Because of the importance of the night scenes, the crew deliberately moved the dinner time forward to five o'clock. As soon as dinner was over, everyone was immersed in the tense and busy preparation process.
Ji Li sat in the lounge, staring at the contents of the script with a serious expression.
On the first day of filming, I had to perform a very important scene for my role. It would be a lie to say that I didn't feel any pressure.
The plot of this drama is very heavy——
Xiang Sui'an actually lives in a remarried family. Back then, his mother married him to her current husband when he was only ten years old.
My stepfather appears to be a gentle and refined man, wearing a pair of square-framed glasses, and he always has a smile on his face when he meets people outside.
At the beginning, Xiang's mother agreed to marry him because she was attracted by his easy-going nature.
However, the good times did not last long. My stepfather lost his job after marriage. With his career frustrated, he lost his ambition and became a complete alcoholic.
Not only did he love to drink, he also drank heavily. His mother's repeated earnest advice to him fell on deaf ears. Once after drinking, he lost control and beat his mother and Xiang Sui'an.
And this was the beginning of the misfortune for both mother and son.
Over the past eight years, my stepfather has become more and more violent, and my mother went from resisting and struggling in the beginning to running away and begging for mercy in the middle, and finally to paralysis and despair.
The neighbors all knew about this, but as outsiders, they could only persuade them once or twice, but not a hundred or a thousand times.
On the evening of the first day of senior year, Xiang Sui'an just returned home and saw a familiar and numb scene - his stepfather tied up his mother with a thin rope like livestock and whipped her fiercely with a belt in his hand.
…
This scene naturally has to capture the reactions of the Xiang mother and son, and the most difficult part is that Ji Li has to play the same character in two timelines.
The first timeline is Xiang Sui'an who has not yet experienced reincarnation.
The second timeline is Xiang Sui'an, who has experienced countless similar reincarnations.
It is hard to imagine how difficult it is to both fit the character's personality and to portray a completely different state of mind.
There was a knock on the door.
Baozi walked in from outside and said cautiously, "Brother Ji, Director Wang wants you to come over for an audition."
He knew that Ji Li was alone in the lounge gathering his emotions, and he was afraid that this would affect his immersion in the silent play.
Ji Li put down the script covered with notes and walked out calmly.
The play has already been in my mind, so there is no need to hold the script in vain.
In the houses along the river, the crew has already set up the "domestic violence" scene.
The actress who plays Xiang's mother is Song Xingchen, who was once the winner of the Hundred Images Awards. This time, she came to make a special appearance at the invitation of Qin Li.
Qin Li’s idea was very clear.
Now that we have chosen this project, we have to treat it as an important movie and invite more veteran actors to make cameo appearances, which will add another gimmick to the subsequent publicity.
Under the guidance of Yu Fuya, Ji Li politely greeted her on the sofa, "Hello, Teacher Song, I am Ji Li, the actor who plays Xiang Sui'an."
"An An, have you eaten?" Song Xingchen smiled and directly called out the name from the play.
This is where veteran actors shine; as long as they take on the script, they can be in the play as well as outside it.
Ji Li was surprised for a moment, then he smiled a reserved and well-behaved smile that belonged to Xiang Sui'an, "I've eaten."
Song Xingchen smiled faintly, obviously having a liking for this calm and good-looking young junior.
Qin Li watched the interaction between the two from the side, with the corners of his mouth raised briefly.
In fact, he had selfish motives in inviting Song Xingchen.
She is a recognized powerful film queen. Her acting works since her debut have been well received, especially among the young and middle-aged generation, where she is highly recognized.
There was a survey conducted at the time, and 90% of the audience said they would go to the cinema to watch any movie starring Song Xingchen.
This time Ji Li is acting with Song Xingchen. As long as he performs as stably as before, I think he will be able to gain some recognition after the movie is released thanks to the latter's reputation.
