Hua Yan thought it over and decided to approach the film crew like this.
"If you want to sign a contract, just sign with me directly. I don’t have a guardian. If you trust me, sign; if not, that’s okay too. You can just pay me the group actor’s fee. Anyway, I’m here for the group acting, and never expected a proper role."
Her words made the crew even more curious, yet she seemed unwilling to say much more.
They consulted Zhou Yao, who only shared what she knew and specifically mentioned Hua Yan’s independent conduct during the winter vacation.
Ultimately, after much deliberation, the crew decided there was no need to argue with a child over these matters.
Moreover, she had provided an ID Card, what right did they have to further question her?
Of course, the exact reason for their consent, only the production side knew.
Thus, Hua Yan secured the contract and the role with her own identity.
Managing to get it without a guardian was unprecedented.
On her fourth day in Hengdian, she directly joined the crew for filming and the schedule was pretty tight.
Since they were filming for both minor and veteran actors, while the leads were shooting elsewhere, it wasn’t the same group, plus with the opening and flashback sections, totaling less than one episode yet compressed to finish within five days, it indeed was an overloaded work, but Hua Yan was not afraid of hardship.
After all, people spent so much money inviting you to act, not to hear complaints about thick clothes, hot weather, or bad meals.
The young actors all had their parents with them, who would flock over as soon as the camera cut, wiping sweat, fanning them, and offering food and drinks, whereas she sat quietly in a corner, sipping the mineral water provided by the crew, without complaining or causing trouble, not even bringing a guardian to create hassle.
Her distinctiveness led the director and on-site staff to give her several more glances, exchanging looks privately and silently acknowledging her remarkable nature.
Of course, she had her moments of fussiness, like insisting on returning home by ten at night.
After overtime filming over five days, the scenes finally wrapped up by the evening of the fifth day.
Due to budget constraints, all locations were rented out, so completing the shoot within the planned timeframe was satisfactory for everyone.
In a film crew, there are many assistant directors and only one main director, with the assistant directors overseeing different transition groups; the assistant director who initially chose her happened to be in charge of this group, hence his satisfaction directly resulted in offering her numerous guidance and praise at the filming site.
Someone on site was responsible for directing and instructing the actors, only Hua Yan rarely NG-ed, almost passing in one take. On the rare occasion of an NG, the director would personally guide her, evidently valuing her highly, which attracted quite a few envious looks and sarcastic remarks from the peer young actors’ parents.
The newcomers weren’t actually new, so her sudden emergence did indeed draw resentment from quite a number.
But the production side had made their decision; what use was there for them to be furious?
Originally anticipating her to become a laughing stock, little did they expect her to outperform all the experienced young actors, with no sense of discord in her portrayal, strangely bringing those around her into the scene, a feeling noticed not only by the parents but also by the director group.
Thus, as the young actors’ scenes concluded, so did Hua Yan’s, earning twenty thousand in five days, wasn’t it simply thrilling?
Soon after, someone from the director group came over to ask her about signing with a company or having an agent, but she politely declined.
"I will only film during winter and summer vacations for now. If there are opportunities, great; if not, group acting is fine too."
Her modesty, calmness, and composure made everyone regard her highly, and the previous assistant director recommended her to another crew.
Although the role was smaller, still as a little beggar, at least it had lines, and paid two hundred yuan a day.
Hua Yan gratefully accepted the goodwill and immediately transitioned from this crew to the next.
She was so busy that she barely had time to see Zhou Yao, but they would message each other to report on their circumstances.
Over two months, Hua Yan managed to earn thirty thousand yuan, of course, before tax; even so, Zhou Yao envied her fortune.