Chapter 505: Grasp the Main Contradiction (8,000-word update!)

The action director responsible for Lu Yanhe in the *Burning Fire* crew was named Ji Xiaohua.

He was nearly forty years old, used to be a martial arts actor, and had acted in many action movies, all small roles, didn't make it, and as he got older, he started to turn behind the scenes.

Lu Yanhe's action scenes in *Burning Fire* were mainly characterized by elegance, mainly to form a difference with Shang Yongzhou's style.

As the main perspective of this movie, Shang Yongzhou also shouldered the heavy responsibility of revenge, so his whole style would be heavier, and the fighting style would also be harder, more "flesh to flesh."

For a commercial film, there must be obvious differences and personalized things between characters.

Lu Yanhe's action design was actually not designed by Ji Xiaohua, he was only responsible for teaching these actions to Lu Yanhe.

The action was designed by a very famous martial arts director.

Lu Yanhe practiced with Ji Xiaohua for more than a week, and Ji Xiaohua said: "You learned the actions, but you are too forceful."

"Forceful?" Lu Yanhe was a bit confused.

Ji Xiaohua said: "This is a very traditional martial arts movie fighting method, but this is a fantasy movie."

Regarding Ji Xiaohua's words, Lu Yanhe still didn't quite understand what he wanted to express, and asked: "Is there any difference in fighting scenes of different themes?"

Ji Xiaohua's ability to express was not very good, and he stammered for half a day: "One will fight more realistically, and the other is more gorgeous, more detached from reality."

Even detached from reality...

Although Ji Xiaohua was indeed not very good at expressing, and the words he said were not good words at first glance, Lu Yanhe still understood what Ji Xiaohua wanted to express.

"You mean, my fighting scenes in *Burning Fire* should all be more transcendent, like the kind of hero who can fly across the Yangtze River by pointing a few times? Equals to my current actions are too ugly, not elegant, and after combining with the later special effects, it can't achieve the effect this set of actions wants?" Lu Yanhe gave an example.

Ji Xiaohua nodded immediately.

"Yes."

"Teacher Ji, let's practice it again with me."

Ji Xiaohua nodded.

Lu Yanhe also said to Wang Biao: "Wang Biao, help me record what I hit, and record what Teacher Ji hit, I'll ponder it."

This comparison, Lu Yanhe saw the difference.

Indeed, although his actions were proficient and hit smoothly, compared with the effect of Ji Xiaohua's hit, the latter's rhythm had a kind of "cool feeling."

In fact, to put it plainly, this action must make everyone's eyes shine, and feel that he is cool.

Now they will only feel that his kung fu action scenes are quite good.

This kind of thing cannot be practiced.

Have to ponder it slowly yourself.

At that time, his action scenes in *Phoenix Terrace* were quite well received. However, looking back now, those action scenes of his, although good-looking, were very dependent on characters, camera movement, and editing, because they were all fragmented action editing, stitched together frame by frame.

*Burning Fire* is a movie. According to the news Lu Yanhe currently got, their requirements for the entire action scene were more than double that of *Phoenix Terrace*. This is not a problem of action difficulty, but *Phoenix Terrace*'s core was not whether the action scene was good or not, it was just an embellishment, so when filming, there would be no complex design in the lens, and if it couldn't be filmed on site, it would rely on post-production editing, cutting it to be sword-shadowy, or even using doubles, using blank space.

Wan Renhai's design for *Burning Fire*, however, was different. He wanted to film that kind of awesome long shot, not a long shot that stood there without moving, just watching the actors fight, but a long shot that cooperated with the actor's actions, scheduling, and combining characters, actions, and camera movement.

To give people a shocking feeling of being overwhelmed—this is the foundation of special effects blockbusters.

Lu Yanhe highly recognized Wan Renhai's positioning of *Burning Fire*.

If Wan Renhai said to him at this time that *Burning Fire* is more important than special effects, he would be black in front of his eyes, realizing that he had taken the wrong drama.

It's not that character shaping is not important in a movie like *Burning Fire*. Of course it is important. Classic special effects blockbusters can become classics because characters and stories are definitely established and memorable. Special effects will always be outdated, but human emotions will not. However, for the present, for the film market, for the positioning of a commercial special effects blockbuster, the biggest attraction is definitely the special effects screen.

