Although Ning Weimin always said it was nothing to Matsumoto Keiko and wanted to make her feel relieved.
But the actual situation was extremely bad. It was actually much more serious than Ning Weimin imagined.
When Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko sat down with two generals from Fog Studio, Okamoto Akira and Watanabe Mitsuru, for an emergency meeting to study the situation and find countermeasures, the news fed back by Okamoto Akira made everyone Everyone sitting there was stunned.
Let’s talk about the troubles the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” encountered first.
Because John Lone's character in the movie is the successor of a prominent Chinese family in Singapore.
Originally based on the script and storyline of the movie "Crazy Rich Asians", many famous local landmarks and attractions in Singapore would become important scenes in the movie.
So in a sense, this movie actually has a great role in promoting Singapore's image and tourism industry.
Given that the investment in the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" is nearly 20 million US dollars, and it also brings together many stars from China, Japan and France, it is one of the top big-budget movies in Asia. .
It stands to reason that both the Singapore government and Singapore’s hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions should be happy to be selected by the crew. There is no reason not to actively assist the crew in filming.
In fact, this was indeed the case when the crew first came to Singapore.
The relevant procedures for the government's filming permit were handled very smoothly, and the fees for private property were also very cheap. The police would even help maintain order in public street scenes. The filming conditions were much more optimistic than the crew initially.
But I don’t know why, this positive attitude seemed to disappear overnight, and the crew suddenly became a group of people who are not loved by uncles or grandmothers.
The problem that the crew is encountering now is that not only did they originally agree on the filming location, but now they are regretting it and have turned against the "Crazy Rich Asians" crew.
For example, a private club in Ann Siang Hill and a seafood restaurant in Bukit Pasor Road all changed their stance and refused to accept filming by the crew.
Even for the parts that have been filmed, those filming locations also contacted the crew and refused to appear in the film.
For example, Singapore's Raffles Hotel and Chime Galleria not only took the initiative to refund the filming fees they paid, but also asked them to delete all the films that had been shot.
And said that if they did not comply, they might face litigation trouble in the future.
This means that all the filming work of the crew in Singapore in the past ten days has been in vain.
The economic losses caused may be as huge as two to three billion yen.
That’s not all. The initial application for filming by the crew was only for a period of twenty days. If you want to find a new location for filming, you have to find the relevant department to apply for an extension.
It stands to reason that this procedure should be easy to apply for.
But for some unknown reason, the relevant government departments in Singapore refused to provide convenience, and even sent people to re-examine their filming qualifications, which delayed their time for another day and a half.
So now the director Yutaka Osawa and the production representatives sent by Fog Studio are numb, and the cast and crew are even more unstable.
No one knew whether to stay or go. They were worried that they would be severely criticized by Ning Weimin, and they were even more afraid that the film would not be able to continue filming because it had suffered huge losses.
As for Tokyo itself, the situation is not much better than in Singapore.
Although the crew of "Black Leather Notepad" did not have any problems with the venue.
After all, this story tells the love-hate relationship of a mama-san in the Ginza Club.
The general plot is that the heroine played by Keiko Matsumoto - a low-level bank employee with outstanding abilities but harsh treatment by her leaders, successfully succeeds only through a "black notebook" that records many bank business secrets. He extorted 180 million yen from the bank and turned into the youngest mama-san in Ginza.
After that, she continued to work alone in the world of night, secretly recording the privacy of various customers in the black book again and again, and then choosing targets for blackmail to expand her career.
This means that the main place where the plot takes place is not a club in Ginza, but a restaurant or a bank. The resources directly controlled by Ning Weimin can almost fully meet the shooting needs.
In fact, the actual expenditures of the crew in this area are also minimal, and all the falsely reported venue fees and consumables can be used to deduct taxes.
But the problem is that something unexpected went wrong with the actors.
There are about a dozen important characters in the entire drama.
In addition to the heroine Motoko played by Matsumoto Keiko, other main characters include Yasuda, the congressman who secretly likes her but can only marry someone else, and the doctors, principals, and politicians who were blackmailed by her one by one. There are several other kinds of prey, as well as several women who are her enemies, friends, or are used as tools by her to achieve her own goals.
In addition to the male protagonist played by Tomokazu Miura, the beauty salon doctor played by Ken Utsui, Ryoko Ishida plays the head nurse at Utsui’s fitness center, Yasuko Sawaguchi plays the heroine’s rival Namiko, and Taurus Palace. In addition to the Candelabra-san played by its artist Yukiyo Juju, Tetsuya Watari plays the Ginza gangster who provides information to the heroine.
