Chapter 719 Tired, unable to film anymore, that's all (5600 words)
That day, it rained heavily.
Work had to be suspended on site.
Lu Yanhe sat under the eaves, listening to the rain.
Zhou Ruo played his sister in the movie.
She's here today too.
Zhou Ruo is a very pretty and quiet girl. At first glance, she looks like a student rather than a female celebrity in the entertainment industry.
Her temperament is very similar to Yu Mengling's; they both have that scholarly air about them.
In fact, she did come from a distinguished family. Her grandfather and father were both diplomats, her maternal grandfather was a leading figure in thoracic surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and her mother was a professor who conducted research in condensed matter physics—a highly educated family.
Zhou Ruo is not only an actress, but also a painter. To be precise, she is more famous as a painter.
At a very young age, her paintings were selected for several top exhibitions, and she became famous at a young age.
While studying art in college, she became the female lead in her boyfriend's short film photography project, which unexpectedly made her popular online and led her to embark on an acting career.
Of course, her acting career is something that no other actor can replicate.
She also basically does not make a living as an actress.
After all, her paintings start at six figures.
In a way, she's somewhat similar to another actress Lu Yanhe knows, He Saifei. Although she's already a film and television actress, her primary identity remains that of a traditional opera performer, as if she could leave the film and television industry at any time.
He was quite surprised that Zhou Ruolai played his sister.
However, Liu Bige said that Zhou Ruo contacted him on her own initiative after reading the script.
Given Zhou Ruo's family background, and her willingness to act in this patriotic film, Longyan naturally welcomes her with open arms.
Zhou Ruo sat a meter away from him, also resting her chin on her hand and watching the rain, her eyes clear and with a charm as ethereal as clouds and mist.
"Brother, do you prepare like this every time you film a movie?"
In the film crew, everyone addressed each other by their character relationships.
This was Liu Bige's request.
Whether on or off stage.
Lu Yanhe came to his senses, smiled at Zhou Ruo, and said, "No, it's not that. Different plays and different roles require different preparation methods. This time, it wasn't that I specifically wanted to prepare this way. It was just that I naturally entered this state while studying the script."
Zhou Ruo nodded.
She gazed thoughtfully at the rain curtain before her.
"You're so strange. You're someone who acts with emotion, yet you adjust your acting style so rationally."
Lu Yanhe smiled.
“I’m not formally trained, and I don’t know how academic actors act. I figured out my own style that suits me.”
Zhou Ruo: "That's amazing."
-
A week after filming began, Chen Ziyan returned.
She came to check on Lu Yanhe's condition.
Of course, she didn't say that.
Wang Biao told Chen Ziyan that Lu Yanhe's condition seemed to have stabilized and had not developed in a more dangerous direction.
Chen Ziyan still wanted to see for herself, to believe it with her own eyes.
After arriving, Chen Ziyan found that Lu Yanhe was indeed in a good state, no longer in that "isolated from the world" state.
Lu Yanhe smiled faintly at her and said, "I'm fine."
He knew why Chen Ziyan had come to the film crew again.
"When 'Burning Fire' was released in Japan, its box office performance exceeded everyone's expectations. In just two weeks, it grossed more than 40 million US dollars, which shocked everyone."
The news brought by Chen Ziyan caused Lu Yanhe to lose his composure slightly.
"Is it that amazing?"
“Yes.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “When ‘Burning Fire’ was released in Japan this time, dozens of Japanese manga artists and writers promoted the film on their social media. Siqi put in a lot of effort behind the scenes.”
The publication of the collection of works "Jump Up" in Japan was a rare and relatively smooth process.
With the works of Liu Jiazhen, Mingyin and others being published in Japan, Chen Siqi has always maintained a close relationship with the Japanese publishing industry.
Chen Ziyan said, "Longyan never expected that 'Burning Fire' would achieve such high box office results in Japan. They are now preparing to go to Japan to hold a meet-and-greet with the main cast and crew to further boost the film's success."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Unfortunately, 'Burning Fire' did not perform well at the North American box office. Green Valley refused to do a large-scale distribution, so it is estimated that it will only gross around five million US dollars at most."
“Longyan won’t lower its bid, and Green Valley won’t take the risk for them. It would be pretty good if two or three hundred theaters could get around five million US dollars in box office revenue,” Lu Yanhe said. “Then, wouldn’t ‘Burning Fire’ have grossed seventy or eighty million US dollars overseas?”
