wavenovel Chapters 1272 and 1280: A global casting call held directly at the Tokyo International Film Festival
Chapters 1272 and 1280: A global casting call held directly at the Tokyo International Film Festival
Chapters 1272 and 1280: A global casting call right there at the Tokyo International Film Festival?!
"Naoki Mulberry".
Yoshimura Otomo made a rare visit to Nagayama Naoki's office, bringing Hayano Riko with him and handing him a stack of resumes.
"These are the foreign actors we found who are suitable and available. If we think they are suitable, we will have Riko-chan contact an American agency and have them come for an audition."
We previously mentioned that Jurassic Park might use foreign actors, and now they've already prepared a shortlist of candidates. Tree Friends Entertainment is getting more and more impressive!
However, Naoki Nagayama glanced through the list and found only actors who weren't famous in later generations, which left him slightly disappointed.
"It looks quite ordinary."
"Good actors are hard to find to begin with, let alone Naoki-san, you've found foreign actors."
Yoshimura Daitomo sat on the sofa and tried to persuade him.
"Foreign directors sometimes wait one or two years for a good lead actor. Do you think Japan has special privileges? That they can get whatever actors they want?"
In the Japanese entertainment industry, artists are inherently controlled by their management companies. Given Naoki Nagayama's current status and influence, to put it dramatically...
If he takes a fancy to any actor, that actor's agency will definitely tie them up and send them to bed, let alone if they're the lead in a movie!
"I've never had this kind of privilege in Japan either."
The actors in his previous films were either discovered by him or were friends. However, because he was able to make a young artist famous with each of his films, people felt that Naoki Nagayama always managed to find the most suitable actors to star in his movies.
This is completely reversing cause and effect!
Yoshimura Otomo's face was full of "Do you believe in yourself?" expressions:
"You even brought up Momoe Yamaguchi."
"Otomo-san, please speak clearly. I only wanted to invite Momoe-san to return to the stage."
Naoki Nagayama quickly tried to prove his innocence.
"People will think I did something to Momoe-san if they hear this!"
"."
Hayano Riko, who was listening nearby, felt she shouldn't be in the office; she should be outside. But by then, it was too late to leave.
"Cough cough~"
Naoki Nagayama interrupted Otomo Yoshimura's continued rambling with a cough, and then spoke to Riko Hayano.
"Riko-chan, are you the one liaising with the overseas talent agencies?"
"Hi, because my English is pretty good."
Yoshimura Otomo began to explain:
"The company is still short-staffed, so we'll borrow Riko-chan for a while."
"."
There's nothing we can do about it. In recent years, Shuyou has focused on the film and television business within Japan and has very few external talent reserves, so they can only pick the best ones to use.
"All right."
Naoki Nagayama didn't dwell on it anymore.
"Then, Riko-chan, ask the agencies over there to recommend some well-known actors. We're using foreign actors to leverage their fame and expand into overseas markets; those with low profiles are useless."
"Naoki-san, what level of fame do you need for an actor?"
Hayano Riko wanted to clarify the terms.
"Ha, the bigger the fame, the better. If we could get Brando here, that would be even better."
Naoki Nagayama had an air of wealth and power.
"Anyway, we're not short of money."
Yoshimura Otsutomo couldn't stand it anymore:
"Naoki Marlon Brando is a great actor, but he's already 64 years old this year!! He's older than me. He's already retired from some companies!"
"Jurassic Park is such a thrilling movie, please don't torture the elderly!"
"What do you mean by torturing the elderly?" Naoki Nagayama complained. "Otomo-san, you should know that in some fields, 64 is actually the prime of life! It's still the time to strive!"
"Tell me, what field is it?"
You'd better not say it's in the adult film/love porn genre!
"For example, in politics, or in the silver economy."
Hayano Riko dared not listen to the two bosses' gossip any longer, and quickly bowed and left.
Naoki Nagayama and Otomo Yoshimura, who were left behind, started making tea and chatting:
"Otomo-san, my Akina is going to Yokohama in early September for Michael Jackson's 'Awesome' concert, and she'll be attending rehearsals beforehand. I'll be going with her as her translator."
"Eh? Naoki-san, are you running away again?!"
Yoshimura Daitomo immediately put down his teacup and began to earnestly explain his troubles.
"Naoki-san, you just went on vacation in August, you know September is when things really get busy."
"This time we're doing serious business; we're translating for Akina."
"Isn't translation something that not just anyone can do?!" Yoshimura Ōtomo protested. "Do we need to do this for our Naoki-sama?!"
