Chapter 278

Su Chen filmed non-stop for two whole days.

Next up was one of the film's signature shots.

It was the meaningful, lingering look from Sinuo, played by little sister Zhang Zifeng.

That look had to carry all kinds of elements—cunning, evil, ferocious, and more.

It was an enormous test of acting ability.

In this world, little sister Zhang Zifeng was only sixteen.

Still, her acting was genuinely excellent.

In fact, far better than many actors who had been in the business for years.

Highly malleable, with tremendous potential.

Every field values talent.

Acting is no different.

Some people can get into top-tier performing arts schools like Beijing Film, Central Academy of Drama, or Shanghai Theatre Academy.

But they truly have no talent.

No matter how much they practice, they just can't get there.

If they have a powerful background behind them, capital backing them up.

And decent looks to hold things together.

Then they can be like those sissy pretty-boy idols.

Force-pushed to the top, wildly harvesting fans.

If they have no acting talent and no capital backing either.

Then they're done for!

Liu Tianxian is the ceiling of making a living off looks alone.

She truly has no acting talent.

But there's no getting around it—she's so breathtakingly beautiful, unmatched by anyone.

The capital behind her isn't weak either; it'd be hard for her not to blow up.

Little sister Zhang Zifeng sat on the edge of the bed in an all-white outfit.

Her expression was extremely tense.

Don't be fooled—she's a child star who's been in plenty of productions.

But she could tell just how demanding Su Chen's requirements were for this shot, for this look.

On top of that, Wang Baoqiang, Sister Xiao Ya, Xiao Xiao Shenyang, Chen He, and others were all watching from the side.

For a little girl barely in her teens.

It really was pressure as heavy as the sky!

"Director brother, I… I'm a little nervous."

"This shot might need several retakes—please don't mind."

Retakes on a film set are about as common as it gets.

Take top-tier, notoriously demanding directors like Lao Lao Mouzi or Wong Kar-wai.

Sometimes a shot lasting only a few seconds takes months to film.

Hundreds of retakes, over and over.

Even a shot of an actor eating a meal.

Can require endless retakes.

Until the actor is eating until they want to throw up!

This comedy-mystery film wasn't an art-house piece.

Suspense and comedy were the main ingredients.

It didn't need to showcase heavy-duty acting.

But Su Chen still had pretty high demands for this look.

He'd already steeled himself for at least a hundred retakes.

Su Chen patted little sister Zhang Zifeng on the shoulder.

"Little girl, don't worry."

Su Chen's gentle gaze and warm concern.

Instantly eased the tension from little sister Zhang Zifeng.

Some directors are extremely harsh.

They're still somewhat polite to big-name stars.

But to those completely unknown little actors.

It's nothing but yelling and cursing.

Just like coaches on the pitch.

All polite and proper toward the big-name stars.

But when those bench-warmers and fringe players mess up, they curse you until your own mother wouldn't recognize you.

Su Chen was far too young.

Not like those old-fogey directors.

He didn't pull the "I'm older so I'm right" card to scold people.

And besides—don't be fooled by his bull-like build, a total macho man.

Yet his temperament was incomparably gentle and kind.

Everyone who spoke with him felt as though bathed in a spring breeze.

So little sister Zifeng quickly stopped being nervous.

In the end, the filming efficiency still exceeded Su Chen's expectations.

After only some sixty-odd NGs, they reached an effect Su Chen was satisfied with.

Little sister Zifeng stepped down from the bed, visibly relieved.

Her legs had gone completely numb from sitting.

Su Chen reached out and patted her head.

"You acted wonderfully — far better than many veteran actors."

"I'll treat you to barbecue tonight."

Little sister Zifeng excitedly threw up a victory sign.

"Awesome! Thanks, Director Brother!"

"I've heard from Sister Xiao Ya for a long time now that your cooking is really good."

"I finally get to taste it."

Hearing this, Su Chen turned his head to look at Sister Xiao Ya.

She gave a playful raise of her eyebrows.

· ········· Requesting flowers 0 ······

………

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty days had gone by since joining the set.

This film had an estimated shooting schedule of one hundred days.

But in just twenty days, they had already completed a full month's worth of filming.

Because for this film, Su Chen handled writing, directing, and acting all at once.

In terms of performance, his acting was nearly flawless.

Many shots were almost all done in a single take.

As the screenwriter, he knew every single character in the script inside out.

Which let him communicate very well with the other actors.

As the director, Su Chen could easily keep the whole production under control.

And he almost never slept.

He spent most of his time filming — filming nonstop.