As international cooperation offers poured in, Ling Yichen and Jun Moran knew that to gain a foothold on the international film and television stage, they needed comprehensive improvement and intensive training. With unwavering belief and determination, they resolutely embarked on a challenging and sweat-filled training journey, meticulously honing their skills in preparation for entering the international market.
Language was undoubtedly their primary hurdle. Although they already possessed a certain level of English proficiency in China, it was still far from meeting the fluency and precision required for international film and television production. They enrolled in a professional intensive international film and television English course. Every morning, before the first rays of sunlight had fully illuminated the city, they were already sitting in the classroom, intently practicing pronunciation, intonation, and connected speech techniques with their foreign teachers.
In class, the foreign teacher used various engaging teaching methods, such as scenario simulations, role-playing, and film clip dubbing, to help them improve their practical English skills. Ling Yichen and Jun Moran actively participated, seizing every opportunity to practice. They started with simple daily conversations and gradually progressed to complex film and television terminology and script lines. To correct their pronunciation, they practiced their mouth shapes repeatedly in front of a mirror, recorded their pronunciation, compared it with standard pronunciation, and constantly adjusted. In role-playing, they tried to portray different types of characters, using English to express various emotions and situations, from angry arguments to heartfelt confessions, from tense negotiations to humorous banter, striving to accurately convey the character's intentions in different contexts.
Besides English, they also recognized the importance of mastering other international languages. Therefore, they used their spare time to learn French and Spanish. They hired professional language teachers and developed detailed learning plans. They started with the basics of letters, words, and grammar, gradually building their vocabulary and language expression skills. They created a language learning environment and cultivated a feel for the language by reading French and Spanish books, newspapers, and magazines, watching local movies and TV series, and listening to the radio. During their learning process, they encouraged and supported each other, sharing learning experiences and techniques.
In terms of acting skills, they also underwent in-depth special training. Western acting styles differ somewhat from domestic ones, placing greater emphasis on exaggerated physical expression, direct emotional release, and a strong contrast between the deep exploration of a character's inner world and its external presentation. To better understand and master Western acting styles, they watched numerous classic Western films and stage plays, analyzing the acting techniques and characteristics of Western actors.
They participated in a performance workshop led by internationally renowned performance coaches. In the workshop, the coaches guided them through various unique training methods to overcome performance bottlenecks. For example, through improvisation training, they were able to quickly immerse themselves in a role without preparation, cultivating adaptability and creativity; emotional memory training helped them explore their own deepest emotional experiences and apply them to their character performances, making the characters' emotions more authentic and moving; and body language training emphasized the role of every part of the body in the performance, from subtle head movements to the rhythm of footsteps, all aimed at accurately conveying the character's emotions and intentions.
In an impromptu performance training session, Ling Yichen drew a scene depicting an escape from a fire. He quickly adjusted his state, vividly portraying the survival instinct and inner fear of someone in dire straits through tense body movements, rapid breathing, terrified eyes, and loud cries for help. His performance won high praise from the instructors and other trainees. Jun Moran excelled in the emotional memory training. He recalled his own painful experience of losing a loved one and incorporated this emotion into his performance as a character who had lost a close friend. The tears glistening in his eyes, his slightly trembling lips, and his low, suppressed tone moved everyone present.
They invested a great deal of time and energy in building their cultural knowledge base. They delved into Western history, literature, art, philosophy, and other fields to understand the development of Western culture and its core values. They read classic Western literary works such as Homer's epics, the Divine Comedy, and the complete works of Shakespeare, analyzing the characters, plot developments, and themes to appreciate the unique charm and way of thinking of Western culture.
They visited art museums and history museums, appreciating Western art forms such as painting, sculpture, and architecture. From ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance paintings, from Gothic architecture to modern artworks, each piece of art became a window for them to understand Western culture. At the same time, they also studied Western philosophical thought, from the wisdom of ancient Greek philosophers to the theories of modern philosophers, such as Plato's theory of Forms, Aristotle's metaphysics, and Kant's critical philosophy. These philosophical ideas not only enriched their thinking but also provided them with a broader perspective when understanding and interpreting their roles.
They also dared not slack off in physical training. International film and television shooting often requires actors to have good physical fitness and stamina to cope with various high-intensity shooting tasks. They developed a scientific and reasonable fitness plan, including aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility training.
Every morning, they engage in aerobic exercises such as jogging or swimming to improve their cardiovascular function and endurance. At the gym, they do strength training, including weightlifting, push-ups, and sit-ups, to build muscle strength and explosive power. They also focus on flexibility training, using yoga and Pilates to stretch their muscles and ligaments, improving flexibility and coordination. Ling Yichen has made significant progress in strength training, gradually increasing the weight and intensity, resulting in more defined muscle lines in his arms and chest. This allows him to perform various challenging actions more easily during action scenes. Jun Moran excels in flexibility training; his exceptional flexibility allows him to easily perform various challenging yoga poses, which plays a crucial role in filming scenes requiring graceful posture and agility.
During their intensive training, they encountered various difficulties and setbacks. Sometimes, they felt frustrated and disappointed when criticized by their foreign teachers for inaccurate language expression; sometimes, they fell into self-doubt and confusion when they couldn't meet the coaches' requirements in performance training; and sometimes, they felt immense pressure and almost wanted to give up when faced with a large amount of cultural knowledge and learning tasks. However, they encouraged and supported each other and never gave up. They knew that only by weathering the storm could they see the magnificent rainbow.
After months of rigorous training, Ling Yichen and Jun Moran have made significant progress in all aspects. Their English proficiency has improved dramatically, enabling them to communicate fluently in English for daily life and dialogues during filming; their acting skills have become more refined, with a mastery of Western acting styles that they can organically integrate with Eastern performance characteristics; their cultural knowledge has become richer and more diverse, and they have gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of Western culture; their physical fitness has also been greatly enhanced, giving them the ability to handle the high-intensity tasks of international filming.
Standing at the end of their intensive training, they looked back on this journey filled with sweat and hardship, their hearts brimming with emotion and pride. They knew they were fully prepared and were about to embark on their journey into the international film and television market, striving towards higher goals and dreams.
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