Chapter 44: The Stubborn Old Tian

Cao Yang had things on his mind; he arrived at the set early in the morning, sat in the director's chair, and peered outward from time to time.

The moment Yu Feihong arrived, Cao Yang was unexpectedly a bit nervous; he couldn't help but stare at her, wanting to see if there were any changes at all.

When people greeted her, Yu Feihong would smile and nod in acknowledgment; she even took the initiative to greet Old Situ and Liu Ye, and said some words of thanks to Wu Qihua.

She was still that gentle, lovely, and understanding big sister.

However, while she was chatting and laughing with everyone around her, she was the only one who hadn't paid any attention to Cao Yang so far.

After scolding her so many times yesterday, was she angry?

As long as nothing went wrong, it was fine.

She seemed to look perfectly normal.

Cao Yang was now both expectant and worried; he looked forward to the immersion experience being useful, yet worried it might be too useful—there were two of them, and now they added up to three—who knew if there were any side effects?

They continued with yesterday's filming.

Wu Qihua, playing the abusive husband, took a bite of rice and, while picking up a side dish, said, "Why are you so happy? Stop smiling, just eat."

The corners of Yu Feihong's mouth lifted slightly; she lowered her head, then raised it again. The smile on her face was less prominent, but her two large eyes were filled with tenderness and affection. The emotion was a gradual, progressive process, yet it didn't feel abrupt.

She nodded, took a small bite of rice, chewed slowly, and her face, while suppressing excitement, still carried a hint of shyness.

"Cut!"

Cao Yang shouted, unable to help but look toward Old Situ.

Old Situ also looked over with a face full of surprise.

Was this still the same Yu Feihong who kept NG-ing while filming this scene yesterday?

Damn it, every look, every smile, and every gesture seemed to speak, clearly conveying the meaning she wanted to express.

Old Situ's eyes were practically glowing, as if he had discovered something incredible.

"That's a wrap, prepare for the next scene."

Next was the moment that would truly test their acting skills.

The camera would film the two of them eating from above Wu Qihua's head, with the lens pointed directly at Yu Feihong's face, capturing her expression from a high angle to deliberately create a strange atmosphere.

"Attention everyone, action."

The script supervisor displayed the clapperboard, which recorded the scene and take numbers, in front of the lens, and then clapped it shut with a "snap."

Wu Qihua said, "It's really strange. I feel like since yesterday, there's been someone here."

This time, Yu Feihong still lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, but instead of lowering her head to control her expression like in the previous shot, she pushed the plate and looked behind Wu Qihua, as if to say, "You eat!"

What should have been a strange shot was, at this moment, filled with three parts love, five parts eeriness, and two parts happiness.

"Cut!"

"That's a wrap."

This time, even the minor cast members like Dong Xuan couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"Why do I feel like Sister Feihong is a different person? We couldn't get these two shots right no matter how we filmed them yesterday, but today they were both one-take wonders?"

"Did the director lower his standards?"

"Sister, how is that possible? When Sister Feihong was filming yesterday, she was always in a state of anger. In that last shot, I felt goosebumps all over, but it wasn't scary; I just felt she was so pitiful, I don't know why."

"Yeah, I have the same feeling. I heard Director Cao gave Sister Feihong some extra coaching. Director Cao is truly amazing!"

"Indeed, I just realized Director Cao is the real deal. Look at Liu Ye and now Yu Feihong; their acting has been guided to a supernatural level by Director Cao."

"I wish Director Cao could guide my acting sometime."

"Yeah, me too, I also want Director Cao's guidance."

"I'm so envious of Yu Feihong."

"Me too."

They filmed the remaining few shots, and Yu Feihong seemed possessed by a god of acting; no matter the scene, as long as the actor she was playing opposite didn't make a mistake, she could do it all in one take. The veterans who had followed Cao Yang to film movies before couldn't help but think of Li Xiaoran, the "One-Take Li."

Back then, Li Xiaoran was the same, like she had activated a cheat code; no matter the scene, as long as she was in front of the camera, it was as if the character in the script had come to life—it didn't even look like acting.

"That's a wrap."

It only took about an hour to finish all the shots delayed from yesterday. At this rate, they might not even need to work overtime today to catch up on the schedule.

The villa plot was completely finished; next, they had to change locations.

Yu Feihong walked to Cao Yang's side, seemingly nonchalant, and tucked her hair behind her ear. Seeing Cao Yang look over, she tilted her chin up slightly, her tone like a child who had scored a hundred on a test and couldn't help but show off.

"How was it? My acting was alright, right?"

"Not bad!"

"Really?"

"Really."

!

"Hmph!"

Yu Feihong tossed her hair and walked away with her head held high.

Cao Yang was a bit bewildered. Was she showing off to me? Since when did we get this close?

Just as Yu Feihong left, Old Situ walked over, pulling Cao Yang along as they talked.

"Have you noticed? After your explanation yesterday, someone as slow as Yu Feihong can have her acting completely transformed once she understands the plot. Tell me, if I organize your theories, should we promote them?"

"No!"

Cao Yang blurted it out.

Tian Zhuangzhuang looked over, puzzled, then suddenly realized: "You're afraid that if others learn this method, you won't be able to... hmm, I understand, I understand."

You understand nothing!

Old Situ, you are a great director, you can't be this dim-witted!

If just explaining the script to actors before filming could make them play their roles well... thinking about it, that's impossible.

Although finding actors with good acting skills and comprehension, and explaining the script to them before filming to let them understand the director's intent, might really result in a good drama.

But that is only a possibility, not an absolute; there are too many limiting conditions.

"Senior brother, have you ever thought about what happens if the director's own understanding of the script is flawed?"

Cao Yang sighed and simply said, "Let me be blunt: what if the director is an idiot? Should the actors listen to an idiot rambling on, then follow the idiot's instructions to film an idiotic drama?"

Old Situ fell silent; come to think of it, there were quite a few such idiotic directors.

Just as they were about to reach their destination, Old Situ suddenly said, "Although there are still many problems to be solved, I still insist that your method is worth promoting."

Cao Yang was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "Senior brother, you are about to be unbanned. Once you are, try filming a movie using this method and see how it turns out."

"Fine."

Promote it? How could that be possible!

If one truly wants to film a good art-house movie, it is possible to spend several months specifically explaining the script to the actors.

However, once "Hero" comes out next year, commercial films in the country will sprout like bamboo shoots after rain, gradually budding and developing, beginning a period of wild growth and slowly flooding the entire market.

Consequently, this will cause the market to expand rapidly, which in turn will feed back into commercial films.

The entire entertainment industry will become a muddy mess, full of chaos and restlessness.

I ask you, which commercial film could afford to let the director spend months explaining the script to the actors?

Do commercial films need actors to have outstanding acting skills?

As long as the audience doesn't get pulled out of the experience while watching, that's usually enough.

In fact, during the wild growth phase, even without acting skills, as long as they are famous enough, have enough fans, and can bring in buzz, they can be the lead.

These are things Old Situ probably couldn't predict even if he racked his brains.

(End of chapter)