All other roles need to go through strict casting competition and be carefully selected from candidates recommended by major brokerage companies.
Especially the political boss who has the most energy and the darkest heart. After many twists and turns, the decision was finally made just before filming started.
It stands to reason that the subject matter of this TV series is particularly suitable for the current social atmosphere. Not only is the remuneration provided by Fog Studio sufficient, but this drama is also one of Matsumoto Seicho’s well-known works, and it is also directed by the famous Directed by director Yoshitaro Nomura, the main characters are all big stars in the Japanese industry.
No matter how you look at it, this TV series is a highlight that will be broadcast during prime time, and it will definitely achieve high ratings after it is broadcast.
These actors who finally became the characters in the play should cherish this opportunity and do their best to play the roles well.
Even the agency behind them will probably solemnly tell them that in order to improve their ranking and act well, it is very likely that this drama will become a hit.
But the most bizarre thing happened. Less than a week after filming started, almost all the actors who were publicly selected handed in their resignations and wanted to leave the crew, even if they were compensated for liquidated damages.
What’s even more strange is that their brokerage company actually supports them.
Those actors’ agents changed their attitude of asking for help over and over again and kneeling down in order to win roles, and became distant and cold.
When asked about the reason for the actor's resignation, he didn't tell them. He was just vague and perfunctory. He replied that he was willing to pay liquidated damages. If he had a good attitude, he would express a few apologies. If he had a bad attitude, he would simply hang up.
Even the extras were confused.
A few people actually contacted Fog Productions to refund their participation fees, saying that they did not want their appearance to appear in this drama again.
The studio was also warned that this was an issue related to image rights. If a hair of theirs appeared on the TV screen after the TV series was broadcast, they would also appeal to the relevant parties.
In short, it all happened suddenly and confusingly.
It seems like a sudden misfortune from heaven for no reason at all.
Everything is unusual and strange, but it makes people angry and has nowhere to vent.
"When did a small group of actors dare to go against the studio? Are they crazy? Have they taken the courage of a bear's heart and a leopard's courage?"
"And those other things? Actors and venues, how can they do this! What good will it do to themselves if they break the contract without permission? Who will dare to cooperate with them in the future? "
"No! Hold them accountable and sue their agency as well. Let them compensate us for all our losses!”
Mitsuru Watanabe has recently become more relaxed because of the better economic situation of the agency and the studio. I didn't expect something like this to happen.
The huge loss for no reason made him angry.
His face turned dark, completely unable to accept this fact.
"Watanabe, don't worry, there must be a reason! It's not unreasonable."
Okamoto Akira was also very angry, but he could still maintain his sanity.
While responding to the indignation of his colleagues, he made his own judgment.
"There must be someone behind the scenes controlling this matter. This is someone deliberately targeting us to make us look good. Otherwise, such a coincidence would never happen. Only by finding this person first can we find a solution."
This One thing is very obvious, of course Matsumoto Keiko and Ning Weimin also saw it. They also all suspected that someone was behind it, otherwise such a blatant breach of contract for the filming location and actors that had been contracted would never have happened.
This is no longer the kind of untrustworthy behavior that is easy for others to talk about, but involves the legal costs of facing claims.
But the other party is so confident that he does it no matter what. This is the most intriguing part.
"But the question is, who is going to make things difficult for us? Who have we not offended? Who would hate us so much and insist on ruining our filming?"
Matsumoto Keiko first expressed her confusion , then his expression trembled, as if he thought of something.
At this point, she couldn't help but look up at Ning Weimin, her eyes full of worry, "Could it be..."
"No, it's impossible. It's definitely not Fukasaku Kinji. ”
Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko are husband and wife, and they have already agreed on many things.
Just by looking at her expression, Ning Weimin knew that she was thinking of the famous director.
Although jealousy is the motive of this guy, in the final analysis he is just a director with very limited abilities.
He can't do such a thing, otherwise he wouldn't have lost so thoroughly in the last Academy Award.
On the contrary, the person, or this force, who could do such a thing and put them into such a passive situation must be a powerful behemoth.
Otherwise, why would even the Singapore government change its attitude towards the crew, and why would so many filming locations and actors break their contracts even at the risk of compensation?
This is something that harms others and does not benefit oneself. Presumably the locations and actors themselves were unwilling to do so. They must have been under some kind of pressure and coercion that they dared not disobey.
And it has only been a week since filming started, and almost all the actors who were publicly recruited have left. The efficiency of this work is also very good.
