuan in his many years in the industry.

Although Hu Ge signed Fanxing very early, he and Cao Xuan developed on completely different paths.

Hu Ge has been filming TV series with Liu Tianxian and Damimi, but he only switched to movies in the past two years.

Cao Xuan has never starred in a TV series since "Eternal Dragon Sword" in 2003. The few appearances he made were guest appearances with very few roles.

Therefore, although the two have had the experience of participating in the same crew so far, they have mostly been in group roles and have never acted directly opposite each other.

Hu Ge is very popular and has a high status in the crew. Even the old Jiang has to give a smile when directing, but he can't be tough when facing his own boss.

Not only because of the halo of being a boss, but also because Cao Xuan was born as a semi-golden doll in his early years, and now he has become a nearly Grand Slam Best Actor. It can be said that there is a ceiling, which brings a suppressive buff to this group of ancient dolls or actors with TV backgrounds.

Therefore, Hu Ge respected and feared Cao Xuan. He was worried that he would not perform well and face the double pressure of his boss and his seniors.

Cao Xuan can more or less feel Hu Ge's thoughts.

In his early years, when he acted in front of his master Li Xuejian for the first time, he was also afraid that he would be embarrassed if he did not perform well and let his master down, which put him under great psychological pressure.

There's nothing easy to adjust about this thing. Just play it more and it'll be fine. It won't be cured without treatment.

"How are you preparing?"

Lao Jiang, who was in front of the monitor in the distance, shouted. Cao Xuan took off his down jacket, patted Hu Ge, and each came to the designated position and replied.

"alright."

"Okay, all units, please pay attention, start shooting!"

Cao Xuan leaned back on the sofa, frowning slightly, as if he was displeased. Hu Ge was sitting in front of him.

"If the knife goes into the stomach, is it jelly or jelly?"

Hu Ge was a little confused, but he still replied "yes". When he saw Cao Xuan frowning even more, he immediately shook his head: "No."

Cao Xuan left the sofa, bent forward, and with a strong sense of oppression, shouted loudly: "I just want to know, is the jelly still or not?"

Hu Ge: "It's jelly."

"It's wrong...the mood is wrong."

Without Lao Jiang saying anything, Cao Xuan raised his hand to signal a pause and gestured to Hu Ge: "You are not in the right mood, Taiping, you should be more panicked."

Hu Ge nodded, and Lao Jiang signaled to come again. However, after this section passed, Cao Xuan stopped the next section. Lao Jiang came over specifically, without getting angry, and just asked Cao Xuan in a deep voice.

"What do you think of this scene?"

Cao Xuan did not answer, but asked Hu Ge: "How do you think Hu Wan should be played?"

Hu Ge was interrupted twice and replied a little unconfidently: "Huang Silang is angry. Is he afraid? At the same time, he is a little proud. The assigned task has been completed."

"It's done, what is Hu Wan's mission?"

"A show of force?"

"Yes, Huang Silang wanted to give Zhang Mazi a blow, but he killed his son. Hu Wan also reported Huang Silang's name. It was originally a test, but the result was a big feud. Huang Silang may not care about Zhang Mazi, but he I’m not happy that Hu Wan made his own decisions and sold himself out..."

Lao Jiang nodded beside him, and then added: "So the mission was actually failed, but Hu Wan was not sure at first, which made the conversation fall into Huang Silang's rhythm."

Looking at Hu Ge, who was gradually understanding but still hesitant, Teacher Cao came to a small class to start the class because he was very capable.

Let Hu Ge break it down bit by bit and explain the proper state and performance of Hu Wan's scene.

"So not only do you have to be confused, but you also panic. At the same time, you have a semi-mechanical response state that is brought into rhythm. I must have been trained by the teacher when I was a child. I didn't know how to teach questions. I was asked questions by the teacher and answered randomly. The more I answered, the more scared I became.

Then Huang Silang gave him a good face. You thought you had passed the test, but how could you be proud of it? Then he asked you all over again. The fear was stronger, but you had to explain your loyalty quickly..."

