Actresses

Chapter 4 Choice

"What if I don't take on big projects!" He Yuran gritted his teeth for a long time before finally managing to utter this sentence.

Shi Jiahe, standing nearby, breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that He Yuran might say something harsh that she wouldn't be able to cover for, but now it seemed she could rest assured. There was no point in her interjecting now; she could just stand by and show concern for He Yuran.

Ye Hongwei chuckled dryly. "The core idea we've been discussing has always been this one thing."

"Teacher Ye, you've gone through all this trouble, you must have more to say than just this."

"Having reached this point in communication, I've already accomplished a great deal," Master Ye smiled. "There are some things that ordinary people can hear, but artists can't. What I, as an outsider, can say, those around you can't. It's all a matter of being too close to the situation to see clearly. But I am, after all, an outsider. What follows requires you and your team to work together to complete it. As for how to do it, step back and look at it from a different perspective; the solution will be clear."

He Yuran remained silent.

Even though Master Ye was invited to speak the truth, Shi Jiahe couldn't help but defend He Yuran. "Master Ye, Sister Ran is different from ordinary artists. She is very receptive to advice, otherwise she wouldn't have achieved her current status. But she also needs time to process this and consider what to do next."

That's the contradiction. Shi Jiahe both wanted He Yuran to face everything squarely, yet worried that she wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Alright, stop it. What do you mean by 'current status'? It sounds like you're insulting me." He Yuran gestured for Shi Jiahe to stop, then looked at Master Ye. "Master, you've enlightened me today. There are some things I may already know in my heart, but I just didn't want to face them. Oh, to be honest, I've been having this dream all along. By sheer coincidence, *clap*!" He Yuran high-fived himself. "Suddenly, a great project came my way, and the role was perfect for me. I made a glamorous transformation amidst everyone's expectations." He paused, then laughed, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "But how could that be! Even for me, it's impossible for everything to go my way! Maybe it's time for me to start my own project."

Shi Jiahe was stunned for a moment when she saw He Yuran's expression.

There seemed to be something long forgotten in those eyes.

Master Ye smiled and nodded repeatedly. "That's right. The audience still looks forward to your new works, but you also need to be more determined and courageous than before. The more burdens you have, the more you need to let go of them."

"Thank you, Teacher Ye. But I feel lost. I seem to have lost track of what audiences want to see these days, and what kind of role I should play to rekindle their expectations of me. For my previous films, I specifically chose directors with different styles, and the roles ranged from small-town to big-city to rural settings. I was very confident while filming, but they all flopped upon release! Not only did they fail at the box office, but they also received no positive reviews. Because nobody watched them. I don't understand, have I become so out of touch with the audience? I have no idea what kind of role I should play next."

"Yu Ran, you need to step back from your own perspective. The subject matter and the character aren't that important."

"Master, can you be more direct? I really don't understand what you're saying! Can you cultured people stop being so ambiguous?" He Yuran was clearly getting annoyed again.

Shi Jiahe knew that He Yuran's politeness today was extremely rare, but it was almost the limit. He Yuran was used to being flattered and pampered, and hearing too much truth at once would upset her; she might even overturn all the consensus that had been painstakingly built up today.

Shi Jiahe quickly said, "We can discuss the subject matter and roles later. Teacher Ye, could you give some more specific suggestions? For example, recommending new directors, or suitable subjects and roles for Ran Jie. We'll work towards that goal."

However, Yeh Hung-wei did not answer the question directly, but instead changed the subject. "According to Yu-ran's birth chart, this year is a turning point in her life. As long as she starts filming an all-female drama this year, she will usher in a new decade. As for the subject matter and cast, there are both variables and opportunities involved, so you need to consider them carefully."

For the rest of the time, no matter how Shi Jiahe guided him or how He Yuran tried to elicit information, Master Ye always stopped short of revealing anything. Before he had even finished the wine in his bottle, Master Ye got up to take his leave. Shi Jiahe saw him off all the way, thanking him repeatedly, and they chatted for a few more minutes by the roadside until she saw him into his car before returning to He Yuran's house.

