Chapter 42 (042) Filming in progress

Chapter Forty-Two

He Xun's mind raced. In that instant, His Highness Lin Yuan gave him a strong sense of unfamiliarity. The sharpness and composure hidden in his eyes and brows were clearly those of Shao Jing!

In the morning light, Lin Yuan slowly walked in from the back row. His face was handsome and refined. No one would doubt that he was the third-ranked scholar appointed by the emperor.

In front of the camera, Lin Yuan appeared completely composed and without a trace of affectation; he acted like an idealistic scholar.

"I have something to report."

Lin Yuan's voice was clearly audible in the main hall, and even He Xun, who was some distance away from him, could hear it clearly.

"Please speak, Minister Shao."

"Your Majesty, I have heard that there are rumors circulating in various places that the great drought in the Central Plains is due to a change in the Purple Star."

"During the reign of Emperor Wuzong of the previous dynasty, the emperor was young and the government was controlled by the powerful minister Luo Ling. Luo Ling was arrogant and self-willed. When Shaanxi suffered a severe drought, Luo Ling sent his confidants to Shaanxi to plunder the land, which made the disaster worse and the people suffered greatly."

"Although our dynasty does not have someone as power-hungry as Luo Ling, I believe that, for the common people..."

Lin Yuan delivered each line of dialogue with perfect intonation, exactly as in the script, without omitting a single word.

Screenwriter Chi Xin quietly moved in front of Cheng Yiyuan: "It's been a long time since I've seen a young person who can recite lines so fluently."

Cheng Yiyuan glanced at him: "Is it really that exaggerated?"

Chi Xin nodded solemnly: "You don't usually get to work with me, but I've worked with more than one."

Lin Yuan's delivery of lines is so good that there's absolutely no need for dubbing in post-production.

Of course, not all of "The Powerful Minister" consists of such long dialogues; it's just that in court debates, one has to quote classics and confuse one's opponent.

In the script, Shao Jing's character is like this: now he is young and still has the passion of youth. When Shao Jing enters middle age and becomes a powerful minister, he will become more cunning and will be more careful in planning before acting.

Shao Jing's words were on behalf of the emperor and paved the way for the Grand Secretary to return power to the emperor. Naturally, his speech triggered attacks from the Grand Secretary's faction.

However, even when attacked, Shao Jing remained undaunted.

From Chi Xin's perspective, in this performance, he could see stars in Lin Yuan's eyes—but that's just a hypothesis, since stars can't possibly exist.

But he could sense it.

The young man in the hall was radiant. The moment the Grand Secretary's henchmen attacked him, he showed no fear. Instead, he took a step forward and looked directly into the Grand Secretary's eyes—

"The drought in the Central Plains, the disasters in Liaodong, do you, Your Excellency, dare to take responsibility for all these things?"

"Why does the Grand Secretary disobey the late Emperor's orders?"

“Song Luzhou, you hold the high position of Grand Secretary. How are you any different from those disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unjust people?”

With each of the three questions, the young man's voice grew louder and louder, echoing throughout the hall and inexplicably stirring a sense of awe in everyone present.

The question was one that seasoned and shrewd officials dared not ask, nor did those who sought to protect themselves dare to ask. Only a newly appointed scholar like Shao Jing, fresh out of the gate, dared to ask.

In Cheng Yiyuan's mind, Lin Yuan needed to portray the image of a bold and outspoken young minister.

Lin Yuan did a great job.

Cheng Yiyuan had read "Thousand Mountains" and knew that Lin Yuan was better at expressing the emotions of the characters and could thoroughly grasp the contrast of the characters.

This scene doesn't involve significant emotional fluctuations in the character. All Lin Yuan needs to do is be direct, deliver his lines well, and portray Shao Jing's character from the beginning.

Lin Yuan's lines were delivered with great force, exceeding his expectations.

"Let's do one more round," Cheng Yiyuan commanded.