To put it broadly, it is the establishment of this worldview.

Lu Yanhe didn't want his action scene part to become a bug in this worldview.

When he was resting in the hotel, he was almost pulling films. Watching all kinds of epic blockbusters, and then looking for feelings.

In the end, Lu Yanhe found the feeling he wanted in the hotel swimming pool.

People float on the water, limbs rowing.

Swimming, a feeling of him becoming a fish, can swim wantonly in this water will emerge.

Lu Yanhe of course also knew that this was the illusion brought to him by the buoyancy of water.

Then at that moment, Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

To make the action scene look good, you have to hit a kind of lightness that "gets rid of gravity."

Shang Yongzhou did not come to the crew for training.

He hired a private instructor to guide him one-on-one in his own place.

This is a personal habit. Lu Yanhe had acted in *Road of Glory* with Shang Yongzhou and knew Shang Yongzhou's habit of acting. Shang Yongzhou is an actor who is very "selfish" when acting. He doesn't care about others, completely focused on himself and the character.

Lu Yanhe still remembers when filming *Road of Glory*, Shang Yongzhou was immersed in the state of "don't disturb anyone" for a period of time, and his whole body radiated an aura of no strangers.

Lu Yanhe would occasionally think, is it because Shang Yongzhou didn't join the crew, so compared to it, he was particularly active?

Of course, no one would say these words to his face.

He couldn't find anyone to argue with.

Lu Yanhe was preparing his role like this, doing action practice, and about a week and a half passed, and by the end of March, *Burning Fire* was about to start filming.

Shang Yongzhou also finally appeared in the crew.

He only brought one assistant, no second accompanying personnel.

Lu Yanhe brought at most two accompanying personnel to the scene, which was enough to make people in the crew discuss, and Shang Yongzhou's posture made them discuss even more.

Wang Biao, who liked to listen to the wall corner, told Lu Yanhe several times that everyone was stunned by the number of accompanying personnel for him and Shang Yongzhou.

You have to know, except for the two of them, the actors who came to act in *Burning Fire* basically appeared on the scene with four or five accompanying personnel. This was not yet filming, just doing action training, or makeup testing, etc.

Lu Yanhe: "Let others say whatever they want."

Wang Biao: "It's not that simple, Little Brother Lu, it is said that you two doing this made other actor teams have some complaints."

"What complaints do they have?" Lu Yanhe asked in surprise.

"Just... you two are so simple, making them bring four or five people look like a big show," Wang Biao said. "To put it plainly, they just want to pretend to be grand, but you two real grand people are returning to basics, making their grandness look like a crazy nouveau riche."

Lu Yanhe looked at Wang Biao in surprise.

Wang Biao: "Does this make you so surprised?"

"Oh, no, I was shocked by your set of words," Lu Yanhe said. "Your language art has practiced a bit of Sister Ziyan's style."

Wang Biao grinned and said righteously: "Then I don't exaggerate at all, I am Sister Ziyan's iron fan."

"Then if it were Sister Ziyan, what do you think she would say when facing this kind of thing?" Lu Yanhe asked. "What would she do?"

Wang Biao thought about it and said: "At most, she would satirize them behind their backs, she wouldn't do anything. Whatever they say and do, that's their own business, we do ours. If they want to pretend to be grand, then let them pretend. This thing depends on how the two leads do it. Sister Ziyan would only scold them for being petty."

Lu Yanhe smiled with relief.

"If Sister Ziyan knew you understood her so well, she would definitely be surprised. But I agree with you, I also think Sister Ziyan would scold them like that," Lu Yanhe sighed while laughing. "You bring four people or eight people, it has nothing to do with others, and it's not paid by the crew. Your team members are all paid by yourself. You are willing to pay so many people and drive employment. If you really feel that you need to bring so many people to be convenient, then don't care how others see it. If it's just to pretend to be grand, for vanity, there is indeed no need."

Wang Biao sighed.

"Little Brother Lu, your theory is very sufficient, but your thinking is very twisted," he complained bluntly.

Lu Yanhe: "..."

"Sister Ziyan hearing this sentence from you, she would sigh that you are out of the teacher."

This comment on him was really a set of sets, exactly the same.

Wang Biao grinned.

