Full-Time Public Enemy-Chapter 580 - 469: Killing Two Birds with One Stone_2

To sweet-talk Chen Gu into acting, Ding Zhou had promised it would be a major production. However, the funds from the Bureau of Mystic Security and the military didn't grow on trees. This project was most likely going to flop—or, if one were confident enough, they could drop the "most likely."

Five hundred million invested, just to go down the drain?

Ding Zhou figured that even with utmost frugality, at least two hundred million Starshield would be needed; otherwise, he would have trouble explaining things to Chen Gu.

Moreover, if the budget for special effects was reduced further, a sort of visual 'break' would become apparent.

That segment of the live broadcast was real and would definitely be used in the movie. If the special effects in other parts were too poor, it would look jarringly inconsistent and arouse suspicion.

Ding Zhou and Bai Yunpeng explored many avenues for securing sponsorships.

They promised certain benefits and managed to secure a total of one hundred million Starshield in sponsorships from various families and businesses. As for the remainder, the Bureau and the military had no choice but to split the cost.

Now that the funding was finally in place, Ding Zhou could at last push the project forward.

Chen Gu wasn't busy with anything lately, so he went to the filming location using the address Ding Zhou had given him.

What's that? You say he's still a student and needs to attend classes? That's not important. Matters concerning the military and the Bureau of Mystic Security were vital to national security!

Yu Mozi was a new-generation director. After graduating from an obscure film academy, he'd spent over a decade working his way up through various film crews, finally earning his stripes as a director.

However, he was very talented and a quick learner. Consequently, several of his low-budget films had performed well.

He had won a few minor awards, and the box office returns were considered quite successful.

Then, out of the blue, industry magnate Gao Mengjiu approached him to direct a "five-hundred-million major production." Yu Mozi was overjoyed, feeling he was finally on his way to joining the ranks of top-tier directors.

However, he soon found out the actual budget totaled only two hundred million Starshield.

Out of this, at least fifty million had to be set aside for post-production promotional costs, leaving only one hundred and fifty million Starshield for production.

This was only because the live broadcast had saved the bulk of the promotional expenses; otherwise, the production budget would have been at most one hundred million Starshield.

One hundred and fifty million... Well, it would have to do.

In this era, investments exceeding one hundred million Starshield were considered major productions.

However, as the crew was being assembled, he grew increasingly uncomfortable. He had no say in casting; all the actors were foisted upon him due to various connections.

He complained to Gao Mengjiu, who responded by showing him the entire investment plan and pointing them out one by one: "This actor is that investor's sister-in-law; that actor is another investor's godson," and so on.

Yu Mozi had often encountered such situations. When people invested money, it was common for them to insert one or two of their own people into the project.

But for such a large investment, wasn't it too frivolous to cast a star from the Giant Beast League as the lead?

However, that live broadcast footage made it impossible for him to replace the lead actor.

It's over... Yu Mozi was ready to give up. Although it was a major production, if it flopped, it would be a heavy blow to his career. He might not land another major production for decades.

Gao Mengjiu still wanted to retain Yu Mozi, as he believed in his abilities. "Just start filming," he said. "We won't shortchange you a single Starshield of your director's fee. If, in the end, you genuinely feel the film isn't up to par, you can relinquish your director's credit, and we'll simply put someone else's name on it."

Yu Mozi hesitated repeatedly. He was no longer an unknown, small-time director; how could he allow something he shot to carry someone else's name?

Gao Mengjiu then said, "How about this: in your future films, if you need it, I can have my stars—including Man Suling—make a guest appearance for you, free of charge. How about that?"

Yu Mozi finally, reluctantly, agreed. "Alright."

But today, upon arriving at the set, Yu Mozi regretted his decision once more. What kind of monsters and freaks are these?

Yes, they all looked good—after all, in this era, as long as you have money, you can be as beautiful as you want.

But they didn't look like actors!

Had he ever seen a minor cast member arrive in a multimillion-Starshield luxury van, escorted by bulletproof maglev cars, and then join the set with three assistants and six bodyguards?

The lead actor hadn't arrived yet, but Yu Mozi had already lost all hope. He even decided that after filming began, he would direct a few scenes, then throw a tantrum, smash the clapperboard, and storm off.

Gao Mengjiu, on the other hand, had arrived early with Chen Qingyu. He introduced her to Yu Mozi, and the young woman, understanding her position as a newcomer, showed great respect for the director.

When Chen Gu arrived, Yu Mozi looked him over and commented begrudgingly, "His looks... are passable, I suppose."

Huh? Chen Gu was taken aback.

Excuse me? I'm an idol actor too, alright? In my previous life, I was the heartthrob of many film crews!

Looking around, he saw the other actors had all undergone genetic modification, each more sultry and delicate-featured than the last... Chen Gu felt a wave of nausea. What kind of aesthetic sense is this?!

Yu Mozi was furious too. He's the lead actor, how dare he question a director's aesthetic sense?!

Gao Mengjiu quickly tried to smooth things over, "Alright, alright, everyone's here. Let's have the opening ceremony first, then we'll start shooting as soon as possible. Everyone's schedules are tight."

Throughout the opening ceremony, the cast members who had gotten their roles through connections were visibly excited, but Yu Mozi's expression remained cold, without a hint of a smile.