[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu":3,"chapter-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-61":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from Stealing the Role in 1995 Huayu",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2321050,4540,"Chapter 61: Filming","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-61",61,"\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen spent ten days setting up the crew: scouting locations, securing permits, and assembling the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his previous experience filming “Car 44,” Wu Yuchen had already gauged everyone’s abilities—some were usable, like the sound and art departments; for key roles lacking competence, he had to find experienced replacements, such as the cinematographer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen could operate the camera himself, but filming “Us Two” wasn’t like “Car 44,” which used single-camera shooting; many scenes required dual-camera setups—for instance, when Xiao Ma and the old woman argued, both their reactions needed to be captured simultaneously, and one camera wasn’t enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through his teacher Xie Xiaojing’s introduction, he found a cinematographer of decent skill—though unknown, he had seven or eight years of experience, sufficient for the job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During Wu Yuchen’s preparations, Beijing began to snow heavily, turning the entire city white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen reached out and caught a falling snowflake, thinking: Perfect timing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, snow still fell, but the crew of “Us Two” had already set up their cameras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the winding, intersecting hutongs, blanketed in snow, a military-green overcoat stood out sharply; Zhou Xun rode an old-fashioned 28-inch bicycle, her face wrapped in a black scarf, revealing only a pair of bright, sharp eyes. Her long hair was gone, replaced by a short cut that accentuated her brisk, decisive nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhou Xun rode past the camera, it panned to follow her, keeping her as the constant subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before filming, Wu Yuchen had already explained the visual language clearly to the cinematographer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the energetic, vibrant Zhou Xun, use heavy handheld camera movements—quick, fluid cuts, even abrupt shifts—to subtly convey the young woman’s vitality and impulsive spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the old woman, use mostly static shots—steady, fixed, stagnant—as if time itself clung to her, accumulating weight and age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the two intersected in the same space, the camera no longer broke free or remained static—it shifted with their interaction: sharp during conflict, soft during calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, even a cinematographer fresh out of school couldn’t handle this—there was much to learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cut!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After calling cut, Wu Yuchen walked up to Zhou Xun: “Breathe—you’re impulsive. You rode here nonstop. Now you need the sound of that sudden, ragged breath when you stop. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Xun nodded, but Wu Yuchen stopped her again, then said: “Go outside. Wear this coat. Run for five minutes, then come back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Xun wasn’t tall, and the thick, long military-green coat nearly dragged on the ground—running in it would be exhausting, but she had no objections; she left immediately and ran through the hutongs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen had no thoughts of pitying the actor—this realistic, tender film demanded extreme attention to detail, subtly deepening audience immersion, so he would push hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, Wu Yuchen saw Zhou Xun sprint back, gasping heavily. He stepped forward, wrapped the scarf tightly around her mouth and nose, and let her breathe like that until her gasps slowed, then said: “Good. Remember this level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Action!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old wooden door creaked open; the camera revealed Zhou Xun’s face, mostly covered by the scarf, white breath puffing from it, damp strands of hair clinging to her forehead, hiding her brows but exposing wide eyes scanning left and right, her heavy breathing audible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cut!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s shoot didn’t last long; Wu Yuchen marveled inwardly—Xun Ge was truly Xun Ge. Though Jiang Qin was now his girlfriend, he had to admit a gap in insight and intuition between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that Zhou Xun nailed it on the first take—but when she didn’t reach the effect, after he explained the scene, her grasp was astonishing; she’d meet his demands within two takes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recall that “Car 44” was a short film, plot-driven, and Wu Yuchen’s demands on actors weren’t as strict as for “Us Two”—yet even then, Xun Ge always delivered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This saved Wu Yuchen considerable effort—he wanted to shoot as much of the snow scenes as possible while the snow lasted, since no one knew how long until the next snowfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Us Two” begins in winter and ends in the next winter—a full cycle; winter scenes make up half the film. The first winter, in particular, spans roughly 35 to 40 minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This first winter unfolds amid constant bickering and friction; neither can stand the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ma and the old woman clashed over selling scrap, using gas, making phone calls, using the fridge, and turning on electric heaters that tripped the circuit—each incident sparked an argument. These were trivial, everyday matters, yet precisely such details lent authenticity and lived-in realism. The old woman wanted to evict Xiao Ma; Xiao Ma sought another place. They endured each other through these petty conflicts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, half a month had passed since filming began; the heavy snow had fallen and melted, lasting ten days—enough for Wu Yuchen to complete all snow scenes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handheld camera following Zhou Xun, she pushed her bicycle, furious, into the courtyard, leaned it carelessly against the wall, stormed inside with the phone bill in hand, and confronted the old woman:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Made a long-distance call, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Playing dumb again! That call cost over three hundred yuan—to Guizhou! I’ve never known anyone in Guizhou! You pay for it. Give me the money back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did I make a long-distance call? I said I didn’t! Fine, cut the phone line—never use it again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhou Xun’s face flushed red; she thrust her neck forward and shouted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why? It’s your phone—you pay! What’s wrong with me? Why should I shoulder it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re so selfish—you won’t even discuss anything! When I try to talk it out, you cut the phone line, deny me gas, demand I pay for water and electricity—you’re bullying me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s bullying you, little brat? Who are you yelling at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what if I yell? You’re bullying me! I’m not a millionaire—why should I take the blame?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the New Year! If you keep yelling, I’ll have a heart attack! You—you—you’re making me shake!” In the shot, the old woman was visibly furious, eyes bulging, hands trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know what calls you made—don’t blame me! I’ll refund your rent. Get out. Don’t live here anymore!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone came to see the apartment yesterday—loved it. Five hundred yuan a month. I accepted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave! Find another place. I never want to see you again—I can’t take this anymore! I won’t take your money either!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least they’re polite—who’s like you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhou Xun burst into tears: “You’re ungrateful! You care only about money!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! At my age, you care about money! Caring about people? What good is that? Does it feed you? These days, you look out for yourself—helping others? Useless!” The old woman revealed her full meanness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Xun stared at the old woman, tears streaming, fighting back sobs, her chin trembling, her wide eyes filled with grievance, resentment, and anger—then she turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman shouted one last time: “Get out of here now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cut!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1157,"2026-06-20T16:09:29.273Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6ba71dc00ef088987cb9a4d6c21e962a2e6feeb33d9e1286a51cf0a2db475868","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-62","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-60",335,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-cover.jpg"]