latelenovela Chapter 140 Go back and learn how to cry naturally
Chapter 140 Go back and learn how to cry naturally
After the holiday, the actors of "Sword Chant" returned to the hotel with heavy expressions, dragging their luggage.
Looking at their listless appearance, Fu Zhuchen couldn't help but sneer: "Look at you guys. I gave you a full five-day holiday during the National Day holiday. You posted five updates a day on your WeChat Moments, and you all looked so energetic. How come you change your tune when you're with me?"
Yan Zhuoyu arrived a day early and was sitting in a chair with a script in her hand, flipping through it. Upon hearing this, she chuckled softly.
What human being enjoys working? Not to mention having to control their diet during filming, which deprives Chinese people of a great pleasure.
In mid-October, the martial arts training concluded successfully.
At the same time, the production team of "Yao Yun Jue" had to significantly reduce the romantic scenes between the male lead and the female lead due to the original male lead, Xu Guinan.
The director didn't have high hopes for this drama, and even believed that it would flop spectacularly.
However, what he never expected was that after the romantic scenes were removed, the focus of the drama shifted to the interactions between the female lead and the second female lead played by Yan Zhuoyu, as well as everyone's unwavering beliefs and their struggles against heaven and man.
The two female protagonists join hands and work together to build their careers; the two sides clash many times, with evenly matched forces.
Not only did it not treat the audience like fools, but it also didn't insert romantic subplots to interfere with the female lead's career. Instead, it accurately hit the tastes of today's audience.
"The Legend of Yao Yun" quickly topped the popularity charts on video apps after only three days and ten episodes, remaining at the top and frequently trending on social media. Fan-made videos and classic lines from the series have also become widely circulated and hot topics among viewers.
Netizens have been posting their scathing comments:
[If the male lead's accident can improve the quality of the drama, then I have a bold idea...]
[This is what a true career-driven female lead looks like! Please, directors, make more scripts like this! It's the new century, the Qing Dynasty is long gone! Women can stand tall on their own, stop forcing husbands on female leads!]
[I watched it, and it was so enjoyable! Although I'm annoyed that the platform suddenly added an early access option because of its popularity, I'll tolerate it for the sake of Sister Tong and Sister Yan!]
I binged all 38 episodes in one go, ladies, you all need to watch it!
……
Qiao Xinyun browsed Yan Zhuoyu's Weibo data, and began to fantasize happily again: "Zhuoyu, this drama is really popular, although it hasn't reached the level of widespread fame yet..."
Yan Zhuoyu was sitting on a small stool when her eyes suddenly lit up. She said, "Boiled tripe? Where can I get boiled tripe?"
"..."
Filming for Sword Chant has officially begun.
Although Yan Zhuoyu had heard about Director Fu's strictness before, the actual experience was still beyond her imagination.
Take what just happened, for example. She started filming with wires at seven in the morning and has been doing so ever since, for a full six hours, just to shoot a two or three-second shot.
She was now hungry and thirsty, and felt that some of her good qualities had been dried up by the sun.
Qiao Xinyun smiled helplessly: "What tripe..."
She felt a pang of sympathy for Yan Zhuoyu's pitiful appearance, but she could only take it slowly.
"I mean, your 'Yao Yun Jue' is a huge hit! You already have nearly ten million followers on Weibo, and it's still growing rapidly. The show's popularity remains high. You might even win an award at next year's Weibo Night, and there's also the Beijing TV Festival. The director is already preparing for it. It looks like next year is very promising!"
As she spoke, Qiao Xinyun unscrewed the thermos cup and handed it to Yan Zhuoyu, jokingly saying, "Master, please have some tea."
In the dry autumn and winter, she specially cooked pear soup and brought it over.
After all, filming on location every day and having to repeat lines several times is unbearable even for someone with a great voice.
Yan Zhuoyu drank several mouthfuls of pear soup and felt half of her life come back to life.
"Thank you, Sister Qiao, but I don't think there's much hope for next year either. I have a bad feeling that the movie 'Sword Chant' might not even be finished next year."
Yan Zhuoyu's concerns were not unfounded. As of now, October is almost over, but filming is only 5% complete.
Qiao Xinyun smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, don't worry. The longest filming time for Director Fu's movies has never exceeded five months.
Yan Zhuoyu, however, was somewhat unsure: "What if this time is the exception...?"
They are currently filming outdoor scenes at the Wuyue Mountain filming location. Bamboo forests are one of the most frequently appearing scenes in the action sequences, and the weather has been unpredictable these past few days.
Director Fu announced a break, and staff came over in a van to deliver food.
Lin Xiangyi was a chatterbox, and as soon as she had a break, she brought her small stool over to have dinner with Yan Zhuoyu, casually picking up where Yan was going:
"Oh, don't think too much about it. Director Fu is just that kind of person, meticulous about details. He'll start over if even a single hair is in the wrong place. Plus, with location shooting, there are bound to be more distractions. It's normal for the progress to be slow. Anyway, the result is proportional to the effort."