Lu Yanhe said again: "You just go write a book, called *Master of Complaint*, maybe you can become a best-selling author."

Wang Biao: "Little Brother Lu, you actually recognize me so much?"

Wang Biao was full of surprise.

Lu Yanhe opened his mouth, wanting to ask, can't you hear that I am complaining about you?

What is this look of being praised and flattered?

Damn!

The phone rang suddenly.

Yan Liang sent a message in the three-person group: *Gold Rush* starts airing tonight, you guys help me forward my promotional Weibo later.

"*Gold Rush* is an action-adventure TV series starring two actors, Wan Yunhe and Yan Liang."

Lin Yu stood in front of the camera, still a bit unaccustomed.

However, the manuscript was written by her in advance, so she wouldn't be speechless because of nervousness.

This is recorded, Lin Yu doesn't need to worry about saying the wrong thing and causing bad consequences.

This *Film and Television Critic* program aired on Yuehu TV had already recorded two episodes and aired two episodes.

Basically recorded every day, the recorded material is handed over to Yuehu TV for post-production.

In this way, Lin Yu doesn't need to run to Yuehu TV specifically for recording.

It just so happened that today caught up with the airing of *Gold Rush*.

As a commentary-type program, a tenet was set when the program was prepared: although this is Yuehu TV's program, non-Yuehu TV's TV series can also be commented on freely.

This is not a supporting promotional column for Yuehu TV's TV series, but to be built into a commentary program with real influence and appeal.

"Let the audience believe in our taste, gather a large group of audiences with the same taste, and form a commentary program that can guide the development of film and television dramas."

This is what Lin Yu said at the preparatory meeting.

When Lin Yu said this, there were old qualifications from Yuehu TV who laughed on the spot.

Obviously, it was felt that this was the arrogance of young people.

Lin Yu didn't care.

She calmed her mind and continued to face the camera and said: "The airing of *Gold Rush*, the most worthy of our attention, is definitely not the two male leads, although their names are enough to bring huge attention to this drama. Chinese dramas have emerged with various types and themes in recent years, but action-adventure types, especially treasure hunting-themed action-adventure types, have not appeared in the past five years. I dare not say it has pioneering significance, but in our current film and television environment, it must have representative significance."

"This drama was filmed on location in Southeast Asia. The male lead Yan Liang's image of being thin and out of shape after filming even made the hot search. It is precisely because of this matter that I have expectations for this drama, rather than just defining it as a gimmick. Of course, the drama has not aired yet, it is too early to make a conclusive evaluation of it, let us watch it first, and discuss it tomorrow, what its color is."

This segment of *Gold Rush* was recorded.

Lin Yu sighed.

She didn't record the fifteen-minute program in one breath, but recorded it section by section.

She, who was not a professional host, was still in the adaptation period.

Chen Siqi had been standing behind the camera watching, and now that the camera had stopped, she walked over and asked with a smile: "How does it feel to be an anchor? It's the third day, you should be a little used to it, right?"

"Not at all," Lin Yu said, "I still stutter a bit because of nervousness."

Chen Siqi: "You can do it."

"Fortunately, it's only a fifteen-minute program," Lin Yu said, "What do you think?"

Chen Siqi: "I think it's quite good. We weren't professional hosts to begin with, and we didn't require ourselves with such high requirements from the beginning."

Lin Yu smiled.

Chen Siqi: "Come on, now our *Jump Up* film and television commentary part, you are the facade, let's take this opportunity to let our *Jump Up* open up a new market."

"Okay," Lin Yu nodded.

*Gold Rush* is broadcast on both TV and the internet.

The TV station is Jinkou TV, a second-tier satellite TV, and the prime time ratings are currently only about 0.2%.

*Gold Rush* is exclusively broadcast here, and then goes online on the video website at midnight.

Yan Liang was very nervous.

Although he was the second lead in this drama, he was also an indisputable protagonist.

Moreover, he really paid a lot in this drama. Currently, ninety-nine percent of actors in China have not suffered as much as he did in *Gold Rush*.

Of course, Yan Liang was also very fortunate that he could act in a drama like *Gold Rush* that basically hadn't appeared in the market in recent years.

Its theme type itself is an attraction.

