"Bro, this is Mr. Strong, and this is Mr. Stone." Blake said, "Mr. Scott Stone needs no introduction—I had a great time working with him on the last crew."

"Mr. Stanley Strong is really impressive. He’s worked as a location producer for several major productions. The key thing is, I hear you’re planning to go to Japan to learn from their experience, and Mr. Strong was the location producer for the crew of 'Fun in Kyoto.' That was the only Chinese crew to successfully shoot at Nijō Castle." Blake introduced.

That did sound impressive. Nijō Castle, as the former residence of a shogun, has some history, and the Japanese are known for their strict protection of historical sites.

Stanley Strong was in his forties, and his surname was quite rare, as was his appearance—not unusually handsome or ugly, just an uncommon kind of ordinary. The kind of face you’d never pick out in a crowd, unlike the distinctively average Louis Koo.

Scott Stone, on the other hand, was a burly middle-aged man. Though he looked rough around the edges, Shawn Carter, who had worked with him before, remembered that he was actually very thorough and attentive.

"Mr. Strong, Mr. Stone, nice to meet you." Shawn Carter greeted them with a handshake.

There wasn’t much small talk. After discussing salaries and quickly signing contracts, they got right to work. Not only did they need to arrange locations in Japan, but also at the Beijing Film Studio. In fact, most of the scenes for "Kill Bill on Earth" were shot at the Beijing Film Studio, and it was up to Stanley Strong, the location producer, to negotiate all of this.

Meanwhile, the production manager had already started organizing their own team. With a crew of over a hundred people—sometimes several hundred—there was no way one person could handle it all. So under the production manager, there were coordinators, assistants, and others to help.

"The animation company has already been contacted. We can meet them this afternoon." Blake added, "Bro, I see your new film seems to be an action movie. What kind of action director do you need?"

The "action director" is what people usually call the fight choreographer. If you want to be precise, an action director also covers chase scenes, gunfights, and so on. Here’s a fun fact: many movies like to hire Korean action directors...

"I’ll be the action director myself," Shawn Carter replied.

"Bro, take some advice from me—action director and main director are two different fields," Blake said. "I know your last film flopped, and you want to redeem yourself with this one, but even top directors don’t act as their own action directors, unless they started out in that field."

It wasn’t that Shawn Carter was being reckless—there was no Yuen Woo-ping in this world, so if he wanted authenticity, he’d have to do it himself. Luckily, the shooting tutorials were very clear, so recreating things step by step wouldn’t be a problem.

Stanley Strong and Scott Stone exchanged a glance at this, and both of their eyes twitched. They shared the same thought: "A young man with no experience can’t be trusted." It didn’t seem very reliable.

Since it was their first time working together, Shawn Carter hosted a meal for Stanley Strong and Scott Stone to get to know each other better.

Cut to the Beijing Film Academy forum.

Sophomore Shawn Carter posted five minutes ago—

[Open Casting Call:

Shawn Carter's new drama "Kill Bill."

Role: Beautiful young female assassin, important supporting actress

Requirements: About 163cm tall, regular features, youthful appearance, some acting experience.

Availability: Around twenty days, must be able to travel with the crew to Japan for filming

(If interested, please DM)]

Two open casting calls were posted in a row, the second with a similar format, so no need to repeat.

Unlike the Central Academy of Drama and Shanghai Theatre Academy, which oppose students taking acting jobs during their studies, the Beijing Film Academy takes a neutral stance—neither supporting nor opposing it. As a result, many web dramas and series ask BFA students to help post casting calls, making the BFA forum’s daily traffic very high, while the official campus intranet’s traffic is quite low.

Why ask BFA students? Because the BFA forum requires a student ID number to log in—outsiders can’t get in.

1st floor: Shawn Carter... this name sounds familiar.

2nd floor: If I’m not mistaken, this is the director of "Six Panels," the lowest-rated movie on Douban this year—maybe even for the rest of the year.

3rd floor: Huh? I remember "Six Panels" flopped hard, so how did he get tens of millions in investment for this one? Is it really that easy to fool investors these days? [Anonymous message]

4th floor: Clearly you don’t know the whole story. I heard Shawn Carter is a rich second generation—he invests in himself. Jealous? Personally, I admire this junior. If you want to direct movies, you have to keep going no matter what!

5th floor: If you think it’s so great, why don’t you audition?

6th floor: I’m a guy. The role is a beautiful female assassin. Should I cross-dress for the audition?

7th floor: Waiting to see the new film "Kill Bill" outdo "Six Panels" in the opposite direction. [Anonymous message]

8th floor: Just a word of advice—think carefully. I heard that senior Nina Goodwin failed her audition for "Sword Heart, Blade Guest" because she acted in that flop. [Anonymous message]

...

In no time, the comments reached over a hundred, roughly falling into three categories: onlookers gossiping, people spamming the forum, and, most of all, skeptics.

It wasn’t that Shawn Carter was unpopular. First, his debut film’s failure was already a black mark. Second, being a sophomore and already directing a film with tens of millions in investment was enough to make people envious.