Chapter 322
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 322
Chapter Title: A Grand Vision
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Bearround Headquarters.
The actors selected from the first round of video auditions were gathered in the waiting room.
There were experienced actors seen in dramas and movies, as well as newcomers who had yet to appear in any production. The rookies nearby widened their eyes at the sight of the familiar actors.
But their gazes lacked the shock and astonishment the actors who had auditioned a few days ago felt when they saw Kim Jongho.
“I've seen that kid on TV.”
“Mom, I want to get an autograph.”
Average age: 10 years old.
Today was the audition for the child actor who would appear in [The Survivors].
Unlike other quiet times, the audition waiting room was filled with a slightly excited atmosphere.
The child actors chosen in the first round and their guardians were all mixed together, and some children, unable to bear the boredom, were chatting with their peers.
Amidst the chattering children, a few were reading their audition scripts. The difference in their attitude towards the audition was clear at a glance, leaving their guardians no choice but to sigh.
“We will now begin the auditions.”
It only grew quiet after a Bearround employee entered the waiting room and said so.
The appearance of an unfamiliar adult brought a sense of tension to the waiting room.
“When you enter the audition room, the director and judges will be there, with a camera set up in front of them. It's the same model used for filming, and the child actors will perform their designated scenes looking at that camera. The audition will be recorded as is.”
“Can guardians enter as well?”
The Bearround employee nodded in response to a guardian's question.
“Yes. But you are not allowed to speak.”
A few guardians, who had been worried about sending their children into the audition room alone, let out sighs of relief.
“Alright, number 1.”
At the employee's call, the oldest child actor, number 1, and their guardian headed to the audition room, and the second round of auditions officially began.
* * *
“Number 5, please come in.”
Andrew Walker, who had been reading a script filled with notes in colorful pens, shot up from his seat. The audition script in his hand was crumpled, a testament to how much he had studied it.
“It's my turn, Dad.”
“R-right.”
While Andrew Walker, the one who actually had to perform, looked calm, his father beside him appeared more restless.
“I'll be back!”
As Andrew confidently headed out of the waiting room, his surprised father quickly followed.
“Hey, Andy! You have to go with Dad!”
Seeing Andrew already standing so confidently in front of the audition room, his father could only chuckle.
When Andrew Walker and his father arrived at the door, an employee opened it for them.
Unlike the calm Andrew Walker, his father swallowed nervously.
A large, intimidating camera was set up in the center, and behind it, the judges sat in a row. The serious faces of the adults and the camera's large lens were enough to intimidate not just children, but adults as well.
“The guardian can sit here.”
The employee pointed to a chair near the door, and his father nodded and sat down.
*They said not to talk.*
Andrew's father didn't know the first thing about acting, so he had nothing to say. He could only cheer for his son in his heart as he walked toward the camera. His father kept his lips sealed and watched only his son.
The planning team leader, sitting among the judges, watched the guardian and jotted something down on [No. 5, Andrew Walker]'s application form.
When filming with a child actor, the guardian was just as important as the actor themselves. This was because a child actor's condition could change depending on the guardian's disposition.
A guardian who interfered with every little thing could disrupt filming and might even complain about the director's choices. The child actor, conscious of such a guardian, might not be able to perform to their full potential.
Number 4, just before, was a case in point.
Despite being told beforehand 'not to speak,' number 4's guardian had given various instructions when the child actor stood awkwardly, intimidated by the large camera. The planning team leader shook his head at the sight of the child actor moving according to their guardian's directions.
On the other hand, a guardian who was too hands-off with the child actor wasn't good either. A child actor couldn't properly check their filming schedule or manage their condition on their own.
*A good balance is best for everything.*
A guardian who trusts their child and takes care of them.
If the child actors were of a similar skill level, the decision would be made based on the guardian. That was also why they had called in more candidates for this audition than usual.
*Isn't there an actor out there who can deliver a performance so brilliant it wouldn't matter what kind of guardian they had?*
Like Seojun Lee, who captivated the entire world with a single smiling scene.
Finding the thought absurd even to himself, the planning team leader chuckled and looked forward. Unintimidated by the large camera, the child actor was looking at the judges with sparkling eyes.
“First, please introduce yourself.”
Andrew Walker straightened his shoulders and spoke confidently.
“Number 5! I'm Andrew Walker! I'm nine years old!”
Andrew looked at the seated judges, then turned to the camera and continued.
“My favorite actor is Seojun Lee!”
* * *
Even after the midterm exams ended, the auditions for [The Survivors] continued. Seojun, who was smiling with satisfaction as he looked over his perfect test papers, asked An Daho.
“Daho hyung, when are the auditions supposed to end?”
“They're in the final stages. The second round for child actors is scheduled for today. They might even go to a third round.”
“I see.”
[The Survivors] features a child actor. Not just a passing minor role, but one who appears for quite a while. Recalling the role the child actor would play from the script, Seojun smiled brightly and said.
“It's been a while since I've worked with a child actor younger than me.”
Kim Hansuk, who he filmed the fire department's PSA 'One Step' with, was a year younger than him, but he'd heard this time the actor would be much younger.
“That's right. I heard the average age is 10...”
“If they're 10...”
Seojun counted on his fingers and then looked surprised.
