Although the production team for "Yun Qing Ji" was hastily assembled, Zheng Bohan's attitude was anything but. The next day, Shang Yechu received a call from Assistant Yu, asking her to go to the photography studio for a makeup trial.
Shang Yechu rushed to the studio, where a dozen or so artists had already gathered. Ninety percent of them were female, chatting in small groups. Only two male artists stood in a corner, a striking contrast amidst the sea of red. Judging from their attire, they were likely playing eunuchs.
Shang Yechu glanced around the room and didn't recognize any of the artists. This wasn't surprising; the main actors probably hadn't arrived yet—or rather, it was questionable whether they had even been "found" yet.
Soon someone took Shang Yechu to try on her makeup. The maid Yuzhu's attire was also simple; Hengshi Film City had standardized maid costumes, so since her name was Yuzhu, they brought a green one.
Once she put on the green palace dress and quickly applied some makeup, Shang Yechu's look was complete. She looked at herself in the mirror—not bad.
Fair skin hides a hundred flaws. With layers of powder applied, Shang Yechu's skin now appears fair and rosy. Her eyebrows, skillfully styled by the makeup artist, appear delicate and perfectly proportioned. Her lips are a classic maid-like pink, neither too dark nor too light. Overall, she can already be considered a pretty, delicate young lady.
However, this good quality and delicate features are compressed into "ordinary," "mediocre," or even "flat" on camera. The saying "looking less attractive on camera" is an undeniable truth. A 90-point beauty will be compressed to an 85-point, and a 60-point beauty like Shang Yechu will probably only be a 50-point on camera. Human technology currently cannot solve this problem.
Fortunately, Shang Yechu's color was green. This color has a natural refreshing and oil-removing effect. Shang Yechu was very glad that she had randomly chosen the character Yuzhu. If she had been named Jinzhu, she would probably be dressed like a walking, warm-toned lemon.
When Shang Yechu, dressed in green, walked out of the dressing room, even more people had gathered in the venue.
Shang Yechu now understood why she had been chosen: the drama needed so many actresses!
From young women in their early twenties to middle-aged actresses in their forties and fifties, Shang Yechu saw women of almost every age group in this small filming studio. Half of them were even less attractive than Shang Yechu herself, and many, judging from her experience, couldn't even be considered actresses!
Those in the know will recognize this as a palace drama production crew, while those who don't might mistake it for the filming of "The Monkey King 3".
What exactly is Zheng Bohan trying to do?
Shang Yechu had only watched the first few episodes of "Yun Qing Ji". After being kindly reminded by netizens that it was a plagiarized drama, she stopped watching. Therefore, she was not very clear about the later plot. However, as a low-budget production, using so many actors inevitably seemed a bit extravagant.
No wonder Zheng Bohan only dares to recruit actors below the 18th tier. If the actors were of even slightly higher caliber, this drama would probably have gone bankrupt before filming even began.
Shang Ye arrived early and got her makeup done early as well. Now all she had to do was find a photographer to take some stills for the show. A little ceremony was necessary, after all.
The photographer quickly took several photos of Shang Yechu. Shang Yechu's eyes hurt as soon as she looked at them. This kind of lighting, bordering on light pollution, and the high saturation... she hadn't seen anything like it in many years.
Just as things were getting chaotic on set, director Zheng Bohan finally arrived late.
He didn't come alone. Shang Yechu immediately spotted the familiar face behind Zheng Bohan.
Beside director Zheng Bohan stood a middle-aged man. He had a square face, regular features, a resolute demeanor, and a tall stature. Shang Yechu was slightly taken aback when she saw his face clearly.
It was Qin Tianye!
Qin Tianye is a veteran in the industry. There are many seasoned actors in the entertainment circle. But it's important to know that not everyone can be called a "veteran actor." Some actors are simply older, but their acting skills remain as bad as they were in their youth.
Qin Tianye is undoubtedly a veteran actor. Shang Yechu grew up watching his dramas. Shows like "Flying Light Chasing the Sun" and "Three Guns, Three Farewells" were staples of Shang Yechu's childhood. But none of that is the most important thing. The most important thing is—
Qin Tianye is the lead actor in Zheng Bohan's representative work, "The Secret History of Donglou".
Of course, "The Secret History of Donglou" was a popular drama that aired more than a decade ago, so Shang Yechu shouldn't remember it so clearly. However, she had crammed on Zheng Bohan's representative works, key figures, and interpersonal relationships last night, which is why she recognized him at a glance.
Of course, Qin Tianye wasn't recognized by just one person; many female artists (mainly those aged 40-50) excitedly crowded around him.
"Qin Tianye!"
"It's Teacher Qin!"
"Lord Yan (the character played by Qin Tianye in 'The Secret History of Donglou')!"
"Lord Yan, could you please sign your name for me?"
"Old Yan! My husband and I both like you!"
Qin Tianye greeted his fans with a smile. Zheng Bohan looked a little tired, but he didn't show any dissatisfaction towards the middle-aged fans.
Qin Tianye spoke up again: "Alright, alright, everyone, we'll have plenty of time to meet when we're filming together again..."
Qin Tianye's words were like water poured into boiling oil, causing an uproar at the scene.
"Teacher Qin, what role do you play?"
"Oh my! Teacher Qin is so handsome, he must be the emperor..."
Fanatical fans are a formidable force anywhere, and they don't become any less restrained just because the director is around. Zheng Bohan's crew wasn't as disciplined or hierarchical as other production teams, and Qin Tianye himself was quite approachable and down-to-earth, which led to a chaotic scene for a while.
Several young girls whispered among themselves beside Shang Yechu, "That uncle is quite handsome, but he doesn't have to be that fanatical, does he?"
Another little girl chimed in, "Wow! They're the dream men of our mothers' generation. If you met Yingjie and Qisheng, wouldn't you be ecstatic?"
"I don't like Yingjie and Qisheng, I only like my little wolf dog Zhouzhou..."
While listening to the girls gossiping, Shang Yechu sized up Qin Tianye.
Qin Tianye has a very good reputation in the industry, with an excellent track record and no major scandals. Moreover, he has collaborated with Zheng Bohan and Xu Hanwen multiple times and has a good relationship with both of them. Now, Qin Tianye has actually taken on a role in this drama that's going head-to-head with Xu Hanwen… It seems Xu Hanwen has probably really done something unethical.
I wonder what role Qin Tianye will be playing? Shang Yechu remembers that the emperor in "Yun Qing Ji" wasn't played by Qin Tianye, but by some unknown young actor. His acting was terribly awkward, earning him the nickname "Runaway Eyeball."
To be honest, "The Legend of Qingyun" is about to start filming, while "The Tale of Yunqing" hasn't even given the actors a complete script yet. Under these circumstances, Qin Tianye is still willing to participate in this unreliable drama. This kind of loyalty is so extreme that it's like selling a kidney to help a brother. If Zheng Bohan had any conscience at all, he should have given Qin Tianye a decent role.
With this in mind, Shang Yechu returned to her little warehouse at the bookstore.
She doesn't have to work as an extra for the next couple of days. But Shang Yechu hasn't been idle. She went online and dug up some period dramas written by Zheng Bohan, selecting the best ones and extracting clips of the characters walking, drinking tea, bowing, and other actions.
Shang Yechu memorized these scenes, and then...
Then, in the bookstore, I practiced the elegant walking posture, elegant tea-serving posture, and elegant bowing posture of the ancients every day.
Unfortunately, Shang Yechu couldn't afford to enroll in performance or physical training classes, so she could only resort to this primitive method for low-cost practice.
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