Qin Li is secretly paving the way for the young man in his own way. As to whether it will work, it depends on the latter's own performance.
In order to match the plot, Song Xingchen's exposed skin was painted with many bruises and red marks, and there was a long bloody hole on his forehead, which was very realistic.
The stepfather was played by veteran actor Wei Guofu. As soon as he appeared on the set, Baozi shuddered subconsciously.
"What's wrong?"
"Brother Ji, Mr. Wei starred in an urban drama back then, and his role as a domestic violence man is deeply rooted in people's hearts." Baozi lowered his voice and said, "I think of that role as soon as I see him."
Some actors can be remembered by the audience for a long time just by playing one role.
Wei Guofu himself is actually very easy to get along with. As soon as he came in, he greeted everyone with a smile.
Wang Zhang saw that the preparations for the scene had been completed, "Okay, we can almost start the show."
The "family of three" in the play quickly got into character.
There is no doubt that the focus of this scene is on Xiang Sui'an, played by Ji Li.
After research, Wang Zhang and the filming team decided to adopt a one-shot shooting mode with no fixed camera positions. This means that the actors cannot make any mistakes throughout the process, otherwise everything will have to be overturned and started over again.
The performance of the role was difficult in itself, and the use of this even more difficult shooting mode made Ji Li even more tested.
The team went through the scene several times before confirming every detail of the camera position.
Before the filming started, Ji Li took the initiative to walk to Wei Guofu's side and asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Teacher Wei, when we start filming, you can use a little more force when you hit me with the belt. The camera should present it more realistically."
Wei Guofu was surprised to hear this and asked, "Are you sure? You have to use less force when you use the belt, otherwise it will really hurt."
Ji Li nodded and insisted on his own idea, "Don't worry, I'm young and can handle it. As an actor, it's reasonable to make some sacrifices for the sake of the film's effect."
Wei Guofu pushed his glasses and agreed with a low smile.
After getting his reply, Ji Li nodded to him politely, then quickly walked to the door to prepare to go.
Wei Guofu stared at his back, a hint of praise flashed through his heart——
It's rare to see young people who are not afraid of hard work these days. I just wonder if he can still show the same energy during the official shooting later?
Ji Li stood in the alley, with the mobile host directly in front of him. He closed his eyes, put aside all distracting thoughts in his mind, and waited silently for the power-on sound.
About thirty seconds later, the sound of hitting the board was heard.
Ji Li opened his eyes and walked towards home with a calm expression.
As soon as he arrived at the door of his house, he heard suppressed sobbing coming from inside the house, and a man's angry curses mixed with bursts of beating sounds, which made his heart beat fast.
Ji Li's slightly upturned lips were instantly stretched into a straight line. He grabbed the straps of his schoolbag tightly, and white marks were clearly visible on his knuckles.
——Didn’t that just happen last weekend? Why did it start again?
Ji Li's chest rose and fell slightly for a moment, and he walked in quickly, "Mom, Uncle Li, I'm back."
The sound of the door being pushed open came with great force, but the words that came out of his mouth were buried in the dust.
Ji Li lowered his eyes slightly and saw the mess on the floor. The dining table had been overturned and all the soup and dishes were scattered on the floor.
The woman's hands and feet were roughly tied up with thin ropes, and her whole body was covered with marks from the belts, the worst of which was her forehead, which was torn and bleeding.
Ji Li stood there quietly. If you look closely at the camera, you can notice the quietly tense line of his jaw. It is obvious that he is suppressing and forbearing to the extreme.
With his arrival, the cruel atmosphere in the room finally loosened a little.
The scene changed, and the red-faced stepfather threw the belt at Xiang's mother, then sat down on the sofa drunkenly and gasped.
Xiang's mother, played by Song Xingchen, raised her head with difficulty, revealing her blood-stained, painful face.
She raised a trembling smile that was uglier than crying, "...An An, Mom is fine, you, you go into the house first."
