"Awesome, Director Qingshan, so awesome!" Da Ze Ming Guang sighed and wrote down what he had just heard in his notebook. Not only Da Ze Ming Guang, but also several photographers standing behind the monitors secretly memorized what they heard. Although the probability of them becoming directors is extremely low, they still take this kind of "secret" very seriously. After all, even if you don’t use it in the future, it’s still good to have it as a topic of conversation after drinking. "Okay, stop flattering me, Mr. Takakura. Can we do it again if you're ready?" "Yes!" When Takakura saw this, he looked at Ping Qingshan in surprise. The reason why he came to this small crew today was because Dentsu boss Yuyama Nato called him and asked him to get the role. Although Gao Cang was puzzled when he saw this, he still had to give face to the boss.
But I was just giving him face and didn't take it seriously. I didn't expect that this young man was so capable. It seems that if he wants to get this role, he really has to work hard, so Gao Cang gathered his energy and tried again. “I feel that the lighting, coupled with Mr. Takakura’s acting, has a very good effect.” Da Ze Ming Guang spoke first and gave a positive evaluation. But Ping Qingshan was still looking at the camera in deep thought. It's overacting. Ping Qingshan thought about this in his mind but didn't say it out loud, although he could feel that Gao Cang was more serious the second time compared to the first time. But the final result was not as good as the first time. With this thought in mind, Ping Qingshan signaled Takakura Ichimi to relax and try again. After letting Gao Cangjian perform a few more scenes, he still didn't get a good effect, so Ping Qingshan turned to Nakamura Shushang and asked: "What do you think, Nakamura-kun?" "I think Mr. Takakura's acting is very good." After asking, Ping Qingshan smiled at Gao Cang and said, "Teacher Gao Cang, thank you for your hard work. Please wait outside for a moment." Gao Cang nodded when he saw it. He was still confident about this role, after all, his status was high enough. To be honest, he felt that Ping Qingshan was a little too pretentious. He was last year's best actor, yet he had to audition so repeatedly. This made him feel a little embarrassed. But on the surface, he still smiled and bowed to express his gratitude to the three "judges" before leaving. The last actor is Shinichi Chiba. Strictly speaking, Shinichi Chiba is a special type of actor who specializes in playing villains.
The effect during the audition was similar to that of Hirai Fujitora, except that his facial features looked very mean, and he seemed a bit too much when playing the role of Kitano-sensei. Throughout the audition. There was another thing that made Ping Qingshan feel a little strange. That is, these three actors all performed more naturally during the first round of free performance. After being instructed by Hira Kiyosugi, his acting became very deliberate and the final performance was even worse than the first round. Outsiders may not be able to see the subtle difference between before and after, but Ping Qingshan can see it. Is there something wrong with my instructions? "Ah, I didn't expect Gao Cang Yijian to come for the audition. It seems that Director Ping Qingshan is very influential. Otherwise, it would be hard for our small crew to invite this movie star." The two photographers' whispered discussions nearby reached Ping Qingshan's ears. Then an inspiration struck him. "I see." Chapter 39 Cost Control It's not that there was something wrong with my guidance, but because these people didn't take the acting seriously at the beginning. Whether it was Fujitora Hirai or Kazumi Takakura, they came to audition probably because they didn't think highly of this movie. So I was very relaxed during the first round, and the effect was quite good. It was not until Ping Qingshan gave them some advice that they suddenly realized that supervision was not just a fancy job, so they began to perform seriously. This seriousness turned out to be excessive and ineffective. It's not their fault. In the Japanese entertainment industry, whether it's TV or movies, there has always been a strange sense of exaggeration in performances. This exaggeration fits in well with certain types of movies and TV shows, but it doesn't match a serious and formal movie like "Battle Royale". After figuring this out, Ping Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief. It’s not a problem of my own guidance, but a change in the actors’ mentality. After all three performed, the creators began the final discussion: "How does it feel?" "In terms of performance, Takakura Ichimi is undoubtedly very good, but if I have to say, Hirai Fujitora is also good." Oze Akimitsu spoke truthfully. "Who do you think is the most suitable among these three people, Nakamura?" "I also think Gao Cang is a little better, but his salary requirement..." As Nakamura Sakami spoke, he flipped through the data sheet and pulled out a sheet about Takakura Kazumi's film remuneration. The total budget for the movie Battle Royale is 9000 million yen, which is approximately equivalent to 10 million RMB in Japan in 800. Compared with China, spending 800 million to make a cinema movie is simply a joke. The budget is too small. However, in Japan, 800 million is not considered high, but it is enough to make a normal movie.
