Chapter 613 I'm Not Blind (10,000-word update!)
On the fourth day after Lu Yanhe joined the crew, he finally began to feel a sense of immersion in the role of the older brother he was playing.
It's not that he didn't immerse himself in the role when he acted before, or that he was just forcing it. Rather, as an actor, truly entering a role and becoming one with it takes time and a process of familiarization.
Lu Yanhe didn't actually do much preparation for this role or the play beforehand.
On the one hand, it's because he was very busy recently and didn't have much time to prepare. On the other hand, it's also because the role wasn't actually that difficult or complicated, so he didn't need to prepare in advance.
For a character that doesn't actually have much depth or complexity, if Lu Yanhe, with his current acting ability, prepares too much, he might actually lose the character's explosive power.
There is a very delicate balance between advance design and on-site improvisation.
In fact, good actors often rely more on their performance when they are completely empathetic to the character on set. That's something that can't be planned in advance—of course, this doesn't mean actors don't need to do their homework beforehand. It means they do all the necessary preparation, then forget about it and let their emotions and intuition guide them.
It wasn't until the fourth day that Lu Yanhe felt like he was truly immersed in the role, referring to the environment of the film set and the group of actors.
He began to develop a sense of familiarity with the world in front of the camera, and with this group of people.
After Huang Feng became familiar with him, he began to extend his mischievousness to him.
Basically, whenever he's not filming, Huang Feng is never idle on set. He's always talking non-stop, and he's like a monkey, jumping around and playing all sorts of games with people.
Previously, such things would never have involved Lu Yanhe, but now that Huang Feng probably feels he's become familiar with Lu Yanhe, he's started pestering him.
Huang Feng somehow learned about a game that Lu Yanhe played when he was a child.
One person places their palm on top of another person's palm. The hand on the bottom should flip over and strike the back of the hand on top.
It's really just a matter of who reacts faster.
Huang Feng boasted that he was a master of this game and had no equal among the crew.
That's how Lu Yanhe came to be targeted by him.
Lu Yanhe nodded and immediately agreed.
As a result, Huang Feng could never hit Lu Yanhe's hand, while Lu Yanhe always managed to hit Huang Feng's hand.
After more than ten times in a row, Huang Feng was so angry that his eyes turned red and watery, and he almost burst into tears.
Lu Yanhe laughed loudly, deliberately mocking, "Really? You're already shedding tears?"
Huang Feng screamed in anger.
When his mother heard the commotion, she rushed over and saw her son angrily screaming at Lu Yanhe. Her expression immediately changed, and she tried to grab Huang Feng away.
Lu Yanhe noticed that Huang Feng's mother had come over, and immediately gave her a wink to indicate that everything was alright.
Huang Feng's mother was finally relieved.
She was genuinely worried that her mischievous son would offend Lu Yanhe.
Huang Feng stormed off on his own.
Lu Yanhe was too lazy to coax him.
During filming, Huang Tianlin slapped his thigh with delight. Huang Feng's childlike hatred towards Lu Yanhe in the shot was so vivid that he didn't even need to act; the emotion was palpable and captured by the camera, making it particularly moving.
When it was lunchtime, Wang Biao brought over lunch and whispered to Lu Yanhe with a smile: "That kid Huang Feng is probably scared of you. Just now he insisted on playing that hand-slapping game with people again. The others told him to keep playing with you, saying that they couldn't beat him and that he had to challenge himself and try to beat you. But Huang Feng wouldn't listen to anything they said and still wouldn't come to you."
Lu Yanhe: "Kids are all like that. I was like that when I was a kid."
Wang Biao: "I was like that when I was a kid! But, Brother Lu, were you like that when you were a kid? It's hard to imagine. I feel like you must have always been the kind of obedient and self-disciplined child."
