Chapter 71 Drama Casting
A few days later, Lin Weimin received another call from Shi Yizhi, but this time he did not go to Shi Yizhi's office, but went directly to the rehearsal room.
Yi Shizhi was standing on the stage, surrounded by a group of people. When he saw Lin Weimin coming, he pulled him aside and introduced him to everyone, "This is the screenwriter of The Intouchables, Mr. Lin Weimin, the last disciple of Mr. Jia Bao."
Lin Weimin hurriedly said, "Teacher Yu, please don't say that. If the master knew that I was using his name outside, he would probably expel me from the sect on the spot. Just call me Weimin."
Everyone present was amused by his humor, so Shi Zhi introduced him to everyone on the stage, including not only actors but also backstage staff.
The director is Ouyang Shanzun, the son of Ouyang Yuqian, the founder of drama and master of Peking Opera. He has directed famous plays such as "Spring Flowers and Autumn Fruits", "Sunrise" and "The Man with a Gun" at the People's Art Theatre.
Ouyang Shanzun is a very special person. You can tell at first glance that he is a vain person. He wears a leather jacket which is rarely worn by young people in this era, and a French beret on his head. You will never forget him after just one look at him.
Others include screenwriter Lan Yinhai, sound engineer Feng Qin, art designer Wang Wenchong...
When it was the actors' turn, the group looked a little nervous.
The staff behind the scenes have all been decided by the institute, and Lin Weimin, the original screenwriter, will not interfere.
The main reason why Shi Yizhi called him over today was to select actors.
"Today, Teacher Lin is here mainly to take a look at our theater's casting for the play 'The Intouchables'. So, let's go through the play and show it to Teacher Lin."
Yi Shizhi assigned tasks to the actors, and he accompanied Lin Weimin and the team behind the scenes backstage.
Ouyang Shanzun sat in the middle of the first row, with Yi Shizhi and Lin Weimin on his left and right, fully embodying the tradition of the People's Art Theatre's director-centered system.
Ouyang Shanzun waited for the actors on the stage for a while. Everyone had just received the script not long ago and had not rehearsed before. They were just familiar with the script. However, Lin Weimin found that almost no one among these people had prepared the script and could recite the lines fluently.
Lin Weimin is very familiar with the actor who plays Qin Yun. He has seen this old gentleman perform on stage more than once. He is Lan Tianye, the second master Qin in "Tea House".
The actor Lin Weimin who plays Lin Xiaoding looks familiar. His surname is Tan. Lin Weimin must have acted in film and television dramas in later generations.
On the stage, the actors recited their lines with full passion, and habitually added some body movements and facial expressions. Lin Weimin could see it clearly in the first row.
As the absolute protagonists of "The Intouchables", Qin Yun and Lin Xiaoding have the most scenes. Lan Tianye's acting skills and lines are flawless, and his image seems to be very consistent with Qin Yun's temperament.
It's this Lin Xiaoding...
Lin Weimin touched his chin and felt that he was not quite there.
Because Chen Xiaoer wanted Lin Xiaoding before, Lin Weimin couldn't help but substitute the role of Lin Xiaoding for Chen Xiaoer.
The actor who played Lin Xiaoding on stage had good acting skills, but his image was a little different from what Lin Weimin had in mind.
Ouyang Shanzun caught a glimpse of Lin Weimin's expression. There was a small bell on the table in front of him, a seat-type bell with a small button on the top. He tapped it lightly, and a "ding" sound rang throughout the rehearsal room.
The bell that Ouyang Shanzun rang represented the director's absolute authority in the rehearsal room. Upon hearing the bell, the actors performing on the stage immediately stopped their actions and focused their attention on the first row.
"Teacher Lin, do you have any questions?"
Lin Weimin hesitated for a moment, then leaned over to Ouyang Shanzun's ear and said, "Are there any backup candidates for the role of Lin Xiaoding?"
"There's a backup."
"Let him come on stage and let me see."
Ouyang Shanzun nodded and shouted, "Li Guangfu, come on stage!"
An agile figure from backstage quickly stood in front of the stage, and the actor who originally played Lin Xiaoding walked backstage with a disappointed look on his face.
Li Guangfu was a little excited when he came on stage, and bowed deeply in the direction of Lin Weimin. Ouyang Shanzun said, "Don't dawdle, continue to perform!"
At the director's words, the actors on the stage started moving again, and Li Guangfu continued to act out the role that the male actor had just played.
Just now, Ouyang Shanzun introduced the new actor as Li Guangfu. Lin Weimin had no impression of the name, but after hearing him recite a few lines, Lin Weimin remembered it.
Isn’t this the Third Uncle in “The Story of Siheyuan”?
Compared to the old look in Lin Weimin's impression, Li Guangfu at this time looks much younger, and his temperament is closer to Lin Xiaoding's image than the male actor just now.
Lin Weimin watched Li Guangfu's performance and was thinking in his heart. He was comparing Chen Xiaoer and Li Guangfu.
The image of Chen Xiaoer is indeed very suitable for Lin Xiaoding, but there is a problem, his image is too greasy and too cheap.
It is true that Lin Xiaoding is a thief with a criminal record, but he is more likely to do so out of necessity. Chen Xiaoer looks like a habitual offender, and from this point of view, Li Guangfu is closer to Lin Xiaoding.
With the comparison results in mind, Lin Weimin focused his attention on the performance on the stage.
Ouyang Shanzun glanced at Lin Weimin's reaction and saw that he had no intention of speaking, so he knew that there should be no problem.
"Ding!" Another crisp bell rang, and the actors on the stage stopped.
Ouyang Shanzun said: "Teacher Lin, we have seen the actors' images and performances, what do you think?"
Then Zhizhi also looked at Lin Weimin.
"I think it's good, let's just leave it at that."
"Okay, that's settled then." Yi Shizhi said.
The actors on stage seemed to be relieved. Their roles were decided and their mission for the day was completed.
Ouyang Shanzun and Lin Weimin discussed the subsequent rehearsal matters. The crew of "The Intouchables" has finished gathering today, and the next step is rehearsal.
A drama script is not something that the screenwriter will change word for word after writing it.
The script must be rehearsed in the theater and performed by the actors, and the screenwriter then determines the final presentation of the script based on the actors' performance.
Even a great script like Mr. Lao She's was written while the actors were walking, talking, and improvising in the rehearsal room, and Mr. Lao She would then revise the final version. From this perspective, the drama actors all made their own contributions to the script.
Lin Weimin is not an employee of the People's Art Theatre, so he can only come during the evenings and weekends. Usually, only Lan Yinhai, the screenwriter in the group, can communicate with the actors. When Lin Weimin comes, the two of them will discuss it.
After talking about the rehearsal, Yi Zhi called Lin Weimin over and talked about the royalties.
"The Intouchables" is about 30,000 words, and the People's Art Theatre paid 300 yuan for the manuscript.
This number is quite good compared to the royalties for novels, which is ten yuan per thousand words.
But the problem is that the amount of energy expended is different. The People's Art Theatre is a big enough brand, but the input-output ratio is indeed a bit low.
(End of this chapter)
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