Besides their regular filming, Ji Yan and Xi Ming would take time out of their free time to receive instruction on action scenes, including gun skills and hand-to-hand combat. Qu Xiyu hoped that he and Xi Ming could actually fight. Of course, the "Black Curtain" crew had stunt doubles, but for some important scenes, Xi Ming and Ji Yan still had to perform the stunts themselves.
Qu Xiyu is quite strict on this point, leaving no room for negotiation.
Ji Yan trained until his muscles ached almost every day, but he gradually got used to it over time.
Another noticeable change in him on the set of "Black Curtain" is that he is thinner, almost 10 pounds thinner than when he first joined the crew. And he lost weight through exercise, just like Ji Yan when filming "Young Love Poems," but mainly by starving himself.
Fortunately, "Wing" never gave up on dance training. Although Ji Yan is not a physical fitness fanatic, he is young and has some dance background, so he can withstand the training of action scenes to some extent.
But I was really tired.
Guo Hai, the action director of "Black Curtain," started his career in Hong Kong. He was a renowned stuntman in his youth and was known for his relentless dedication to action scenes. Later, due to the decline of action films and physical reasons, Guo Hai began to work as an action director for various film crews, gradually building his reputation in the industry.
As the action director, Guo Hai was very strict with all the actors. He would immediately correct them if there was anything wrong with their movements. Moreover, for performances that required the actors to perform themselves, he would consider safety issues in advance and try it out himself first, only letting the actors perform it after confirming that it was safe.
"Huff..." Ji Yan breathed heavily, sweat rolling down his back like rain, soaking his T-shirt instantly.
He had just practiced a set of punches with Guo Hai, and he had basically mastered the key points of the movements, but Guo Hai still thought his movements were a bit soft and lacked power.
"At least visually, the power of the punch needs to be conveyed." Guo Hai demonstrated the movements again.
"Okay." Ji Yan nodded while panting. Looking around, he saw that Xi Ming, who was not far from him, did not complain at all. He silently completed the required actions by himself. When he could rest, he even threw a few punches at the sandbag.
Ji Yan gritted his teeth and continued.
During the filming of "Black Curtain," he and Xi Ming maintained a good relationship. On their days off, they would go to a nearby restaurant for dinner and often spend time together discussing the script. Although there was an age gap, they shared similar views on acting and thus had a lot in common. However, in addition to their daily interactions, they could clearly feel the presence of competition during filming and training.
In fact, the competition began the moment they joined the cast of "Black Curtain".
Of course, in terms of public recognition, box office and awards, Ji Yan can never compare with Xi Ming, but Xi Ming in the "Black Curtain" crew was like a good role model for him, making Ji Yan dare not slack off in the slightest.
...
As time went by, when filming for "The Curtain" first started, the average temperature in the studio was consistently above 30 degrees Celsius. However, after filming had been going on for a while, the temperature gradually dropped.
Before we knew it, a month and a half of filming had been going on.
In the story, Gu Chao has confirmed Li Yu's identity as the mastermind behind the scenes, but Gu Chao's thoughts are not understood by his colleagues and superiors. He can only prepare to fight alone. On the other hand, Li Yu's behavior is becoming more and more arrogant. It is as if he is actively provoking Gu Chao, leaving behind a series of outrageous evidence to lure Gu Chao to arrest him.
As filming progressed, the evil nature of Li Yu's character gradually emerged.
This means that Ji Yan's performance needs to have layers.
After revealing his evil side to Gu Chao, Li Yu became increasingly undisguised in his wickedness, committing crimes with ever greater impunity, finding pleasure in the suffering of ordinary people.
Especially when he witnesses someone die before his eyes, or when someone begs him desperately, his eyes gleam with excitement. If someone else were to portray this character, they might make it sound exaggerated.
But Ji Yan is different. His acting skills have become more and more stable, so his portrayal of this character does not give people a superficial feeling. He makes people feel that he is portraying Li Yu himself.
It can even occasionally give people the illusion that Ji Yan = Li Yu.
After filming most of the script for "The Curtain on the Wall," Ji Yan noticed that fewer and fewer people in the crew were talking to him.
Even the makeup artist joked with him, "I'm so nervous doing your makeup now, I'm afraid that Brother Huang will suddenly walk in halfway through and say he's going to kill me."
Ji Yan: "...Is it really that exaggerated?"
"It really is," the makeup artist laughed. "Your appearance during filming is quite frightening."
It may also be related to Ji Yan's amiable demeanor on the set of "Black Curtain". The more approachable he is, the more obvious the contrast between him and the character Li Yu becomes. Especially since Ji Yan might be joking with the makeup artist one second, but once he gets into character, he becomes like the most evil devil. The transformation is too rapid and the change is too great, which even the staff who are used to seeing actors are shocked.
The contrast is just too great.