“How could that be?” Lu Yanhe smiled. “Huang Feng is quite interesting. This kid, look at his temper, he can’t sit still usually, he seems to have an insensitive personality, but when he acts, his emotions are very accurate. In the play, especially the scene I acted with the other night, he wanted to make up with me and wanted to climb into my bed. He slowly moved closer to me like a little animal, rubbing against me little by little. Huang Tianlin didn’t teach him to act like that. He’s born to empathize with different emotions.”
Wang Biao: "Brother Lu, that's not necessarily true. Huang Feng might not be as boisterous as he usually seems."
"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why do you say that?"
Wang Biao: "He told me that he lost his father when he was young and was raised by his mother and his uncle. It's hard to believe that a child who grows up in such an environment is not sensitive at all. He was often bullied by his classmates when he was young because of the fact that he didn't have a father, but he never seemed to show it on the spot."
Lu Yanhe showed a surprised expression.
Lu Yanhe was surprised not because of this incident, but because he hadn't seen this in Huang Feng at all in the past few days.
Huang Feng gave him the impression of being a carefree kid who had been well protected by his family since childhood, and who could be innocent, lively, and mischievous on set.
But that's not the case.
-
After learning about Huang Feng's situation from Wang Biao, Lu Yanhe suddenly felt a pang of sympathy when he saw Huang Feng again.
He immediately realized that his mindset was wrong.
Children, especially children of this age, need sympathy the least.
Cruelty and indifference can wound a person's heart, as can compassion. Sometimes, the former is a hard knife, and the latter is a soft knife; both leave a bloody wound, without distinction.
Lu Yanhe took the initiative to call Huang Feng over.
"Do you still want to play the game of slapping the back of your hand?" Lu Yanhe looked at him with a smile.
Huang Feng: "..."
He looked at him warily and asked, "What do you want?"
“I want to see if you’ve made any progress,” Lu Yanhe said.
Huang Feng's eyes darted around. "I haven't improved. I'm not playing with you. Go find someone else to play with."
After saying that, he ran away.
Lu Yanhe: "..."
"That kid is really cunning." Qin Shulan, who plays their mother in the film, said with a smile, "This is actually his first time acting."
"His acting talent is outstanding," Lu Yanhe said.
Qin Shulan nodded, "Yes, if he had such talent in China or Europe and America, he might have become a child star."
Qin Shulan's tone was tinged with regret.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe's eyes flickered slightly.
-
"You want to sign Huang Feng to your company?" Huang Tianlin looked at Lu Yanhe in surprise.
“It’s not my company, although I have a small share. Strictly speaking, it’s my agent’s company,” Lu Yanhe said. “However, it’s very powerful in China and it’s a good company. Huang Feng has a lot of acting talent. It’s a bit of a pity that he’s not an actor. If you’re willing, I hope I can mentor him in the future.”
Huang Tianlin stared at Lu Yanhe in shock, remaining silent for a long time.
"I need to discuss this with his mother."
"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.
“But what are you thinking? He lives in Malaysia, not China.” Huang Tianlin was very puzzled. “You want to take him with you? Do you want to take him to China?”
“Malaysia or China, it’s fine,” Lu Yanhe said. “He’s still a child, and it’s impossible for him to be a full-time actor. He should go to school. But if there’s a suitable opportunity and a suitable role during winter or summer vacation, we can let him come to China to film.”
Huang Tianlin himself knew that Lu Yanhe was providing Huang Feng with a good opportunity.
"Why are you so concerned about him? I thought you didn't like him," Huang Tianlin said. "You didn't seem to take good care of him on set either."
“Take care of him?” Lu Yanhe said, “I feel like he doesn’t need my care. But I like him, he’s very interesting.”
Huang Tianlin: "This is a big deal, I need to consider it carefully, and it also depends on his own thoughts and his mother's opinion. Signing with your company to become a child star—"
Huang Tianlin's face was filled with surprise and concern.
Lu Yanhe understood.
He nodded.
"Why don't you two discuss it first?"