On the night of the airing, Lu Yanhe specifically turned on the hotel TV, tuned to the Jinkou Satellite TV channel, and watched the drama live.

The live broadcast room that hadn't been logged in for a long time became lively.

Lu Yanhe said: "The drama starring Yan Liang starts airing tonight, you guys can watch it with me."

In the barrage room, many people were sighing: I could only see Lu Yanhe's almost motionless appearance when watching Lu Yanhe's live broadcast before, but today, because Yan Liang's new drama started airing, I could see Lu Yanhe's reaction when watching the drama.

Someone asked: You guys say, will Lu Yanhe have big expressions or actions when watching the drama?

Someone said: He is not a sculpture, of course he will.

Someone said: That's not necessarily true, he is usually quite calm.

Someone said: Then you must not have seen him playing treasure, he returned to the crew after winning the actor, let everyone call him actor, that paragraph you forgot?

Someone asked: Huh? He even did such... "shameless" (quoted) things?

Someone said: Brother, no need to quote, he is a bit shameless in this matter.

Someone said: I used to think Lu Yanhe was very cold, a very cool young actor.

Someone replied: To be honest, sometimes he is still quite cold.

Lu Yanhe looked at the messages brushing fast in the barrage room, a bit helpless, and speechless.

"I'm still watching, when you discuss me, can you take care of my face a little? I also want face."

The barrage room exploded even more.

Lu Yanhe muttered: "Didn't you say you all worship me like an idol?"

He scratched his head, tut-tutting: "People's hearts are not ancient."

At this time, *Gold Rush* started airing.

"Yan Liang's figure... can do it," Lu Qingzhen looked at Yan Liang on the TV screen in shock, the latter was taking a shower in the bathroom, his upper body exposed in the lens, Lu Qingzhen's eyes were straight, "Actually has eight-pack abs, this kid!"

Chen Siqi sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, seeing Lu Qingzhen's stunned look, laughed.

"Look at you! Can you be reserved?"

"There are only two of us here, I'm reserved for a fart," Lu Qingzhen stared at the screen, "Zhou Ping'an, how is his luck so good, Li Zhibai left, Ma Zhiyuan collapsed, I thought Yan Liang's qualifications were relatively average, not a good card, now this figure is exposed, I dare to guarantee, as long as Zhou Ping'an operates well, his figure will definitely be on the hot search, it is estimated that he will absorb a wave of fans."

Chen Siqi: "Yan Liang has been walking since his debut at fifteen, and he is still standing firm. Moreover, the people around him have always been Li Zhibai and Lu Yanhe. Just like this, he didn't become a background board, which is enough to see that this kid has his own things."

Lu Qingzhen: "Of course there are things, how can you be an artist

"Look at yourself! Can't you be a bit more reserved?"

"There are only the two of us here, what the hell do I have to be reserved for?" Lu Qingzhen stared at the screen and said, "How is Zhou Ping'an so lucky? Li Zhibai left, Ma Zhiyuan collapsed; I thought Yan Liang's aptitude was relatively average and he wasn't a good card to play anymore. Now that this physique is exposed, I can guarantee that as long as Zhou Ping'an manages it well, his body will definitely trend on social media, and he'll probably attract a wave of fans."

Chen Ziyan: "Yan Liang has been in the industry since he was fifteen, has walked until now, and still stands firm. Moreover, the people around him have always been Li Zhibai and Lu Yanhe, and even so, he hasn't become a background prop because of it. That alone is enough to show that this kid has something of his own."

Lu Qingzhen: "He has something, of course he has something; how could he be an artist without something? But being an artist, you have to have some special charm. I really didn't think his star quality was very strong before, but now it seems he just took the wrong path; he shouldn't have taken the idol route. Damn, I actually felt that kind of masculine hormonal allure from him."

Chen Ziyan: "That's why Yanhe said he would write action movies for him in the future."

"Huh?" Lu Qingzhen was surprised, "Yanhe is already preparing to write action movies?"

"Yes." Chen Ziyan nodded, "He has actually already written a Wu Xia script, but you know, there is still a difference between Wu Xia and action movies. This Wu Xia script is written really well; in my heart, it is a text that can rival 'Rouge'."

"That exaggerated?"

Lu Yanhe had written many scripts, but in their eyes, although every script was very successful later, there were still differences in quality between them. They unanimously believed that the script for 'Rouge' was the best text.

