Chapter 86: Just Tell Me If It Was Worth It

The morning shoot went very smoothly; as long as the actors she was paired with didn't make mistakes, Gao Yuanyuan would almost always get it in one take.

Those who didn't know better might think the director was just messing around or going easy on her.

But to those on the crew, Gao Yuanyuan's change couldn't even be called a change; the moment she started acting, it was as if she had become a different person.

It didn't feel like acting at all; it was as if... as if she were repeating her own life, not like she was performing in the slightest.

It was as natural as eating or drinking, handled with ease, extremely simple.

They finished the tasks scheduled by the coordinator ahead of time in the morning, and instead of continuing with the afternoon scenes, they wrapped up early to wait for the meal delivery.

Gu Changwei sat on a small folding stool, holding a cigarette in his hand, not smoking it, just watching it burn quietly, his eyes unfocused, lost in thought.

Ning Hao squatted next to Gu Changwei, sitting on a few pieces of moisture-proof cloth, also holding a cigarette, staring blankly at the smoke.

After a long while, Ning Hao gasped as he was burned, quickly flicking the cigarette butt away.

"Teacher Gu, I don't quite understand."

Gu Changwei dropped the cigarette in his hand, and before he could move, Ning Hao quickly took out a cigarette, handed it to Old Gu, and lit it for him.

Old Gu took a deep drag, inhaled it, and only then slowly exhaled.

"What is it that you don't understand?"

Don't talk about you; I don't understand it either.

Ning Hao lit one for himself, held it between his fingers, and asked in a low voice: "What's going on with Gao Yuanyuan? Just yesterday she was... did she really get into character? That's pretty damn impressive."

"You don't know a damn thing."

Old Gu exhaled a smoke ring and said calmly and lightly: "I've seen plenty of people get into character. Getting into character is one thing, acting skill is another. Getting into character allows you to inhabit the role and add a bit of performance, but..."

He then took a hard drag, "It's too early to say anything now. It might just be an extraordinary performance. Let's see how the afternoon scene goes."

Ning Hao nodded along. Following the principle of shooting scenes in nearby locations, the afternoon scene was set in front of a weed-covered bank by the roadside, where the female lead played by Gao Yuanyuan would come to identify a body.

This kind of scene is when acting skill is truly put to the test.

During the planning of the shoot, Gu Changwei had a rare disagreement with Cao Yang regarding the identification scene.

He believed this plot point was the perfect moment for emotional release and that they should carry the camera, follow the female lead's footsteps, and shoot from her perspective.

This would allow the audience to be more immersed and more easily moved to tears; in other words, this plot was the best moment to "sell" tears.

Cao Yang rejected his idea.

That would be too cliché. The story was already tragic enough; there was no need to use traditional, manipulative ways to force tears.

Here, one should be calm and restrained; just watch it like an outsider, that is enough.

Gu Changwei didn't say anything more.

The first shot of the afternoon was the female lead arriving at the riverbank in a police car. They only needed to film the car having arrived at the crime scene and the shot of the female lead inside the vehicle.

Everything was ready, the clapperboard was struck, and filming began.

A moment ago, Gao Yuanyuan, who had seemed perfectly normal and could smile and greet anyone gently, immediately entered the role. She sat in the passenger seat of the police car, staring ahead expressionlessly, tears in her eyes but never falling.

She looked very calm, but within that calmness was a sense of helpless despair.

"Cut!"

Cao Yang shouted, "Prepare for the next scene."

Gao Yuanyuan got out of the car, smiled politely at the surrounding staff, and bowed slightly to thank the stylist who came to touch up her makeup. Cao Yang walked over; the next shot was one with a very strong sense of irony.

It was the shot of Gao Yuanyuan looking forward; through her perspective, they needed to show a scene outside that was calm and peaceful, with the sun high in the sky, bright and cloudless—everything seemed perfectly beautiful.

Seeing Cao Yang walk over, Gao Yuanyuan, who had just been gentle and soft, immediately wiped away her smile and turned around, as if she hadn't seen him.

"Yuanyuan."

Gao Yuanyuan turned around somewhat reluctantly, her face wooden as she squeezed out a formulaic smile, "Director Cao, do you have any instructions?"

Cao Yang waved his hand, and while walking forward, he pointed to a small slope and said, "Later, you walk down from here. You can appear dull and wooden, like a puppet, walking mechanically until you reach the child prop ahead."

"Okay, Director."

After replying, Gao Yuanyuan inexplicably asked another question, "Were you... a screenwriter before?"

"Hmm?"

Cao Yang found her question strange, but said casually, "I am the screenwriter for all these films."

!

Gao Yuanyuan suddenly stumbled, and Cao Yang reflexively reached out to steady her.

Then he saw Gao Yuanyuan look at him with a complex expression, turn away, and shake off his arm, a look of hatred and disgust flashing across her face for an instant.

Cao Yang was a bit baffled, but didn't take it to heart, assuming Gao Yuanyuan was just building up her emotions.

Everything was ready, the clapperboard was struck, and filming began.

This was a long take and a wide shot. The camera was set up on the slope, like an outsider watching Gao Yuanyuan walk mechanically to the edge of the small slope.

Gao Yuanyuan stared ahead with vacant eyes, but as if she didn't see the small slope, she stepped right over it.

As a result, she missed her footing and tumbled straight down.

The assistant probably thought it was a mistake and was about to go help Gao Yuanyuan up, but Ning Hao, who was next to the camera, was quick-witted and grabbed her, and for fear she would scream, he covered the little assistant's mouth.

The crew members playing the police officers below also reached out to help Gao Yuanyuan, but that didn't matter; it was normal for police to help someone.

Gao Yuanyuan ignored the police and didn't care about the dirt on her body and face; she just kept walking forward mechanically, as if everything had lost its meaning at that moment.

When she was five or six meters away from the child prop lying on the ground, Gao Yuanyuan stopped—or rather, she didn't stop; she was still taking steps, but just moving mechanically in place, almost standing still.

This was an unplanned performance. Before filming, they only told her to walk down the small slope and then walk over, and that would be it.

What should they do now? They couldn't let her keep walking in place endlessly, right?

But such a brilliant shot was worthy of being written into textbooks; they couldn't ruin it because of this, could they?

Cao Yang made a snap decision, grabbed a police uniform he was about to put on, and entered the frame to help Gao Yuanyuan, supporting her as they walked to the prop.

Filming it this way would also be fine and reasonable, though it would slightly ruin this magnificent segment.

Before Cao Yang could act, he saw Gao Yuanyuan take two more steps forward and then collapse onto the ground.

No tears, no crying; everything happened so naturally.

Cao Yang held the walkie-talkie, ignoring the clothes he had only half-put on, and shouted, "Cut! That's a wrap!"

He then smashed the walkie-talkie onto the ground to vent his indescribable emotions. It was fucking brilliant!

This shot, it's perfect!

This performance, it's truly good!

(End of chapter)