Who are you calling powerful?

Shandong Province, Quancheng

Wei Yang stepped out of his business car and was greeted by the producers of "In the Name of the People" and the heads of relevant units who were waiting here in advance.

"boss."

"Mr. Wei."

"Lao Liu, thank you for your hard work."

Wei Yang took two quick steps, shook hands with each other, and mainly chatted with the heads of relevant units: "Director Wang, Director Liu, I'm sorry to bother you two. I heard that you helped us solve a lot of troubles."

"That's right, it's all for show."

Because Blue Whale is directly in charge of the project this time and is fully responsible for the production, there is no need to bring in other teams to cooperate and directly benchmark the film and television center of the inspection department and the publicity outlet of Shandong Province.

To put it simply, Blue Whale is in charge of filming and publicity, and these two units are responsible for endorsement and stage management.

It's not yet determined which station it will be broadcast on, but we can also bring in relevant radio and television stations to list their names later.

This also led to some small personnel changes. For example, the original corrupt official Liu Xinjian and worker Wang Wenmou were the producer/producer and supervisor respectively.

Now that the producer of the crew has changed, it is naturally impossible for the actors to get those two actors. They have their own jobs.

Therefore, the actors were changed, and Liu Xinjian was played by Sha Yi. This kind of funny character with a stern and shy character is within his comfort zone.

As for the role of the worker, Tao Zeru, an old drama actor with a tough and down-to-earth face, was cast. He has the demeanor of an older generation of workers and has strong business skills. He is perfect for this role.

The character in the original version may not have been a professional actor, and the character creation was a bit one-sided. The performance showed the resistance and radicalization of the workers, and the evil spirit, but ignored the pain and tears of being bullied, which led many viewers to feel that this character was a villain.

To put it bluntly, we cannot just say that there are bad people among the masses without explaining why the masses have become bad people.

Therefore, a large number of Huang Mao's scenes in the original version were deleted, and some of them were moved to this old worker.

From the perspective of him and his family, it extends to the lives of ordinary people affected by the storm in the Dafeng Factory, and how a conscientious old worker was forced into a desperate situation.

For themes like this, how to make the audience recognize the justice of decency is a difficult problem. This cannot be solved by just shouting a few slogans.

And if vivid cases are added to intuitively let the people feel the harm caused by corrupt officials, then the anti-corruption actions of the protagonist and others will also receive certain support.

The original version was actually shot this way, but in the wrong direction.

Just wandering around Zheng Xipo and Huang Mao's house, there is an old scholar who only seeks out Chen Shishi, the factory leader, and a gangster who takes advantage of all kinds of troubled waters. How do you let the audience take their place?

Compared with the two of them, how come they still have the advantage of having a strong backbone...

Therefore, the role of the old worker's family was added to the play, with a large proportion, and many Dafeng Factory employees appeared indirectly.

How could "In the Name of the People" not have a sense of the people's existence? No wonder some viewers later criticized it.

Of course, it’s hard to say whether there are risks in shooting like this. You have to grasp the scale and keep betting on your chips.

Hu Jing plays Gao Xiaoqin, Ke Lan plays Lu Yike, and Zhu Zhu plays Zhong Xiaoai.

As well as the priest who plays Secretary Bai, and Boss Wei who guest-starred as Chen Hai.

That's right, Boss Wei is not here to visit the crew of "In the Name of the People" this time, but is here to make a guest appearance, and the character is none other than Chen Hai.

Regardless of whether it was Hou Liangping or Qi Tongwei, Wei Yang later thought about it and found that he was not suitable for the role, so he rejected it.

But he is still very interested in this drama. At the same time, Boss Wei's current status is also different. He has a lot of titles and auras. His participation in this drama can also promote the review to a certain extent. The effect and even the effect are better than those of several others.

At the same time, Boss Wei participated in the show and appeared in the first episode, which is also of great benefit to the promotion of the show.

Unlike Boss Wei who is very optimistic about "In the Name of the People", neither Blue Whale's internal staff nor the crew are very optimistic about this theme theme.

And because some of the plots are too sensitive and the level involved is too high, it’s hard to say whether it will pass the review.

Therefore, in Blue Whale, which has always been crazy in the market, it is rare to say that this project may not make money or even lose money. Some executives simply think that Boss Wei made this drama out of political considerations.

Wei Yang's participation in the guest appearance is to some extent an expression of his importance to the program and his publicity support.

Kill several birds with one stone!

Therefore, Boss Wei told the crew early and wanted to give him a role.

The crew and director recommended him the role of Mr. Zhao, who can be called the top villain in modern dramas, but Wei Yang felt that there were too many roles and he might not have time.

So after picking and choosing, Wei Yang fell in love with the role of Chen Hai. He had a small role in the first few episodes, but then he was in a car accident for dozens of episodes, and finally made a few appearances.

