The studio was already bustling with activity.
The director and the film crew were giving instructions.
"In position, in position!"
"Camera 1, pull back."
"The actors are done with their makeup. We're about to start."
"Extras, please take note. You must stand behind the yellow line. There will be an explosion scene in a while. Although it won't be dangerous, please be careful not to go beyond the yellow line."
"Is Teacher Zhang done yet?"
"Not yet, but he'll be done soon."
"Alright, once Teacher Zhang is done with his makeup, we'll start filming!"
… …
In the studio.
A female makeup artist was working hard on Zhang Ye's makeup. She was applying makeup on his face. In the mirror, Zhang Ye looked like he had aged by more than 10 years. However, perhaps because Zhang Ye looked too ordinary and had a strong plasticity, he did not look too out of place even though he had aged so much. His fans who knew him should still be able to recognize him at a glance.
Eyebrows drawn.
Eye makeup.
He was really not used to it. When he was a host, he did not need to put on such heavy makeup. At most, he would put on some powder to make his face less "eye-catching."
At this moment, Zhang Ye had already changed into his costume. It was something similar to a Chinese tunic suit, but his hands were not idle. He was reading the script over and over again. This time, he was not reading the script for the character from before, but the entire script from beginning to end. It included all the characters, their ages, origins, background, plot development, etc. If he wanted to act this role well, he definitely had to go through the entire script. This was also to help Zhang Ye better understand the characters and plot, so that he would know when to make the right expression.
This was Zhang Ye's first time coming into contact with the complete script of a movie. To be honest, he was a little confused as there were too many things in the script and the plot was also very rich. There were many places where there were multiple plots, and there were even alternate plots and lines. As the movie had already finished filming the day before yesterday, Zhang Ye could see that many of the scenes in the script had been deleted. They were either not filmed or cut during the post-production editing process. So when he saw this messy and messy script, his mind was in a mess. He really couldn't tell what this movie was like. It seemed like it was good, but at the same time, it seemed like it wasn't good. Everything was unknown.
Everything was still unknown. In his previous world, Zhang Ye also loved movies very much. Every time he finished watching a movie, he would talk to his classmates and friends for a long time, pointing out what was wrong with the filming, what was wrong with the script, or why anyone would want to film such a terrible movie. Now that he thought about it, it was really easy for him to talk as an audience member. Only after putting himself in this industry's shoes did Zhang Ye realize that movies were not that simple. Just this script alone had taught him a valuable lesson. As the old saying went, "The layman enjoys the show, while the connoisseur understands the ropes." It was really apt to say that moving one's mouth was always harder than moving one's hands.
The female makeup artist took a step back and pinched her chin as she looked into the mirror. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and said, "It's done, Teacher Zhang." She turned around and said loudly, "Director, Teacher Zhang is done with his makeup."
Zhang Ye put down the script and stood up to go out.
"Alright, everyone, get to your positions," Wang Chengpeng shouted.
The assistant director said, "Teacher Zhang, your position is over there."
Wang Chengpeng instructed, "Remember, add some changes to your expression. When Old Zhang and Dalong come over, make sure your eyes are sharp. Don't be too thin."
"Alright." Zhang Ye got to his position and sat down in an old-fashioned wooden armchair in the middle of the extras. He picked up a cup of tea and sat down.
Wang Chengpeng had his own way of directing. First, he used a megaphone to recite the scenes for this scene. Although the actors were already very familiar with the script, he still spoke in detail. Firstly, it was to help the actors relax a little, and secondly, it was to get them into character quickly.
Three.
Two.
One.
"Open!"
Immediately, the gongs and drums sounded.
Quite a few extras were giving their all. This was a scene of a celebration at a martial arts hall.
Zhang Yuanqi, who was dressed in a long white dress, and Dalong, who was in a training uniform, slowly walked over. The two of them were already immersed in their roles. Zhang Yuanqi had a cool expression on her face, while Dalong was giggling and talking glibly beside her. Soon after, Zhang Yuanqi revealed a faint smile and glanced at Dalong.
The few of them met.
Zhang Ye looked up with the cup of tea in his hand.
Dalong and Zhang Ye also came up to him.
Immediately, Zhang Ye's eyes narrowed and he lightly tapped the teacup lid in his hand!
"Cut!" the director called out.
Zhang Ye looked over.
Then he heard Wang Chengpeng say, "Little Zhang, it's still not enough. Your gaze needs to be sharper and more aggressive. The meaning of your gaze is right, but that's a taste of life. It's not enough in a scene like this. It needs to be more obvious and sharp so that the audience can capture it, is that alright?"
Zhang Ye understood. "No problem."
Dalong and Zhang Ye did not say anything else and returned to their positions.
Wang Chengpeng shouted, "Again, open!"
On the second take, the scene was over.
Soon after, it was time for the next scene, which was the explosion scene. For this scene, Zhang Ye did not need to do much. He only had one line and it was very simple. Most of the scenes were for Dalong and Zhang Yuanqi. The two of them had already filmed this scene before, but as there were a few scenes that required Zhang Ye's role as the third male lead to appear in front of the camera with them, the explosion scene had to be reshot. Of course, only a few of the key scenes were reshot. The rest of the scenes that Zhang Ye did not appear in could be reshot using the original film.
