Chapter 610 His Eyes Changed

Although Huang Tianlin had his doubts, he still cooperated with Lu Yanhe and put on this act in front of Huang Feng.

"Can you even act?" Lu Yanhe said to Huang Tianlin impatiently. "Director, I'm very busy, okay? We can't even keep up with rehearsals, how are we supposed to film later?"

Sure enough, as soon as Lu Yanhe spoke, Huang Feng, who was still pestering his mother for ice cream, immediately turned his head and glanced in their direction.

Qin Shulan was right; Huang Feng was indeed a very clever and perceptive child.

Huang Tianlin pretended not to see that Huang Feng was looking over and said, "He's still a child, please be more patient."

“There are only actors here, no children,” Lu Yanhe said irritably. “If you keep doing this, I really can’t continue filming.”

After saying that, Lu Yanhe turned and left.

Huang Tianlin sighed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Huang Feng's expression, which had just been saying "I want to play! I'm not serious!", was completely gone.

Ten minutes later, Lu Yanhe was asked to come out again.

He looked at Huang Feng: "Can you act now?"

Huang Feng pursed his lips, his eyes becoming a little timid, "I can act."

As soon as they started filming, Lu Yanhe was amazed by Huang Feng's serious and dedicated performance.

When Huang Feng acted like the younger brother in the script and acted like a scoundrel, he was scolded a couple of times and then started to fight back. Lu Yanhe, who played the older brother, couldn't stand it and retaliated with an elbow. Huang Feng then burst into tears.

This was just a rehearsal, but Huang Feng started crying on cue.

Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"..."

This child is truly wronged.

Lu Yanhe sighed inwardly.

He had to pat him on the head to comfort him.

-

So, after two hours on set, they finally began the formal filming phase.

Lu Yanhe finally realized just how picky Huang Tianlin was about the camera.

Huang Tianlin will never call a halt before you finish performing the scene.

Even if your performance doesn't meet his expectations, he won't call a stop. He'll wait until you're finished before telling you where you can make adjustments.

Each one is presented in its entirety.

But performing like this is quite energy-consuming.

Therefore, after each take, Huang Tianlin would let them rest for ten to twenty minutes.

On the fifth take, Huang Tianlin was still not satisfied. This time, he was dissatisfied because he felt that the angle at which Lu Yanhe looked up in disbelief after Qin Shulan slapped him was wrong.

Lu Yanhe was completely dumbfounded.

What is that?

Is the angle wrong?

Huang Tianlin immediately demonstrated how Lu Yanhe should raise his head.

Basically, the neck was only raised slightly by an inch; the key was the eyes.

Huang Tianlin wanted a pair of angry eyes that looked up at him from below.

Lu Yanhe nodded, indicating that he understood.

Huang Tianlin didn't reshoot this scene from the beginning; instead, he directly asked Qin Shulan and Lu Yanhe to start from slapping each other.

Two cameras were used, one to film Qin Shulan and the other to film Lu Yanhe.

Huang Tianlin said, "Sister Lan, for this slap, I want it to be very crisp, clean, loud but not heavy."

Qin Shulan: "..."

However, it is clear that Qin Shulan has become quite accustomed to Huang Tianlin's style.

She nodded and said to Lu Yanhe, "Yanhe, cover your face with your hands first, I'll try it."

Lu Yanhe said, "It's alright, let's just go."

"Don't come directly," Qin Shulan said to Lu Yanhe. "Trust me."

Lu Yanhe sensed that Qin Shulan's words had a hidden meaning, but since Qin Shulan said so, he was naturally willing.

Between actors, especially established actors, sometimes going straight to the point is the simplest and most convenient method, and they can get it right in one or two takes.

Then, Lu Yanhe understood why Qin Shulan had said, "Don't come directly."

Qin Shulan tried slapping the back of his hand several times, but Huang Tianlin was still not satisfied.

It either feels too slow, or it feels too heavy...

Huang Tianlin said, "This slap was her way of expressing her anger towards her brother. This anger wasn't about blaming her brother for bullying her younger brother, but rather about why her brother couldn't help her when she was going through so much hardship, and instead, he was causing her trouble. Sister Lan, this slap wasn't meant to convey the feeling of 'Why are you bullying your younger brother?', but rather the feeling of 'Can't you be a little more sensible and give me some peace of mind?'"

Lu Yanhe felt a headache for Qin Shulan.

The more mysterious and enigmatic the role, the harder it is for actors to deliver the performance the director wants.