Hu Ge nodded repeatedly as he listened, wishing he could take a small notebook and write it down.

Lao Jiang was also watching. He was pleased at first, thinking that Cao Xuan had worked hard to study the script, so he was able to speak clearly about the role of the opponent. He found the right actor.

Then he suddenly felt a little aggrieved. It was obviously his job as a director to tell the actors, but why was Cao Xuan snatching it away from him.

Cao Xuan didn't know what he was thinking. Because there were finished movies, Cao Xuan had a template to follow when acting.

As a result, he could not accurately grasp his own role, and he also had some misunderstandings about other characters in the whole play.

For the others, it was just a few words. Hu Ge was his own artist and a junior, and his acting skills needed to be honed, so Cao Xuan would talk more to help him become successful.

Sure enough, after being taught by Cao Xuan and understanding the direction, the rest of the performance became much smoother. Cao Xuan also exaggerated and said the famous line with disdain.

"Killing people and killing their hearts! It's so scary..."

………

Among the many crews that Cao Xuan has experienced, the filming progress of "Let the Bullets Fly" is considered slow.

On the one hand, Jiang Wen is both directing and acting, and he is not confident about the executive directors. He often has to personally supervise the production, which is bound to delay some progress.

On the other hand, this guy habitually makes changes while filming. Deleting lines and scenes is a trivial matter, and even a scene can be completely reshot.

After Cao Xuan received the script, he noticed that there were many differences between the version and the original finished product.

At that time, Cao Xuan thought that he knew the final product and could just give Lao Jiang a few words, but it didn't work at all. This guy was reincarnated like a stubborn donkey.

Even if I think Cao Xuan's proposal is good, I still have to shoot it all over and over again according to my own ideas, and then compare several versions for consideration.

Cao Xuan, the drama tyrant, had already quarreled with Jiang Wen several times, both openly and secretly.

Lao Jiang is good at overcoming strength with softness. If the conflict intensifies, he will take the initiative to give in and shoot according to Cao Xuan's ideas. But when Cao Xuan's anger subsides, he will force Cao Xuan to shoot another version according to his ideas.

However, Cao Xuan cheated with his golden finger, and many of his suggestions were successfully adopted. He beat Jiang Wen many times, making Lao Jiang often depressed to the point of being autistic.

He is obviously the director + screenwriter + starring, so how could he be led by Cao Xuan...

The battle between the two became a scene in the cast of "Let the Bullets Fly". The other actors were silent, and even Zhou Yun did not dare to persuade them. Only Uncle Ge would smooth things over from time to time.

However, Cao and Jiang said that this bald man is not a good person either.

When trying to break up a fight, he likes to add fuel to the fire. When the quarrel between the two gets louder and louder, the other person stands beside him with his hands folded and happily watches the fun, and all he has to do is set up a hot pot and sing a song.

But Uncle Ge strongly denied this statement and felt that the two were just looking for someone to vent their anger on. He was determined not to take the blame.

In addition to the three giants, Cao Xuan also had a great pleasure in training Hu Ge on the crew of "Let the Bullets Fly".

Echeng Gate Tower, today's filming of Huang Silang sending Hu Wan and Wu Juren to give a "meeting gift" to the newly arrived county magistrate.

Cao Xuan, who had no drama in the morning, personally came to give guidance. Seeing Hu Ge angrily scratching his crotch, he couldn't help but nod in relief.

"The boy is teachable and has more talent than Sissi."

Cao Xuan's small class has been held many times, and many artists from Fanxing have attended his classes or been tutored by him.

Fan Xiaopang and Hu Jing are considered the most promising, and they are expected to become the best actress or even become the best actress.

Of course, the success of the two people is not entirely due to Cao Xuan, but more to their own efforts and other factors. Cao Xuan only gave guidance, which does not mean that he taught them the best actress.

Moreover, these two people were his peers, and they learned more from each other, but each gained more or less.

On the contrary, for the new generation below, Cao Xuan does mostly give guidance.