"Pretty much. The Japanese box office was a huge success, accounting for more than half of the overseas box office," Chen Ziyan said. "Originally, there was a real chance that it would reach more than 100 million US dollars in overseas box office."
Lu Yanhe thought of the Chinese film "Red Cliff" from back then, directed by John Woo, which was also an unexpected hit in Japan. Each of the two parts grossed more than 50 million US dollars in Japan, and also grossed an average of 10 million US dollars in South Korea.
In his view, the slogan used by "Burning Fire" was actually very similar to that of "Red Cliff".
After all, East Asian culture is influenced by Chinese culture, and a fantasy blockbuster like "Burning Fire," which is based on traditional Chinese culture, is sure to be attractive to Japanese and Korean audiences.
Just let them know that this movie is being released—
Promoting the film through the circles of cartoonists and writers to increase its visibility coincides with a high degree of overlap with the main audience of the film "Burning Fire" in Japan and South Korea.
“Chen Siqi has once again proven her marketing acumen.” Chen Ziyan smiled. “She is now a top player in film marketing in China. Big productions in China will probably prioritize hiring her for film marketing.”
Lu Yanhe nodded upon hearing this.
"The publicity team in Longyan is also quite interesting. They wanted to get the contact information of the cartoonists and writers who helped promote 'Burning Fire' from Jump Up, saying they wanted to send them thank-you merchandise." Chen Ziyan laughed. "Chen Siqi directly sent a message to Huang Tai, telling her to manage her subordinates. If they continue to have such overstepping their bounds, she will not take any more orders from Longyan. That's too assertive."
Lu Yanhe smiled upon hearing this.
He said, "Why is she so direct?"
“Siqi isn’t afraid,” Chen Ziyan said. “The demand for high-quality film and television marketing is already far from meeting the supply. They take a high-quality approach, and even if people threw money at them, it would be difficult to sway them. They’ve made it clear to the industry that they will watch the film, conduct evaluations and reviews before accepting any orders. This kind of top-tier marketing team that doesn’t focus on quantity or being a pure service provider is a hot commodity in the market, and everyone is vying for them.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Therefore, no matter what position you hold or what job you do, you should try your best to make yourself irreplaceable so that you will have more say and more choices.
"Longyan," Chen Ziyan said with a smile.
“Longyan.” Lu Yanhe smiled as well.
Chen Ziyan asked, "Is there anything I need to prepare in advance for the movie 'The Wind Rises'?"
Lu Yanhe shook his head.
“Okay, filming for ‘Those Years’ has already started, and everything is going smoothly. Chen Yin is personally overseeing the production.” Chen Ziyan said with a smile.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"There's one more thing. Your album is almost finished recording, but it's a bit difficult to produce and release the physical album before your birthday in September. My idea is to release it as a digital album on various platforms first, to coincide with your birthday. Since our event is also themed around birthdays, it's a gift for all our fans," Chen Ziyan said. "What do you think?"
Lu Yanhe nodded: "Sure."
Chen Ziyan said, "After the album is released, we can start planning the concert."
"Concert?"
"Didn't you want to do a concert before?" Chen Ziyan smiled at Lu Yanhe. "A tour might not be possible, but how about a single concert?"
Lu Yanhe thought to himself that he had originally planned to propose to Chen Siqi at the concert.
Actually, that's about right.
That's fine.
Let's start planning then.
Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded, "Okay, then let's tentatively hold a concert next year."
At this moment, Zhou Ruo walked past them.
Chen Ziyan's eyes lit up, and she said with some surprise, "This girl—"
Lu Yanhe turned to look at Chen Ziyan.
"What's wrong? She plays my sister in the movie, her name is Zhou Ruo."
“I know her, I know her,” Chen Ziyan said. “She is very beautiful, very distinctive, and has a very cinematic face. I thought about signing her before, but she refused.”
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.
Some people rejected Chen Ziyan.
"She's really beautiful," Chen Ziyan said again.
The entertainment industry is never short of beautiful women.
There are very few people who can make Chen Ziyan, who has met countless people, repeatedly praise her beauty in a short period of time.
“I think her temperament is very similar to Yu Mengling’s,” Lu Yanhe said.
“But Yu Mengling has the cool and graceful feel of a female poet,” Chen Ziyan said. “Zhou Ruo has a more ethereal and quiet temperament, like a mountain spirit.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe nodded.