Feelings are something that cannot be quantified; they can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words.

Qin Shulan walked to the side, found a corner, and pondered alone.

Huang Tianlin didn't urge him.

The event then paused for a break.

Lu Yanhe sat on the sofa, wanting to drink water, but Huang Tianlin stopped him.

"They won't even let me drink water?"

"It's better if your mouth feels a little irritated," Huang Tianlin said.

Lu Yanhe: "...Then can I drink it with a straw?"

Huang Tianlin: "Alright, then don't drink too much."

"..." Lu Yanhe wanted to complain in his heart, "So much trouble."

Lu Yanhe was also silently pondering the "angry look" that Huang Tianlin wanted.

There should be a hint of resentment in the anger, but not too much; otherwise, the character won't be right.

—You hit me without even asking what happened! Why didn't you ask if I bullied him or if he started it? Is he your son, or am I not?!

Lu Yanhe set up a psychological driving force for himself to manipulate his emotions.

-

Today is Lu Yanhe's first day of filming, so Yuan Hai has been staying on set the whole time, just in case something unexpected happens so he can deal with it immediately.

Yuan Hai noticed that Lu Yanhe was basically alone on set. Although Zou Dong and Wang Biao were also there, neither of them stayed close to Lu Yanhe, which surprised him.

Basically, any big shot is surrounded by assistants whenever there are no cameras filming them.

Although Wang Biao is Lu Yanhe's executive agent, he was originally Lu Yanhe's assistant and still holds that position.

But most of the time, Wang Biao either chats with the people next to him or looks down at messages on his tablet.

Yuan Hai thought for a moment and went to ask Wang Biao if they needed to arrange an assistant for Lu Yanhe during this period.

He thought that Wang Biao was unwilling to do such a small job as an assistant after he became the executive agent.

Wang Biao was stunned by Yuan Hai's enthusiastic suggestion.

What the hell? They arranged for someone to steal his job right in front of him?

"No need, thank you, Mr. Yuan," Wang Biao said. "We have enough people now. Brother Lu isn't the kind of celebrity who needs seven or eight people to serve him every time he goes out—uh, I mean his assistant team, not bodyguards. This place isn't in the city center; it's rather remote, so we still brought some bodyguards, just in case."

Yuan Hai nodded, indicating his understanding.

"Actually, I should have thought of this earlier and hired bodyguards here in advance."

Wang Biao smiled and said it was nothing.

He thought to himself, "Even if you hire them, we wouldn't dare use them. Who knows what kind of people you've hired?"

When it comes to matters involving their lives and property, Wang Biao and Chen Ziyan share the same thought: they would rather spend more money on security to avoid any unforeseen accidents.

Yuan Hai asked, "I've noticed that Yan He is always alone. Doesn't he need an assistant to accompany him?"

“I’m with him,” Wang Biao said immediately, then realized why Yuan Hai had asked that. He explained with a smile, “On set, unless Brother Lu calls us, we don’t stay by his side, otherwise he’ll blame us for disturbing his character’s state.”

Yuan Hai came to his senses and realized that he had misunderstood.

"So that's how it is."

"Mr. Yuan, what are your plans after filming 'Tropical Rainy Season' is finished?" Wang Biao asked.

Yuan Hai said, "The plan is to screen the film at several international film festivals first, and hopefully it can be shortlisted for the main competition of one of the four major international film festivals. If it can be shortlisted, it will be more beneficial for the film's subsequent promotion and distribution."

Wang Biao nodded and asked, "Has the distribution company for this movie been decided?"

“Several companies have already contacted us, and we are still in talks,” Yuan Hai said.

"Have any Chinese film companies contacted us?" Wang Biao asked.

“Yes, of course. In fact, China is the most interested in this film. Several companies have inquired about it and offered very high prices,” Yuan Hai said. “But I don’t know much about Chinese film companies, so I would like to ask for your opinion.”

Wang Biao was somewhat surprised: "Are there any film companies offering high prices now?"

Yuan Hai: "It may not be considered a high price for Yan He's past works, but for our film, it is a very high price."

Wang Biao thought to himself, "Tropical Rainy Season" is an art film. Based on the box office performance of Lu Yanhe's past art films, everyone can do the math. At most, domestic film companies would offer between $2 million and $3 million.

This number is indeed quite high for "Tropical Rainy Season".

Wang Biao said, "Mr. Yuan, we did not participate in the production of the film 'Tropical Rainy Season' in any other capacity. I will report to Sister Ziyan later about the distribution of this film in China. Perhaps she can give you more accurate advice."