The following scene is a continuation of the previous scene. The main reason is that the actor who plays the prime minister will hardly appear in the later part of the play, so we're filming the scenes where he is still in the play.

Lin Yuan nodded.

He Xun is not involved in this scene; it is a scene between Lin Yuan and Wang Zhimin, who plays the Grand Secretary.

The dialogue in this scene is also relatively simple.

After the morning court session ended, the ministers left. Shao Jing lagged behind and was about to leave the palace gate when the Grand Secretary was waiting for him outside.

Although the Grand Secretary is a powerful minister, he will show a more lenient attitude towards subordinates who are not his confidants; this is usually the case for those in power.

Everyone assumed that the Grand Secretary was furious at being suddenly attacked by Shao Jing.

However, the Grand Secretary only gave Shao Jing a deep look: "Ziyou, do you know that the late Emperor and I were once a pair of understanding and compatible ruler and minister?"

Shao Jing looked at him.

"But once you're in the imperial court, you're not in control of your own destiny."

"What I am today may well be what you will be tomorrow."

"Lord Song, that day will never come." Shao Jing remained confident.

“I entered the capital from Luzhou Prefecture, and it has been forty years now. Even if I wanted to retire, the ministers who followed me in the court would not allow it, and the generals on the border who were waiting for me to smooth things over would not allow it. On the day I entered the capital, I, Song Kuan, had nothing, and today it is absolutely impossible for me to return to Luzhou cleanly.”

"If you wish to serve as my subject and have great ambitions, my present will be your future."

Wang Zhimin, who plays the Grand Secretary, is a veteran actor who has been acting for nearly 50 years and has a wealth of experience.

In this scene in the script, although the Grand Secretary still holds power and has not returned to his hometown to live in seclusion, he is forced by Shao Jing to apologize to the late emperor. In the court, the officials also express their desire for him to return power.

It was only a matter of time before Song Kuan stepped down as Grand Secretary.

Therefore, Song Kuan's words to Shao Jing can be considered well-intentioned.

Wang Zhimin portrayed the image of a prime minister who had lost the hearts of the people, but at this moment, Cheng Yiyuan's lips were still pursed in front of the monitor.

He was waiting for Lin Yuan's performance.

Lin Yuan responded from within sight.

“That day will never come.” The young scholar’s ​​gaze was firm. “If that day ever comes, and if the Grand Secretary is still alive, I will personally visit him to apologize.”

"If the Grand Secretary is not here, I will bring a pot of wine to the Grand Secretary's grave and tell him about this matter."

Young people don't want to think about the future; they only see the dazzling starlight.

He believes that this moment is worth more than eternity.

What Cheng Yiyuan wanted to portray was the contrast between Shao Jing at this moment and Shao Jing in the future.

"Thank you, Mr. Chief Assistant, for your kindness."

Shao Jing bowed deeply to Song Kuan.

Although he was confident, he could still understand Song Kuan's advice.

Facing Song Kuan at this moment, Shao Jing shed his sharp edges from the court and appeared much gentler.

Lin Yuan appeared no different from the moment before, but from an observer's perspective, he was different.

He manipulates even the smallest changes in the character of Shao Jing.

What else could Cheng Yiyuan say?

Qin Panyun's tone when introducing Lin Yuan was far too modest.

What does it mean to barely meet the standard?

Lin Yuan is an actor who exceeds the usual standards.

...

"Card!"

The moment Cheng Yiyuan called "cut," screenwriter Chi Xin waited a moment, not hearing Cheng Yiyuan ask Lin Yuan to do it again: "That's it?"

"Can't this pass?" Cheng Yiyuan shrugged. "You've spotted a problem?"

Chi Xin shook his head.

That solves it.

"It's too fast, I haven't gotten used to it yet." This wasn't the first time Chi Xin had worked with Cheng Yiyuan, but it was the first time he had met someone so easy to talk to.

