sovbooks Chapter 4 Passing the Audition
Chapter 4 Passing the Audition
Lin Hao waited for about twenty minutes.
He was the last one to audition, so after him, Yu Min called in everyone who had passed the preliminary selection.
There were five people in total, including him.
The other four are all young actors in their early twenties. Some have already acted in several low-budget TV series, and some have played many minor roles. In terms of seniority, Lin Hao is definitely the most inexperienced among them.
Five people stood in a row, with Yu Min sitting opposite them, her hands crossed on the table, her expression calm.
"All five of you did a pretty good job at the audition today."
Hearing this, all five of them breathed a sigh of relief.
At least I passed the first level.
"But..." Yu Min changed the subject, "To be honest, they're all pretty much the same. None of them made me feel like I couldn't live without them."
The five people tensed up again.
"The salary for the role of Zhen Zhibing is 2000 yuan per episode." Yu Min leaned back in her chair, speaking casually. "Whoever can play the role, it depends on their own abilities."
Is it really that simple?
Lin Hao originally thought that what followed would be an elimination round of acting skills competition, or at least another round of auditions or something.
He was even mentally prepared to deliver an even more explosive performance in the second round to crush the other four.
After all, with the system in hand, as long as the pay is right, acting skills can be top-notch.
2000 yuan per episode corresponds to the highest level "Heavenly Rank Fighting Skill, Possessed by a Ghost"!
When he stands in front of the camera, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Zhen Zhibing himself would jump out of his grave if he stood there.
And he had already planned it out.
The system asked for 2000, but he asked the director for 4000!
The middleman makes a profit of 2000!
Earning 2000 per episode, the total income for the whole show is at least tens of thousands!
It's out!
He was dreaming of getting rich when, unexpectedly, something disruptive happened.
"director!"
A guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes suddenly raised his hand, his expression incredibly sincere.
"I don't want more! Since we're all about the same, I'll compromise! 1500 per episode will do!"
Ok?
Lin Hao was stunned for a moment.
Before he could react, the second person spoke up.
"I'm 1200cm!"
The third person followed.
"I'm 1000cm!"
The fourth person hesitated for a second, then gritted his teeth.
"900!"
then
All four of them looked at Lin Hao at the same time.
Lin Hao: ? ? ? ? ? ?
The five words "middlemen make a profit" in his mind were shattering, collapsing, and turning into dust at a visible speed.
no......
What happened to the competitive selection process?
What happened to the promised acting competition?
What happened to letting performance speak for itself?
How the hell did this turn into a price war?!
These people don't follow the rules!
I was preparing for a martial arts tournament, and you guys turned it into a fire sale?!
Lin Hao's expression was incredibly varied in an instant, going from disbelief to incredulity, and then to utter despair.
Coincidentally, this expression is quite suitable for playing Zhen Zhibing.
Yu Min sat there watching the spectacle, a slight smile even playing on his lips—he'd seen this kind of scene many times before.
That's how the entertainment industry is. When there are too many applicants and not enough opportunities, after competing on acting skills, you have to compete on price.
Especially for minor roles, with pay of a few thousand yuan per episode, everyone knows the truth: if you can act, you act; if you can't, you give it to someone else.
These four young actors, who already had filming experience, clearly understood the rules of the game better than Lin Hao.
Their bottom line is probably between 800 and 1000; anything lower wouldn't be worth coming.
The lowest price now is 900.
Everyone was waiting to see Lin Hao's reaction.
Lin Hao was engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
On the system panel, each level is highlighted.
[800 per episode: Fits the character perfectly, unforgettable.]
[1000 words per episode: Deeply resonating with audiences, achieving classic status.]
[1500 per episode: A reflection of reality, indistinguishable from the real thing.]
[Episode 2000: Heavenly Rank Battle Techniques, Possessed by a Ghost.]
If it's 800 per episode... then the acting level is the lowest.
But it's already "fitting the role and unforgettable"—more than enough for a supporting role.
The problem is that at 800 per episode, he can't even get a fraction of the profit, let alone make a profit.