-
Chen Ziyan was very supportive of Lu Yanhe's desire to sign Huang Feng.
Before Shihuo was established, it was already decided that the company would become the first in China to offer agency services to artists worldwide.
The first foreign artist signed by Shi Huo was Thai actress Chayna.
If Huang Feng signs with them, he will be signing a Malaysian actor.
"By the way, what about the other actors in your film? I heard from Wang Biao that the actress you acted with, Qin Shulan, is also a very good actress and is very famous in Malaysia."
“Yes, but she should already have a management company and agent here,” Lu Yanhe said.
Chen Ziyan said, "That's only in Malaysia. We can handle her overseas agency business. Several actors in your film can speak Chinese and can come to China to film without any obstacles. Moreover, they are all Chinese and share the same roots. If we can gather a group of Chinese actors and deepen their exchanges with China, it would be very much in line with the current direction from above."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe said, "Then shall I ask her?"
"Don't ask anymore. I'll come over when you're almost done filming and we can talk about everything together," Chen Ziyan said. "I've been thinking about signing Huang Tianlin to other management contracts besides film and television for a long time. As a director, he definitely has a bright future ahead of him."
Lu Yanhe: "Won't President Yuan have any objections?"
“His company’s relationship with Huang Tianlin is simply a film and television production collaboration, nothing more,” Chen Ziyan said. “I had already inquired about this when I talked to him before.”
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.
“Yuan Hai himself also had ideas. He wanted to bring his production company to China to see if there were any opportunities for project cooperation. The Malaysian market is still too small. Although international streaming media is hot, they can hardly grab any cooperation opportunities. In the Asian market, the production business is basically divided up by South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and India. Now, a few Chinese-language dramas are released on streaming media every year through copyright cooperation. The market for Chinese-language film and television dramas is basically occupied by us.”
Lu Yanhe said, "I know that. He took the initiative to approach Siqi, wanting to collaborate on the Jumping Theater project."
“He’s quick on his feet,” Chen Ziyan laughed. “He’s very driven and has a lot of ideas. If it weren’t for the fact that the Malaysian market is so small, his production company would definitely be much larger than it is now.”
"I wonder how Siqi's visit to his company went," Lu Yanhe said.
-
In the afternoon, Chen Siqi visited Yuan Hai's company, met with several producers from his company, chatted, and had dinner together, which gave her a better understanding of the situation.
She returned to the hotel and called Lu Yanhe.
Have you finished work?
"I don't have any scenes tonight," Lu Yanhe said. "I just got in the car, and I'm going to find a restaurant nearby with Dong Ge and Wang Biao to have some local food. What do you think of Yuan Hai's producer? Is it possible to work with him?"
“Yes,” Chen Siqi said. “I’ve watched their work from the past few years and talked with them for a long time. They have the basic production skills and abilities. Their weakness is that they lack experience in making big projects. The projects they’ve done in the past have mainly been life-related and emotional. Simply put, they are experienced and skilled at making small-scale productions, but they may not have the ability to make big productions and big projects yet. However, this is quite in line with the needs of our Jumping Theater.”
"That's good."
“Hmm,” Chen Siqi said. “This afternoon, Aurora Video also sent a message that since the launch of Jump Theater, six shows have been released, attracting more than seven million new members.”
Lu Yanhe was overjoyed, "These are impressive figures!"
"Yes, but I don't know if this data can hold up."
In simple terms, the number of new members acquired by a video platform is how many people subscribe to a membership while watching a show, including monthly, quarterly, and annual memberships.
Currently, annual memberships account for a relatively small percentage of the total memberships on domestic video websites; monthly memberships are the majority. If there's a show or variety program you want to watch that requires a membership, you might subscribe briefly, watch it, and then not recharge.
That's why the number of new members for the six shows on the Jump Theater exceeded seven million. It's not that they never watched shows on Aurora Video before, nor did they ever recharge their memberships on Aurora.