Now that Chen Ziyan actually said Lu Yanhe had written a Wu Xia script that could rival the text of 'Rouge', Lu Qingzhen was shocked.

Chen Ziyan: "I am not exaggerating to you, it's true."

"Then once this script gets out, won't people fight like crazy for it?" Lu Qingzhen said, "With one 'Rouge', Chen Bige and Huang Kai won two Best Actress trophies and one Best Actor trophy; it carries immense weight."

"Yeah, that's why we haven't dared to release this script yet, otherwise many people would definitely call to pester us." Chen Ziyan said, "We can only put it aside for now."

Lu Qingzhen: "Amazing. If that's the case, it feels like the paths for the three of them are very clear now: one is taking the idol superstar route, one is taking the legendary actor route, and the other is a commercial action superstar. Won't these three squeeze into the top circle of actors in our entertainment industry in the future?"

"Who says they can't?" Chen Ziyan said, "Their qualities are all very good, and their temperaments are good too. Having debuted for so many years, everything that should be stable is stable; they won't face that kind of floating feeling after sudden fame and ruin themselves. As long as they walk their path steadily, the future is bright."

"Zhou Ping'an... tsk tsk, the day they three stand at the top of the pyramid will be the day Zhou Ping'an is lamented by everyone for being blind. These people were all brought out from his hands, including Ma Zhiyuan; we must also admit that Ma Zhiyuan is already at the top level among male idols. Such a trump card lineup, and he played it into a mess."

Chen Ziyan: "How do you know he doesn't regret it now?"

She herself is an agent, and she knows very well how agents think about problems.

And based on her understanding of Zhou Ping'an, she believes that Zhou Ping'an must have already regretted it countless times in the dark of night.

"Tomorrow on the trending list, I must see three trending topics related to Yan Liang: Yan Liang's physique, Yan Liang's acting, and his character in the show."

Zhou Ping'an was rattling off work instructions over the phone.

"I don't care what method you use, I must see these three related trending entries on the list tomorrow."

After speaking, Zhou Ping'an hung up the phone, and then dialed a missed call he had just received.

"Little Lei, I was on the phone just now, were you looking for me? Haha, yes, 'The Gold Rush' starts airing tonight. Oh my, I've already taken six interviews; this schedule really can't be arranged anymore."

"Yes, yes, yes, Yan Liang certainly needs your coverage now. How about this, you give Yan Liang the headline, and I'll arrange an exclusive interview for you, fifteen minutes, how about it?" Zhou Ping'an said, "Don't worry, I keep my word."

All night, until two hours after the first episode of 'The Gold Rush' finished airing, Zhou Ping'an was still on the phone.

The ratings and popularity of 'The Gold Rush' were much better than expected, especially Yan Liang... that scene where he takes a bath, those eight-pack abs, after being posted by some marketing accounts, many people who didn't watch TV also passionately reposted and joined the discussion.

Yan Liang's popularity soared rapidly.

And according to data monitoring, Zhou Ping'an only then learned that in Lu Yanhe's livestream room, there were actually over 200,000 people watching the premiere of 'The Gold Rush' along with Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe's livestream room had never had so many people watching simultaneously.

Lu Yanhe even said: "As expected, there has to be some content for you all to keep squatting in my livestream room to watch. Over 200,000 viewers, my livestream room has never had this many people!"

The chat room flooded with comments: Although your face is very handsome, it's impossible for us to stare at your face for an hour.

Zhou Ping'an immediately sent another message to his colleagues in the publicity group: Lu Yanhe's livestream room watched the premiere of 'The Gold Rush', online viewers exceeded 200,000.

Zhou Ping'an instructed: Send this press release through all channels.

Take advantage of the hype whenever you can, don't hesitate at all.

That same night, the premiere ratings for 'The Gold Rush' came out.

The first episode, totaling one hour, had three five-minute commercial breaks in the middle; the ratings started at 0.37% and eventually rose to 0.62%.

The growth was gratifying.

For Jinkou TV, this was simply a joyous event like dew falling from the sky.

They are not a first-tier satellite channel, and their average prime-time rating is only around 0.2%; this opening result indeed caught them off guard.

At this rate of popularity, maybe individual episodes later could break 1.