Yuan Hai nodded.

Wang Biao asked with a smile, "Mr. Yuan, I noticed that besides producing for director Huang Tianlin, you've also produced several other films. Some media outlets have said that you're a talent scout for young, emerging directors in Malaysia. Do you specifically focus on young directors?"

Yuan Hai nodded, “Our Malaysian film market is not large, and the film industry is not complete, so it is actually quite difficult for filmmakers to stand out. I want to push our Malaysian filmmakers to a bigger stage and let more people around the world know about them, but many times I feel powerless. In Vietnam over the years, we have only produced one director, Song Mok Thanh, and no one else. Of course, they have done better than us, because they have Song Mok Thanh.”

Wang Biao nodded.

He actually felt a lot about what Yuan Hai said.

He and Lu Yanhe had attended so many international film festivals. Besides those film crews with big directors, big stars, and big production studios behind them, there were also many small film crews without stars and not noticed by the media.

What impressed Wang Biao most was a trip to the Situ Film Festival where he and Lu Yanhe went to see a Polish film. The film wasn't in the main competition, but in another section, and the screening time wasn't ideal. The director was unknown, and the entire cast was Polish, with even fewer celebrities. Of course, because of the film festival, the theater was quite crowded—which is why many people say that the atmosphere of a film festival is a delight for true film lovers.

What did the film company do? They thoughtfully placed a small booklet, similar to an advertising flyer, on each person's seat. The booklet introduced the film's theme, content, and the director's ideas in English and with pictures, and also provided a brief introduction to the film's main creators.

Later, Wang Biao saw an interview with the film's producer in a news report. When asked why they prepared such a booklet, the producer said, "Because our film's budget was very limited, even though everyone wanted to come to Sittor to meet us, we couldn't afford to pay for so many people's airfare and accommodation. We also didn't have enough budget to hire media to promote our film. We could only use the little money we had to make these booklets and bring them to Sittor so that the audience who sees the film can learn more about it."

Wang Biao felt particularly heartbroken listening to this.

Small country, small production team, tight budget, yet still hoping to be seen.

Film has never been just an art form.

The producer's last words in the interview were: "I hope to show everyone that we in Poland are still making movies, that we have our own filmmakers, and that we have our own film culture."

In fact, filmmakers in any country probably have this thought in their hearts.

It all starts with oneself, and then inevitably leads to looking back at one's past, the times, and history.

Where people come from, their souls return.

Wang Biao smiled at Yuan Hai and said, "I believe that you, Mr. Yuan, will definitely be able to take your Malaysian films to the world stage. In fact, you have already come a long way, haven't you? Several of the films you produced before have been shortlisted for influential international film festivals."

Yuan Hai shook his head and smiled.

"Just because you're shortlisted for an international film festival doesn't mean you've gone global. In the film industry, winning awards is important, but what's more important is whether you have influence among your peers and in the hearts of the audience."

Yuan Hai said, "So, I really feel like a windfall when Yan He was able to come and film 'Tropical Rainy Season' this time."

Wang Biao glanced thoughtfully at Huang Tianlin and said, "But it seems that Director Huang doesn't really want to work with Brother Lu. Last time he came, he said some unpleasant things to Brother Lu, and he wasn't very enthusiastic this time either."

Yuan Hai said, "I apologize on behalf of Tianlin. He actually—"

Yuan Hai hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Forget it, there's no point in me saying all this. You'll know what kind of person he is once you get to know him better. Give him some time."

Wang Biao also wanted to ask Yuan Hai why, after collaborating with so many young creators, he would choose to work with Huang Tianlin, a man with a bad temper and rather arrogant attitude, a second time.

Wang Biao had already figured it out. Huang Tianlin wasn't exactly enthusiastic towards Lu Yanhe, and he wasn't exactly polite to producer Yuan Hai either.

Simply put, in Wang Biao's eyes, director Huang Tianlin's personality was flawed.

Even though Lu Yanhe had said so much to him, Wang Biao still felt sorry for Lu Yanhe.

Given Lu Ge's current reputation and status, there are plenty of young and talented directors out there who would like to collaborate with. Every year, countless directors emerge at film festivals. Why would he specifically choose Huang Tianlin to work with?

-

In the evening, Wang Biao went out to make coffee for Lu Yanhe.

There's another scene to film tonight, I don't know when it will be finished.