"This isn't just translating for my own wife, it's different."
"Naoki-san, we're preparing for the Tokyo International Film Festival in September! The formation of the executive committee, the selection of the jury, and the contact with domestic and international film stars—all of these require your involvement, Naoki-san! You're the face of our Naoki fandom."
"Hey hey hey, I know, I know, but it'll only be a few days."
"How many days exactly?"
Yoshimura Daitomo was worried that Nagayama Naoki was having too much fun and another half month had passed in the blink of an eye.
"Two or three days at most, no, four or five days," Naoki Nagayama promised. "And it will be spaced out; one rehearsal, and I'll just go to check on the actual performance."
"Well, okay then~"
As the CEO of Shuyou, Yoshimura Daito really went to great lengths for the chairman!
Just as the topic of the Tokyo International Film Festival came up, Naoki Nagayama suddenly thought of something:
"By the way, the film festival is a great opportunity to meet more movie stars and try to find suitable foreign actors."
"Huh? How do you want to find them?" Yoshimura Otomo asked, puzzled. "Do you mean to hold a casting call or audition at the film festival?"
"Hey? Otomo-san, that's a great idea!"
Naoki Nagayama's eyes lit up.
"It would be perfect as an event within a film festival. With a galaxy of stars, all sorts of famous actors would be there, giving us a wide range of choices."
Naoki Nagayama thought about it more and more and it seemed feasible!
"If I were to announce directly that we would be holding a global casting call at the Tokyo International Film Festival, it would also boost the festival's popularity."
The film itself will definitely see a surge in attention, which will boost the reputation of "Jurassic Park." This will also be very helpful for our future expansion into overseas markets.
"."
Yoshimura Daitomo's mouth opened slightly; he had only said it casually.
It seems like Naoki-san is starting to take it seriously?!
Furthermore, they have already begun planning how to announce the casting and arrange auditions—whether before or after the opening ceremony, how to assign actors, and whether the audition process should be public, etc.
How can a film festival be treated so casually?!
So he joined the discussion!
Just as the two were discussing how to incorporate the auditions into the Tokyo International Film Festival process, Shuichi Itō knocked on the door and came in. Now, the three giants of the Tree Friends were all there!
"I was wondering why I couldn't find him. Turns out he was with Naoki-san."
Shuichi Itō had just returned from outside, still feeling the heat of the summer. As soon as he came in, he hurriedly grabbed a bottle of iced drink from the mini-fridge.
"We are discussing the Tokyo International Film Festival."
Naoki Nagayama looked at Shuichi Itō with some confusion.
"Shuichi-san just got back from outside, right? Why do you look so rushed?"
"Yes, I just went to the Ministry of Education's office for a meeting. It was about the Tokyo International Film Festival."
Shuichi Itō sat down as well, and said rather dejectedly,
"It seems that Atsuko Toyama of the Ministry of Education is completely on Nobuo Asai's side. This time, she has even joined forces with several standing committee members to launch an attack, saying that the Tokyo Film Industry Association, as the organizer of the Tokyo International Film Festival, should be more open and fair in its financial management."
For the previous two Tokyo International Film Festivals, Shuyou led the formation of the executive committee. Now that the Tokyo Film Industry Association has been established, the organization of the festival has naturally been handed over to the association.
Anyway, the Ministry of Education, television stations, major film companies, and other organizations already had influence within the Standing Committee, so it was a natural progression and did not cause any disturbance.
"Financial fairness and transparency"
Naoki Nagayama smiled and said,
"Then let him make it public. We're not counting on the film festival to make a lot of money anyway. As long as the distribution is fair, it'll save us a lot of trouble."
"The key point is that Nobuo Asai and his group wanted to establish a financial management department, in addition to managing the revenue of the Tokyo International Film Festival, they also wanted to take over the accounts of the Tokyo Film Association."
Itō Shuuichi glanced at Nagayama Naoki and got to the point.
"Especially, they want the power to manage the tree support fund!"
"??"
Naoki Nagayama then became alert.
"So it turns out they weren't after the film festival's money, but rather our foundation!"
In this day and age, the money earned by the Tokyo International Film Festival is far from enough to cover the returns for the foundation.
"Yes. Although it was only brought up this time, judging from Nobuo Asai's intentions, if they disagree, he will push for a meeting of the Standing Committee and then vote on it."
"Let's vote! We, the tree enthusiasts, have contributed 20 billion!"
Yoshimura Otomo said angrily,
"We anticipated this from the very beginning of the association's establishment. If changing the fund management method requires a vote by more than two-thirds of all members, are we really going to be afraid?"
