Although the original Beverly had a bad reputation and many students wouldn’t choose to apply, that’s only because they have options—those without options would still want to try, even if it’s a lousy film. What if, just what if, it’s not a lousy film?

That afternoon, Shawn Carter had already met with the head of the animation company that Blake had arranged, but after Shawn Carter explained his ideas, the company head said it couldn’t be done, so they didn’t reach an agreement.

“Bro, I don’t really get animation. Is your company really unable to take this job?” Blake said to his buddy beside him, “This Boss Carter, though young, already has the film project approved, and there’s no problem with funding—it’s a good gig. So I think the price is about right.”

Blake wasn’t involved, and when he heard the deal fell through, his first reaction was to think it was about the price.

The animation company head gave a wry smile: “It’s not about the money. Of course, the higher the price, the better for us, but to be fair, Boss Carter’s offer is very good. The main issue is that our company can’t achieve the animation effect he wants.” He spread his hands helplessly.

“Hm?” Blake was surprised and casually asked, “So, to complete this order, what level of animation company would be needed?”

“In China, probably only companies like Caihua, Mogui, or Second Block could do it.” His buddy changed the topic: “But the animation content is too bloody and violent. I think it’s more reliable to find a foreign company.”

“A foreign company—alright, got it.” Blake nodded, saw his buddy off, and ended with: I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.

Blake truly lives up to his name—he immediately promised Shawn Carter that within two days he’d get in touch with a company capable of achieving that effect.

The afternoon wasn’t unproductive; the crew’s photography team was all organized, including the assistant cameraman, camera assistant, mechanical operator, lighting engineer, and lighting assistant.

Building a crew is really not easy. The art department is still in negotiations. You have to know, the art department isn’t just the chief and deputy art directors, but also costume, makeup, and props. It’s well known that the costume and props for Kill Bill were very special—basically designed by Quentin himself, especially the swords and weapons, which cost sixty thousand US dollars.

The day after getting the system, Shawn Carter started auditioning actors. He rented a lounge, and all these expenses could be covered by the special funds from the system, including the room Shawn Carter booked for himself.

Actually, it’s not that Shawn Carter likes luxury, nor is he a high-profile person. He mainly likes that this five-star hotel is close to the school and convenient for taking the subway.

Chapter 6 Actor Auditions

“Brother Carter, does this disciple of Hattori Hanzo not have a name?” Hunter pondered over the script for quite a while after getting it.

“No.” Shawn Carter shook his head and said, “But one thing’s for sure: you’re playing a Japanese character, so your speech and movements should be more exaggerated.”

Seeing Hunter’s puzzled look, Shawn Carter explained, “The dialogue coach should have told you, don’t let your acting be superficial, but for this character, the surface is exactly what we want—play up our stereotypical image of Japanese people: loud voice, easily startled, and a bit exaggerated in expression.”

“I got it.” Hunter nodded, understanding that this was basically the legendary ‘going against the grain’!

“Go out and call in the next one.” Shawn Carter scored the previous auditioning actor.

Hunter left and closed the lounge door behind him.

The lounge was very large, and since there was only one person on the audition panel, it felt quite empty.

Maybe someone would ask—well, even if no one asks, it should be explained—why do other film auditions have three or four judges, but the Kill Bill crew only has Shawn Carter alone?

The reason is simple: other crews have both the director and producer involved in casting, but Director Carter is also the producer for this film, and will also serve as the action director and handle post-production music.

As for the casting director, Blake has already joined the crew, but the casting director is an assistant director whose job is to recruit extras, small roles, or special-type actors. The main roles are not within his responsibilities. In summary, this is a one-man show for Shawn Carter.

“So this is what it’s like for a big director to have the final say in casting? Feels great!” Shawn Carter felt like he’d eaten a ginseng fruit.

Big-name directors may have producers involved in casting, but because of their high reputation and past achievements, they basically have the final say. Stephen Chow could cast a never-acted-before print model as the female lead in a 300-million-yuan film, and Zhang Yimou could make the call to cast a newcomer amid huge anticipation. That’s the willfulness of a big director.

Shawn Carter had never experienced this before, but now he was tasting the sweetness.

“Delicious!”

He vowed to work even harder at cre(ati)on (and) pro(duct)ion, walking further and further down the shameless path.

There’s a misconception here—it’s not that you can be willful just because you have money. For example, if you’re a new director and want to promote a newcomer, then invite an A-lister or veteran actor to play alongside them, you must have enough clout as a director to pull it off.

“What’s this called? I have a big brother and you don’t—that’s my reason for being willful.” Shawn Carter thought to himself, “Right, system bro?”

A daily bit of flirting.

As Shawn Carter was daydreaming, after a while, the lounge door opened and Erin Ray walked in.

Erin Ray had a chubby face, long hair, and a cute appearance. Shawn Carter judged in his heart that at least in terms of looks, she fit the part.