The filming of "Half a Day" is not progressing quickly.
Xu Hanwen was determined to redeem himself and strived for perfection during filming. The main actors all had a heavy workload.
While artists' contracts may stipulate daily working hours, it's often a case of "different strokes for different folks." No artist would be foolish enough to act like a star in this kind of production.
After playing Li Yiming, Shang Yechu finally understood the true core of the script. Ping Zhao and Xiao Yue were supporting characters; the "Xiao Feng Que" series focused on a martial arts ensemble cast. But Li Yiming was different.
The entire plot of "Half a Day" serves Li Yiming and her career. Aside from background characters, all the characters in the script are either Li Yiming's comrades-in-arms or her mortal enemies. In short, they are all intricately connected to Li Yiming.
Shang Yechu needs to present different versions of herself to different characters in order to fit the persona of a multifaceted spy.
As a result, Shang Yechu only slept three or four hours a day, practically living on set. She would film as many takes as the director asked without complaint.
Even so, the filming schedule quickly came to a standstill.
The cunning Lu Huaizhang devised a dirty trick to test Li Yiming—while Li Yiming was in a good mood, he deliberately told him about the tragic deaths of the Red Party members. He also had Di Ting assist him by listening to Li Yiming's breathing and thoughts.
This scene is a crucial moment for establishing the characters. Lu Huaizhang's cunning and scheming, Di Ting's sinister and dangerous nature, and Li Yiming's perseverance and profound faith must all be portrayed in this three-person scene.
Li Yiming was naturally in pain at the tragic death of his comrade. He had to put on a brave face in front of Lu Huaizhang, even behaving like a thief, which added to his grief and desolation.
What left Shang Yechu speechless was that such a profound and weighty emotion was described in only one sentence in the script:
Li Yiming picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.
Zheng Bohan seemed to have swallowed a bomb ever since filming began, and Shang Yechu dared not question him. Therefore, during the first performance of this scene, she obediently followed the script.
As expected, Zheng Bohan, though his face turned green, didn't say a word. Shang Yechu, however, didn't escape unscathed and was thoroughly berated by Xu Hanwen.
During the second take, Shang Yechu, following her understanding of the character, added many subtle movements and expressions, gradually releasing the profound emotions she had been building up...
Xu Hanwen launched another offensive: "Your smile is uglier than your tears. You might as well just tattoo 'I am a member of the underground party' on your face!"
On the third take, Shang Yechu boldly changed a scene from the script, spilling a cup of hot tea. As she bent down to pick up the broken pieces, a tear fell into the remaining water stains in the teacup, creating a small ripple.
This time, Shang Yechu received a thorough dressing-down from both the screenwriter and the director.
"If you think so badly of my script, why don't you become the screenwriter?"
"Who taught you such affected acting? Don't bring your quack theories to my production!"
The fourth time, Shang Yechu shook her hand and poured the scalding hot tea onto her thigh, expressing her grief and indignation with a momentary shudder. In the end, she received a severe scolding from Editor Zheng and a scalded thigh.
The fifth time, Shang Yechu gripped the corner of the table, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, and was arrested on the spot by Di Ting.
For the sixth time, Shang Yechu burst into laughter, a bitter laugh expressing her desolation. Xu Hanwen, enraged, threw the script at her, nearly hitting her in the face.
The seventh time...
The eighth time...
Shang Yechu had tried every acting technique, but still couldn't satisfy the audience. Not only were the director and screenwriter dissatisfied, but Shang Yechu herself felt something was missing when watching the playback.
According to Zheng Bohan, this scene was meant to portray the Red Party members' unwavering strength, but at the same time, it had to be completely non-threatening so that Di Ting wouldn't notice anything suspicious.
According to Xu Hanwen's requirements, this part of the story should express deep grief, while not losing Li Yiming's usual magnanimity, carefree attitude and lightheartedness in front of Lu Huaizhang.
It must convey power, but not be threatening; it must express profound grief, yet also convey a sense of carefree detachment...
Shang Yechu felt like a desperate newcomer to society, at a loss when faced with the client's demands for "almost transparent black" and "colorful white".
This scene took three days to film, but there was still no progress. Even the cinematographer almost memorized Lu Huaizhang's lines.
Filming for the entire production came to a standstill.
Despite understanding that it wasn't entirely their fault, Xu Hanwen and Zheng Bohan were unsure how to act out this scene. Shang Yechu was filled with anxiety and guilt, feeling like the culprit slowing down the production.
The more anxious Shang Yechu became, the less able she was to unleash her true potential. Retakes became commonplace, even affecting her performance in some minor scenes.
Xu Hanwen gradually stopped scolding Shang Yechu, and his gaze towards Shang Yechu grew colder and colder, filled with hesitant assessment and scrutiny.
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