As soon as Shi Jiahe entered, she heard He Yuran still muttering to herself, "Within this year..."

"Are you alright, Ran-jie?" Shi Jiahe walked over and sat down next to He Yuran. Ran-jie's self-talking state was a little worrying.

"I'm fine, I can't be any better." He Yuran suddenly looked up, staring at Shi Jiahe. "Tell me, if it opens this year, what's the most important thing?"

"invest?"

"Idiot, it's definitely the cast!"

Shi Jiahe suddenly realized.

He Yuran is indeed right in this matter. Although it's generally believed that securing investment is the most difficult part, in the film and television industry, getting well-known actors to work on a project within the same timeframe is the most challenging. Even young actors who have only been in the industry for a few years now have complete teams, and every project undergoes rigorous vetting. Moreover, the phrase "all-female cast" doesn't simply mean "two female leads"; it implies that in addition to He Yuran, they need to secure more than two or three other actors, and the more the better. Just imagine how much more communication they'll have to work with.

He Yuran paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. "We need to reduce investment and keep the cast, which means I have to handle this myself and use my connections. My reputation in the industry is still valuable."

"What if the script is good?" Shi Jiahe laughed as soon as she finished speaking—where was the script?

"It's no use. Actors don't care that much about the script. It'll all have to be changed anyway." He Yuran continued pacing back and forth.

As an actress, He Yuran was telling the truth. Although she would always pretend to say things like "I mainly look at the script when I accept roles" in interviews, in the past, the core factor in deciding on a new project had nothing to do with the script. It was either the salary, personal connections, or the production team; the decisive factors were all external, and the script was definitely not the one that played a decisive role.

Shi Jiahe pondered for a moment. No, this was still just empty talk. She needed to clarify the core issues with He Yuran first.

She had a gut feeling that, regardless of success or failure, this was probably the last thing she would do with He Yuran. So she had to do everything she could to leave no regrets.

Now that things have come to this, there's no need to be timid or hesitant anymore.

"After saying so much, Sister Ran, besides the lead actors and investment, why don't you be a little bolder and take control of the core of this production yourself?"

He Yuran stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?"

Shi Jiahe composed herself. "I'll be your producer, and you can direct it yourself."

Shi Jiahe finally revealed her ambition.

She wanted to use this drama to leverage all the resources He Yuran had accumulated since her debut.

"Can you be a producer?" He Yuran's eyes were filled with undisguised doubt.

These words were quite hurtful to Shi Jiahe. Oh, your first reaction was that I can't be a producer, instead of whether you can be a director or not? But her mind was made up, and she would coax He Yuran to follow the path she had drawn no matter what.

Even if I'm unconsciously looked down upon a hundred times.

Shi Jiahe quickly composed herself and smiled at He Yuran. "Sister Ran, have you forgotten? Before joining our studio, I worked as a producer for two years."

This is actually the truth. Shih Chia-ho is a self-taught agent. After graduating from a film production management program, she went to a director's studio, initially doing odd jobs like script supervisor and publicity. At the time, because the industry was booming, the director took on a big production that was beyond his capabilities, and the team was severely short-staffed, so he temporarily pulled Shih Chia-ho into the production position. It was on this film set that Shih Chia-ho met her first artist boss, and only then did she switch jobs to become an agent.

Shi Jiahe had told He Yuran about her experiences before, but how much of it He Yuran remembered was unknown.

He Yuran paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, as if his mind was blank. "Oh, really?... " Then he nodded, his tone becoming resolute. "That works too. You be the producer, and I'll be the executive producer. That way, we'll have 100% control over the film."

"But the investors and platforms will definitely add more names to the opening credits, right? Especially the producer credits."

Shi Jiahe knows that nowadays, whether it's a movie or a TV series, the producer credits usually include at least ten people.

