Chapter 61 On the importance of connections
On the first day after returning to the capital from Shishi, Xu Kun had a dinner with Liu Weiwei alone and took a mandarin duck bath by the way.
Since it is a casual meal, the quality must not be too bad.
Then, of the 4,200 yuan that Xu Kun had just received as a salary, only 2,700 yuan was left. After taking into account the expenses in Shishi, the net income in the past three months was almost 1,800 yuan.
This is actually the norm in the film and television industry now. Actors cannot make a lot of money purely from filming, but as long as they gain some fame through their roles and then go out to make money, they can easily earn tens of thousands of yuan a month. It’s not difficult to earn six figures if you’re famous.
Of course, there are risks in acupuncture, and there are many cases where people and money have been lost.
As for the real bosses, they mainly rely on advertising and endorsements to make money.
Xu Kun is not yet at the point where he can make money by cheating, but fortunately his reputation as a 'killing machine' is getting louder and louder. Although many small film crews are searching hard and are reluctant to spend money on the male and female protagonists, they grit their teeth and hire him at a high price. Xu Kun stayed there for two or three days, but it still wasn't a problem.
Especially in August, the first batch of anti-Japanese dramas that Xu Kun starred in finally reached the release stage with difficulty. On average, almost two of the ten dramas were released on local channels.
Don't think this is a bad result. In fact, because everyone rushed to launch new dramas at the end of last year, the current TV drama release rate has dropped to about 1/5.
When it comes to the analogy of low-cost anti-Japanese dramas, the ratio will be further reduced. It is estimated that only 1/7 or even 1/8 can be released.
This is a few percent more release rate, which is simply a huge temptation for those shoddy small crews.
So in the second half of August and the whole of September, Xu Kun led Bao Qiang around every day, regardless of black and white. After leaving crew A, he entered crew B. He filmed the ghosts so many times in total darkness.
After a month and a half, Dangdang steadily earned 27,000 yuan, with an average daily income of 600+. The daily salary is more than many people's monthly income.
Baoqiang also followed the rising tide, and from time to time he could get wages as a supporting role and as a backup, totaling more than 8,000 yuan.
This is probably the legendary siphon effect, or winner takes all.
However, as soon as October entered, Xu Kun put up the no-war card. Firstly, after working for more than forty days, both of them were almost exhausted; secondly, although this thing brought in money quickly, it did not help much in improving his acting skills. Indulging in it can even have counter-effects.
And the most important thing is that the drama Lu Liping mentioned before has finally been revealed.
This is another Qing palace drama, but it is not about the late Qing Dynasty or the most common Kangxi, Yongzong and Qianlong dramas, but the story of Fulin, the first emperor after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the founder of the Qing Dynasty, Shunzhi Emperor.
The story begins shortly after the death of Dorgon, under the auspices of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang [Dayu'er], when Fulin officially took charge of the government. It tells the story of Shunzhi through the rights and wrongs inside and outside the palace, and the grievances and grievances between the Manchus and the Han people. Emperor's confused and short life.
Of course, there are also a group of young women who are charming and beautiful, but each end up miserable and sad.
…………
October 3, 2002.
Xu Kun pushed open the door of the rental house and shouted to the next door: "Baoqiang, where is my set of "Starscream 2"? Is it in your room?"
According to Xu Kun's instructions, Baoqiang rented the house next door in July. According to the rules, he paid one deposit and one deposit. Baoqiang paid 1,300 yuan, which was very heartbreaking.
That's why Xu Kun took him to binge-watch anti-Japanese dramas for a month, earning him more than half a year's rent and living expenses.
Hearing Xu Kun's shout, the sound of rummaging through boxes and cabinets came from the next door room. After a while, Baoqiang scratched his head and came out of the room: "No, I rummaged twice and couldn't find it."
"Hey, this is really weird!"
Xu Kun also scratched his head anxiously. Neither "The Blind Shaft" nor "Conquest" have been released yet, and he was too embarrassed to go to Li Yang and Gao Qunshu to get the original copies. At the moment, in addition to the selected clips of "Killing Machine", there are also This is what "Starscream 2" can do.
This drama was released on the Guangdong Public Channel on August 19. It is said that the ratings are very gratifying, and it will definitely be broadcast on the stars in the second round.