After being in Japan for more than three years, Hira Kiyoshige has a pretty good idea of Japan's film budget. Simply put, the cost of Japanese movies can be roughly divided into four levels. The first category is the ultra-low-cost category. The cost is approximately less than 5000 million yen. Normally, such films would not be shown in cinemas, but in specialized fan club theaters or at film exhibitions. However, there are exceptions, such as the 2018 film "Camera Don't Stop!" This film, which cost only 300 million yen (18 yuan) to produce, relied on word of mouth to make its way from club theaters to nationwide screenings, and ultimately took in more than 30 billion yen at the box office. It can be said to be the best among them. But beneath this successful film are dozens of low-budget films that are only shown a few times at exhibitions every year and then disappear. Above this unconventional film comes the second category. Low-budget film. The cost is estimated to be between 5000 million yen and 2 million yen. Although this type of film has a low budget, it has become a regular feature of Japanese films. It's made to be shown in theaters, and then it's a regular-budget Japanese film. The cost is approximately 2 million yen to 10 billion yen. Most Japanese movies are in this range. For example, the "Outrageous" that Takeshi Kitano is currently filming in 2010, has a production cost of million yen. Going further up, in Japan, there are big-budget movies, such as the live-action version of "Saint Seiya". Overall, the production costs of Japanese films are generally much lower than those of Chinese films. One of the most important reasons is the actors’ pay. Compared to the tens of millions of dollars in pay for Chinese stars, the pay for Japan's top actors is also tens of millions, but these tens of millions are in Japanese yen. Take Gao Cang Yi Jian for example. If it were in China, the starting point would be at least tens of millions of RMB. For example, in "Let the Bullets Fly", Chow Yun-fat's salary alone was as high as 4500 million RMB. Takakura Kazumi's status in the Japanese film and television industry is not low, but his pay is only around 2000 million yen. Converted into RMB, it is only one million RMB. The gap between the two film markets is obvious, not to mention those young Chinese actors and popular stars. Kazumi Takakura reported to the "Battle Royale" crew that his expected salary was 2500 million yen. It’s a fair price, since Battle Royale doesn’t have any profit-sharing contracts with theaters.
But this price is not cheap for the "Battle Royale" crew. 2500 million yen accounts for almost 30% of the budget. Ping Qingshan flipped through Takakura Kazumi's salary expectations and asked Nakamura another question. "Is there a big difference in pay between Takakura Ichimi and Hirai Fujitora?" "Well, the difference between the two is about twice as great, but Gao Cang was very proactive when we first met. He even said before the audition that the price could be negotiated. He really wanted this role." Ping Qingshan pondered for a moment. That’s what filmmaking is like; you have to make decisions all the time. The budget is limited, and if we spend it on the actors, we have to cut back on other things. Costumes, props, photography equipment. Pulled around and moved the whole body. And if we choose actors with low pay, who can guarantee the quality of the performance? You know, the quality of the actors directly affects the final result. Ping Qingshan hesitated for a while, but finally made the decision. "Let's meet Gaocang!" "Takakura is indeed good. Although the pay is a bit high, he is famous." Nakamura Sakegami nodded. He also prefers to use Gao Cang Yi Jian. Mr. Kitano's role was finalized, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The next step is to select students. One young actor after another came on stage. Compared to the three industry seniors mentioned above, most of these people have just debuted. In order to save money, the crew specifically looked for these newly debuted actors when they first sent out invitations. The looks of several actors in a row are actually very suitable, but without exception, their acting skills are problematic. Especially after watching the performances of Takakura Ichimi and a few others, Ping Qingshan found that the difference between them was too big. His expression was serious throughout the interview. Once Ping Qingshan became serious, his intimidating presence made these new actors even more timid. These young actors are not completely without acting skills. But the acting skills they learn are more oriented towards TV dramas, that is, exaggerated movements and artificial expressions. Although several actresses look pretty and cute, when they act, except for their sweet smiles, all other expressions look fake.
Ping Qingshan is not looking for a model, nor is he selecting a concubine in KTV. What's the point of having a sweet smile? Students in the Battle Royale also need to have acting skills! Ping Qingshan shook his head again and again, feeling that the crew without money was really miserable. In this mood.