A proper film crew has a fairly complex structure. Besides the actors, there are producers, production managers, directors, executive producers, planners, art directors, cinematographers, and more.
Then come the assistant directors, makeup artists, set designers, lighting technicians, prop masters, logistics staff, accountants, and assistants. It is easy for a production to have over a hundred people, and crews of several hundred are common.
The crew for 'A Chinese Ghost Story' was relatively small. There weren't many characters in the film, so the cast was limited, but every essential position was still filled.
Aside from the dozen or so members from Lu Chen's workshop, most of the crew had been assigned by Jiayang Film Industry. Among them, some were temporary hires and weren't actually permanent employees.
That was perfectly normal. Even a company the size of Jiayang Film Industry couldn't afford to keep that many people on the payroll year-round; even major film companies carefully controlled their staffing levels.
The industry also had agencies that specialized in solving this problem. Whenever a production company started a new project and needed crew, whether actors, screenwriters, camera operators, sound engineers, or even directors, they could all be hired through agencies, saving the company a great deal of money.
The five people who suddenly announced they were leaving the production were all general assistants working in logistics. None of them were particularly important, and the crew could continue operating without them.
Even so, it was a dangerous sign. The incident with the dead cats had shaken morale throughout the crew, and the filming schedule was now facing serious disruption.
But that wasn't the end of it. That afternoon, the production truck parked in the film city's lot had its tires slashed.
All four tires were ruined.
The truck had been used yesterday and again at noon by Zhang Xiaofang and the others to pick up boxed lunches. The saboteur's intentions couldn't have been more obvious.
"Call the police," Lu Chen said to Chen Wenqiang. "And file a complaint with the Film City Management Committee as well."
Lu Chen had managed to hold back when someone threw dead cats onto the set that morning. But now he had reached the end of his patience. He knew perfectly well that neither calling the police nor filing a complaint would truly solve the problem.
Even if the troublemakers were caught, the punishment would be minor at most, a fine and a few days in jail before they were back out causing trouble again. Besides, whether the culprits could even be identified was still anyone's guess. This wasn't a criminal case.
As long as Honghua kept harassing them like this, the entire production would be thrown into chaos, making it impossible for anyone to focus on filming. This was exactly what made these gang organizations so disgusting. They no longer needed to rely on beatings or outright violence to get what they wanted.
Faced with this kind of pressure, any film crew without enough connections or influence would most likely have no choice but to bow their heads, either paying protection money or giving up a share of the profits to buy themselves some peace.
Lu Chen had considered taking a financial loss to avoid further trouble, but the other side was clearly pushing for more. There was no way this would end peacefully.
Calling the police and filing a complaint was his way of making one thing clear: he would never bow his head.
Chen Wenqiang nodded. "I'll take care of it right away. But..."
He hesitated before continuing. "Without direct evidence, we'd better not accuse Honghua."
Anyone with half a brain could guess that Honghua was behind the incidents. But knowing it and formally accusing them to the police or management were two completely different things.
Making accusations without evidence would only give the other side grounds to sue for defamation. These days, the gangs had learned from the mistakes of their predecessors. They opened companies, ran factories, invested in legitimate businesses, and kept lawyers on retainer as a shield.
They were experts at using the law to get what they wanted. For all they knew, Honghua was hoping the film crew would file a complaint against them.
Chen Wenqiang's explanation was an eye-opener for Lu Chen. So this was how the underworld operated these days. But now that things had reached this point, there was no room for him to back down.
Just as Chen Wenqiang pulled out his phone to call the police, it suddenly rang. He answered, exchanged a few words, and his expression immediately changed. The caller hung up moments later.
"What's wrong?" Sensing that something was off, Lu Chen immediately asked, "Did something else happen?"
Chen Wenqiang nodded with a bitter smile. "Liu Zhaohui has quit. He's withdrawn from the production."
Liu Zhaohui was the Hong Kong actor playing the Tree Demon Grandmother. He had been in the industry for decades and played countless roles. He was fairly well known for his villainous supporting characters, and Lu Chen had seen him in many Hong Kong films over the years.
The cast of 'A Chinese Ghost Story' wasn't exactly star-studded, so Liu Zhaohui counted as one of its more recognizable names.
Since he didn't have any scenes scheduled over the past two days, he hadn't been at the set. But he had obviously heard what happened and decided to back out. Veteran actors like him usually value their reputation.
Once word got out that they broke contracts, other productions would stop hiring them; it was the same as smashing their own rice bowl. If the pressure hadn't been overwhelming, Liu Zhaohui would never have broken his contract.
"Damn it!" The more Chen Wenqiang thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help cursing.
Considering the actor had been playing the "Grandmother," Lu Chen almost laughed at the irony. "Wasn't Liu Zhaohui brought in by Jiayang?"
Jiayang Film Industry had specifically fought for that role during negotiations. Now that Liu Zhaohui had broken his contract, it was just as much a slap in Jiayang's face. Were they really going to do nothing?
Chen Wenqiang gave another bitter smile. "It was Jiayang who informed me."
Then there was no salvaging the situation.
Lu Chen felt like cursing too, but he forced himself to suppress his anger. "Uncle Qiang, don't call the police yet. Please ask Uncle Ma to come over."
Chen Wenqiang froze for a moment before immediately understanding what Lu Chen meant. Liu Zhaohui was already gone. If another key supporting actor, Ma Rongzhen, also walked away, more than half the production would be crippled, and everything would fall apart.
Compared to Liu Zhaohui, who had established himself in show business, Ma Rongzhen, whose career had never really taken off, was probably under even greater pressure.
So at a time like this, Lu Chen couldn't afford to panic. He had to do everything possible to steady the crew's morale, and the first step was making sure an important cast member like Ma Rongzhen didn't leave.
Ma Rongzhen arrived shortly afterward. Like Liu Zhaohui, he was a supporting actor and didn't have any scenes to film for the moment.
But unlike Liu Zhaohui, who had disappeared after the opening ceremony, Ma Rongzhen had stayed with the crew the whole time, even helping out with odd jobs whenever he could.
Perhaps because he had experienced losing everything before, Ma Rongzhen treasured this opportunity even more. He didn't boast or make grand promises; he simply showed his determination through his actions.
"Young Lu, you wanted to see me?"
Getting straight to the point, Lu Chen asked, "Uncle Ma, has anyone tried to get you to leave the production?"
---
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395