Chapter 41: Finding the Right Method is Crucial

According to the plan, once the scenes in the villa were finished, the crew was to relocate to film the scenes taking place in the boxer's home, as the two locations were adjacent and it was a matter of proximity.

But they couldn't leave yet; they were stuck on Yu Feihong.

No one knew what was wrong with her today; whenever she wasn't filming, she was a gentle and lovely big sister. But the moment she stood in front of the camera, she would grit her teeth with a look of pure hatred, her expressions more than vivid enough.

No wonder Old Tian praised her for such obvious progress!

Yet, she was using those vivid expressions in the wrong place; this was the scene of their reunion, and the emotions were completely reversed.

Cao Yang had a vague idea; he called over the production coordinator and the script supervisor, asking them to adjust the day's shooting order and temporarily skip the post-reunion scenes.

They would first film the series of events that occurred after the abusive husband brought the female lead back from the police station, but before the male lead appeared.

Then, he called over Old Tian, the lighting crew, and the stylists, having them make the corresponding arrangements based on the coordinator's new order.

It was easier to arrange things for Old Tian; he just had to make minor adjustments based on the shots designed during the film's pre-production, but the lighting and styling would take some time.

"I've been thinking a lot just now, and I've been pondering for a long time."

Old Tian pulled over a folding stool, sat down next to Cao Yang, stared blankly ahead, and said in a hollow voice.

"Huh?"

"But I still can't figure it out."

"Hmm?"

Old Tian turned his head, looked at Cao Yang, and said very seriously: "Maybe you're right; I can't use old experience to deny new things. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth."

"Oh?"

Cao Yang was bewildered. He was here thinking about the filming, so what was wrong with Old Tian?

What are you talking about?

"I was dismissive of what you said in the car this morning. I apologize; I was being a bit presumptuous."

"Eh?"

Cao Yang couldn't help it and asked: "You've got me confused. What exactly are you talking about?"

Old Tian let out a breath and smacked his lips.

"After my ban on directing ends, when I film movies again, I'll have to learn from you. I'll spend ten or twenty days, or even a month or two, specifically coaching the lead actors."

"Just like you said, if you coach them every day, even a block of wood would start to get it, let alone a person."

"No, Old Tian, don't, don't, I was just joking, you..."

"Before filming *On the Beach at Night Alone*, didn't you fly specifically to Ludong Island to coach Li Xiaoran for a long time?"

Cao Yang opened his mouth, feeling there was no refuting that.

"Before filming this movie, didn't you coach Liu Ye and Yu Feihong for a long time?"

Cao Yang really wanted to refute it, but he couldn't.

"How did Li Xiaoran turn out in the end? A Berlin Best Actress!"

Cao Yang lowered his head. Senior brother, this is all a misunderstanding.

"What about Liu Ye? His acting today is like a completely different person compared to yesterday!"

Cao Yang looked up at Old Tian, wanting to speak but stopping himself. Senior brother, I...

"Even Yu Feihong, who has no talent, although she kept NG-ing today, that rich emotion couldn't be faked. Those lively eyes—is that still the same person as before?"

The more Old Tian thought about it, the more sense it made; the more he said, the more he felt he had found the secret.

Directors of their generation usually just gave the actors the script before filming, or at most held a script reading, and that was it.

During filming, if they found the actors weren't performing well, they would give some on-the-spot direction, but mostly they just talked about how to act that specific scene and what emotions to use.

Old Tian was still lamenting why he hadn't thought of it before: bringing the leads in before filming and, like teaching elementary school students, breaking it down and repeating it over and over to help them understand the characters.

That way, they would at least have a sense of direction when acting.

To put it bluntly, many of these actors are only slightly better than elementary school graduates when it comes to their educational level.

At most, they are equivalent to middle school students.

Many of them have been studying arts and such since they were young, so you can imagine their academic studies; they all got in through art exams. While not absolute, it represents the majority.