"However, the other side has the support of the Takeshita faction, officials from the Ministry of Education, and some standing committee members."
Shuichi Itō looked somewhat worried.
"If we create enough momentum, it might actually cause a stir under the guise of 'fairness and transparency'."
"Stupid tape!"
Naoki Nagayama reassured Shuichi Itō at this moment.
"It would be fine if Shuichi-san and Suoh-san refused together. It's a time of leadership transition, they're just putting pressure on us, they don't want to create any news."
"Especially now that bribery is a hot topic in the news, it's a very sensitive issue."
This brings us back to the hottest headlines of the past two days.
The Asahi Shimbun has been continuously reporting on Recruit's bribery of the Planning Bureau Director. This time, even the specific methods of bribery and the specific shareholding data have been revealed, which has once again infuriated Recruit's Vice President Hiromasa.
The previous press conference seemed like a slap in the face, and now he's being called "Shameless Haozheng".
At the same time, other media outlets also received reports and began to follow up on them.
The media, with its extensive network of connections, had obtained information on the number of Recruit's share transactions and discovered that the number of original share transferees was unusually high. However, since the company was not yet publicly listed at that time, there was no need to disclose the names of the original shareholders.
In an instant, questions such as "How many people were bribed?", "Who else besides the director of the planning bureau?", and "Could there be higher-level protectors?" emerged. People gradually realized that this "bribery case" might be more serious than they had imagined!
A storm of public opinion is brewing; we're just waiting for the eye of the storm to officially form!
"Akina-chan, has Naoki-san already made arrangements?"
Ueda Maki asked,
"Working in translation?"
“Of course!” Akina replied with a proud look. “I’m confident I can persuade Naoki-san!”
"Haha~"
Women are much more open in conversation than men. Ueda Maki isn't a child anymore; being a woman herself, she naturally understands and teases him playfully.
"Akina-chan, please take good care of Naoki-san, buy him plenty of supplements, like ginseng and deer antler."
"Maki-chan knows a lot! Looks like she feeds her boyfriend a lot of these."
Akina and Maki Ueda started joking around, and the two of them arrived at the photo studio where they were shooting promotional photos today, chatting and laughing.
For big stars, shooting promotional photos is a basic procedure. After getting their makeup done and changing clothes, they pose under the photographer's guidance, and beautiful photos can be easily produced.
These photos will then be distributed to various channels, some as albums, some as posters, and some will even return to Akina Nakamori, where they will be signed and given to senior fans in the fan club.
"Tanaka-san," Ueda Maki began, "has Akina-chan's schedule been finalized for September?"
"Hey, that's about it."
Tanaka Yoshiaki, who was coordinating the filming alongside him, replied.
"My main tasks are promoting 'The Lost Ship' and contacting Michael Jackson. Speaking of which, this is Akina-chan's first time back in concerts since she stopped doing a national tour!"
Akina Nakamori hasn't held a concert in over two years since she got married after becoming pregnant.
Even so, her popularity remains high, thanks not only to her records, award ceremonies, and movies, but also to Naoki Nagayama's occasional trending topics, which always involve Akina.
At this point, Akina changed into a form-fitting outfit for the photoshoot, showcasing her slender figure flawlessly, and her delicate face radiated beauty.
"Akina sauce looks better and better."
Maki Ueda couldn't help but praise,
"She seems more feminine than in the previous photos!"
"Yes, the chubby little girl has grown into a beautiful young woman!"
Yoshiaki Tanaka, who was standing next to her, nodded in agreement. When he first took over Akina Nakamori's publicity work, Akina still had baby fat on her face.
Huh? Wait a minute, Akina's face seems a bit rounder?!
"Maki-chan, has Akina been eating a bit too well lately?"
"Forehead"
Ueda Maki paused for a moment, unsure how to respond, but after all, her superior was beside her.
"I've always enjoyed the Akina sauce. The ingredients at home are always the freshest and highest quality; even when we eat out, it's always at a very upscale restaurant."
"Tanaka-san, as you know, Naoki Nagayama is a very wealthy man, and Akina Sauce makes a lot of money too."
That's not what I meant.
Tanaka Yoshiaki was speechless. Of course he knew that Nagayama Naoki was rich, probably richer than Ken-On combined, so of course he could afford to eat good food. He just felt that Akina might have gained weight.
However, when I looked at Akina again, she didn't seem to have become as plump as before.
Maybe it was just the angle.
(End of this chapter)