For video websites, the commercial value of a TV series is mainly reflected in several aspects:
1. Acquiring new members.
2. Pre-roll ads.
3. Views.
While "Jump Up Theater" didn't excel in the latter two aspects (referring to its initial investment and subsequent growth), its performance was still commendable relative to its cost. However, its achievement of attracting seven million new members in just over a month is comparable to that of a hit drama series.
However, the purchase price of these six dramas by Aurora Video was much lower than the purchase price of a single hit drama.
If it's a big-budget drama with A-list stars and a rating of A or above, the average price per episode can generally reach over six million yuan. And that's just the average price. If the drama itself has a certain level of popularity, or if the main creators are currently very popular, this number can fluctuate quite a bit higher.
The dramas produced by Jumping Theater each consist of only two to three episodes. Because they premiere on Yuehu TV, they have an exclusive broadcast window. Aurora Video is only an exclusive online streaming platform. For dramas like "The Adventures of a Young Girl," which features entirely new directors and actors, the purchase price is even less than 1 million yuan per episode. Even dramas like "The Intern," which features popular actors like Yan Liang, only cost 5 million yuan per episode.
In short, the benefits that Jump Theater brings to Aurora Video far outweigh the costs.
Of course, this is also a good sign for Jump Up Theater. With the popularity of the first six shows, the purchase price of subsequent shows for Jump Up Theater is bound to rise.
"When are you going back?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Siqi: "I'm taking a flight back to China tomorrow morning. What about you? Are you going to stay here and film for a few more days?"
“I don’t know yet. Huang Tianlin knows that I’m not in a hurry to finish filming in the seven days stipulated in the agreement and then leave, so he’s been filming very slowly every day and scrutinizing every detail.” Lu Yanhe said helplessly, “Maybe we’ll have to film for a few more days. Whatever he wants, as long as it doesn’t drag me out for ten days or half a month, it’s fine. After all, the promotion for ‘Love Letter’ is about to start, and the promotion for this movie is in your hands.”
Chen Siqi: "Don't worry, we already have a publicity strategy. Your directorial debut won an award at the Jose Film Festival, and we will do our best to make this film seen by everyone."
Lu Yanhe: "Then don't work too hard. Whether the box office is good or not, the movie has already made a profit through overseas copyright sales, so there's no pressure for its domestic release. Don't work overtime for this."
“Work is work. Since we’ve taken on the job of promoting ‘Love Letter,’ we have to do it to the best of our ability,” Chen Siqi said frankly. “Otherwise, we’ll make other people’s shows popular while we only do yours in a mediocre way. That doesn’t make sense.”
Last time, Chen Siqi's team used fan fiction as an opportunity to open up the topic of "The Summit", which revived this well-received drama that had been met with lukewarm reception, shocking the entire industry.
Afterwards, Chen Siqi's team took on promotional work for several more dramas, all of which achieved some notable success. However, they commanded high fees, and the number of actual projects they collaborated on was limited—there simply weren't enough projects to cover the promotional expenses.
The success of "Love Letter" at the Jose Film Festival, where it won a substantial prize and sold well overseas, provided the film with enough funds to pay Chen Siqi's team an eight-figure publicity fee.
Otherwise, given Linghe's current financial pressure in simultaneously operating the Jumping Theater and preparing for "Chinese Paladin," either Lu Yanhe would have to pay out of his own pocket, or Chen Siqi's team would have to provide friendly services. Otherwise, it would be impossible to pay for Chen Siqi's team's promotional services normally.
For Lu Yanhe, he naturally hoped that things at work would be handled properly. Even friends should keep clear accounts, let alone lovers.
Once you reach the end, you're no longer alone.
The promotional work for "Love Letter" wasn't done by Chen Siqi alone. If Chen Siqi provided favors to Lu Yanhe without charging herself, what about her team? They invested money, time, and energy, yet didn't receive any project bonuses. What were they after? Did they want Chen Siqi and Lu Yanhe to have a good impression of them?