Especially Liu Tianxian, Cao Xuan taught her step by step in "Hurricane Rescue" at that time, but this girl's acting skills really didn't have much aura, and her success mostly depended on her face.

Even though she was much stronger than the original time and space after being taught by Zhongxi, there was still a certain gap compared to those good young talents.

At least in Cao Xuan's opinion, before the age of 30, unless he comes across a good film with his true colors, Liu Tianxian does not need to think about authoritative awards for Best Actress. After the age of 30, it depends on personal efforts and luck.

Damimi's talent is a little better than hers, but her personality is a big problem. If she can't be down-to-earth and focus on acting, she might not be as successful as Liu Tianxian as an actor.

In comparison, Hu Ge has good talent and is willing to study hard. Cao Xuan is more optimistic. Not to mention winning the Best Actor, at least it is not difficult to transform into a powerful actor.

………

After filming this scene, it was time for lunch. Cao Xuan’s RV and personal chef had just arrived in Zao City a few days ago.

It was already November and the weather was cold, so Cao Xuan called Uncle Ge and Hu Ge to get in the car for dinner. Before the door was closed, Lao Jiang came in shamelessly carrying a box lunch.

"I knew you had good stuff here, good guy, six dishes and one soup, or a capitalist would enjoy life."

"Capitalists don't welcome you here. Turn right when you go out."

Cao Xuan rolled his eyes and looked weird. He didn't care that he was the director, but he just slapped Tang Dou in the face.

"What are you talking about? Capitalists. I heard you wrong. They are national capitalists. We are all class brothers. Could you please bring me a bowl of soup? It's too cold."

Cao Xuan didn't say anything. Hu Ge glanced at him, went to the counter to get a bowl, filled Jiang Wen with a bowl of beef soup, added spicy coriander, and took a hot sip to dispel the cold and refresh him.

"Ha... cool."

Jiang Wen gulped down half a bowl of beef soup, and then pulled the braised pork on the table into the lunch box.

"For my wife's birthday next month, I'll lend you my chef. This skill is much better than the one in the hotel."

"Okay, what's the date?"

"December 17th, what are you doing?"

"It's my sister-in-law's birthday, and we're all in the same group. I don't have to prepare any gifts. Don't be afraid. My surname is Cao, but I don't do anything related to Ximen officials."

"I'm so scared, my wife loves me so much."

Lao Jiang looked embarrassed, then realized: "No, I remember you just celebrated your birthday. If you give a gift to my wife, I won't give you a gift in return."

"Can."

Cao Xuan smiled: "Eighteen million is never too much, and one hundred and eighty thousand is never too little. We are all class brothers."

"Okay, if you have anything below five digits, it will be wiped out, right? You are so expensive when you call me a class brother."

Uncle Ge suddenly interjected: "Gifts are just intentions, but if the money is not enough, the intentions will not seem sincere enough."

"Teacher Ge is right."

Cao Xuan repeatedly agreed. He didn't care about a gift or anything, but he was very willing to kill Lao Jiang.

"Okay, look back and see."

Jiang Wen doesn't value money, otherwise he wouldn't have given investors an extra 8 million red envelopes just because the movie made a lot of money. Everyone just found a place to chat and amuse themselves, and no matter how expensive the gifts were, they wouldn't pick on each other.

Hu Ge was busy cooking while the three big guys chatted and laughed. While eating, they talked about Huayi's listing.

At the end of October, Huayi was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange GEM, becoming the first entertainment stock in the entertainment industry. It attracted a lot of attention and was even called a sensation by the outside world.

The reason why there is such a big commotion is because Huayi has introduced the concept of directors and celebrity shareholders.

Huayi went public, creating a large number of wealthy celebrities. The attention naturally increased, and a large number of media hyped it wildly. Huayi soon became a star stock.

Among the many shareholders, Huayi's first brother Huang Xiaoming holds the largest shareholding among artists, which has reached 1.51% of the total share capital before the issuance. After the listing, Huayi's stock has been rising all the way, and its current peak value is about 86 million.

According to anecdotal reports, Xiao Ming only spent about 5 million on these 1.5% shares, and the rate of return directly exceeded 1,700%.