So the more magical the reality is, the more it illustrates the seriousness of the matter.
He prides himself on always being kind to others and pursuing the coexistence of interests in everything he does.
How did you provoke such an enemy?
Why did you offend the other party?
I have no clue at all.
And it seems that there are no such awesome bosses in the Japanese film and television industry, or in the entertainment industry.
Not even the Big Five have such ability.
Otherwise, if such a person existed, wouldn’t he have unified the world long ago?
What else are others playing with?
It’s so strange. No matter how you think about it, it feels unreal.
But it happened again.
Who is behind all this?
What is his real purpose...
Seeing Ning Weimin lowering his head and thinking silently, with a serious look on his face, both Watanabe Mitsuru and Okamoto Akira closed their mouths.
They didn't dare to say anything, for fear of disturbing Ning Weimin's thoughts.
On the other hand, Matsumoto Keiko didn’t have too many worries, and said thoughtfully, "How about we try again, and I personally visit them and talk to those firms? Maybe I can also ask others to help me ask. Look, in short, let’s figure out what happened first. It’s just that the situation in Singapore is also urgent. I...”
“I’ll go over there. I’ll take Watanabe-san with me. If there’s anything that can be saved. There may be some room for additional funds. It will be more convenient for the two of us to go together."
Ning Weimin didn't think much about it. When Qingzi proposed a pragmatic approach, he raised his eyebrows. Take it upon yourself to take matters into your own hands.
After all, the matter is huge and there is no way to solve it.
But it is difficult to find the crux of the problem without understanding enough of the situation, so how can we talk about solutions?
That’s why Ning Weimin decided to go out in person to inquire about the situation, and then take appropriate measures based on the local situation.
He thinks he is better at this kind of thing than Matsumoto Keiko, and Keiko’s connections and contacts are all in Japan, so she can only use her best abilities if she stays in Tokyo.
Matsumoto Keiko hesitated for a moment and felt that this was more appropriate, so she nodded happily and agreed.
However, the plan could not keep up with the changes.
Just when Mitsuru Watanabe ordered his subordinates at the office to book flights to Singapore and check into hotels.
A subordinate knocked on the office door and walked in with a flustered expression.
“What’s the matter?” Akira Okamoto asked angrily.
“Sorry to bother you.”
The subordinates will also look at their faces and know that the company has encountered trouble during the filming. The matter is being discussed in the room. It is not the right time to apologize quickly.
However, he also had a reason to get it, and he broke an important news without letting Akira Okamoto open his mouth.
"Just now... I just received a call from Burning Production. They said that their president would like to meet with Matsumoto-san to discuss the shooting difficulties we are currently facing. The other party said that they might There are ways to solve our current predicament, but we need to show corresponding sincerity..."
When the subordinates dictated the news, more and more sweat began to form on their foreheads.
"What? Is it actually related to the combustion system?" Okamoto Akira said in astonishment.
"President Shu Fang? Are they targeting us?" Watanabe Mitsuya frowned.
At this time, except for Ning Weimin who still did not understand the meaning of the news, several other people in the room showed frustrated looks in their eyes, expressing "no wonder it is like this" and "this is troublesome" mean.
So Matsumoto Keiko continued to ask, "Then did the other party say anything else? When can we visit?"
"This...this..." the subordinate suddenly showed his face. With an embarrassed look on his face, he took a breath to gather his courage.
“The other party left a hotel room number and only asked Matsumoto-san to be on time for the appointment at nine o’clock tonight...”
After reluctantly finishing speaking, the subordinate's face turned pale.
Unsurprisingly, not only Akira Okamoto and Mitsuru Watabe cursed, but Keiko Matsumoto herself was so angry that she was shaking all over.
There is no doubt that this is a naked insult, and everyone understands the subtext.
Of course Ning Weimin clenched his fists, but instead of swearing angrily, he wanted to kill President Zhou Fang.
Now, he cares more about other things.
"Watanabe, we are not going to Singapore. We have canceled our air tickets and hotels. Also, inform the crew of "Crazy Rich Asians" to change the filming location immediately. Let them go to France first and shoot the French scenes first. Consider revising the script. Alternative plan. "
For no other reason, Ning Weimin's biggest fear is not to fight with others, but to worry about the safety of the crew outside.
After all, Singapore is famous for its strict laws. What should outsiders like them do if they inexplicably violate certain laws and are caught and imprisoned?
Before formally facing the enemy, he must eliminate his biggest fear and get his people out of the opponent's control first.
In this way, he has no fatal weakness and can deal with the enemy with all his strength. (End of chapter)