That's why it's even more important to have clear accounts when it involves a lot of people.
Because it's no longer a matter between the two of them.
-
In "Tropical Rainy Season", Lu Yanhe has two very important storylines.
One line is the line between him and his family.
The other storyline is his relationship with a woman.
Of course, he won't be filming this scene naked; that's not the focus of the movie. The plot is that, as his relationship with his family deteriorates, a beautiful widowed woman moves in from upstairs, and he becomes attracted to her.
As a result, their relationship was exposed by his younger brother. This caused a huge uproar. This incident also became a climax of the entire film, with scandal entering the family. He had a fierce argument with his mother, and his brother cried bitterly. The next day, he left home.
The film didn't end with him, but his character ended there, disappearing from the movie.
For this film, he is a symbol of the younger brother's growth, a very important symbol.
His departure was a significant change in his brother's life.
Having acted in so many dramas, including "The Golden Era" and "Phoenix Terrace," Lu Yanhe has always had a protagonist's perspective in every scene he appears in. The only exception is "Tropical Rainy Season," where he is a true supporting character. The story and pacing don't actually revolve around him, but rather focus on his younger brother.
This actually gave Lu Yanhe a rather different perspective as an actor. Including the design of his scenes with the widow, in the past, he wouldn't have cared whether he was a supporting actor or not; he would have treated every scene as if he were the lead. But in this film, Lu Yanhe realized that his appearances couldn't be too "extraordinary," so as not to overshadow the main characters and disrupt the overall rhythm of the film.
Therefore, Lu Yanhe made two distinctions for himself. In scenes at home, with his mother and younger brother, his emotional expression and character arc are very strong and striking, and he is never overshadowed—this is where his function in the family drama is also reflected.
However, in another character storyline, namely his romantic storyline, he makes his character's presence less prominent, and he tries his best to use an "escapist attitude" to highlight the "inescapable" bond.
For example, when Lu Yanhe first met that woman, he planned things out for himself. On the one hand, he was attracted to her and took the initiative to help her. On the other hand, he kept an eye on what was happening downstairs—he was watching what was going on in his house, afraid that his mother and younger brother would find out about his fawning behavior.
The actress playing opposite her is Han Yujiang, a Chinese Malaysian who grew up in Malaysia. She hasn't acted in many films or TV dramas and used to be a local stage actress. She is also a friend of Huang Tianlin, who brought her to act in this play.
She is very beautiful.
The first scene Han Yujiang acted opposite Lu Yanhe was when she moved, and Lu Yanhe came to help.
After she finished performing, she asked, somewhat puzzled, "Yan He, why did I feel like you were a little distracted while you were acting?"
If Han Yujiang could see it, then Huang Tianlin certainly could too.
Huang Tianlin asked Lu Yanhe, annoyed, why he acted this way.
Lu Yanhe explained his understanding of the scene.
Huang Tianlin said directly, "When a man is attracted to a woman, he won't have anything else on his mind, and he won't be absent-minded."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Han Yujiang also said, "I thought it was because I wasn't attractive enough to you."
If Lu Yanhe is a tool-like character in this movie, then Han Yujiang is not even a tool-like character; he is a pure tool.
Lu Yanhe thought about it carefully. Had he misunderstood something?
Lu Yanhe did not insist, saying, "Then I'll perform it again."
But after the performance, Lu Yanhe shook his head.
“No, that’s not right.” He said to Huang Tianlin, “This isn’t somewhere else, this is upstairs in my house, right below my apartment. My mom and brother are right there. Given this spatial relationship, you think I would be completely captivated by her and not get distracted? I don’t think that’s realistic.”
Huang Tianlin said, "If you cared about this, you wouldn't have come up to help in the first place."