Asking them to understand the subtext of a film on their own and then act it out—isn't that a joke?

Old Tian felt he had reached enlightenment; Cao Yang was truly impressive to have started doing this with his very first film.

"Senior brother, I..."

Cao Yang felt he couldn't explain it clearly, but then he thought, forget it. Coaching actors in advance to help them understand what the film is trying to express is definitely helpful for their performance.

Since that's the case, what's there to explain? What's there to stop?

Let it be.

Once everything was readjusted and ready, they started filming again.

The abusive husband sprayed water on the potted plant, came over to sit next to the female lead, and said with a smile: "That potted plant you like—I knew you would come back. I've taken good care of it."

In this shot, Yu Feihong merely sat there, yet she brought the image of a resentful wife who hates her husband to life.

She looked at Wu Qihua with disdain as he watered the plant. When Wu Qihua sat beside her, she subconsciously shifted away and turned her body to face the other way. One could see from her expression that she wanted to be as far from Wu Qihua as possible.

"Cut, very good!"

!

Cao Yang was a bit excited. See? Yu Feihong can also do it in one take!

Then, he saw Old Tian give him a thumbs up.

Damn, senior brother, listen to me... sigh, fine, you're even less likely to listen now.

They also used cinematic language here.

The female lead was forced to return, and the clothes she wore changed from the original pinks and colors back to black and gray, symbolizing the change in her inner state.

So, don't complain that the audience doesn't understand your movie; these things weren't meant for the audience to see in the first place.

Would the audience even think about the symbolism of the female lead changing into black clothes while watching?

Would the plot be affected if she didn't change into black clothes here?

How could it!

The next two scenes were surprisingly smooth. Yu Feihong's movements, expressions, and emotions were all spot on, with every detail filled in, and all were done in one take.

The way Old Tian looked at Yu Feihong had changed. This goddamn earth-shattering contrast—could this be the same person?

There was one more very important scene, a confrontation between the abusive husband and the female lead, which was the last shot adjusted for today.

It was considered a relatively long shot for the whole film, highlighting the transformation of the female lead; it required both people to have full emotions, making it difficult to film.

After preparations were made, the script supervisor clapped the slate.

Wu Qihua tugged at the lying Yu Feihong, and she sat up from the bed impatiently.

Wu Qihua said angrily: "I never wanted to ask, but I really can't help it anymore."

As he spoke, Wu Qihua grabbed Yu Feihong's shoulders with both hands. Yu Feihong looked up, her eyes filled with disgust and hatred, causing Wu Qihua to freeze for over ten seconds, unable to continue.

"Sorry director, my fault, my fault."

Wu Qihua said hurriedly. He had been stunned for a moment; he really couldn't accept that an actor with mediocre acting skills who always NG'd had suddenly performed with such god-like skill—it didn't look like acting at all.

Start over.

"I never wanted to ask, but I really can't help it anymore."

Wu Qihua grabbed Yu Feihong's shoulders and asked angrily: "You had sex with him, right? What positions did you use? Tell me, tell me!"

Yu Feihong looked at Wu Qihua with disdain.

With just that one look, even knowing it was acting, Wu Qihua was surprisingly furious; he raised his hand to slap her.

Here, Yu Feihong was supposed to take the slap and then retaliate.

But Yu Feihong didn't follow the script. She was quick-witted and grabbed Wu Qihua's incoming hand, lifted her chin, and gritted her teeth slightly. With a look of arrogance and determination in her eyes, she slapped Wu Qihua across the face without hesitation, knocking his prop glasses straight off.

You have to hand it to Old Tian for his camera work. Just as Cao Yang raised his hand to give a reminder, he saw that Old Tian had already mounted the camera for a close-up, giving Yu Feihong a ten-second extreme close-up.

This was a shot that hadn't been planned before.

The effect of this scene was enough for Yu Feihong to brag about for a lifetime.

(End of chapter)