Chapter 91: Character Design Issues
Noticing Zhou Shengyi's subtle actions, Li Sishi thought to herself: Great, as long as I'm not called "cut" at the very beginning, then my "adding scenes" plan can be considered half successful.
Such thoughts only occurred in the fleeting moments between performances, confirming that she could now continue in a "realistic" manner—thus, the expression on Li Sishi's face began to transform from gentle but somewhat impatient to a sense of relief and helplessness at finally being able to shed her disguise and reveal the truth.
"Yiwen," she softly called the male protagonist's name.
The man across from her, clinging to the telephone pole, stared intently at her. As for the complex emotions in his eyes, whether they came from the male lead in the play or his co-star off-screen... it no longer mattered.
"Although we've only just met, I feel really relaxed and comfortable around you." This female protagonist, whose character has been modified, actually reflects the thoughts of many people in reality, as well as her own thinking from her past life.
For Li Sishi, this revised character design is half a projection of "herself". Therefore, whether she is trying to understand her current psychology or simulating her current thoughts, Li Sishi can feel a kind of illusory reality - as if she has completely become "Lili" in the play at a certain moment.
This self-immersive acting style is also a classic school of acting called "method acting," which has many advantages but also significant drawbacks: because it emphasizes experiencing the inner world of the character, getting as close as possible to, or even becoming, the character being portrayed.
If you act well, you become one with the character; if you overact, you lose sight of the character.
However, while this method can be easy to lose one's way, it allows one to completely immerse oneself in the role and become the character, creating a seamless blend of acting and emotion. Logically speaking, commercial films of this era wouldn't require Li Sishi to risk such a difficult challenge, and this acting style is also not well-suited to the film shooting model that allows for multiple takes and the selection of the best shot at the end...
The problem is that Li Sishi is currently trying to "please" not the audience in front of the screen, but the real person who is only two or three meters away from her.
Therefore, this powerful and infectious performance style is exactly what Li Sishi needs right now.
She wasn't filming a movie, but performing in a "stage play," and the only audience and co-star was the young man clinging to the telephone pole.
"But—" A turning point abruptly severed the lingering warmth, and the girl, still harboring dreams, began to awaken to the harsh realities of life.
She herself shattered the boundary between fantasy and reality. "Whether you are serious about this relationship or I think you are good... it's all useless."
Do you know why I've always claimed to admire 'heroes'?
“Because the ‘heroes’ of this era aren’t superheroes who can transform into masked knights and punish evil with a transformation device, but rather people who can ensure that my social class doesn’t drop.” As if the insights from two lifetimes had merged together, Li Sishi revealed a self-deprecating smile, “I once thought about relying on myself, but you know what, in this world, it’s really too difficult for a girl to ‘rely on herself’.”
Was she really so lazy and unambitious in her past life?
Perhaps not. She once fantasized about bringing herself back to a life of wealth through her own efforts, but the harsh realities and repeated failures due to unforeseen circumstances eventually made her give up the struggle and choose the seemingly easier path of "relying on others"—marrying into a wealthy family to find a rich husband.
7.
"Look at my room, the shirt I'm wearing, the skincare products I use every night... none of these are things that a delivery guy like you can afford."
"Even if I were willing to give you a chance to have a beautiful dream—but sorry, dreams always end."
She stared intently ahead, while the person gripping the telephone pole seemed to give her an amused smile and spontaneously replied, "Lili, although dreams may end, I remember there's a saying in this world—'It's not about forever, it's about having it,' isn't it?"
"And then what? You're already so obsessed with something you've never even had. If you lose it after you've had it, won't you be so heartbroken that you want to commit suicide?" When Li Sishi was revising the character and lines, she had already anticipated several possible reactions from the other party. This answer was exactly the same as one of the reactions she had anticipated, so the lines were immediately able to flow smoothly again.
“If you need me, I… I’m willing to die for you!” the other person immediately replied.
“No need. There are too many people willing to die for me.” Li Sishi said in a cold voice, her response even carrying a hint of humor. Then she picked up the little rag doll that should have been thrown away long ago. “Let me tell you, there are no miracles or heroes in the world today.”
"Thank you for the gift, but it doesn't really match my room's decor, so I'd better return it to you."
"It's late, I'm going to sleep now, bye-bye."
Sometimes, the same lines
It can give viewers completely different feelings depending on who is in charge.
Just hearing these overly sober remarks, most people would think that a girl who can say such things is someone who craves comfort, right?
But even on the big screen, with the features and expressions magnified to the extreme, one can see a hint of helplessness and sadness on this youthful and beautiful face as she speaks these words.
People tend to be more forgiving of beautiful appearances.
Therefore, Li Sishi's interpretation of these words greatly reduced the negative impression and instead evoked more sympathy from others, making people subconsciously feel that she was forced to do so and could only choose an easier way to survive in a difficult world...
The difference between a "white lotus" (a seemingly innocent but actually manipulative woman) and a "real green tea" (a seemingly innocent but actually manipulative woman) lies in their acting style and personal skills.
At the very end of this dramatic scene—when the female lead, "Lili," pulls the curtains shut to prevent the two from meeting—Li Sishi's eyes and gestures still perfectly convey the character's performance.
