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Chapter 39: Remuneration
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When the woman said this, it meant that the remuneration was still negotiable.
The remuneration for this role was much higher than the air stewardess Jiang Se portrayed in “Pretense to Reality”. In other words, the character Jiang Se would be portraying in “The 99th Love Letter” would play a crucial role in the story.
There was a high possibility that the production team would want her to do more than a recording of her back while she played the piano.
According to the script supervisor of “Pretense to Reality”, Li Yi, who introduced Jiang Se here in the first place, many of the major talent management companies in the industry had also sent their less popular stars to audition for this role. However, Zhao Rang was not satisfied with any of them.
In other words, the remuneration for this role in “The 99th Love Letter” was based on these less popular stars.
Jiang Se had no idea how much they were worth. She considered the offer for a moment. In the end, she made no attempt to increase it.
“Is there anything else the production team wants me to be a part of besides the scene Director Zhao mentioned?”
The woman seemed to have caught her drift. She sighed. “Miss Jiang, you’re smart.” She closed the file containing the contract and pushed it aside.
“This time, you’ll be portraying the role of the ‘piano girl’ in Director Zhao’s film. I won’t lie to you. This character is very important to the story. She’s the goddess that Li Qingyang, played by Brother Xing, falls in love with at first sight. So, after the filming is done, there will be a promotional period.”
With the pen in her hand, she straightened four fingers on the desk. “If you can come with us during the promotional period, we can add that to your remuneration.”
When she said this, the woman turned to glance at Jiang Se. She said with a smile, “In truth, if Director Zhao brings you along during the promotional period, it’ll be beneficial for both of you.”
The film could use Jiang Se’s beauty as a point of attraction while her popularity would certainly benefit from attending events by Zhao Rang’s side.
Besides, there would be famous celebrities such as Cui Xing and Zhu Pan, the female lead, during the promotional events too since they were from the same cast. It would be a good opportunity for Jiang Se to get to know them. The benefits were obvious.
On the contrary, these so-called “benefits” did not attract Jiang Se. However, the increased after-tax remuneration of $40,000 was attractive.
At the moment, Jiang Se had to spend money on many things. The increase in her remuneration could solve her current predicament.
With that, she no longer felt dissatisfied with the amount. The woman had already raised it to $40,000. This meant that this was the highest the production team could offer to a newcomer such as herself.
Jiang Se considered it for a moment before asking, “May I know when the promotional period will be?” She smiled. “I’m still a student. I can manage it if it’s during my break, but if I have classes, I might not be able to make it.”
When she accepted the remuneration offer, the woman had a much better impression of her, so her tone changed immediately. “We’ve been filming for close to two months now. Your shooting will be scheduled within these few days. When that’s done, the entire film will be practically completed as well. After post-production, the promotional period will likely fall in January. You’ll just have to take a few days off then.”
The woman seemed to be pleased that Jiang Se did not push for a higher pay, so she made a compromise. “I know that our schedules might clash with yours. What about this? If the promotional event isn’t on a weekend, and it’s really important for the production team to have you there, can you try to take a day off from your classes?”
This was not a harsh demand, thus Jiang Se nodded.
After they reached an agreement, the woman grabbed the contract and returned to her desk to make a phone call to request for another set of contracts to be made. Then, she chatted with Jiang Se.
“The Film Academy is very strict about its students being involved in films. You’ll be in your freshman year when the semester begins, right?”
The Imperial Film Academy had high requirements when it came to accepting students. However, Jiang Se had the looks. According to the crew members at the studio yesterday, she had proven that she was talented as well when she played a piece on the piano. If she could catch the eye of the picky Zhao Rang, it would not be difficult for her to get into the Film Academy.
The people who wanted to enter the entertainment industry mostly went to the Film Academy. Besides learning about acting, they were also thinking about networking for their careers.
However, to the woman’s surprise, Jiang Se shook her head. “I didn’t apply for the Film Academy.”
“You didn’t?” The woman gave her a bewildered look. “You’ve got the qualities. I even heard that you landed a role in Director Gu’s film. If you enroll in the Film Academy and join a talent management company in the future, you’ll have many opportunities waiting for you.”
Jiang Se fell silent for a moment. After her rebirth, she had to reassess many of her opinions and understandings of things. She might very remain as Jiang Se in the future. At the current moment, she was still unsure of which career she should be undertaking.
The staff sent in the revised contracts. The new job descriptions, which the two of them had agreed upon just now, had been added to the terms. When Jiang Se confirmed that there were no mistakes in her details, they signed the contracts.
After the contract was signed, 30% of the remuneration for “The 99th Love Letter” was transferred into Jiang Se’s bank card two days later.
The instant she received the text message, she checked her account balance and saw that it was now $15,000. She had finally saved enough for her freshman year tuition fees. With the remaining payment from the two casts as well, Jiang Se finally sighed with relief.
The filming was scheduled to take place at the end of July at the New World Mall located in the outer circle of the imperial capital.
The crew had communicated with the person in charge of the Steinway pano store. They would be filming in the store that day.
The New World Mall was built along the most flourishing shopping street in the outer circle of the imperial capital. The mall was huge. It connected the western area of the outer circle to the plaza in the south. The first floor mostly had shops carrying luxury brands.
It was still early when Jiang Se arrived there. Many of the luxury brand shops were not opened yet. She browsed the bags and accessories through the glass panes. When she was still Feng Nan, her cousins from Hong Kong would definitely invite her here to shop whenever they came to the imperial capital.
She reached for her old phone in her pocket. The remaining amount in it was not even enough to buy a purse here.
Jiang Se had a sudden thought. If she felt that she was no better than livestock when she was living a life which was being planned for her by her folks, then her current life with the Du family made her feel like she was livestock.
When the crew members of “The 99th Love Letter” received her call, they immediately came out to meet her from the staff entrance of the mall. They were clearly surprised that Jiang Se had come this early.
The crew was still setting up the set in the piano store. Jiang Se went over to have a look. The director, Zhao Rang, and the lead actor, Cui Xing, were not there yet. The executive director was the one overseeing the work. When he saw Jiang Se there that early, he was slightly stunned. Then, he beckoned her to come over.
“Director Zhao saw you playing a piece the other day. He thinks you’ve learned how to play before, so we’ve borrowed that piano from the store just for you.” The executive director’s surname was Zheng. He kept his hair long like an artist. He was big and tall, and he wore a checkered shirt.
He was pleased that Jiang Se could be here on set before the agreed time. His satisfaction overflowed into his words.
“That piano is the trademark of the imperial capital’s Steinway piano store. It’s purely handmade and shipped from Germany, and it’s very precious. If Director Zhao hadn’t made a personal request, and the filming of the piano was beneficial to the brand itself, even if Ruiqiao’s person-in-charge called the piano store, they wouldn’t have lent it, so be careful with it later.”
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