Lu Yanhe shook his head. "But I am a man, and a man full of vigor. When I see a woman who moves me, she attracts my attention the moment she appears. I can't be indifferent. But that's a contradiction. I should have this kind of contradiction within me."
He turned to look at Han Yujiang: "Put yourself in his shoes. If your family lived downstairs, and you secretly came upstairs to meet a man who makes your heart flutter, could you keep your mind focused?"
Han Yujiang hesitated for a moment, "More or less, I do care a little bit."
Lu Yanhe nodded and looked at Huang Tianlin.
Huang Tianlin took a deep breath.
Lu Yanhe: "Of course, I know you want to capture the feeling of me falling head over heels for her in this scene. I can act it out, director. Trust me. Let's try it a few more times and find a performance style that we can both agree on, okay?"
After working with Huang Tianlin for a few days, Lu Yanhe had figured out Huang Tianlin's style.
This person is a director with a very strong sense of self-respect.
He definitely needs others to respect him, trust him, and not challenge his authority.
Although Lu Yanhe couldn't listen to him 100% and didn't want to, he was willing to give Huang Tianlin, the director, a sense of authority within the rules.
He has already taken a step back.
Huang Tianlin took a deep breath and said expressionlessly, "Then let's give it a try."
-
However, when Lu Yanhe gradually found his footing and discovered a character state that both he and Huang Tianlin could accept, Han Yujiang was on the verge of a breakdown.
The reason she broke down was not anything else, but the fact that she realized she simply couldn't keep up with Lu Yanhe's acting.
When she received the script, she felt that she could easily play the role. She didn't need to have superb acting skills; as long as she was beautiful, alluring, and had a kind of sexiness that was somewhere between maturity and innocence, that would be enough.
This is one of her inherent qualities.
But she noticed that when she stood next to Lu Yanhe, in every take, Lu Yanhe's body language, the way he looked at her, and his expression would change slightly, gradually transforming him into a real seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, full of youthful vigor and falling in love with a woman at first sight.
The occasional moments of distraction and absent-mindedness in his expression added to the mystery surrounding him, making her subconsciously forget that she was acting and want to explore his past life.
When she came to her senses, she felt inexplicably shallow in Lu Yanhe's eyes.
Suddenly, she couldn't tell whether she felt her acting skills were superficial or the character she was playing was superficial.
This suddenly caused her confidence to crumble.
The performance couldn't continue.
-
Huang Tianlin was the first to discover Han Yujiang's problem.
He glanced at Lu Yanhe speechlessly and pulled Han Yujiang aside.
"Xiao Jiang, don't let him lead you by the nose."
Han Yujiang looked pale and was greatly shocked. He said, "Director, I feel like I have facial paralysis."
Huang Tianlin: "Don't think like that, you've already acted very well."
Han Yujiang asked in disbelief, "Really?"
“Really,” Huang Tianlin said. “You can’t compare yourself to Lu Yanhe. Among the younger generation of actors, how many can outperform him? You have to look at yourself and your character. You have already done a very good job of conveying the feeling that your character is supposed to have.”
Lu Yanhe, who was about to come over and ask what was wrong, was stunned when he heard Huang Tianlin's words.
ha?
—Among the younger generation of actors, how many can outperform him in acting?
So it turns out that you can hear words of praise for Huang Tianlin too?
Lu Yanhe smiled, stopped in his tracks, and did not go any further.
At this point, let Huang Tianlin do the talking to Han Yujiang.
Lu Yanhe went to his rest chair and sat down.
Wang Biao handed him the phone.
Has anyone called?
"No." Wang Biao shook his head.
Lu Yanhe opened his phone and replied to some messages.
One of the messages was from Zhou Mukai, who asked if he could spare a day next month, as Xiao Jing, who was on exchange in the UK, would be returning next month.
Before Xiao Jing went abroad, they had said together that when he returned, they would throw a welcome-back party for him.