As the curtains on both sides were drawn closer, the space between them became increasingly narrow. Li Sishi, who was acting until the very last moment, could see a look of shock in the eyes of the person opposite her through her own sorrowful gaze.
"Cut!"
In this film crew, it's rare to hear the director add something like "good take" after "cut" like directors do in other film crews when they're satisfied with the shot.
Because the male lead and producer of this production team is always most satisfied with the next cut.
Of course, Li Sishi didn't have the courage to fantasize about conquering the audience with a dramatic acting performance with her added scene plan—although she had dreamed about it for a moment...
But she is very, very self-aware.
When people set their goals lower, the chances of achieving them increase significantly: for example, her goal for adding scenes this time was simply "to be able to successfully complete this performance."
Excellent, she has achieved her goal and now she awaits the "judges'" judgment.
Despite Zhou Shengyi's seemingly generous cooperation with her "improvisational performance" in this scene, he instantly reverted to his fearsome on-set tyrant the moment the director yelled "cut."
He waved to Li Sishi, signaling her to come over to him.
The tyrant on set had long held sway over Li Sishi, and seeing him call her with a stern face, she instinctively shrank back.
Shrink your neck.
Then, with the mindset that she'd be in trouble no matter what, she took a step and walked over.
Wherever she went, the already silent surroundings became even quieter. Even though people scattered as Li Sishi walked by like Moses parting the sea, they still tried their best not to make a sound even a decibel louder than her footsteps.
"Why did you do this?" Seeing Li Sishi walking towards him, Zhou Shengyi immediately asked directly, and then added, "Don't tell me you're just 'in character'. Whether you're 'in character' or not—I can tell."
Seeing that her first planned escape route had been blocked on the spot, Li Sishi took the initiative to bend down and face the tyrant on set who was holding the script: "I think Lili is not good enough for Yiwen."
Although she herself scoffs at the so-called "whether they are a good match" argument, when she needs to explain (or exaggerate), the first thing she has to do is throw out an absolutely unexpected argument to interrupt the other person's train of thought.
Clearly, Zhou Shengyi's train of thought was interrupted by a remark she shouldn't have made—Li Sishi saw that he was genuinely stunned for half a second after she said it, and if she hadn't been paying close attention, he might have easily covered it up.
"Not good enough?" Zhou Shengyi repeated these three words, then called over his old friend and screenwriter Qu Dexiao, who was making a cameo appearance as a waiter in a tea restaurant on set, and gestured for Qu Dexiao to look at Li Sishi with him. "Tell me, where is she not good enough?"
Li Sishi glanced at the easygoing and portly Qu Dexiao beside her—this guy was quite something; although he was the screenwriter of the film, he didn't seem annoyed at the criticism of his work. Instead, he gave her a slightly encouraging look, his eyes even showing a hint of pity for her being caught and questioned by the tyrant on set…
After carefully considering her words, Li Sishi began to speak about her feelings about the character and the script under the watchful eyes of the two people.
She said that in this script where even minor supporting characters are quite vivid and lifelike, the female lead, Lili, seems to have a lot of screen time, but she is actually the one with the least "personality".
The reason why the female lead has the least "personality" is not because of the "suppression" of her in order to highlight the male lead as much as possible, but because of a kind of "compromise" forced by circumstances.
"So you do know the reason?" Zhou Shengyi chuckled. "Then why did you change the character like this?"
Although the original script's female lead's "fantasy girl" character was relatively one-dimensional,
"The character of Lili is still much better than many male-centric movies where the female lead is just a decorative element in this era."
At least the plots related to her are generally quite likable and cute. She is also portrayed as a goddess-level figure that the male protagonist is pursuing. As long as she acts honestly according to the character settings in the script, even if she doesn't receive much praise after the film is released, she won't attract any haters.
On the contrary, while Li Sishi's revised "sober-minded female lead" character has certainly added a lot of depth to the role, such a modification is a thankless and troublesome act for a commercial film aimed at box office success.
The strange thing is that Li Sishi suddenly acted this way without consulting the audience, and presented a new character that, although well-acted, was not easily accepted by the audience. It just doesn't seem to fit her usual cleverness and intelligence.
Unless—she has a backup plan to turn this seemingly unappealing new character around.
But do I still need to make her use it?
He could understand her passion for the role and acting, even though she was a very young newcomer.
However, once a newcomer who loves acting gets carried away, he loses his rational judgment and becomes the kind of obsessed idealist who excessively pursues the depth of a role and forgets why the play was made in the first place. He himself has been like that, so he feels a sense of helplessness towards the newcomer in front of him who is very similar to his former self.
His film, "Hero in My Heart," is a typical example of a "commercial film" that can compromise certain things for the sake of box office success.
"Do you even realize that a character should serve the entire story, not just your own ideas...?"
Zhou Shengyi's tone gradually became stern, "Do you know how much film you're wasting, how much work you're increasing for everyone, and how much effort you're wasting by changing the script without warning?!"
"I know." Facing the increasingly violent tyrant on set, Li Sishi remained relaxed. "It's precisely because I want this film to do better at the box office that I did this..."
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