Generally speaking, the one who looks least like a bad guy in a group or movie is often the main villain. A kind face and a cold heart are not contradictory. But Ji Yan can portray the evil in Li Yu so easily, which always makes people wonder if he is Li Yu himself.
Ji Yan was a little worried, and he couldn't help but complain to his friends about it: "Do you think I'll get rotten vegetable leaves thrown at me after 'The Curtain' is released?"
"If there really is such a possibility," Fang Yu typed the first half of the sentence, then paused for a while before typing the second half, "you must give me this opportunity."
Ji Yan: "...Get lost"
"Team Rocket, traversing the galaxy, is on his journey of duty."
Ji Yan: "...Captain, you need to control him."
After not seeing him for several months, Fang Yu started talking nonsense again.
"Teacher Ji, don't worry. We'll go to the cinema to watch 'The Curtain' first, and judge you on behalf of the audience."
In fact, the other members of "Wing" could all see that although Ji Yan complained, he actually enjoyed the process of filming "Black Curtain". It had been like this ever since he filmed "I, Nameless". Don't be fooled by his many complaints, as if every movie was an inhuman torture. But if you went to the cinema to see the movie he made, Ji Yan would show his enjoyment of the process without reservation.
For Ji Yan, making movies is probably a bittersweet process.
"How is your relationship with Teacher Xi Ming? Is Director Qu easy to get along with?"
“They’re all good people.” Ji Yan sent a few cheerful emojis. “I’ve learned a lot these past few months.”
Ji Yan learned all his filming experience through practice. The four directors, Li Xiang, Zhu Shuguang, Lu Ming, and Qu Xiyu, have completely different styles, but they all taught Ji Yan a lot about acting, including emotional expression and character psychology. Unlike teachers who teach acting, they don't explicitly point out what constitutes good acting, but they have their own ideas about the film itself and know what the film needs.
Therefore, throughout filming, Ji Yan's performances have rarely reflected his own personality; his acting has always served the film, and any revisions have been made to achieve a better filming effect.
Ji Yan rarely improvises, and although several variety shows have approached him to film, he has refused them all.
It's not entirely because of their status.
As we all know, there is a hierarchy of contempt in the entertainment industry. Idols used to be at the bottom, but now variety show personalities are on par with idols. Although variety show personalities have only emerged in recent years, actors, singers, and idols alike will be labeled as variety show personalities if they appear on variety shows too often.
There are generally only two types of people who are regulars on variety shows: those who are not popular and those who are extremely short of money. Generally speaking, it is not easy to invite top-tier variety shows, since top-tier shows usually have very full schedules. They are either filming dramas one after another or holding concerts one after another, so they simply do not have time to appear on a variety show for too long.
Ji Yan and "Yi" are clearly both very busy celebrities.
Besides being very busy, Ji Yan's lack of improvisation skills is also a reason. He is the type of actor who has to work on the script over and over again. Before filming, he has to spend much more time studying the script than most people imagine. However, variety shows give actors very little time to prepare, and the level of the performing guests is also uneven. Ji Yan feels that even if he goes, he will only be a half-baked actor. He will not only fail to show his strengths, but will also expose all his weaknesses.
Of course, the price offered by the variety show is really tempting.
Before Ji Yan won the Chang Kong Award for Best Actor, a performance-based variety show offered him a package deal of 30 million yuan per season. After he won the Chang Kong Award for Best Actor, more similar variety shows were interested in him, and the offer price jumped to 50 million yuan.
Based on Ji Yan's experience as an actor, apart from "The Vanished Murderer" where he was lucky enough to get his share of the profits, the highest salary he received was for "The Curtain," where the production team paid him 17 million yuan. Compared to that salary, "Young Love Poems" and "I, Nameless" were essentially filmed for free.
Even though Ji Yan's salary is already quite high among actors, it's still nothing compared to the package deal for variety shows. Besides, filming a season of a variety show is much easier than filming a drama. Especially for non-A-list celebrities, with limited filming opportunities, appearing on variety shows can increase exposure, and becoming famous through variety shows is not impossible, while also earning a substantial reward. Even if a variety show is considered low-class by the audience, as long as the money is enough, celebrities may not be unwilling to accept it.
After all, not everyone is Ji Yan.
Ji Yan's earnings from "The Vanished Murder" were enough to make anyone in the entertainment industry envious, whether it was the CEO of the production company or the actors. After "The Vanished Murder" became a box office hit, all the major companies became more vigilant. Even if there was a shortage of funds during filming, the production company would try its best to make up for it. Even if some actors were willing to exchange their salaries for a share of the profits, the production company would remain extremely cautious.
Ji Yan has made far too much money. If all the actors follow suit, it's one thing for the movie to lose money, but if it does make money, it could very well become the next "The Vanished Murderer".
From the producer's perspective, it's truly heartbreaking to have to divide such a large piece of the pie away.
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