intermediary……

Xu Xin is really unfamiliar with this word.

In my impression... I haven't had much dealings with agents since I started making movies.

But looking at Diao Yinan's taken-for-granted look, after his forehead was filled with questions, he couldn't help but ask:

"Director Diao, are there any special requirements for the train station, train, etc. you requested?"

"No, it's just an old Type 23 train that matches that era."

As he said that, he seemed to think that Xu Xin and Qi Lei had misunderstood something, so he took the initiative to explain:

"It's like this, Director Xu, I plan to place the shooting location this time in Northeast China. I will try my best to restore the style of that era in everything that appears in the shot. The trains we need to use are not the ones we found in Hengdian.

That kind of steam locomotive is not a modern train.

But... they have been used since the 1960s and 1970s, and they are shabby trains. These are still relatively difficult to find. They can only be found in some small mines and small stations. You have to pay to rent someone else's car.

, most people won’t use it, so they must rely on some connections..."

"..."

"..."

Xu Xin and Qi Lei looked at each other.

His eyes looked a little ridiculous.

However, Qi Lei did not continue talking to him, but continued to look down.

Soon I saw something wrong again.

"Um... Director Diao, what's going on with the transport belt usage fee? Two hundred thousand a morning... and there's a parenthesis at the end (tentatively drafted)?"

"Oh, you said this."

Diao Yinan nodded:

"This is the usage fee for the coal trestle."

"...?"

Xu Xin was confused again.

Coal transport trestle?

usage fee?

If you take these words apart, he knows them all.

But why is the combination so strange?

He couldn't help but ask:

"What's going on with this usage fee?"

"That's right, Director Xu, in this script, the body was dismembered and found on the coal trestle of the train station. Then the police came to collect evidence..."

"Ok, I know."

Xu Xin tapped the script in his hand with his pen.

This is the beginning of the story. After discovering the dismembered body, the rest of the plot begins.

But……

"What is this usage fee? Is it also an intermediary?"

"right."

Diao Yinan nodded:

"Think about it, we have to film a movie, and they have to transport coal. This trestle is for transporting coal..."

Xu Xinxin said you were not talking nonsense?

How many trestles are there in each mine in my house? Can you tell me if I need them?

"Coal has to be transported up through the trestle, but if we go to film...their trestle has to stop. Every second it stops costs money. When the coal is taken out, it is pulled out by train skins. One belt is stopped, resulting in

If the transportation capacity is not satisfied, a lot of money will be lost... This person even interceded for me, and the other party reluctantly agreed to suspend the conveyor belt at that time, so that we could finish filming and leave..."

"..."

Now, Xu Xin finally understood.

The tricky guide in front of me...

Putting aside the director's skills and the script, let's just talk about the composition of the crew...

He seems to be a big shopkeeper who just throws away his hands?

He... simply doesn't understand anything.

Looking at Qi Lei's ridiculous virtue, you will know how outrageous this offer is.

After thinking for a while, Xu Xin said:

"Director Diao, is the quotation you are showing Brother Qi now your entire budget plan?"

"right."

"detailed?"

"detailed."

"Then... how about... you send us a copy of this budget plan? We can help you make a new budget?"

This is actually quite abrupt to say.

Xu Xin also knew that what he said would sound harsh to Diao Yinan, so he explained with a smile:

"Of course, Director Diao, it's not that we question this quotation. It's just... there are some things in it that we can all shoot in a more economical way. For example, take the section of the trestle bridge. My family is engaged in mining.

We can think of ways to do this by then. And, although I don’t know what the trains and the like you are talking about are, I have quite a few friends in the Northeast, and it’s not difficult to find someone to help me. So... we

How about we make a new quotation and bring it over to you for a look?"

He spoke very mellowly.

But I didn’t expect Diao Yinan to be much easier to talk to than expected:

"Okay, if I can save some money, I can add it to the actors' remuneration. I can at least find some better actors, no problem."

He happily agreed, then reached out and asked Qi Lei for the notebook, and then sent it directly to the mailbox Qi Lei gave him.

At this time, Xu Xin asked:

"Director Diao... I would like to take the liberty to ask, as for this so-called... agency, prop company. Did you find it yourself? Or..."

"Introduced by a friend."

Diao Yinan said:

"This script involves a lot of things, whether it's decoration, props with a sense of age, and some things about the venue. Because I have to prepare the script, I am the only one who prepares the entire crew. So...

…”

"Don't you have your own crew?"

"Yes, but the investment for this script has not yet been secured. Although I have made an agreement with a few friends...but I can't let everyone wait for me if there is something unreasonable."

When Diao Yinan spoke, Xu Xin's eyes fell on his laptop again.

Dell's.

The model number is unclear, but you can see a lot of dust accumulation on the laptop speakers.

The entire notebook smells old.

Not to mention, when he connected to the Internet just now, his computer was stuck in a mess.

After taking everything into consideration, Xu Xin suddenly asked again:

"Director Diao, Yang Mi actually has an impression of you."

"……ah?"

Diao Yinan was stunned.

Perhaps the topic changed a little too quickly, and obviously he didn't react.

After thinking for a while, I realized why Xu Xin said this.

He asked tentatively:

"It was...when we were in Cannes?"

"Yes, she had a chance encounter with you at Cannes in 2007."

Xu Xin smiled and nodded, and naturally changed the topic:

"Your work at that time was "Night Train"."
To be continued...