As it was a little more dangerous, the preparation of the props for this scene was also a little more troublesome, so the filming was very slow. Dalong made two mistakes and the two extras did not have the right expressions, so they had to be cut three times. As for Zhang Ye's line, it was not very interesting, so he had to be cut once. This set of scenes took a full hour to film!
When the director called for a cut and said "pass," the actors heaved a sigh of relief. Some of them dispersed to rest, while the film crew started paying the extras.
Dalong came up. "Director Wang, are there any more scenes for me?"
Wang Chengpeng thought for a moment. "There's no more for today. You and Old Zhang can go back first."
"Sure," Dalong said.
Zhang Yuanqi smiled and said, "I don't need to be around either?"
"It's fine. It's fine as long as your stunt double is around. The focus is on tomorrow's scenes." Wang Chengpeng said, "There should be more scenes tomorrow morning, but I'll have to see the progress in the afternoon to see if we can finish filming. Zhang Ye hasn't acted much before, so he's not sure. The afternoon is the real problem."
Zhang Yuanqi laughed and said, "Little Zhang should be fine."
Dalong said, "Then I'll go back first. If there's anything, give me a call. I won't turn off my cell phone." This was the most difficult time for the film crew, so everyone had to work hard together.
When the two leads left, Wang Chengpeng also went to look for Zhang Ye. Now that they knew each other, he did not address him as Teacher Zhang and instead addressed him as Little Zhang. "Little Zhang, how do you feel?"
Zhang Ye nodded and said, "Pretty good."
"It's your first time acting as a main character, so it's already very good that you can perform this well. At least, you've exceeded my expectations for a new actor." Wang Chengpeng praised him, then gave him a heads-up. "There will be a few scenes this afternoon and evening. There will be scenes during the day and at night, so you should stay with the film crew. You might not be able to go home for the next few days, so if you need any clothes to change into, I'll get someone to prepare them for you. You can also get your family to send them over."
Zhang Ye laughed. "There's no need. I'm not that particular. I'll just give my mom a call."
The assistant director said beside him, "We'll be going into the mountains at night. It might be very tiring."
"It's fine," Zhang Ye said.
The assistant director asked, "Do you have any food taboos for lunch and dinner? I'll get someone to prepare them. "
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "I'll eat anything, as long as it's a boxed lunch."
The assistant director said hesitantly, "We don't know what time we'll have to film tonight, you …"
"Any time is fine with me." Zhang Ye shrugged and said, "It's not a problem for me to work around the clock. Even if I don't sleep for 24 hours, I can still manage it. It's fine. If there's any arrangements or work schedule, just let me know. As long as it's for the sake of this movie, I won't have any objections. I'll hand over my 50 kilograms to the film crew in the next few days."
The reason why the director was asking so many questions was because there were too many celebrities who put on airs these days. It was a market economy and a commercial movie, so the most attractive factor for a movie to attract the audience was actually the actors. Big name actors were highly valued and difficult to hire, and their tempers were not small either. For example, Dalong had a lot of requests for his meals. He only ate lamb meat and did not touch chicken or pork at all. He was also very picky about the food and had to be prepared individually for him. Then there was Tian Xuetao, who had to go home to sleep every night and could not follow the film crew. No matter how late it was, as long as he was still in Beijing, he would have to go home. If he was out of town, he would have to go back to the hotel he had booked after filming. There were also all sorts of strange requests from various celebrities, but none of them were surprising.
They had seen it all too often. This time, they were the ones who had hired someone to save the day. It was a very urgent and pressing matter, so they naturally placed a lot of importance on Zhang Ye's joining the cast. They had to take care of him a little and satisfy whatever requests they could. That was why they were asking so many questions. It was also because Zhang Ye did not know much about him and did not know if he had any special requests.
But for Zhang Ye?
He did not have any requests at all!
Anything was fine! Anything was fine!
This made Wang Chengpeng nod slightly. After Zhang Ye left, he couldn't help but say to the assistant director, "It's still much better to work with an intellectual and artistic person like Zhang Ye."
The assistant director also felt the same way. "Yeah, Teacher Zhang is almost a B-list celebrity. It's really rare to see a celebrity like him at this level. I heard from a friend in the industry that Zhang Ye is really willing to go all out for his work. He once recorded ten hours of programs a day for seven to eight consecutive days and even stayed up 24 hours a day to help Beijing Television do a public service announcement. He's really risking his life! Hai, it's still the teachers of the people who have the highest awareness. If our actors were all like Teacher Zhang, then the progress of a movie would be accelerated by at least 30%! "
The scriptwriter blinked from behind and said, "Zhang Ye is … a little different from the rumors."
The assistant director turned around and said, "Yeah, he's a little different."
The legendary Zhang Ye had too many nicknames!
The maggot of the literary world!
The oddity of the entertainment industry!
The hooligan of the education world!
Many of the film crew members who had heard of Zhang Ye felt that he had a bad temper and was someone who would scold others if he did not get along with them. But the reality was completely different from what they had heard. Not only was Zhang Ye not as arrogant as they had imagined, he was actually diligent and conscientious, working hard without any complaints. Look, the bento boxes had already arrived and the others were already resting, but Zhang Ye was still holding onto the script and studying the next scene by himself.
They did not know that Zhang Ye had always been such a person. Whenever he decided to do something, he would always do it to the best of his ability. He would not allow himself to make any mistakes or slack off. This fellow was never afraid of death when it came to work!
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