As time passed, the Chinese version of "High School Musical" had been filming for over half a month. During this period, most of the non-musical scenes were shot, nearing completion. The shooting progressed smoothly and even faster than planned. The main reasons were the satisfactory performance of the lead actors and the complete storyboard prepared well in advance, which prevented any "What do we shoot next?" scenarios. Additionally, Zhang Da provided invaluable assistance, correcting many erroneous shot designs and solving numerous cinematography issues.
Jiang Cheng gained a wealth of precious experience and learned much from Zhang Da, such as camera control, pacing, and various practical directorial skills, which can't be learned from books alone. These skills included managing large scenes, ensuring all actors hit their marks, expressing his vision through camera frames, and handling the myriad of logistical tasks required to keep the production running smoothly. He improved rapidly and came to understand the arduous nature of being both a producer and director.
This was different from "[Immortal]," which had a crew of less than twenty and was shot in a day, with just a few indoor and outdoor scenes, making it relatively easy to film. Now, "High School Musical" had a crew of dozens, and when including the actors, the number was even larger. It seemed like Jiang Cheng had to oversee every aspect of the production, from the set designer requesting a fresh coat of paint for the old classrooms to the cinematography team asking about the next day's shot list, from the main actors inquiring about script details to the logistics team asking how many lunch boxes to order.
Jiang Cheng was grateful he had Zhang Da as his assistant director. With such an experienced individual guiding him, his workload was significantly lightened. Otherwise, he sometimes wondered how he would manage.
Zhang Da also felt fortunate. Although he taught Jiang Cheng a lot, he learned even more from him. Jiang Cheng's brain seemed to be full of creative ideas, often improving the overall impact of a scene with just a minor tweak. Particularly, his grasp of lighting and color was nothing short of genius. While a typical director might give general instructions like "add some reflectors here, make the light brighter there," Jiang Cheng could give precise instructions regarding the angle of the reflectors, the exact degree to adjust the lights, and even how moving the camera a few centimeters could capture a better image.
This level of precision was rare. Zhang Da knew that only a handful of directors in China could give such accurate directions, and those were renowned directors known nationally and internationally. In contrast, Jiang Cheng was just a 17-year-old self-taught director—if the industry's self-proclaimed "great directors" knew this, they would be embarrassed!
Zhang Da was now curious about the kind of miracle this film might create upon release. Could it surpass Jiang Cheng's own "[Immortal]"? He eagerly awaited the answer.
As for the possibility of the film failing, Zhang Da never considered it. After watching the movie develop from nothing to something substantial over the past month, his confidence in the film only grew stronger, and he was convinced it would astonish everyone once again.
Recently, as "[Immortal]" continued to perform well, surpassing many well-known directors' works with just a "child's play" from a 17-year-old, many "experts" and "professors" couldn't stand it and started to nitpick the film. They claimed that "[Immortal]" was just a stroke of luck for Jiang Cheng, that its actual box office potential was nowhere near the current figures, and that the extra revenue was an "unexpected windfall" due to a lack of other good films at the time.
Some people believed these critics, particularly those who always disliked Jiang Cheng and were envious of "[Immortal]'s" success. However, his fans, known as "[Alum]," disagreed and cited positive reviews from renowned film critics to counter the naysayers, leading to heated debates online.
Neutral observers pondered whether Jiang Cheng would make a second film. "[Immortal]" had already earned over 70 million at the box office, and as the producer and director, Jiang Cheng had likely made tens of millions from it—a sum many couldn't earn in a lifetime. Just half a year into the entertainment industry, he had achieved what many couldn't in years or even decades.
Considering his earnings from his three published books, Jiang Cheng's assets were estimated to be at least 50 million. The title of "the youngest millionaire" was firmly his, and "the youngest billionaire" didn't seem far off. Did he even need to continue striving?
With his current wealth, he could retire and travel the world, enjoying life. Rumors said he had disappeared two weeks after the film's release, possibly to relax. Tangren's official statement was that Jiang Cheng had been busy for half a year and needed rest during his school vacation, but he wouldn't leave the entertainment industry and would continue to make more excellent films.
As for his next project, Tangren didn't disclose any details. The public was naturally curious: would he make another film, and if so, when?
Many believed Jiang Cheng needed to further his studies, as "[Immortal]" showed that his acting and directing skills needed improvement. Perhaps after a few years of development, he might produce a second film. Rushing into another project could compromise quality and make replicating the success of "[Immortal]" challenging.
Others disagreed, confident that Jiang Cheng's second film would come soon and surpass his first. They believed in his genius.
These people were right. Jiang Cheng was indeed working on a second film, which had been in production for over half a month, kept secret from the public.
However, it was only a matter of time before the news broke. As Jiang Cheng's fame grew, so did the number of paparazzi following him. These relentless journalists were hard to avoid.
Sure enough, in early February, entertainment headlines buzzed with news: "The popular rising star Bright Moon - Jiang Cheng's second film is already in production!"
Once again, the industry and public were stirred by the announcement.