It is no exaggeration to say that as soon as Huayi went public, many shareholders made a huge profit. The return rate was guaranteed to increase four to five times. Several not-so-famous celebrities also followed suit and became multi-millionaires.

In an era before the east wind of capital has blown in, Huayi's listing is tantamount to creating a wealth fairy tale belonging to the entertainment industry.

Many celebrities or people in the industry suddenly realized that it could still be done like this.

Huang Xiaoming invested several million and became a billionaire in an instant. Who wouldn't be jealous?

The Wang brothers are almost being scolded by the bosses of major entertainment companies these days. Huayi's listing has benefited a large number of celebrities, which has created a wave of popular sentiment in the industry, and the cost of artist maintenance and binding has skyrocketed.

It is no exaggeration to say that many leading artists directly challenge the company for shares.

For example, Hairun, Rongxinda, Tangren and many other companies have begun to discuss the feasibility of star director shareholders. It is said that Hairun has promised to give Sun Niangniang, the head of the family, a certain amount of shares.

But facing the disturbance from the outside world. The leading stars in the industry have never made any move.

Star artists such as Fan Xiaopang actually made tentative inquiries about the company through various channels.

Finally got a reply: the company has no plans to increase capital and go public in the short term.

Translated, it means don’t think about shares.

Huayi is not a charity. The reason why it is willing to let celebrities buy shares at low prices is to bind the artists, and to use the celebrities' names to promote marketing and increase the stock price.

Fanxing is not listed and does not need celebrity shareholders for marketing.

As for binding, if the negotiation really fails, Cao Xuan will not stop the artist from leaving.

For Fanxing, artist management is just one of the sectors and is not irreplaceable. Even if all the artists are gone, Fanxing will not be hurt.

With a large number of film and television resources + platform bonuses + publicity matrix, Fanxing’s blood-generating ability is not only strong.

In just a few years, a large number of newcomers can be promoted to the top, or even famous artists can directly come from other places, and they can be packaged and promoted.

Even if you are not as popular as Liu Tianxian, Fan Xiaopang, and Damimi, it is not difficult to become a popular artist, and you can definitely support the star's artist management system.

As for those Fanxing artists who left Fanxing, it was equivalent to leaving after breaking up with their old employer. Even if Fanxing didn't deliberately target them, given the size of the company, many things would inevitably have an impact. Whether their lives are as free and unrestrained as they used to be, there's no question. That’s easy to say.

Therefore, there is no need to expect that Boss Cao will take out his shares and beg them to stay in tears.

To put it harshly, in Cao Xuan's heart, these company artists were not as valuable as they thought.

After a wave of testing, many star artists were disappointed, but none of them dared to make trouble, including the ambitious Fan Xiaopang and Da Mimi, who did not jump out to force the palace.

On the one hand, he knew it in his heart and knew that forcing him into the palace would be useless. On the other hand, he was reluctant to part with Fanxing’s resources and platform and did not want to fall out with the company.

Even those who are careful are still in the wait-and-see period and plan to wait and see again.

After all, Huayi has just been listed, who knows what will happen in the future, or maybe one day Cao Xuan will change his mind and list shares.

Huayi can turn over more than ten times, and if Fanxing, which has a scale and strength that exceeds Huayi's 18 Streets, is listed, it will cause a sensation not only in the entertainment industry.

This is also true. Before Huayi went public, it had supported several movies including Feng Pants. Its biggest advantage was actually having many stars.

The large amount of share capital allowed the Wang brothers to win over Jiji Zhang, Huang Xiaoming, Li Bingbing, Zhang Hanyu, Ren Quan and others. Uncle Ge and Mr. Zhou were also considered their subordinates.

Putting all these aside, Huayi does not have much confidence. Even the so-called net profit in the three years before listing was less than 100 million in total, and it largely depends on the score of "If You Are the One".

Just like that, after listing, Huayi's market value has stabilized at 5 billion+.

In comparison, Star Theory stars Fan Xiaopang, Liu Tianxian, Hu Jing and others are even better than Huayi.

