Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 383

383. A Well-Timed Piece of News (1)

November 18, 2022

“……Why are you looking at me like that? It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“Why don’t we just skip the auditions and have Yeonwoo pick someone? How about it? I’ll give Yeonwoo all the casting costs.”

After finishing all the auditions for the last role, Mac, who had been staring at Yeonwoo, said that.

A ridiculous suggestion.

But Mac was very serious.

“Are you aware that the audition costs come out of my pocket?”

“Ah. That’s right……wasn’t it……?”

Cash even joined in, looking at us with great regret.

“I wish I could become your disciple. I pride myself on being a casting director with some name value in Hollywood, but compared to Yeonwoo……really…….”

“I only intervened a few times…….”

The judges picked out 70% of them on their own.

“Those few times were incredibly amazing!”

Yeonwoo’s picks didn’t seem particularly special to others.

There were times when he confirmed surprising results in the first audition, like with Elliot, but more often than not, that wasn’t the case.

‘Hmm. Yeonwoo can make mistakes too…….’

I trust Yeonwoo’s eye.

But you can’t do business on trust alone.

Mac and Cash tested other applicants together until the final audition.

And the result was the current situation.

“I still don’t know how you managed to put the perfect people in those roles. Did you meet with the applicants behind our backs or something? Did you do a background check?”

“Would I do that?”

I just checked openly.

With the Shillian given by those inspirations in high places.

[Shillian] [A+]

-You can check the opponent’s stats without touching them.

Don’t forget that this is a trace of consideration to celebrate your hard work.

However, there is a distance limit to prevent abuse.

The explanation sounds a bit like a medicine peddler selling medicine.

But the effect was very good.

Thanks to using it all the time at the audition, I learned how to use it in my own way.

‘I cursed at them for making everything visible, but I didn’t know it had an on/off function.’

Come to think of it, after the first day of auditions, when I took medicine and fell asleep because of a headache, I had a dream where colorful clouds were billowing.

Usually, such dreams are incredibly sacred, but…….

I didn’t feel so good when I woke up.

I couldn’t hear it well, but it felt like I heard nagging complaints like chanting all around me.

“But we know that Yeonwoo picked the right people, but there’s some unpleasant noise coming from other places. I’m telling you in advance because I’m worried Yeonwoo might feel bad, so don’t misunderstand.”

Cash said in a very cautious voice.

“What are they saying?”

“Um……. That’s…….”

Both Mac and Cash hesitated to answer.

A light tone intervened in the gap.

“They’re saying we’re just a bunch of third-raters and that we’re going to fail soon.”

It was Gabriel, who wasn’t even a manager but always followed Yeonwoo.

“I found out later that some rising stars came to the audition? But even if they did, if I didn’t recognize them, they’re not that famous. Anyway, it seems like the rumors are spreading about them talking smack after they failed the audition.”

Come to think of it, I think I heard later that a guy named Jo, who graduated at the top of his class from a famous drama school, was a big shot in the theater world.

‘I can’t even remember his name, so he must not be a big deal. All I remember is that he was in a gang……?’

His acting was better than Elliot’s, but the feeling I got was just unpleasant.

It felt like seeing a cunning viper wearing a smooth mask and dealing with people.

“If it weren’t for the public service announcement, our movie would have been treated like garbage. They would have been happily talking about how it’s a disastrous flop that can’t even be shown in theaters. My image before the public service announcement wasn’t great either.”

“Is that all they’re saying?”

“There are a few more. They’re really tearing into the lead actor for being someone no one’s ever heard of? Well, I know Yeonwoo, so you wouldn’t care.”

That’s right.

In fact, Yeonwoo, who was listening to the story, didn’t feel any sense of crisis or worry at all.

Only the staff, like Mac and Cash, looked at Yeonwoo with anxiety as he remained indifferent.

Their rough thoughts, anxious eyes, and the other staff watching them.

The person involved was so carefree.

“Ah. And there’s this too. They say some *nouveau riche* [new money] is backing us. I don’t think they know it’s Yeonwoo, but since it’s a new company, it’s attracting attention. They’re even getting signatures saying that this kind of movie shouldn’t be made in Hollywood? I think they’re just jealous and going crazy.”

Gabriel continued cynically.

“Who would have expected it? A movie with unlimited investment and even guaranteed editing rights! They think they should have been in Mac’s place, not him. And they’re saying that if it were them, they wouldn’t make a movie with these third-raters.”

“Ga, Gabriel? Shouldn’t you stop talking now……?”

Cash was even trying to stop Gabriel.

“Let them talk all they want.”

“Still……won’t it be a little dangerous? Shouldn’t we write a press release and distribute it to the PR team…….”

“No. It’s best not to respond. If we react now, it will only show that we’re paying attention to every little thing.”

Yeonwoo, the investor, lead actor, and person most under fire, said it without a care.

He really didn’t care.

“Anyway, once it’s released, they’ll know it was all bullshit. There’s no need to worry about it now. Or…….”

Yeonwoo, who had been speaking calmly, stared at Mac and Cash.

The assistant director and key filming staff, also known as Mac’s division, who had been watching nervously, looked this way and tensed up.

“You’re not going to be swayed by those stories, are you?”

“……!”

“……!”

It seemed like he was saying it with a smile, but everyone felt it.

That was a kind of warning.

Don’t get distracted by strange things and do your job properly.