Lu Yanhe said: I went back to China after filming "Tropical Rainy Season". I can find time to come. Next month, my directorial film "Love Letter" will start its promotion. There will be some advance screenings. I plan to hold a screening at Zhenhua. Why don't you come and support me?
Besides Lu Yanhe, Mao Jiayang and Zhou Mukai both chose to pursue graduate studies. After returning to China, Xiao Jing will likely extend his studies by a year and will also choose to pursue graduate studies. They are all staying in Yuming.
Since Lu Yanhe graduated, his contact with them has decreased. It's not that they've become estranged, it's just that they used to see each other frequently, but now it's even difficult to meet. In addition, Lu Yanhe is currently extremely busy with work, and the person he sees most often is Zhou Mukai, mainly because Zhou Mukai is a part-time editor for "Jump Up" magazine, and Lu Yanhe sometimes runs into him when he goes to the "Jump Up" editorial office.
Zhou Mukai said: Sure, you can ask them in the group later?
Lu Yanhe: Okay.
-
It's unclear how Huang Tianlin spoke to Han Yujiang, but half an hour later, they resumed filming, and Han Yujiang's condition had improved considerably.
Then, Lu Yanhe discovered that Huang Tianlin's story was somewhat different from what the other two had told him—
Huang Tianlin would tell him that the next shot was for him, and that Han Yujiang would act alongside him, but Han Yujiang's performance would not be filmed.
Actually, there was a camera secretly filming Han Yujiang. However, Han Yujiang herself was unaware that a camera was filming her. Instead, she relaxed and naturally displayed her body, releasing the beauty of a woman's curves in front of the camera in an unpretentious and natural way.
Huang Tianlin was using this method to capture Han Yujiang at his best.
Lu Yanhe saw through it but didn't say anything.
In the evening, Lu Yanhe had to film a scene with Qin Shulan and Huang Feng again.
In these plays, he basically became a background character.
Often, he only has one or two lines in a scene, mainly acting alongside the others.
At times like these, even if you want to stand out, you don't really have much of a chance to do so.
Even if your acting is superb, you're still just a background figure whose light doesn't shine on you.
Lu Yanhe has acted in so many plays, but this is the first time he has had this kind of acting experience.
He has never acted in a play where he was just a background character so many times.
He played supporting roles in three dramas: "The Golden Era," "Phoenix Terrace," and "Three Mountains." In each of these dramas, he was the protagonist of his own storyline.
Comparing his performances with his previous ones, Lu Yanhe felt quite emotional and pondered many things.
As a result, after he finished his performance, everyone in the crew looked at him with admiration.
He was still puzzled, but Wang Biao cleared things up for him.
“Everyone admires you. Even if you only have one or two lines, you keep performing. You never stop, and you react every moment,” Wang Biao said. “Even the cameramen specifically captured some close-up shots of your reactions. The director didn’t ask for them; they filmed them themselves. They felt that there were a few shots where your reactions were so good that they praised you for your professionalism.”
Lu Yanhe hadn't expected that this could be a reason for praise.
Professionalism... has also become a reason for an actor to be praised.
-
Huang Tianlin sat in the editing room, looking at some footage that had already been shot.
This is something he does every day after work: to make sure the footage he shoots each day is OK and has no problems.
Often, problems are only discovered when the footage is in the editing room.
But often by the time this is discovered, it's too late. Unless it's reshot, the only option is to adjust it using technical means.
Any adjustment will compromise the quality.
Therefore, Huang Tianlin hopes that if there is a problem, he can find it as soon as possible, so that a reshoot can be arranged while the crew and actors are still present.
Of course, given how many takes he shoots for each scene, if he doesn't aim for uncut long takes, he can always find usable shots.
Yuan Hai knocked on the door and came in with a cup of coffee.
"Aren't you going to rest earlier? It's already eleven o'clock, why aren't you going to sleep, why are you still here?"