In terms of works, every year there are constant masterpieces of film and television, and an endless stream of top variety shows.

Fanxing's annual net profit in 2008 was RMB 640 million. This was based on the massive spending in Fanxing Movie City, Fanxing Cinemas, Penguin Star and other areas.

Not to mention the headquarters of Fanxing Group, there are two or three subsidiaries below that can suppress Huayi.

A company with strong momentum, bright future, strong profitability, and an entire industrial chain is listed. Coupled with the star effect, the stock goes crazy.

If Boss Cao allocates more shares, he will not create multi-millionaires, but create billion-level or even billion-level millionaires in batches.

Boss Cao is willing to put it aside for now, but he can't help these people who love to dream about these things that will make them achieve success in one step, and draw the pie for themselves...

But in any case, Huayi's listing has indeed opened up the general trend of entertainment industry capital.

The best and worst of times are coming!

Many people in the circle are confused, expecting and fearful of this change. Cao Xuan is indeed one of the few calm people.

In addition to the golden finger halo, Cao Xuan is more confident that he has spent more than ten years to allow Fanxing to initially complete the industrial chain layout and take the lead. As long as he plays steadily and steadily in the future, he will not be afraid of wind and rain for at least ten years, so there is no need to panic. .

"The world is changing so fast now. Let alone comparing it with twenty years ago, even five years ago, it is still the same."

Jiang Wen does not like this change. He does not deny that the influx of large amounts of capital is a good thing for the industry.

But at the same time, such drastic changes in the industry are also destroying something. It is difficult to say whether it has a positive or negative impact.

Uncle Ge also rarely revealed two sincere words: "Some time ago, a crew came to me and offered me 20 million. I'm not afraid of your jokes. I don't even dare to take the money. I have to be asked to act in some kind of drama before I can ask for such a sky-high price."

After Huayi went public, Uncle Ge and Mr. Zhou were considered to be the few artists who were not involved.

With their status, it was impossible for Huayi not to let them invest in the company. The reason why it didn't happen was more because they didn't trust the financial market and didn't want to take risks.

Cao Xuan asked Uncle Ge if he regretted it, and the man touched his bald head.

"It would be a lie to say that I don't regret it. After all, it's not a small sum. But if I encounter this kind of thing again, I might not dare to touch it. The money is too empty and I always feel hot."

"That's right, let's not do those things, just make movies down-to-earth, and still make money by standing still."

Jiang Wen slapped the table with a domineering tone. Cao Xuan nodded in agreement and touched him with beef soup.

Although Cao Xuan owns a large number of stocks of listed companies, he is still somewhat shy about the financial market, mainly for investment.

His own business experience is more inclined to do business in a down-to-earth manner, rather than manipulating capital in the financial market. Otherwise, there is no need to engage in stars, and there are many ways to make money from stocks by relying on golden fingers.

In other words, Cao Xuan also wants to earn money while standing...

………

At the end of November, Cao Xuan took leave from the crew of "Let the Bullets Fly" and flew to Taiwan to attend the 46th Golden Horse Awards.

As the biggest favorite for this year's Golden Horse Best Actor, Taiwanese media and related media in Hong Kong, Mainland China, paid great attention to Cao Xuan and led people to stay at the airport 24 hours a day.

Even if Cao Xuan took a private plane, he could not avoid their tracking. The helpless Cao Xuan could only accept the interview.

“Whether I win or not depends on the judges’ choice, but I think my performance is great and I should be able to impress them.

I know the outside world is talking about the three-gold best actor, and I am also looking forward to making history.

Movie queen? I think both Zhou Xun and Bingbing have a chance, Yuan Quan? She was also shortlisted? It’s hard for me to estimate this, it’s easy to offend people (laughs)”

In the past, Cao Xuan had always been very modest when it came to such issues. This time he showed a rare tough stance, which shows how much he values ​​this Golden Horse Award.

The media also said that Cao Xuan's statement was that he was determined to win the Golden Horse Best Actor and was crazy about the pace.