“They were born when I was filming Shadowman 2?”
“Right. Isn't that around the same age as your younger siblings?”
“Subin is 8 and Eunsu is 6... so yeah.”
To think he would be acting with a child actor around Subin's age. It felt strange in a fascinating way.
Until now, most of the actors he'd worked with were older, so the fact that there would be more younger actors from now on was novel and interesting.
After a moment of thought, Seojun suddenly decided he should visit the Library of Life. Even though it was a fake disaster situation created for filming, a child actor could get swept up in the atmosphere of the set and become frightened.
*Ah. Or maybe not.*
Seojun, who was wondering what ability would be good for the child actor, blinked.
On second thought, in Hollywood, they might create minor props, but the background itself would likely be created using CG.
As Seojun was deep in thought, An Daho asked.
“What's actor Kim Jongho been up to lately?”
“Jongho Samchon?”
“Team 2 is getting a ton of casting calls. I was wondering if it's the same for actor Kim Jongho's agency.”
Seojun chuckled at An Daho's question.
“It's insane, apparently. His manager said it's the first time he's ever unplugged the phone line because it was too noisy.”
Understanding the sentiment, the superstar's manager nodded repeatedly.
As news of Kim Jongho's successful Hollywood audition spread, corporations and broadcasting stations were moving quickly to secure him.
While Seojun Lee had been continuously receiving scripts and numerous casting offers from Hollywood for a while (which was still amazing), making it a somewhat familiar situation, Kim Jongho was an actor who had challenged and passed a Hollywood audition for the first time, so he was drawing even more attention.
An actor of Kim Jongho's caliber could have done just fine working only in Korea, but the fact that he was taking on a challenge in a new place with no support base drew people's admiration.
>Lee Jiseok: You're getting a ton of commercial offers too, right?
>Park Dohun: I've heard of at least three.
But Jongho Samchon decided to postpone everything until after filming.
>Lee Jiseok: But isn't being too over-the-top a bad thing?
He understood the excitement of a first Hollywood movie, but the director would want a natural performance that fit the film, not a strained, exaggerated one.
>Kim Jongho: I know.
>Kim Jongho: I'm just... studying.
He was looking back at the first acting textbook he ever read, watching his debut work, and reinforcing the fundamentals of acting that had grown faint. Kim Jongho was acting just like a true rookie actor.
“That's amazing.”
An Daho was genuinely impressed by the veteran actor's determination to do even better.
“That's why I'm going to work harder too.”
Seojun picked up his phone and sent a message to someone.
The recipient of the message was the psychiatrist he had met during his health checkup.
* * *
While the actors were working hard to prepare for filming, Bearround was also diligently preparing.
The planning team leader handed a piece of paper to Director Jeffrey, who was reviewing the script while picturing the cast actors.
“All of this...?”
Director Jeffrey rubbed his eyes. An unimaginable amount of money was written on the paper. A bit of life returned to his pale complexion, but the planning team leader didn't notice.
“Yes. The response has been better than expected. We've only announced the cast, but we're already getting good offers from all over.”
The planning team leader mentioned streaming sites like Plus+. The number of countries wanting to release [The Survivors] was also steadily increasing.
“Of course, it will be a long time before it's uploaded to Plus+.”
There was no need to upload it to a streaming site early. First in theaters, then again on VOD. After that, they planned to upload it to Plus+ at the right time.
*Plus+ had the best offer.*
Among several streaming sites, Plus+ was the most enthusiastic.
It seemed the rumor that Plus+ was a huge fan of Seojun Lee was true. Then again, when someone makes you that much money, you're bound to like them. Hoping that luck would extend to Bearround, the planning team leader began to speak.
“The reaction in Korea is particularly strong.”
Bearround had been monitoring the reaction in Korea ever since casting the Korean actors. Most of the posts related to Bearround were full of anticipation, promising to watch the movie, and the volume of mentions on social media was significant.
Of course, the hype would die down over time as other topics took over, but with the name recognition of Seojun Lee and Jongho Kim, it would quickly flare up again.
The response was this fiery even without many news articles, so Bearround had increased the allocated production budget. It might even increase more than this.
*It saves on promotion costs, after all.*
But he couldn't tell the director about things that weren't yet decided.
“The budget has been increased due to anticipation, given the size of the Korean film market.”
At the planning team leader's words, Director Jeffrey nodded, his face overwhelmed with emotion. His hands trembled at the unexpected sum. At the same time, ideas of what he could do with this increased budget flooded his mind.
*...Perhaps.*
Staring down at the paper listing a production budget that seemed more than sufficient, Director Jeffrey's eyes flashed.
“We need to start building the set soon. We have a meeting with the art team this week, so if you tell them what you have in mind, they'll create it. Ah, you'll be using CG for the set, right?”
“...No.”
“Yes, I under... what?”
The planning team leader, who had expected Director Jeffrey to say 'yes' and was about to nod, froze at the unexpected reply.
“Uh... are you saying you won't be using CG?”
Director Jeffrey slowly raised his head and looked at the planning team leader. Meeting Director Jeffrey's gleaming eyes, the planning team leader felt a strange chill run down his spine.
“Everything. Can't we build it all?”
“...What?”
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