"Simple, you'll be first in line! No matter who they put in, they'll have to put them after you! I'll personally handle this!" He Yuran said confidently. "Whoever does the most work is my person, do you think I don't know that?"

"Thank you, Sister Ran!" Shi Jiahe felt relieved, even though the project wasn't even a concept yet. "Now that things are settled, let's discuss how to move forward. Should we make a movie or a TV series?"

"I think we should pass on the movie for now." He Yuran suddenly became serious. "The film industry is too complicated. This is our first time handling a project, and we definitely can't manage it. I don't want to be led by the nose."

This was unexpected by Shi Jiahe. It was rare that He Yuran not only let go of her obsession with film but also frankly admitted that there were things she couldn't do. Shi Jiahe quickly helped him out. "I think so too! Nowadays, the difficulty of filmmaking isn't just in script development and production, but mainly in the marketing and distribution stage. Even spending tens of millions might not guarantee any buzz. That cost is enough to make another movie. Moreover, with the market so cold right now, it's difficult for a single film to gross over 100 million. All things considered, making film projects is purely risky."

Unexpectedly, He Yuran lowered her head and whispered, "Sigh, movies, I really can't afford to lose even once..."

Seeing He Yuran's low spirits, Shi Jiahe's heart also trembled.

Although He Yuran's excessive self-centeredness often infuriates Shi Jiahe, she feels heartbroken when she sees her frustrated and helpless.

Humans are such contradictory creatures.

Relationships between people are fraught with contradictions, especially with those they care about.

Shi Jiahe walked over, leaned against He Yuran, and gently patted her back. "Sister Ran, don't worry, we will definitely be able to create a great work."

"Let's hope so! Anyway, we don't have any other options." He Yuran miraculously recovered her composure in a second and started muttering to herself again, "Since we've ruled out movies, then we don't need to choose anything else. Let's make a TV series! What kind of series? Master Ye said it's all-female, which means a low-budget ensemble piece?"

Shi Jiahe thought the phrase "low-budget ensemble cast" was ridiculous and didn't answer immediately, but thought about it first. "Sister, my understanding is that to lower the budget, you not only have to reduce the actors' salaries, but you also can't have too many actors. If we find one or two more actresses with established reputations, that should be enough."

He Yuran rested his chin on his hand in deep thought. "That makes sense. But the actors' salaries are still a problem. If it's a movie, I can talk to the actors and directly invest in the project by offering a pay cut. But for a TV series, it's easy for me, but how do I negotiate with other actors? They'll say, 'There's a platform that buys your project to cover your costs, why should I lower my salary?'"

"Then we still have to make empty promises or rely on connections. Do you see any possibility of filming a play within a play, a long drama within a medium drama, or a medium drama within a short drama? One can be purchased through a platform normally, and the other can be paid separately, completely for the audience?" Shi Jiahe finished speaking and was still thinking: Huh, what am I talking about?

"Hey, this format is great!" He Yuran's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands excitedly. "I get it! It's like the side stories in those online novels I read! We can use separate sales channels for the side stories! We might make a fortune!"

Shi Jiahe wanted to laugh, but she held it in.

The more they talk about it, the more plausible it seems. Whether it's true or not, let's think about it from that perspective.

"I feel that short dramas are not a field we are familiar with. Should we tentatively stick to one long drama series and one medium-length drama series?"

"Can."

Shi Jiahe was troubled again. "But there's a practical issue involved. This is equivalent to filming two dramas. Even if one of them is a Chinese drama, the workload is almost doubled. When we talk to the actors, their salaries are even less likely to be lowered. Sister, you understand how actors think better. Do you have a better way of putting it?"

"It's alright, let's ask first! What we're doing is so groundbreaking, there's bound to be someone interested!" He Yuran patted his chest confidently. "Besides! This is a collaboration with me!"

There's no turning back once the arrow is released. Having reached a preliminary consensus, let's get started immediately.