Cao Xuan ignored the hustle and bustle of the media. They are all a group of guys who love to get attention. They will brag when they win and disdain when they lose. They can only beat the drum around and cannot interfere with the overall situation.

On November 28, the Golden Horse Awards were held in an office building in Taipei City. The host Tao Jinying and the Six Princesses of CCTV also broadcast the event.

On the red carpet, there were still many acquaintances of Cao Xuan.

Zhou Gongzi and Fan Xiaopang from the crew of "The Wind" came together. Yuan Quan was nominated for Best Actress with "Like a Dream", and another Best Actress nominee was Zhang Rongrong, Yang Guifei from "The Legend of the Demon Cat".

"Yang Yang", which she starred in, is a Taiwanese literary film with a local halo and a very low chance of winning. The nomination is somewhat meant to save the honor of local films.

Competitors for Best Actor include Huang Bo in "Bullfighting", Zha Zhahui in "The Witness", and Wu Yanzu in "Like a Dream".

Regardless of his specific acting performance, Cao Xuan's fame, status, and influence all surpass the three of them. "Save Mr. My" has a box office of over 100 million, and several other movies are more famous.

Although winning the award is not based on fame, Cao Xuan's advantage is indeed too great.

Coupled with the previous precedent of "New World" being suspected of being hacked, if this happened again, it would be to offend Boss Cao to death.

So anyone with clear eyes and ears knows the result of Best Actor. Cao Xuan won more than 90% of the awards, and the last one was a double-yolked egg.

Even several competitors knew that Wu Yanzu, who had the lowest chance, never came over. Huang Bo relaxed and just took it as a trip, and even took Cao Xuanfan to take photos and post them on Weibo.

Frankly speaking, the star power of this year’s Golden Horse Awards is basically supported by the mainland.

Most of the artists in Taiwan are not well-known. There are only two artists in Xiangjiang, Zha Zhahui and Wu Yanzu, but the latter has not yet come.

From the star lineup present, we can predict that the mainland will definitely shine in today's awards.

As expected, aside from those behind-the-scenes awards, the most important [Best Picture] went to "Saving Mr. Me".

Among the five actor awards, [Best Newcomer] went to Yu Shaoqun of "Anita Mui", and "Best Supporting Actor" was also won by "Anita Mui". He is also an acquaintance of Cao Xuan, Wang Xueqi who played the wheel king in "Sword Rain".

Only one [Best Supporting Actress] was left aside, which was won by Huiying Hong.

Movie kings and movie queens are not only surrounded by mainland artists, but more accurately, they are surrounded by celebrities.

As expected, Cao Xuan got his wish and won the Golden Horse Best Actor. Fan Xiaopang Xiaoxiao was upset and defeated the most popular Mr. Zhou.

Cao Xuan was quite happy when the three gold medals were finally collected, but overall he was still stable. Fan Xiaopang was a little excited when he went on stage to give a speech.

It’s no wonder she lost her composure. After more than ten years in the industry, this is the first time she has won the authoritative Best Actress Award.

And it is currently the most valuable golden horse. Not only can he take off the hat of the vase, but he can also truly surpass two old enemies, one is Li Bingbing, one of the two soldiers, and the other is her Pearl Returning Nightmare, Zhao.

The former only has one Hundred Flowers, while the latter has not yet won any Best Actress title.

As for Fan Xiaopang's real "master" Lin Xinru, the two are no longer on the same level, and there is no point in comparing...

The next day, the photo of Fan Xiaopang crying on the awards stage spread all over the Taiwan Strait and three places. The addition of the top-ranked Golden Horse Best Actress has given her a certain increase in commercial value and celebrity status.

However, no matter how popular Fan Xiaopang is, the headlines will still be Cao Xuan's.

Many media outlets were almost in tune with each other and put together photos of Cao Xuan holding the Golden Rooster, Hundred Flowers, Golden Statue, Chinese Watch, and Golden Horse trophies at several award ceremonies, and the titles were surprisingly consistent.

"Three gold medals collected, the first Chinese-language film Grand Slam Best Actor in history"