There was no coffee machine on site, so Wang Biao brought instant coffee and mixed some iced orange juice from Lu Yanhe's thermos.

Lu Yanhe doesn't like drinking pure Americano because he finds it bitter, so he always has to add something else.

"What is this?" Huang Feng suddenly appeared over, looked up at him with a puzzled and curious expression.

Wang Biao actually quite liked this child.

Although he is talkative and active, he has a clever spirit that makes him likable.

"Coffee," Wang Biao said.

"You're still drinking coffee so late?" Huang Feng asked, looking shocked.

Have you ever had coffee?

"No, my mom won't let me drink it."

"How do you know that you can't drink coffee at night?"

"My mom said that drinking this will keep you awake at night," Huang Feng said. "Aren't you afraid you won't be able to sleep at night?"

"It's not for me to drink, it's for your brother Lu Yanhe. He's filming with you tonight, and he needs this to stay energized."

Huang Feng immediately exclaimed "Huh?"

He pouted.

"He's so annoying, why did you become his assistant?" Huang Feng asked.

Wang Biao laughed and asked, "Why do you find him annoying?"

“I asked him if he could buy me an ice pop, and not only did he not want to, he insisted that I could have one if my parents agreed. That just shows he didn’t want to buy me one,” Huang Feng pouted. “Besides, when he gets angry, he’s as scary as a monster.”

Wang Biao: "Actually, he's a very nice person."

"You're lying."

“Really,” Wang Biao said. “Look, you made so many mistakes this afternoon, did he blame you?”

"He even got angry with my uncle."

"That's because you weren't willing to rehearse diligently," Wang Biao said. "You deliberately didn't cooperate, so of course he got angry. But as long as you acted seriously afterward, even if there were problems, did he ever get angry?"

"...But he can't keep getting angry at me, can he? I'm still a child."

“You’re twelve years old, the age to go to junior high school, and you’re still a child,” Wang Biao retorted mercilessly.

Huang Feng: "...I haven't started school yet. It will be more than two months before I start junior high school. I'm still a primary school student!"

"It's already June, and you still haven't graduated from elementary school?"

"..." Huang Feng hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Finally, he clicked his tongue in exasperation and said, "I'm not talking to you anymore."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and ran away.

Wang Biao smiled.

Then, Huang Feng crashed into Huang Tianlin, who was coming straight at him, like a cannonball.

Huang Tianlin was hit hard, lost his balance, and staggered backward.

Huang Feng shouted.

Huang Tianlin himself staggered, but his first reaction was to reach out and pull Huang Feng, who had also lost his balance and was falling to the ground.

Huang Feng then threw himself at him.

"Hiss—" Huang Tianlin gasped.

Wang Biao quickly screwed on the thermos, put it in the car, and went over.

"Director Huang, are you alright?"

Wang Biao noticed that Huang Tianlin was supporting himself on his elbows, his hands remaining still in a somewhat strange position.

Huang Tianlin frowned, his face showing some pain. "Huang Feng, are you trying to murder me?"

Huang Feng got up. "I'm sorry, I was wrong."

He apologized honestly and wasn't being cheeky at all.

Wang Biao helped Huang Tianlin up.

Huang Tianlin gripped his left forearm with his right hand and glanced at his left wrist.

"Did you twist your ankle when you braced yourself?" Wang Biao asked.

Huang Tianlin: "I don't know, I hope it's nothing serious. I'll go find some medicine to spray on."

He glared at Huang Feng: "If you run around again, I'll beat you up!"

Huang Feng pouted.

Wang Biao patted Huang Feng's head and said, "There are so many people coming and going in this film crew. You're always running around. You're bound to bump into someone. Look, now you've bumped into a real monster."

Huang Feng: "...My uncle is not a monster."

"He got angry with you just now, but he's not a monster. Your brother Lu Yanhe got angry with you, and he becomes a monster? How can you be so hypocritical at such a young age?" Wang Biao asked with a smile.

Huang Feng: "My uncle just has a bad temper."

"...How did you find out about that?"

"Of course I know," Huang Feng said firmly. "When I was a kid, whenever someone bullied me, it was my uncle who helped me!"

"Bully you? You don't seem like the type to be bullied. It's good enough that you don't bully others."

“They all have fathers, but I don’t,” Huang Feng said, lowering his head and pouting.

Wang Biao was taken aback.

"ah?"