There are only a few scenes, but because he is the main character, he has a high sense of presence, and he has some gimmicks. He later publicized that Boss Wei had a lot of sex scenes, which deceived a large number of viewers.

Simply perfect!

It's just a pain for the pastor. He was originally going to play Chen Hai, but Wei Yang changed his tone, so he could only play Secretary Bai instead.

But he's not at a loss either. This character is inconspicuous now, but it will be discussed a lot later. He competes with heroes from all walks of life on Douyin every day...

…

Wei Yang arranged the accommodation conditions under the leadership of the producer. He will not have many roles, and the shooting time is expected to be 7 to 10 days.

You know, although Chen Hai doesn't appear much, he does have several major scenes, and he always has scenes with important characters. He has to coordinate the announcements, and normal filming can't be so fast.

But who makes Boss Wei's status different? He is from his own crew, and he is here to help with the guest appearance, not as a supporting role with the crew, so he must not be the one to accommodate the crew, but the crew to cooperate with him.

That estimated time is a lot. Basically, if there are no surprises, Boss Wei can almost wrap up and leave within a week.

"Look at the place. Are you satisfied with it? If there's anything wrong with it, I'll replace it for you."

The room Wei Yang lived in was a presidential suite, which was of a better quality than most of the actors on the crew, but it was not too high.

Under normal circumstances, big-name actors like this who are invited to make short-term guest appearances only stay for a few days in total, and the accommodation conditions provided by the crew are not shabby.

And you must know that Boss Wei only received some token transportation fees for his cameo this time. With his worth, the crew of "In the Name of the People" made a lot of money.

Of course, this crew is almost entirely owned by Boss Wei, so the money saved actually belongs to Boss Wei himself.

Therefore, the accommodation fee is actually paid for by Boss Wei. Not to mention the presidential suite, even if it is a building, no one else can take care of it.

Wei Yang looked at it and nodded: "It's pretty good."

"Then you take a rest first, and when we finish work in the evening, I will take you to meet the director and a few actors."

The two unit heads have already left, and the remaining producer is from Blue Whale. He is more cautious when facing the big boss Wei Yang alone.

Fortunately, Boss Wei is very easy to get along with in private as long as you don't have any problems. He casually asked a few questions about the crew's progress and simply gave him a slap in the face.

"I slept all the way when I came here. I'm not sleepy. Let's just go and see the scenery. You can call them for me tonight and I'll treat them to a meal."

Wei Yang is not an ordinary guest artist. He is also the boss of the crew. Not only is he not a guest, he is the biggest host.

Therefore, not only does Boss Wei not have much money to make a guest appearance, but he also has to treat the guests. Firstly, he has to show up to meet the crew, and secondly, it can be regarded as a reward for everyone's hard work in filming.

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."

About half an hour later, two cars arrived at the gate of a school, and the producer introduced them.

You can't go to government offices for filming. No matter how awesome your crew is, you can't delay other people's work, so you have to find a place by yourself.

And those who can be borrowed for filming are like government departments, and naturally most of them are schools. Therefore, the exterior scenes of "In the Name of the People" are basically shot in schools. If the interior scenes are suitable, they will be shot in the school. If not, the interior scenes will be shot separately.

Wei Yang and the others are currently in a sports academy with fewer students, more space to spare, and willingness to cooperate with the crew, so most of the scenes with the inspection department and the anti-corruption bureau are filmed here.

As the former anti-corruption chief of the male protagonist Hou Liangping, Chen Hai filmed most of his scenes here. The other main location was the hospital, which was shot in a studio.

I have filmed a lot of scenes in Boss Wei's hospital, and I was more curious about this kind of single location, so I came here first.

What Wei Yang didn't expect was that when they arrived, there would be a film crew filming here.

Because "In the Name of the People" is a group drama with many characters and narrative perspectives, it was too slow to shoot one by one.

Chief director Li Lu, who was also the director of the original "In the Name of the People", oversees the overall situation and the main crew. There are also two crews shooting non-important scenes and characters.

For example, the scene currently being filmed in the Anti-Corruption Bureau is about Ji Changming, Lu Yike and their two subordinates making fun of each other.

Wei Yang's appearance shocked several actors, because Wei Yang's guest appearance was not completely confirmed before. To prevent accidents, the crew did not announce it, so only some people knew about it.

Obviously, among these actors and extras, except for a few chats, they are all uninformed.

Teacher Li Jianyi, who plays Ji Changming, once thought that Wei Yang was here to visit the class.

"Teacher Jianyi, long time no see."

Wei Yang greeted Li Jianyi familiarly. The latter did not change, it was Eunuch Cao who was very popular in "The Best in the World".

