Xinghui was only auditioning actors for "Palace of Desire III" this time. As "A Chinese Ghost Story" did not have many main characters, they recruited through online channels, with suitable candidates invited to Xinghui.
According to Su Yu's allocation, television dramas and films were now separated. Director Zhang Li was primarily responsible for television dramas, while Gu Qianqian was in charge of films.
Neither of them had any objections to this arrangement.
Zhang Li, in particular, often woke up from his dreams with a smile during this period.
With "The Legend of Sword and Fairy I" currently airing, he, as one of the directors, had gained considerable attention.
At various events, colleagues who had previously ignored him now enthusiastically greeted him as "Teacher Zhang Li."
Zhang Li had never imagined achieving such success, and he could foresee even more terrifying achievements in his future!
His small studio had been closed.
Zhang Li had signed a contract with Xinghui long ago and had become a member of the company.
As an old hand in the industry, he knew better than anyone that following Jiangnan would be the most important turning point in his life.
Although Jiangnan provided very detailed storyboards for every shoot, reducing his creative enjoyment, and giving him a sense of being a tool, was that a problem?
Not at all.
"So what if I'm a tool?"
"I, Zhang Li, will be Jiangnan's most convenient tool, doing as instructed, without any complaints!"
Zhang Li felt fortunate.
Su Yu's first song, "Later," was bought by him.
His first TV drama, "The Legend of Sword and Fairy," was also directed by him.
His first film, "Fearless," was also filmed by him, and it was filmed independently.
He had witnessed many of Su Yu's firsts, both in the music and film industries. For Zhang Li, this was an honor, more prideful than winning Best Director of the Year, because he had witnessed not just Su Yu, but the beginning of a legend!
Tools were what ordinary people possessed.
But in the hands of a god, they became divine artifacts!
...
Regarding the casting requirements, Zhang Li always remembered Su Yu's words: acting skills and suitability were the primary criteria, while attitude determined the success of future collaborations.
Therefore, outside the multimedia hall, Zhao Yuan's assistant, A'ru, had prepared many questions for the auditioning actors, which they had to answer before proceeding.
This was because precious time had been wasted during the last audition due to a lack of prior screening, and for a production team, time was money.
"Hello, I'm here to audition for Mao Mao." The speaker was a second-tier idol star.
His team had analyzed the role, telling him that Mao Mao was a great character, and even as a supporting role, he would be well-liked by many.
A'ru glanced at him and then smiled, "I'm sorry, but your physique might not be suitable."
From the storyboards provided by Su Yu, she could tell that Mao Mao was a slightly chubby character.
"Physique is not a problem; as long as I can portray the character, it's fine. Besides, can't they use special effects makeup? I don't mind being made to look fat." The person said with a smile.
"Sorry, this really won't work."
Putting aside the time and effort involved in special effects makeup, Mao Mao had many scenes, making it impractical.
In the distance.
Yang Yingying had just arrived and was stunned to learn that she had to answer questions to enter.
"Xiao Li, what should we do?" she asked her assistant.
"I've compiled some basic information about the character Zixuan. Take a look, and we can only try," replied her assistant, Li Xinyan, putting down her backpack and taking out a stack of A4 papers.
These were all materials she had researched on the character Zixuan.
After graduating from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, it had become a habit for her to organize character materials into booklets to better understand them. Moreover, she would also compile information on all her scene partners to better immerse herself in the role.
Although she wasn't filming this time, she had compiled the information while reading the script.
Yang Yingying had chosen Li Xinyan precisely for her professional abilities, spotting her when she was still an extra and asking her to be her assistant.
"So much?" The stack of documents was at least thirty A4 pages thick.
It was densely packed with character profiles and plot points, even including her personal interpretations of the story.
"There's a summary I made on the last page, along with an outline of the character's storyline. You can focus on that," Li Xinyan said with a smile.
Yang Yingying rejoiced upon hearing this and flipped to the last page, "Not bad. If I get this role, I'll let you play my maid in the next production."
She knew what Li Xinyan's selfless dedication was for. Young people fresh out of school were the easiest to manage; a little promise was enough to make them work very hard.
Indeed, upon hearing that she could play Yang Yingying's maid, Li Xinyan's face lit up with surprise and joy, "Thank you, Sister Yingying!"
With the outline organized by Li Xinyan, Yang Yingying gained confidence.
She walked to the side aisle and began memorizing the story outline.
Many people were crowded at the entrance, but most were looking at their phones, cramming last-minute.
However, A'ru did not give them much time.
"Auditions will begin in twenty minutes. No more entries," she announced.
Actors who had read the original novel hurried forward to line up. With so many people, if they were at the back of the queue, they might not get a chance within twenty minutes.
"Please enter."
"Excuse me."
"Excuse me."
The questions A'ru asked were not difficult, but many could not answer them.
Fifteen minutes later, Yang Yingying returned to the queue, looking satisfied.
She asked her assistant, Li Xinyan, to hold her place in line.
"Sister Yingying, how was it?"
"It should be fine."
Yang Yingying made an "OK" gesture.
...
Finally.
It was Yang Yingying's turn. Holding the stack of A4 papers, she smiled at A'ru and said, "Hello, my name is Yang Yingying. I'm here to audition for the role of Zixuan."
In any ordinary entertainment company, just hearing Yang Yingying's name would have them treating her like royalty.
However, A'ru only showed a slight surprise before calmly resuming her composure.
After becoming Tingyu's assistant, she had become accustomed to seeing other star celebrities and no longer felt much surprise.
Yang Yingying was not offended. She was not an unintelligent person. Zhang Qingyun had suffered because he underestimated Xinghui's background, but Yang Yingying wouldn't. She could be arrogant in front of other actors, but not in front of Xinghui's staff.
"May I ask, what is Zixuan's true identity?"
"Descendant of Nuwa."
"How long was the period of love between Zixuan and her official match, Xu Changqing?"
"Three lifetimes."
"..."
After a few simple questions, Yang Yingying felt that she had basically passed.
However, to her surprise, A'ru's next question left her utterly bewildered.
"Who was it that cut their flesh to save someone at the end of the plot?"