Don't let Cheng Yiyuan's kind face fool you; in this industry, who among directors is truly good-tempered?

"The Powerful Minister" is a serious drama, and the actors cannot afford to be perfunctory.

“I can’t find any fault with it.” Cheng Yiyuan pointed to the script. “This scene is above average, but this one…”

Cheng Yiyuan was referring to the scene between Lin Yuan and Wang Zhimin: "The character of Shao Jing was brought to life."

“Indeed.” Chi Xin nodded.

He initially had concerns that Lin Yuan lacked fame and wouldn't be able to carry a drama.

But if you think about it carefully, how many male actors these days can carry a drama? Actually, none of them can. It all depends on the script, the character design, and the production quality of the drama.

"The Powerful Minister" is a niche historical drama, and its performance is unlikely to be very good after it airs. It wouldn't matter who played the role.

In that case, why not choose someone with better acting skills? At least the show will have a good reputation after it airs.

Lin Yuan convinced Chi Xin with just one scene.

...

After filming the two scenes, Lin Yuan continued to read the script. The scenes he had been filming recently were all about Shao Jing's younger days, from the return of power to the palace coup.

This part of the story is about the honeymoon period between the emperor and his minister. Shao Jing is young and ambitious but talented, and he tries to make a name for himself in the court. The emperor also lets him do whatever he wants.

From Lin Yuan's perspective, the script of "The Powerful Minister" also has a small flaw - the screenwriter did not pay attention to the connection between Shao Jing in the early stage and Shao Jing in the later stage. Perhaps because the time span was too long, the screenwriter compressed this part of the plot.

Shooting them separately might be better.

However, the drama is titled "The Powerful Minister," which was originally intended to encompass Shao Jing's entire life. If separated, the early Shao Jing is flamboyant and fearless, while the later Shao Jing is cunning and calculating, making it seem like they are not the same person's story.

Fortunately, "The Powerful Minister" is not entirely without connection.

The foreshadowing for later events was actually laid in the early stages.

Lin Yuan even felt that the later parts of the script gave him the impression that Shao Jing was not without scheming, nor did he not plan for himself; he simply used his scheming on others and subconsciously did not want to use it on the emperor.

Lin Yuan decided to ask the screenwriter later.

The filming methods for TV series and movies are quite different. When filming "Thousand Mountains", Qin Panyun gave Lin Yuan a lot of autonomy, allowing him to perform according to the script, and the script was given to him early on.

However, some film directors may not even know what the movie is about until the very end. The director tells them what lines to say and what expressions to make, and they just do what the director asks. After all, the movie is only two hours long, and the shooting period is more than enough time for the director to do whatever he wants.

TV dramas have a much faster pace. If actors don't thoroughly understand the script, they won't be able to grasp the characters' personalities, making it difficult to act smoothly.

"We both have scenes tomorrow, shall we go over our lines first?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yuan approached He Xun.

When he stood in front of He Xun, the other man was clearly a little nervous, looking as if he had been startled.

But after Lin Yuan arrived, He Xun quickly nodded: "Okay, no problem, we can go all night without any problem."

Lin Yuan: "..."

What's going on with this sudden, fierce enthusiasm?

Is everyone in the cast and crew of "The Powerful Minister" like this?

"Do I look fierce?" Lin Yuan asked a profound question.

“Not fierce at all,” Zhan Heng replied.

"Looks like you're pretty good at fighting?" Li Mobei said.

Lin Yuan: "...Thank you to the gentleman who used the question mark."

Fortunately, when the two were rehearsing their lines, He Xun seemed perfectly normal, but he was still very sparing with his words and didn't like to say anything unnecessary.

Moreover, He Xun had clearly mastered the script.

Lin Yuan: "..."

That's probably just his personality.

Regardless of the other person's personality, Lin Yuan likes actors who take filming seriously, and it doesn't matter if they don't get along.

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Author's Note: Update complete! [shrugs][shrugs][shrugs]