The two had worked together in "Qing Yu Nian", in which the latter played the role of Eunuch Hou next to Emperor Qing. They reunited and chatted quite happily.

But except for Li Jianyi, the others were unfamiliar to him. It was the first time for him to meet Ke Lan. The other two young actors, the male Wei Yang, had no impression of them. The female looked familiar and only remembered her name after asking.

Isn't this Cao Jin's wife? !

It seemed that they got divorced later, and I don't know if they are married now. If he remembered correctly, the little black fat man was about to have a quarrel with Cao Jin over the family tree.

It's a pity that I'm afraid that people will misunderstand me. Otherwise, if I really want to use WeChat, I can go back and ask around, and I can eat melon in the first row.

Wei Yang did not interrupt the filming, looked around and saw the scene, then left, and treated guests to dinner at a hotel in Quancheng that evening.

Since it is a multi-group shooting, most of the actors have already joined the group, and they have arrived quite well. Many of them are acquaintances of Boss Wei and have even worked with him.

For example, Wu Gang, one of the top five actors and actresses, is not as popular now as he was in his previous life. He is very popular after the "Celebrating More Than Years" trilogy and is considered one of the most popular veteran drama stars now.

"In the Name of the People" was able to invite him because of Boss Wei's efforts.

Starring Gao Yuliang and Zhang Zhijian, his career is much more prosperous than in his previous life. He has appeared in "Celebrating More Than Years" and "Nirvana in Fire".

Zhao Liying's "Strategy of the Ming Palace" recently aired, in which she played the role of Yan Shifan, the old man in the small cabinet, for the first time in many years. He was regarded as an early villain.

At that time, Wei Yang also wanted to find Chen Baoguo to play Jiajing, but unfortunately he was not available, which was a small regret.

However, in addition to Yan Shifan, "Strategy of the Ming Palace" also found several actors from "Ming Dynasty 1566", such as Feng Bao, who was played by the same person. Wang Qingxiang, who played Hu Zhongxian, played Gao Gong this time.

The important role of Zhang Juzheng is played by Wang Jinsong, who is also Yang Jinshui in "Ming Dynasty 1566".

With the enhanced versions of Wu Gang and Zhang Zhijian, plus the already famous Zhang Fengyi, and a bunch of veteran supporting actors and stars, even if Wei Yang doesn't come, the lineup of "In the Name of the People" is quite luxurious.

"Mr. Wei, let me get you a drink."

Halfway through the meal, after two laps and a free toast, the male protagonist Lu Yi came over with a wine glass to toast.

Wei Yang stood up, touched him, and said a few words of encouragement: "Brother, this drama is played by seniors, and the pressure is quite high. You have to hold on."

Lu Yi nodded solemnly: "I understand."

This version of "In the Name of the People" also used Lu Yi and Wei Yang who were criticized in the original version.

He knew that Lu Yi was not strong enough and was tortured by a few veteran actors, but then again, there were a few actors of this age group who could stand up to these veteran actors.

Even if he can withstand it, he can't be the male lead without a certain degree of fame.

After all, Wei Yang still had to consider selling the drama. He didn't want to memorize the subject he was optimistic about, and he didn't want to use the platform of a little-known artist.

Even if Wei Yang would rather earn less, there are a lot of disputes in the entertainment industry, and there are also many actors and actresses in the "In the Name of the People" crew. Without enough fame and status in the industry, he really can't control the scene.

So Wei Yang checked around and found out that it was either inappropriate or not available.

On the other hand, Lu Yi, in Wei Yang's opinion, is an actor with very average indexes. He has no special advantages, but his disadvantages are not obvious and the lower limit is high. He is the kind of alternative that can be used when there is no suitable person.

It may not be outstanding, but it's not terrible either.

The original version looked frivolous, and was partly at fault in the script. Hou Liangping in the original version had a very arrogant character, and it was inevitable that Lu Yi would refer to it when acting.

In addition, the veteran actors acted so well that Lu Yi's still passable performance became unmanageable.

Just like Wen Zhang in "The Young Marshal", looking at his own scenes, his acting is actually not bad, but when compared with Li Xuejian, the gap is immediately highlighted.

There is another reason that must be mentioned, that is, Lu Yi is from the Shanghai circle and is also boss Wei's acting brother.

Therefore, on the premise that there are no other suitable candidates, Wei Yang is still willing to give this senior brother a chance.

Before deciding on the role, he had a special phone call with Lu Yi to discuss how to play the role of Hou Liangping, and he was particularly reminded of the frivolity.

Since this character trait is difficult to control, simply don’t use it. Monkeys are not necessarily frivolous and can also be shrewd and bold.

If this characteristic is subtracted and Lu Yi plays a positive character with a relatively rigid performance, I think it will be much better than Hou Liangping in his previous life...