“Her temperament is unique, especially in the context of Chinese culture, which must be what great directors would be most attracted to,” Chen Ziyan said. “In recent years, she has acted in many movies, and they are basically all female characters like this. I have never seen her play a very modern female role.”
In "The Wind Rises No. 1", Zhou Ruo plays the younger sister, who is also a progressive female student. She is a girl as clean and pure as a white orchid. Her tragic death due to persecution is also an important turning point for Lu Yanhe in the film.
Lu Yanhe said, "However, I heard that she does not treat acting as a full-time job, and she does not seem to have signed with an agency."
“Yes.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “She basically only works with a few fixed film companies. One of her classmates acts as her agent. Apart from movies, you can’t see her in other places. She may not be as famous or popular as the top stars, but she has a group of fans who really like her style. In her fan circle, no one can compare to her.”
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "I feel that you still really want to sign her."
“Yes, you’re right.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “Seeing her is like seeing a rare gem.”
Lu Yanhe asked, "Sister Ziyan, why don't you go and ask again?"
“Forget it, there’s no point in asking. She doesn’t need a management company at all. Her connection with the entertainment industry is really just acting,” Chen Ziyan said. “She’s not even an artist.”
Lu Yanhe understood what Chen Ziyan meant.
"Moreover, my current status is not suitable for me to sign her. If I am not personally in charge of her work, I don't think anyone else would understand how to bring out her most precious qualities."
When Lu Yanhe heard Chen Ziyan speak so highly of Zhou Ruo, he felt a pang of jealousy.
-
In "Dingfeng No. 1", almost all the actors are skilled actors; there is not a single one who cannot act.
However, Liu Bige was still often dissatisfied.
What he was dissatisfied with was precisely that everyone was too good at acting.
He would often call a stop, pull the actors behind the monitor, and have them review the footage. Then he would say, “The acting was too good, but too predictable. It was the kind of thing where you’re supposed to yell in the next spot, and sure enough, you yell it. It matched our expectations for the scene perfectly, but I don’t want something that’s 100% perfect.”
The actors were completely baffled by what Liu Bige was saying.
Liu Bige had a hard time explaining things to them, so he could only reshoot the scene again and again. Then, by some twist of fate, he managed to get a few seconds that he was satisfied with, so he quickly called the actors over and told them that this was how he wanted it.
To put it bluntly, he wants 90% of it to be perfectly good, and also 10% to be something that doesn't quite fit the aesthetic system of performance.
It's not that restraint is always superior.
The sudden, uncontrollable storm on the vast ocean is a more expansive and awe-inspiring experience than anything else.
Liu Bige wanted something that was instantaneous, like a fist smashing into magma, sparking forth and making one forget the pain.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself, for example, the way Jiang Wenli raised her eyebrows and gave that slanted look after kneeling down in "Farewell My Concubine", the look in Zhang Guoli's eyes when he heard the vote results in "The Founding of a Republic", and the way Zhang Ziyi raised her eyes and shed a tear after saying "Mr. Ye, I have feelings for you" in "The Grandmaster".
Those are all performances that are entirely within a mature performance system, but cannot be precisely described by the so-called performance system.
A performance system is a set of norms, a model, and an aesthetic standard. Beyond these standards lies art that cannot be replicated.
Liu Bige's demands are too high.
Every actor was driven to the brink of death by him.
Including Wen Shengming.
Liu Bige filmed Wen Shengming's simple act of looking up at Lu Yanhe from a bright afternoon until dusk. Finally, Liu Bige said, "Teacher Wen, I didn't capture the moment I wanted. We'll have to keep shooting this shot tomorrow."
Wen Shengming left the scene without saying a word.
Everyone thought he was angry, after all, he's such a big star and such a high-profile actor.
However, the next day, Wen Shengming came again without saying a word.
Lu Yanhe had long been fully aware of Liu Bige's almost obsessive demands on the camera.
He knew that as an actor, he might have given his all, but it just didn't match the image Liu Bige had in mind.
What can we do but keep giving, again and again, reaching for that unknown depths of the soul.
Often, by the time they finish filming, they are completely exhausted and mentally drained.
-
Summer is gradually getting hotter.
However, air conditioning is not allowed on set.
Liu Bige requested that a replica be made on-site, corresponding to the Kuomintang intelligence station of that era.
The state of a person in different environments is a physiological response.
The scenes in the intelligence station were the most difficult for Lu Yanhe to act in.
Because there is one mask on top of another, one performance under one layer of performance.