Lock the door, close the windows, and don't come out if you hear any noise.
When Xiang Sui'an heard this familiar opening remark, his breath held.
"An An..." Xiang's mother's voice was extremely weak, with an indescribable urgency, "Be good and listen to me."
They all knew that a new round of beatings by the man would soon begin.
It is better for one person to be beaten than for two people to be hurt together.
A mother who can't even protect herself is protecting her children in the most humble way.
Xiang Sui'an met his mother's pleading eyes, the mist in his eyes disappeared in a flash, and the toes that had just been raised were retracted imperceptibly.
He mechanically turned sideways and walked stiffly back to his room.
Close the door, lock the door, and close the window.
A series of actions, just as Xiang Mu hoped, were carried out like a zombie.
Outside the house, another round of beating and scolding from the man was heard.
Xiang's mother's whimpering was intermittent and very light. That was the sound she made by biting the towel desperately, just to prevent the neighbors from hearing the noise and running over to mediate.
Because after the neighbor's "well-intentioned but brief" mediation, the mother and son will face an even more painful night.
Xiang Sui'an sat in his seat, took out his test paper expressionlessly, and pressed the tilted page with his palm again and again.
The palm of his hand pressed and rubbed harder and harder until the fragile paper suddenly tore.
——Snap.
A big tear suddenly appeared on the neat test paper, blurring the already rough printed fonts.
The camera slowly tilted upwards and fixed on the pair of eyes that were red from endurance.
Tears accumulated in Ji Li's eyes, and there was a bottomless despair in his dark eyes. He clenched his teeth on his fists and trembled violently.
Is there anyone who can help them? !
Can anyone see their desperation? !
No one, whether neighbors or the police, could save them.
They resisted, but were beaten even more severely. They ran away, but the man appeared like a ghost and dragged them back to hell in a moment.
Having endured until now, it seems that even death has become a luxury.
…
In front of the camera, the young man's heart-wrenching silent cry resonated through the monitor screen to everyone present, making everyone ignore their surroundings and share his heartache.
Feng Cheng and Wei Lai looked at each other, completely shocked by the young man's acting skills.
powerful!
It’s so powerful!
Although there is not a single line of dialogue, Ji Li is able to portray the character's inner thoughts vividly in his own way.
Filming is still going on——
The two veteran actors, Song Xingchen and Wei Guofu, act together, creating a lot of tension.
The hideous man and the woman begging for mercy, a cruel picture of one strong and one weak, directly struck the moral bottom line of the onlookers.
If everyone didn't know that they were acting, someone would probably rush up and beat up the scumbag right now.
Just as I was thinking about it, the door of the room was slammed open.
Xiang Sui'an, played by Ji Li, rushed back to the living room unable to bear it any longer. He pushed the man away with all his strength and screamed, "Get out! Don't touch my mother!"
The stepfather fell to the ground covered with soup and vegetable scraps. He was stunned for a few seconds before he got up and kicked the boy who was struggling to untie the rope in anger.
"Damn it, you little bastard! How dare you push me?"
"Your mother is a bitch, and you are a bitch too! Go to hell!"
Xiang Sui'an was kicked hard in the back by the man. The blue veins on his forehead suddenly emerged due to the severe pain. He gritted his teeth and climbed up, quickly protecting Xiang's mother with his thin body.
He looked up at his hateful stepfather, his body tense and trembling, like a young animal trying to protect its precious thing. "...I don't allow you to hit her! No!"
"You're not allowed to hit her?"
The man put the belt buckle around his palm again and again, tightening it, staring at the boy with murderous intent, "Okay! Then I'll kill you first!"
The image of the "domestic violence scumbag" created by Wei Guofu is so strong that even if it is just acting, it makes people fear and hate him.
The staff at the scene were frightened by his behavior, and their hearts were all on Ji Li.
The swinging belt fell down again and again, which was terrifying to hear.