She smiled and remarked, "Moreover, to be honest, our on-screen chemistry is pretty good. So far, we haven't had to do consecutive takes due to acting issues."
However, Lin Xiangyi seems to have spoken a little too soon.
Before we knew it, it was already early November. Except for the outdoor scenes that needed to be filmed in Tibet, all the other outdoor scenes had been successfully completed.
This scene is the opening highlight of "Sword Chant".
At the inn, Feng Xingsheng witnessed his relatives and friends being brutally murdered by his enemies, but he was powerless to do anything about it, and could only shed tears of hatred, helplessness and despair.
On the surface, this scene doesn't seem to be too difficult.
However, Yan Zhuoyu had to rehearse this scene dozens of times, and even the extras who acted with her had some complaints.
Fu Zhuchen was exceptionally serious while filming, which left him speechless.
"It's still early, everyone, let's get our emotions in check. If this take isn't good enough, let's move on to the next one."
One minute later.
Yan Zhuoyu hid in a closet in the inn room and watched through the crack as the assassins outside brutally murdered her relatives and friends.
Just then, the cameraman zoomed in, preparing to film a close-up of Yan Zhuoyu's facial expression.
She clenched her fists, her eyes reddening, and everything seemed to be going in the expected direction.
Until a single tear slid down with some difficulty, landing on the wooden board...
"Card!!"
Fu Zhuchen, gritting her teeth, ran up to Yan Zhuoyu with the script in hand, opened the cabinet door, and habitually blurted out a string of sarcastic remarks:
"Sister, you really are my sister! You saw your parents, family, and friends being brutally murdered, the methods of which were so cruel it was appalling! And right now, because you have no fighting skills, you can only hide in a corner and watch all of this happen! Shouldn't you feel angry, sad, and then cry your heart out!?"
"Why did you hold it in for so long and only shed one tear? Are you a crocodile?"
Yan Zhuoyu knew she had taken up everyone's time and felt guilty: "I'm sorry, I just felt..."
Fu Zhuchen slammed down his notebook, interrupting her without hesitation: "Fine! I don't care what you think! You are you, and Feng Xingsheng is Feng Xingsheng! Since you chose this role, once you're in character, you have to act according to this character's way of thinking and principles! Don't always just say 'what you think'! Otherwise, the character you portray will only resemble yourself, and be monotonous! Are the audience here to watch the movie or to watch you!"
He wanted to say something more, but after seeing Qin Zhuyue's death stare not far away, he swallowed back his even harsher words.
"Forget it, we've been shooting for so long that we're emotionally numb. Continuing to shoot won't produce any better results."
He randomly pointed to someone to help instruct Yan Zhuoyu, and then moved on to prepare for filming other scenes.
Yan Zhuoyu silently returned to her seat, opened the script, and stared into deep thought as she read Feng Xingsheng's lines.
When she was filming idol dramas before, she was very good at crying scenes and could almost shed tears instantly.
However, there were some difficulties during the filming of this movie.
She vaguely remembered that she often felt powerless when she was a child.
Logically, having had similar experiences, one should be able to better understand and know how to cry in a way that matches the character's emotions.
But she hardly ever had a chance to cry when she was little.
Yan Shuting would only sarcastically and harshly scold her: "What's the use of crying? Will it solve the problem?"
In addition, Jiang Yuelin often cried at that time, and if she cried too, there would be few people in the family who would be smiling.
A man dressed in black, with his hair tied up, sat down next to Yan Zhuoyu.
He spoke in a deep voice, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding a commanding presence; he looked to be around thirty years old.
The man comforted him, "Don't be too sad. Director Fu is known for his sharp tongue. Just beautify what he says to your ears. Although his words are harsh, some of his points are still very useful."
Yan Zhuoyu nodded and replied, "Yes, I know. Director Fu is doing this for my own good. Thank you, Teacher Li."
Li Huaisheng moved his chair closer to her and said, "Alright! I won't waste any more time. Let me tell you about this scene!"
Director Fu, whether from exhaustion or something else, did not schedule any more scenes for Yan Zhuoyu for the entire day, and did the same afterwards, skipping the scene altogether.
Some time later, Fu Zhuchen finally issued a notice: "Double Eleven is coming soon, and many of you have events and parties planned. We're almost halfway through the project, so I'll give you a few days off to recharge. After that, we'll be going to Tibet to film on location."
Subsequently, Yan Zhuoyu received a private WeChat message from him.
[When I get back, I'll study how to cry naturally. I can watch relevant movie scenes and try to understand the character's inner world. I don't want to play a female lead who needs eye drops for crying scenes; that would ruin my reputation.]
At the end of the message, a recommended list of dozens of movies was also attached.