Huang Tianlin said, "We can't keep Lu Yanhe here indefinitely, making him stay on set. I'll review all the footage we've shot so we don't have to beg him to come back for reshoots later."
Yuan Hai was very familiar with Huang Tianlin.
Upon hearing Huang Tianlin's tone, Yuan Hai knew that Huang Tianlin's attitude towards Lu Yanhe had changed.
"So, are you satisfied with Lu Yanhe's shots?"
Huang Tianlin didn't speak, he just stared at the screen.
After a few seconds, he said, "It's alright."
Yuan Hai: "Do you know what the crew is saying?"
"say what?"
“They’re talking about whether this film has a chance to compete in top film festivals,” Yuan Hai laughed. “They’re also thinking about whether this film can win a big award, so almost everyone is putting in their best effort at work, and I don’t have to keep an eye on them from time to time.”
Huang Tianlin curled his lips.
Yuan Hai said, "Today I also talked to the selector of the Venice International Film Festival about our film. He wanted to see the clips we had already filmed, so I had someone send him the clip you cut earlier."
What did he say?
"He's very interested and wants to see the finished product, or even just a rough cut."
Film festival selectors typically don't wait until a film is finished before extending an invitation to it.
Often, we start paying attention to it as early as the filming stage.
Films featuring popular actors like Lu Yanhe, or young directors like Huang Tianlin who gained international recognition with their debut films, are particularly noteworthy.
Huang Tianlin said, "Lu Yanhe didn't need to act in this movie."
"Hmm?" Yuan Hai asked, "Why are you still saying this at a time like this?"
“No, I mean, it’s a bit of a waste for him to play this role.” Huang Tianlin sighed. “Basically, every scene with him is amazing. He’s such a good actor. Even without any lines, just his face not in the spotlight, it’s hard to ignore his presence.”
Yuan Hai: "How do you think he achieved such great success at such a young age?"
Huang Tianlin pursed his lips.
“Actually, I talked to him and, putting aside all the reasons he gave before, why he was willing to play such a supporting role,” Yuan Hai said. “He is a person who truly loves the film industry. He said that if his participation could help a good movie gain more attention, then he was willing to play a supporting role. He didn’t care about being a lead or supporting actor. At first, I was worried that your attitude would anger him, but he wasn’t angered at all. He was very tolerant of you.”
Huang Tianlin remained expressionless.
The light from the screen reflected on his face, giving it a slightly cold appearance.
“He’s tolerant of you because he thinks your creative talent deserves his help.” Yuan Hai looked at Huang Tianlin with the same tolerance. “Don’t worry that he will steal your spotlight as a director. You’ve seen how he’s been on set these past few days. He really appreciates you. So don’t be petty. You’re going to be a director who represents Malaysian cinema in the future. Be more magnanimous.”
Yuan Hai patted Huang Tianlin on the shoulder to encourage him.
Huang Tianlin remained silent for a long time before asking, "Brother Yuan, do you think he would agree to act in my other script if I asked him to?"
Yuan Hai was taken aback.
"You mean the script for 'Ferris Wheel'?"
“Yes,” Huang Tianlin said. “After finishing filming ‘Tropical Rainy Season,’ I was preparing to make this movie.”
Yuan Hai said, "But is there a suitable role for him in 'Ferris Wheel'? I remember it's a girl's story, right?"
“If he’s willing to act in it, I’m willing to revise the script according to his version,” Huang Tianlin said. “I’ll change it so that the current female lead’s boyfriend is the main character and rewrite the script.”
Yuan Hai: "I don't know if he will agree to act in it. You can talk to him about it."
Huang Tianlin nodded.
Yuan Hai looked at Huang Tianlin with a complicated expression and said, "I thought you would at least wait until the film festival before you would change your attitude towards him."
Huang Tianlin muttered to himself, "I'm not blind."
-
I recommend the older book, "I Became the Leading Lady of a Scandal Overnight".
(End of this chapter)
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