The system requires 800 in acting costs, but he only gets 800 in pay, which is equivalent to working for free!
No, it's worse than working for nothing.
Because he has to pay for his own transportation, accommodation, food, and so on!
All things considered, he might even have to pay extra to play the role of Zhen Zhibing!
But what if I don't answer?
He glanced at the other four people.
That "if you don't answer, I'll pay 700" attitude was clearly written on his face.
They can work at a loss because they need experience, qualifications, and an additional role on their resume.
And he... needs it too.
No, he needs it more than they do.
This is his first role after regaining his memories.
That was his first step in proving himself.
It was also the first brick he used to pry open the system and the future.
The internal struggle lasted for about three seconds.
Then Lin Hao slowly raised his hand.
His expression was calm yet tinged with a sense of tragic heroism; it resembled the image of a warrior cutting off his own arm.
"I... 800 per episode is fine."
As soon as he said that, the other four people immediately deflated.
800 yuan!
Their acting skills were all about the same, but this guy drove the price down to rock bottom.
Continuing like this would just be a waste of money, so it's better to use that time to play more roles in other productions.
The group exchanged glances and then sighed one after another.
"Alright, it's yours."
"Bro, you're ruthless."
"3000 yuan per episode... to play Zhen Zhibing... what are you getting out of this?"
Lin Hao did not answer the last question.
What picture?
Forget about it.
He originally came to make a profit from the price difference, but now he hasn't made any profit and has become the most humble person in the room.
The awakened individuals' first pot of gold was ruthlessly crushed by the market economy.
Yu Min couldn't help but laugh when she saw Lin Hao's expressionless face, which even looked like he was about to cry.
"Alright, it's settled." He slapped the table. "Congratulations, kid, Zhen Zhibing is yours. Sign the contract the day after tomorrow, then join the crew."
The assistant director and casting director also smiled and offered their congratulations.
Lin Hao forced a smile, a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Thank you...Director."
Thus, Lin Hao landed his first role in an extremely tragic way.
Zhen Zhibing.
800 yuan per episode.
The middlemen's dream of making a profit from the price difference has been shattered.
After the audition, when Lin Hao walked out of the hotel, he found Yang Mi standing at the lobby entrance.
Wearing that white T-shirt, her ponytail swayed gently in the wind, one hand was in her jeans pocket, and the other was holding an ice pop and eating it.
Upon seeing Lin Hao emerge, she immediately threw away her popsicle stick and hurried to greet him.
"How did it go? Did you get elected?"
"You've been selected."
"Really?" Yang Mi grabbed his arm, her eyes lighting up. "You're something else!"
The surprise at that moment was real.
But she quickly retracted it the next second, replacing it with a smug "I knew it" expression.
"Tell me, did you bribe the director?"
"How dare you talk like that? Can't I have real ability?"
"You?" Yang Mi looked him up and down with the same eye she would give a thief. "You call that strength? If you really have strength, I'll write my name backwards."
"If you write it backwards, you won't be Yang Mi anymore?"
"...Shut up."
The two left the hotel amidst a noisy argument.
Yang Mi was joking on the surface, but as she walked behind Lin Hao, she couldn't help but glance at him several times.
She truly didn't expect Lin Hao to be selected.
It's not that I look down on him, but rather that I know his situation all too well.
Having undergone facial surgery and having limited mobility is practically a death sentence for actors.
But he refused to accept his fate.
From childhood to adulthood, while others were playing video games, playing soccer, or chasing girls, Lin Hao was practicing lines, physical movements, and acting.
She saw it all, but though she didn't say anything, it pained her deeply.
She wouldn't believe it if I said it wasn't because of her.
But this damned rat would never admit it, no matter what.
Humph.
Resentment is resentment, but what good will admitting it do?
She didn't know the answer either.
"What are you standing there for? Let's go." Lin Hao turned around and glanced at her.
"Who's stunned! You're the one who's stunned! Your whole family is stunned!"
Yang Mi caught up with him, and a new round of bickering began.
The sunset in Beijing in autumn is beautiful.
The shadows of the two boys were stretched very long, like a warm silhouette left behind by this era.