Visiting a film set isn't as simple as just showing up, especially as the boss of the production. If he showed up empty-handed, he would definitely be severely criticized.

Chu Tian, having been part of the industry in his previous life, was aware of some of the unwritten rules.

He first made a necessary call to Cao Zheng to inform him. This was crucial, partly to give them time to prepare and partly because Chu Tian himself didn't know the set's location.

Of course, he also needed to ask about the number of people in the crew, including the staff, supporting actors, special guest actors, and principal cast, among others.

Overall, the crew wasn't large, numbering around seventy people. With the addition of temporary extras, the total was just over a hundred.

Chu Tian found a supermarket and ordered a batch of drinks and some snacks, mainly electrolyte beverages and vacuum-sealed braised meats.

These items were crew favorites. Electrolyte drinks are essential for replenishing electrolytes during high-intensity work, a very important consideration.

The braised meat provided protein, crucial for replenishing energy; eating meat was key.

According to industry customs, it didn't matter much for minor actors and staff. However, when friends of directors, lead actors, or other key creative personnel visited the set, it was common to bring food and drinks, typically bottled beverages.

If conditions allowed, there might even be milk tea and other drinks, as well as snacks.

If a major actor was visiting, they also needed to prepare these items, as their reputation was at stake. Showing up on set scrimping and saving would easily brand them as stingy.

This wasn't good for an actor's image, given how tight-knit the film industry was. For instance, in a single film city, half the equipment might be rented from one company, making many camera operators colleagues. Furthermore, a director from one crew might have attended the same school as cinematographers, lighting technicians, or producers from other crews; they could even be former classmates.

What's even more absurd is that the boss of your crew's lighting assistant, camera operator, photography assistant, or script supervisor might be a former classmate of a director from a neighboring crew.

These complex relationships meant that if an actor encountered an issue today, by tomorrow it would be buzzing in the crew chat groups. Very soon, news of it would spread throughout the industry nationwide, from Jiangnan to the Northeast.

For instance, there was the time Brother Jackie was filming a movie, and a cinematographer, along with his camera, fell into the sea and couldn't be retrieved.

Or the time when the film footage for Brother Jackie's "Railroad Tigers" was lost, rendering seven days of filming useless.

Or when, during the filming of Sister Li's series about Mi Yue, a 19-year-old had his bladder crushed by a prop cannon, and she donated two hundred thousand for his treatment, and so on.

Or perhaps a car chase scene where a stunt vehicle lost control and crashed into the extras' resting area, killing over a dozen people.

Such incidents happened almost daily, spreading across the nation's film crews in less than half a day.

Someone posted a status update on their social media feed:

"[So-and-so visited the set today and didn't even hand out a single bottle of water. So stingy!] (Nine-photo grid image)"

A few words and some pictures, and the comments section would immediately light up.

"[What? Really? I heard that person was quite generous. Didn't they bring drinks when visiting?]"

"[Don't even mention it. They didn't bring drinks when they visited us either; even the director was displeased.]"

"[Who did they visit? Was it that particular person?]"

"[Wasn't it So-and-so? Have they been replaced? Big news!]"

"[Don't spread rumors. Their company is that major one. Be careful, or they'll find out and blacklist you.]"

A small social media comments section could gather all sorts of people. To put it bluntly, it wasn't an exaggeration to call film crews the modern-day Cao Gang.

In every film crew, the most indispensable roles are, first, the director; second, the cinematographer; and third, the chief lighting technician. These are considered the 'big three' of any set.

Among directors and cinematographers, those with formal training are predominant. They are often categorized into 'upper,' 'middle,' and 'lower' factions, which refer not to rank but to geographical origin.

'Upper' refers to the north, with the Beijing Film Academy as its main institution. 'Middle' refers to Shanghai, centered around the Shanghai Theatre Academy. 'Lower' refers to Hong Kong Island, with TVB being the primary representative.

Of course, there's also the Northwest Gang, centered around Chang'an.

These four circles basically monopolize the domestic market for directors and cinematographers.

Producers are a more complex group, with some formally trained, some self-taught; even individuals from corporate backgrounds commonly become producers.

However, the lighting sector is where this insularity is most pronounced. While various schools offer lighting specializations, this field is the most heavily monopolized. The work is extremely arduous and dangerous, and few university students are willing to undertake such thankless, labor-intensive jobs. Consequently, about eighty percent of lighting technicians on film sets nationwide hail from a single county in Xuchang.

It's a network of nepotism: everyone brings in their relatives. A lighting technician might have their nephews, apprentices, young men from their own village, or even godsons working under them.

In short, those who work in this field are all insiders, mainly huddling together for mutual support, making it difficult for outsiders to break in.

But I digress. Back to the matter at hand.

The reason Chu Tian chose to shop at the supermarket was simply because of their citywide delivery service.

After buying a whole vanload of goods, Chu Tian took a taxi, instructing the van to follow. He then got on the expressway, heading northeast toward the Capital.

There was a film base just outside the Seventh Ring Road. Producing films wasn't as simple as variety shows, which only required a television studio.

Film and television dramas often require constructed sets. Historical and period pieces, in particular, need special landscapes. Therefore, such filming locations are typically chosen to avoid modern structures like skyscrapers and streetlights, thereby reducing post-production costs.

Moreover, these bases need to accommodate at least a dozen film crews shooting simultaneously, so they are usually situated in the suburbs and cover vast areas.

One couldn't enter the film base without a crew work pass, unless it was a section open to the public as a tourist attraction, in which case tickets were required.

Chu Tian had no pass, but since he had called Cao Zheng beforehand, someone was already waiting for him at the gate. After he registered, he was allowed straight in.

"President Chu! We're honored you could take time out of your busy schedule to visit. Thank you for making the trip," Cao Zheng said, extending his hand from afar as soon as they met.

"You're too kind, Director Cao. You're the ones working hard. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Chu Tian replied.

"Not at all, not at all! We were just taking a break during a scene change and are currently adjusting the lights," Cao Zheng said.

"Perfect timing then," Chu Tian said. "I've brought some drinks and snacks. Let's get them distributed to everyone. Eat and drink well before getting back to work."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Cao Zheng exclaimed. "A few of you from the crew, come help unload these things!"

As soon as Cao Zheng spoke, about a dozen grips rushed over. They were full of energy and immediately began unloading, clearly putting their backs into it without any hesitation.

"Director Cao, you have a fine team here," Chu Tian commented.

Cao Zheng had been observing this boss attentively. The last time they met was at the company to discuss the variety show, during which Cao Zheng had incidentally mentioned his small film crew.

Initially, he'd thought Chu Tian was just a rich second-generation kid out to experience life, treating the company as a mere hobby.

When he received the call that afternoon, he had felt somewhat apprehensive. What if the boss didn't understand industry customs? He had been wondering how he would smooth things over or handle the situation.

But Chu Tian's arrival had taken him by surprise. Firstly, he came bearing food and drinks—and expensive ones at that. Just from this, Cao Zheng knew this boss must understand a thing or two.

At the very least, the man was clearly aware of some of the unwritten rules of film crews; he wasn't a complete novice.

Now, seeing Chu Tian intently observing the crew at work, Cao Zheng immediately realized this boss wasn't just 'not a novice'—he was very likely an industry insider. Otherwise, he wouldn't know so much.

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