Ji Li gritted his teeth and held on, not uttering the slightest cry of pain, and tightened the arms that were protecting his mother little by little.
Can't!
Don't hurt her!
I will never let you hurt her again even if I die!
Song Xingchen felt the strong emotions conveyed by the young man, and a feeling of sadness filled his nose.
Xiang's mother, who had endured for a long time, finally broke down and spoke out, powerlessly stretching out her hands to beg, "Don't hit the child, Lao Li, I beg you not to hit the child..."
"I was wrong, I was wrong, please stop hitting me..."
"Help, An An, can anyone come...save my An An!"
The painful pleas for mercy were drowned out by the night.
Suddenly, a small photo fell out of the pocket of the school uniform jacket.
Ji Li's eyes wandered for a moment before falling back to the ground -
It was a photo of the family of three taken when Xiang's father was alive. As a child, he was happily nestling in his father's arms, while Xiang's mother was snuggling beside her husband, stroking the child's tender face with one hand.
At that time, my father’s arms were warm and my mother’s touch was gentle.
He knows no fear and no pain.
The camera slowly zoomed in, and the boy's long-accumulated tears finally fell. He reached out his trembling hand and hooked a corner of the photo with his fingertips.
The light in his eyes faded away little by little, and the corners of his bleeding mouth curved up into an arc——
Dad, if I die, you will come to pick me up, right?
The boy's tense body suddenly lost its strength and he fainted on the ground.
…
This scene should end here.
The entire set was silent, and everyone's heart was hanging in the air.
Song Xingchen looked at the young man who fell to the ground. In a moment of trance, he couldn't tell whether he was in the play or outside the play.
Her emotions were still being expressed, and her tears kept flowing.
"An'an?"
Song Xingchen stretched out his hand and felt the young man's breath. After confirming that there was still some warmth left, he collapsed.
Wang Zhang got the on-the-spot scene he wanted, and shouted "Cut", completely taking everyone out of the plot.
Yu Fuya couldn't help it and ran up to him immediately, "Ji Li?"
At this moment, she finally understood what it was like to be a mother.
She knew clearly that the other party was acting, but when she saw Wei Guofu whipping him with a belt, she almost couldn't help but go up and kick the man's vitals!
If she were to say, Xiang's mother was too cowardly, which led to this unfortunate life and caused Xiang Sui'an to suffer as well!
With the help of Yu Fuya, Ji Li quickly got up from the ground.
"Brother Ji, drink some hot water to calm down." Baozi came up and handed him the hot water that had been poured in advance.
It’s cold in early winter, so I can’t buy ice cream for Brother Ji, lest he upset his stomach.
Ji Li was wearing a costume and a thin coat, and he was a little cold after lying on the ground for so long. He quickly took two sips of hot water, then looked at Song Xingchen who was surrounded by assistants.
"Teacher Song, did I pull too hard in the play just now? Are you okay?"
Song Xingchen, who was still in the play, felt warm and bitter in his heart when he heard the concern. She walked up to him, patted Ji Li's red face, and said gently, "I'm fine, but you..."
She looked at Wei Guofu standing beside her, trying to dilute the heaviness of the scene with a joking tone, "Did Lao Wei hurt you just now?"
Ji Li didn't care about the little pain at all, "No, Teacher Wei controlled the strength very well."
Wei Guofu patted him on the shoulder and said, "You are quite tenacious, young man."
Song Xingchen smiled and nodded, not hiding his praise for his 'own son', "The play is also good."
In front of everyone, the two veteran actors kept praising Ji Li, and it was obvious that they liked this new actor very much.
The staff present all felt that it was reasonable when they saw this scene.
They are now looking at young people through a "role filter". Who wouldn't like someone with excellent acting skills and a humble attitude?
Wang Zhang, who was outside the venue, picked up the megaphone and shouted, "Come and watch the replay?"