That delicate balance was not within Lu Yanhe's comfort zone.
Lu Yanhe knocked on the door of Wen Shengming's office and entered. At this time, he had already accepted the task of surveillance and was to contact and get to know him under the guise of work.
Despite knocking for an hour, Lu Yanhe still couldn't get through the door.
Liu Bige felt that Lu Yanhe knocked on the door in the wrong way.
“You’re just a nobody, suddenly knocking on the door to see the deputy stationmaster.”
"You have something on your mind, you are anxious and uneasy, yet you are forced to do it."
“You don’t have that kind of acting skill, something’s off about you, but you still have to make sure you don’t give yourself away.”
"Didn't you hesitate? Didn't you back down? Weren't you forced into this situation by the station manager?"
"Can you show it?"
Liu Bige asked Lu Yanhe a series of questions.
Lu Yanhe was already getting impatient, and now he wished he could sew Liu Bige's mouth shut with a needle.
"Give me some peace and quiet."
"What's the point of you taking a break?" Liu Bige persisted, following Lu Yanhe closely. "Does he even have time to calm down? Does he even have a place to organize his thoughts? Is organizing his thoughts even useful? Can that be planned?"
"Can you shut up!" Lu Yanhe cursed at Liu Bige in frustration.
The people around them were stunned and stared at them in astonishment.
Liu Bige: "Do you think he wants to listen to so many people talking? He wants to find a quiet place where no one is around. Does he even have such a place? This is a den of wolves and tigers. He's going to monitor the deputy station chief. If the deputy station chief's people find out, or even if the deputy station chief finds out directly, do you think he'll have a good ending?"
"Go to hell!" Lu Yanhe couldn't stand Liu Bige's nagging, Tang-like provocations any longer—
Even though he knew Liu Bige was helping him get back into the swing of things, he still couldn't stand it.
"Leave me alone!"
Liu Bige suddenly shoved Lu Yanhe.
"I'm helping you get into character. If you weren't acting so badly, who would want to waste time with you like this?"
Lu Yanhe stumbled.
The surrounding staff all looked over, completely bewildered.
At that moment, Lu Yanhe's pride surged like smoke, stinging his eyes.
Upon seeing him, Liu Bige suddenly roared, "All departments, get ready! Filming will begin in ten seconds!"
A group of people on standby thought something was about to happen, but suddenly received orders and hurriedly took their positions.
Lu Yanhe walked to the end of the corridor with his head down, nodding to himself as he started.
With a start, Lu Yanhe walked over, his steps somewhat stiff and hurried. His eyes were slightly unfocused as he looked at the door, yet seemed not to see it at all.
He still had his usual somewhat simple and honest demeanor, but his eyes were like those of a wolfhound enduring the heat, hiding a fierce strength.
Then, slowly, that bit of energy was worn away.
The camera followed him the entire time without any pauses.
Completed in one go.
As he reached the doorway, he raised his hand and, as if he couldn't catch his breath, took a deep breath, held it, and then lowered his fingers.
Thump.
Knock knock.
He withdrew his hand, leaned his upper body slightly to the side, and his eyes went unfocused again.
This time it was because all his senses were focused on his ears.
The light at the end of the corridor condensed into a grayish spot on his eyes.
"Come in."
Lu Yanhe straightened up without pausing, but during the movement, he gave people a sense of pause for a moment. Was it hesitation or retreat?
The door opened.
He had no time to think.
The stationmaster's secretary stood where he had come from, watching him enter the deputy stationmaster's room.
-
"Okay, click!"
Liu Bige breathed a long sigh of relief.
He watched the video that had just been filmed amidst the quiet anticipation of the crowd.
"Okay, passed!"
Lu Yanhe let out a long sigh.
Liu Bige walked over with a smile on his face.
Lu Yanhe stretched out a hand and made a gesture to stop him.
"I can't act anymore, don't talk to me anymore, I'm going back to rest."
Without waiting for Liu Bige's reply, he left with a long face.
The crew members who witnessed this scene began to discuss it amongst themselves.
Is Lu Yanhe angry?
"The director went a bit too far just now."
However, the next day, just like Wen Shengming before him, Lu Yanhe arrived as if nothing had happened.
There's nothing else to it, he's just tired.
I'm really too tired to film anymore.
Human effort is insufficient; even with utmost effort, it is impossible to reach Liu Bige's standard.
I can only go back and rest.
That's all.
(End of this chapter)
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