At the same time, it was a warning and a show of faith.

‘Right. If we do well, it doesn’t matter what others say!’

‘If we get swayed by the talk of failure, we’re the only ones who will lose. We should just ignore that kind of talk.’

‘He says we’ll know once it’s released. He could never say that if he didn’t trust us! Right! I’ll grind my bones to repay that trust……!’

With Yeonwoo’s one word, the atmosphere, which had been sinking with worry and anxiety, changed completely.

Suddenly, willpower surged, and they rekindled their fighting spirit with the suddenly changed atmosphere.

“Wow……. Yeonwoo, you really……. You have a way of making people pull themselves together. Well, I think I kind of pulled myself together too.”

“Is that something you should be saying? You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Ah, I got caught?”

“I’d be more surprised if you thought you wouldn’t get caught.”

“But anyway, Yeonwoo, you don’t care. If our weak staff members collapse again because of this, we’ll be in trouble too…….”

So, in a nutshell, Gabriel was standing up for Yeonwoo in his own way.

“What, why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, I just thought you’ve grown a lot.”

“……Suddenly?”

“For someone who didn’t know what consideration was until recently……. Quite…….”

“That’s an insult, isn’t it?! It is, isn’t it?!”

“Unfortunately, it’s a compliment.”

As the seed grows, Gabriel’s growth also takes place.

It wasn’t bad to see him, who had been tied to his childhood, slowly changing into a mature person.

In any case, thanks to Gabriel stirring things up on purpose, the atmosphere on set was refreshed.

“We’re going to have an official crank-in [start of filming] and a script reading, so if the atmosphere is like this, the actors will be shaken, so everyone needs to get their act together!”

Fortunately, Mac Houston was the first to come to his senses.

No, it’s good that he came to his senses, but…….

‘What is it? Why do his eyes seem to be glowing with madness?’

Strangely, I felt that fanatic moment from when I first met him in the eyes looking at me.

After the commotion subsided, Mac’s work was as aggressive as a bulldozer.

The official meeting of the actors who passed the final audition was only a short time ago.

But now, less than a week later.

“Does it usually proceed this quickly?”

The script reading schedule was already set.

“Not usually……. Mac tends to rush things a bit? Some procedures have been omitted. Actually, I think this flow is normal. I think it was slow before because there were too many formalities.”

A movie is not made by one person.

It’s not just about the actors.

Since it’s an industry that costs a lot of money, there are many companies and capital involved.

In short, the approval line is very long.

Each film company has a slightly different personality, but it’s not uncommon for the director to come up with something and have it rejected from above.

Budget issues too.

Some investment companies even ignore the director’s wishes and tell them what to do.

“You submit the approval, and then the investment company has a meeting. That takes up a lot of time. But the problem is that most of the people there don’t really consider the situation on set. It’s really annoying when they tell you to cut a scene you’ve already shot. If that happens repeatedly, the director becomes reluctant to film. It feels like you’re being watched every step of the way.”

Of course, this isn’t the only reason why the filming period is prolonged.

There are also the actors’ schedules.

The weather may not cooperate, or the location may not be coordinated.

If sponsorship comes in, they keep retaking to get the best results to match the sponsorship.

NGs [no good takes] can’t be ignored either.

“But we won’t have that! Hahaha! You bastards will be jealous!”

The assistant director expressed his resentment to someone, probably because he had a lot built up.

Anyway, what Yeonwoo found out was this.

‘It’s possible because unnecessary procedures are omitted.’

That was something Yeonwoo welcomed.

Endless capital, willpower, and motivation.

With all of that in place, a crazy forced march was a sure thing.

Especially,

“We don’t know when those guys will come to their senses and interfere! So it’s best to proceed quickly! The sooner we show something, the better!”

There’s no reason to drag it out when the director is gritting his teeth and saying that.

Mac neatly shortened the enormous amount of time that others take from a few weeks to several months.

First of all, it seemed crazy to say that we should memorize all the scripts in a week and do a script reading.

‘If I didn’t have the stamina of a water buffalo, it would have been a bit tough for me too.’

The S-grade stat I got from Raymond shone.

Anyway, the start was very energetic.

Perhaps because of the pride of having earned their place with their acting skills and abilities, not being pushed back by name value, the atmosphere of the actors was also very good.

“I was really surprised when I received the entire script. I’ve seen a lot of scenarios, but this is the first time I’ve been so engrossed in it. I read it as a reader, not as an actor.”

“That’s right. The setting is also unique……. Reading thoughts with the other person’s belongings. If it was just that, I’d think it was just a surreal movie. But then they connect it to reality, and the surreal feeling disappears?”

“It’s fresh. A lot of people are tired of big franchises these days, so our movie will definitely be a hit.”

They wouldn’t be able to see the dazzling gold like Yeonwoo.

But people with an eye for it couldn’t help but admire the entire scenario provided.

If they’re interested, they’ll naturally delve into it.

Then, it naturally leads to active research into the roles.

It was only natural that the actors voluntarily participated in this forced march.

And.

-“Yeonwoo. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

Another piece of good news came.

-“The premiere screening of ‘Natural Born Black’ has been scheduled. I’ll send you an invitation, so can you come? It would be nice if you came with Gabriel. Jonas would be happy if Director Mac came too.”

A well-timed piece of news that could deliver a counter punch to those who were hoping the movie would fail.