The three actors were all very strict with their acting, and after hearing this, they immediately set off.
Feng Cheng, who had been watching the filming, said with conviction, "I suddenly feel very stressed, but also very motivated. How about you?"
Wei Lai nodded empathetically, "Go back and study the script carefully. Our roles will be in the spotlight soon, so they can't be too much worse than his."
The two looked at each other and smiled at the same time.
Qin Li, who was passing by, heard this and a look of agreement flashed across his eyes.
A good crew environment should be like this.
Even if there is competition among actors in the same profession, it must be benign and positive.
The young man focused on his own role and invisibly became a driving force for others to move forward. This is the charm of a good actor.
…
When Qi An found Qin Li, he was standing on the river bank with a rare lit cigarette in his hand.
The man's face was submerged in the pitch-black night, with only the faint smoke burning in his eyes, giving him a hint of loneliness.
Qi An approached and asked, "Why are you smoking?"
"Wang Zhang gave it to me. I just took it to relieve my fatigue." Qin Li's fingertips flicked away the cigarette ash beautifully. He looked at the swaying river surface and spoke slowly.
"Qi An, when I was filming The Commonwealth, I actually thought about retiring after the filming was over."
Qi An chuckled and took out the cigarette he brought with him, lighting one with the help of his friend's spark, "I know. I've worked with you for so many years, and I'm your nominal agent. How can I not see it?"
Qin Li spent ten years becoming an unshakable figure in the entertainment industry.
Everyone swore that no one could break Qin Li's record of becoming a god, even they themselves believed so.
But no matter how powerful a person is, there will come a day when he gets tired of it.
Qin Li's family background is far more impressive than others imagine. Even if he is not in the entertainment industry, he can still make impressive achievements in other circles.
He originally thought about starting over in a different field, but now, this idea has been completely dispelled.
Qi An took a puff of his cigarette and asked with a smile, "If there is a Ji Li in the entertainment industry, wouldn't it be quite interesting?"
Qin Li's lips curled up casually, "He is the only person who can bring me into the play so far."
This situation does not only exist when two people are acting together.
Just now, from the perspective of a bystander, Qin Li's emotions fluctuated with the young man's performance.
This feeling was very novel, and even made him addicted to it.
Qin Li didn't want to quit the circle and left.
He wanted to occupy the top position in this circle and watch Ji Li, the destined dazzling star, climb to a position shoulder to shoulder with him.
Qi An smiled without saying anything. He waited until the cigarettes in the hands of both of them were burned out before giving a reminder.
"It's past 7:30. Should we catch the plane?"
"Let's change the ticket. I want to see him finish his last show tonight."
Qi An got this expected answer and snorted, "Okay."
…
The time moved to eight o'clock, but the busyness on the set was not over yet. Everyone was waiting for the last scene of the night.
It's exactly the same 'domestic violence' scene, and Ji Li has to play Xiang Sui'an after many reincarnations.
Wang Zhang's directing style is extroverted. He will not require actors to perform according to his standards rigidly, but will give them a circle of "free interpretation" to play freely according to the characteristics of the role.
In Wang Zhang's view, the core of creating a character lies with the actors, not their directors or anyone else.
Therefore, in the following scene, except for a few necessary camera positions, he gave Ji Li maximum freedom for the rest of the shooting.
In the lounge, Ji Li and screenwriter Mu Wang were talking about something.
Ten minutes later, the two came back one after the other.
Wang Zhang saw Ji Li and asked directly, "Xiao Ji, are you ready?"
Ji Li nodded without saying a word and walked to the initial shooting position.
The same one-shot technique was used, but this time, the crew placed more emphasis on Ji Li's on-the-spot performance and the cooperation of the experienced cameraman.
Everything is ready.
Amid the anticipation of all the staff on the set, the last scene of the night finally began.
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#Oh wow, it’s not just about working together, we’ll also be sharing the same bed and having love~[Click to expand details]
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