“When I was little, my mother had to go to work to earn money, so my uncle took care of me at home. Some of my classmates would laugh at me for not having a father and say that I was an orphan. My uncle would scold them and tell them that if they said those things again, he would make them orphans.” Huang Feng said, “Although at that time many people said that he was unemployed, relied on my mother to support him, and was a good-for-nothing.”

Wang Biao scratched his head.

"Now he's a film director, how successful he is."

Huang Feng: "Of course, my uncle is very talented. He has been good at writing since he was a child."

"How do you know he was good at writing since he was a child? How old are you?"

"Because my mother puts up a lot of his old articles on the walls of my house," Huang Feng said proudly.

Wang Biao: "I didn't expect you to be such a brother-in-law freak."

"What does 'uncle-obsessed' mean?" Huang Feng didn't understand.

"It's nothing, you don't need to understand," Wang Biao smiled.

-

The scene we're filming tonight is about the older brother in the movie who got slapped by his mother. He comes home late at night, goes to his room, and goes to bed. Suddenly, his younger brother gets off his bed and wants to sleep in his bed with him.

His brother pushed him away.

My younger brother sat on the edge of the bed, pouting.

After a while, his older brother saw how pitiful he looked and let him come up.

It was a very simple play.

If this were on another film set, Lu Yanhe felt that they might only need to shoot two or three takes to get it right.

However, after witnessing firsthand how meticulous Huang Tianlin was about details during the day, Lu Yanhe had no idea when the scene would be finished filming.

Fortunately, Lu Yanhe is not the kind of actor who would feel anxious if he couldn't film this scene today.

He's an actor who truly keeps himself very clear-headed on set—these are things the director should worry about. He's just an actor; he's only responsible for his role and his performance. If the director himself doesn't want it to go well and insists on refining it again and again, then so be it.

Lu Yanhe is willing to act multiple times. He is never the kind of person who is overconfident and thinks that acting multiple times is a waste of time. On the contrary, he likes to adjust himself again and again, and find the feeling that allows him to present a quality in a scene.

As expected, the scene that night did not go so smoothly.

The problem wasn't with the actors, but with the lighting.

Huang Tianlin was very dissatisfied with the lighting effects in the photos, complaining that they were too bright. After the lighting technician darkened the lights, he still complained that the images didn't look good.

The lighting crew was tormented by him for almost an hour, and they were sweating profusely.

Lu Yanhe remained in bed.

After waiting another hour, Huang Tianlin finally found a shooting effect that satisfied him with the photographer and lighting technician.

Huang Tianlin decided to put this scene in a long take.

The camera is angled towards the doorway, so that when the older brother, played by Lu Yanhe, enters, the door opens and light from outside streams in. At the same time, a light shines through their bedroom window to simulate moonlight.

The room can then present an effect of quiet nighttime yet clear visuals.

But this will lead to a problem.

In this scene, the actors' performances could not be well presented.

It's important to understand that Lu Yanhe didn't have many scenes in this movie to begin with. This scene, which could have been a great opportunity to showcase Lu Yanhe's acting skills by demonstrating his changing attitude towards his brother, has now been turned into a visual presentation rather than a performance.

Even Huang Tianlin felt a little guilty about what had happened.

He forced himself to explain to Lu Yanhe why he filmed it that way.

"I wanted this scene to create a stark contrast with the close-up, tense arguments during the day. No matter how fierce the arguments were during the day, by nightfall, everything had settled down, and things quieted down. The relationship between family members didn't need many words; a few small gestures, a balance of tension and relaxation, were enough to transition things out," Huang Tianlin said. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded: "I understand. Just shoot it the way you want. If you feel bad for me, you can shoot another version that focuses on the actors' performances. You can choose which one you want to use in the end."

His generosity surprised Huang Tianlin.

Huang Tianlin dared to confidently raise questions about Lu Yanhe's head-raising angle and eye contact during the day because he believed that his suggestions would make Lu Yanhe's performance better, more precise, and more charming and nuanced.

But he doesn't have that confidence now—because it's about sacrificing the actors' performance space to achieve a certain cinematic rhythm and visual aesthetics.

As a result, Lu Yanhe agreed without hesitation.

Seeing Huang Tianlin's shock, Lu Yanhe said, "We Chinese people all have a sense of freehand beauty. I know what kind of effect you want to achieve in this scene. I understood after you finished explaining."

Still waters run deep.

Huang Tianlin's expression changed slightly.

-

I recommend the older book "I Became the Scandalous Woman Overnight" and the new book "The Demon-Slaying Sword".

(End of this chapter)