So Xu Kun asked someone to get a set of DVDs of "Starscream 2" and planned to take them with him as a stepping stone.
"Right!"
Baoqiang suddenly thought of something, slapped his thigh and said, "Didn't Sister-in-law Lin say two days ago that she wanted to take some CDs back to watch? You let her choose..." Before he could finish his words, Xu Kun rushed over. Out of the courtyard gate.
After a lot of hesitation, the stepping stones were finally ready.
After exiting the alley, he got into Chen Xuebin's van. Xu Kun fastened his seat belt and said in a calm voice: "Xiao Binzi, follow me and drive to Nanluogu Lane."
"嗻~"
Chen Xuebin lengthened his tone in cooperation.
This time he took the initiative to ask Ying to be Xu Kun's driver. The purpose was to give it a try and see if he could squeeze into Liu Heng's crew.
Because it is screenwriter Liu Da's first time to cross over into a director's field, many people in the industry are not very optimistic about this drama. However, in the eyes of group leaders like Chen Xuebin, this is a good opportunity that cannot be found even if they are holding a lantern.
Who is Liu Heng?
The winner of the first Lu Xun Literature Award, the winner of the first Lao She Literature Award, and the screenwriter of many classic film and television dramas. In the usual social circle, there are many scholars who talk and laugh, and there are no idle friends.
If he relied on Xu Kun's connections to squeeze into the crew and work part-time as an official, even if the show ended up at his grandma's house, as long as he could be familiar with Liu Heng, he would be making a lot of money.
When they arrived at Nanluogu Alley, they followed the address given by Lu Liping and found a quiet and elegant three-entry courtyard.
The white walls and green tiles, the sycamore trees, the grape trellis, the small pond, if it weren't for the "Young Emperor" crew sign at the door, and there were more than a dozen young people queuing up for auditions inside, Xu Kun would probably be... I thought I was in the wrong place.
"Tsk, the boss is the boss."
Xu Kun couldn't help but be speechless. The first two auditions he had done were in restaurants. He chose a place like this and did it in such a formal manner, but this was the first time he had encountered him.
Chen Xuebin poked his head around for a while, and was a little frightened, so he said decisively: "I won't go in now. If you can win an important role, I will try again. If someone...then let's not rush in and embarrass ourselves." Come on."
Xu Kun naturally understood what this meant. If the crew didn't pay attention to him at all, Chen Xuebin's nepotism would be just a fantasy.
He patted Chen Xuebin on the shoulder, then walked in with his head held high.
The young actors in the courtyard all focused their attention on Xu Kun, either explicitly or covertly, as if they were analyzing how threatening he was.
Xu Kun also took a general glance and found that there were no familiar faces inside. They were obviously newcomers to the film and television industry - but judging by their style, they seemed to have majored in education.
Thinking that this was in Nanluogu Lane, just one step away from the Central Theater, Xu Kun didn't find it strange.
Seeing a table outside the living room door and a staff member sitting behind the table, Xu Kun stepped forward and announced his name, saying that he was invited.
The staff member flicked on the form next to him, then said, "Wait a minute," and got up and went to the west wing.
Not long after, he led the woman out of the west wing again.
This time it was finally a familiar face, the Thirteenth Aunt in "Once Upon a Time". Xu Kun had watched the replay because of Lu Liping, so he remembered her name.
Later generations knew her more because of Qin Huairu in the courtyard.
"Are you the teacher Hao Lei who plays the Thirteenth Aunt?!"
Xu Kun exclaimed in surprise. These days, 'teacher' has not been abused, and it is usually called the seniors in the circle.
The corner of Hao Lei's mouth curled up slightly, and then he said carelessly: "What do you call me teacher? I should be two years older than you. Just call me sister. We are all recommended by Teacher Lu. We will have to look after each other on the set in the future." ”
After that, he greeted again: "Let's go, let me introduce you to some of the seniors in the crew - Director Liu is busy at the moment, and it will probably be a while before he has time to see us."
"Then I'll trouble Sister Lei."
Unexpectedly, Lu Liping not only recommended the crew, but also found a guide. Now it was much easier to integrate into the crew.
(End of chapter)