If it really could break 1, then 'The Gold Rush' would become the highest-rated TV series for Jinkou Satellite TV in the last two years.

For a non-first-tier satellite channel, the ratings are just that dismal.

However, the people at Jinkou Satellite TV were also shocked.

Because, judging from the data they monitored, most of the popularity of 'The Gold Rush' was contributed by Yan Liang.

When they originally bought the broadcast rights for 'The Gold Rush', Yan Liang was certainly one of the reasons, but they didn't expect him to be able to carry the topic of 'The Gold Rush'.

After all, apart from the show 'Friends', Yan Liang's other starring roles were lukewarm, and his ability to carry a show was truly average.

Since when did Yan Liang's appeal become so high?

"You're fighting better and better."

After Lu Yanhe completed another training session, Ji Xiaohua praised Lu Yanhe.

"Thanks." Lu Yanhe smiled and let out a sigh of relief, "It's a bit hard to find the feel for this action scene."

Ji Xiaohua was also blunt.

"Because you don't exercise much usually, your limbs, agility, and coordination aren't particularly good. It was very strenuous to fight at the beginning, and you didn't know how to exert force."

Over these days, having spent time with Ji Xiaohua, Lu Yanhe had also become familiar with this style of speaking.

He was just like that, saying whatever was on his mind, regardless of whether you were a big star or a male lead.

But precisely because of this, Lu Yanhe trusted him quite a bit. Generally, whatever Ji Xiaohua said, Lu Yanhe would listen carefully and then correct his performance. Seeing him value his opinions so much, Ji Xiaohua was even more diligent in his guidance.

'Burning Fire' was about to start filming, and Lu Yanhe asked Ji Xiaohua: "Brother Xiaohua, if the movie starts filming later, will you follow the crew?"

Ji Xiaohua nodded and said: "I will follow, you can come to me if you have any problems."

"Good." Lu Yanhe said, "I'll still come to you for training then; if I don't practice for a day, the movements might become deformed."

Ji Xiaohua nodded.

Lu Yanhe asked again: "Brother Xiaohua, why didn't you become a stunt coordinator?"

"I can't design good-looking movements." Ji Xiaohua said, "I only know how to fight myself, but I have no way to design movements for others."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Then Brother Xiaohua, you should continue acting." Lu Yanhe said, "I see you still fight very beautifully."

Ji Xiaohua waved his hand and said: "I'm at this age, how many more years can I fight? It's better to transition now and find some behind-the-scenes work, so I'll have a way to make a living later."

Lu Yanhe listened to Ji Xiaohua's words, lost in thought.

"Brother Xiaohua, did you watch 'The Gold Rush'?" Lu Yanhe asked.

"I watched it." Ji Xiaohua nodded, "A good brother of mine also played a role in it."

"Is that so? Do you think a show like 'The Gold Rush' counts as an action show?"

"Of course it doesn't count. Although there are many fighting scenes in it, its main form of expression isn't action scenes." Ji Xiaohua said without hesitation, "Those fights in there are just to make that environment look more chaotic and barbaric."

Lu Yanhe was very surprised.

He had always felt that Ji Xiaohua wasn't the type of person who was good at expressing himself, but his discerning eye for a show seemed quite accurate.

The reason Lu Yanhe asked Ji Xiaohua this question was also because he saw many people online saying that the action scenes in 'The Gold Rush' were filmed brilliantly, which surprised Lu Yanhe somewhat.

Now it seems that even a professional action actor like Ji Xiaohua agrees with him that 'The Gold Rush' is not an action movie.

What is the definition of an action movie?

Is it the duration of the action scenes?

Lu Yanhe felt that Ji Xiaohua's definition was spot on. What is the form of expression of a show? If the main form of expression of a show is action scenes, then it is an action show. For example, Jackie Chan's action-comedy movies. And many Hollywood blockbusters with rich fighting scenes, although they also have a large number of action scenes, people don't categorize them as action movies, but as police-thief movies, adventure movies, etc.

Lu Yanhe suddenly saw the light.

Looking back, why did Ji Xiaohua say he was putting too much effort into his fight scenes?

Because in those few scenes of his, the style and feel of those movements were the main form of expression for that character.

An actor's performance must grasp the main contradiction.