novelraw Chapter 10: Looking at someone with new eyes and then refusing.
Chapter 10: Looking at someone with new eyes and then refusing.
Break room on set.
"Aunt Liu, junior Yifei, thank you for your hard work. It's a bit chilly today, are you adjusting well?"
Liu Yifei joined the film crew before the Lunar New Year, and with Zhang Songwen joining yesterday, all the main cast members have now joined the film crew.
Liu Xiaoli touched her daughter's down jacket and smiled, "It's alright, the weather in Shanghai isn't too cold."
Liu Yifei nodded in agreement and said, "It's cold in Beijing, but it's much better here. I don't feel cold at all."
As they spoke, the mother and daughter sat down side by side.
Shen Qing smiled and said, "Let's rest for a bit and have a cup of hot tea to warm ourselves up. We might have to work hard together today."
The staff served hot tea.
Liu Xiaoli picked up the bowl and took a small sip.
Liu Yifei warmed her hands with the cup in her hand. After listening to Shen Qing's words, she said seriously, "Director, don't worry. I didn't find filming night scenes too hard. If the staff can endure it, so can I. Actually, most of the time I'm just waiting for the scene to start, so it's not that hard. Also, don't think I'm delicate just because I'm young."
Shen Qing laughed and said, "Junior Yifei, you've stayed up all night filming? That's really impressive. Generally, the younger you are, the more likely you are to fall asleep."
Liu Yifei was a little embarrassed. Actors staying up late are different from staff members. Lighting and photography require adjusting lighting and camera positions, which involves a lot of physical work.
After the actress gets her makeup done, she just sits and waits. There have been instances where she falls asleep while waiting for her scene, or even drools while touching up her makeup, but naturally, she wouldn't tell outsiders about these things.
"Staying up all night isn't difficult, you just have to persevere. The hard part is acting; sometimes you can't even muster the energy."
Liu Yifei tugged at Liu Xiaoli's sleeve and said, "Mom, how about we go to the dressing room?"
After saying that, he turned to Shen Qing and said, "Where is the director's dressing room? Makeup takes a lot of time, so if we get our makeup done early, we'll have more time for filming."
Shen Qing laughed and said, "That's great! Junior Yifei, your scene isn't difficult at all. There are no lines, just singing scenes, which can be dubbed in post-production. Just put on a beautiful outfit and stand there to amaze everyone."
Liu Yifei's eyes lit up, and she said, "Can I try singing myself? That way, we won't have to find someone to do the voice-over in post-production."
Shen Qing nodded: "Okay, that works too."
……
Liu Yifei's role was indeed simple, with no lines. She just stood in front of the camera, looked beautiful for a few seconds, and that was it. But the trouble was with some of the outdoor scene transitions.
Filming and changing locations is always troublesome and time-consuming. Although the crew was well-prepared, they were also prepared for the possibility of working through the night.
After all, Liu Yifei only had two days available.
Fortunately, once filming actually began, the whole process went relatively smoothly, with at least seven or eight shots completed in one take.
Every time they finished filming a take, Shen Qing would praise Liu Yifei, making her feel a little embarrassed.
When filming "The Story of a Noble Family," she was ostracized by Chen Kun because of her acting skills. Even though she was easygoing, she was still unhappy about it. In addition, she knew that her acting skills were not mature enough, so she was inevitably a little nervous when filming began.
How come everything went so smoothly when it came to Director Shen Qing?
Shen Qing didn't just praise Liu Yifei alone; he was influenced by the AI he played with before his transmigration. Didn't the AI praise him lavishly before giving its answer?
The scene that's a little challenging is the one where Nightingale climbs the ventilation duct with Qi Leshan. Nightingale needs to be emotional here, with tears in her eyes, but it's actually not that difficult.
……
The following afternoon.
After putting on makeup, Shen Qing and Liu Yifei crawled into the decorated ventilation duct.
The assistant director counted down: "One, two, three, action!"
Covered in fake blood, Shen Qing says her line: "We can't get out of here. They'll take me away in a bit. You can find another chance to escape, understand?"
Liu Yifei, whose clothes were also stained with fake blood and whose body was covered in makeup marks, suddenly grabbed Shen Qing's wrist.
Shen Qing turned around, glanced at Liu Yifei, then at the hand holding hers, and finally her gaze returned to Liu Yifei's face.
Liu Yifei shook her head reluctantly, her eyes slightly filled with tears.
Shen Qing said, "Listen to me, don't do anything foolish."
The above short scene was also filmed line by line.
We shot seven or eight shots, averaging four or five takes per shot, which is considered an N-shot count that exceeds the average.
But this scene is very important, and Shen Qing wouldn't mind shooting it multiple times if necessary.
"Click."
It's over.
Later, Liu Yifei has another scene where she looks at Qi Leshan sitting on the sofa from the ventilation duct. After this scene is filmed, all of her scenes will be finished.
While waiting for her scene, Liu Yifei whispered something to her mother, Liu Xiaoli. Her young and beautiful face was full of seriousness and eagerness. She would occasionally glance at Shen Qing, who was communicating with the photographer not far away.
Liu Xiaoli nodded gently, her eyes encouraging. Then, when the mother and daughter saw that Shen Qing had finished communicating with the photographer and sat back down to rest, they walked over together.
"Director, Yifei has some ideas for this scene and would like to discuss them with you."
Liu Xiaoli took Liu Yifei's hand and walked to Shen Qing.
Shen Qing glanced at the empty chair next to her and said, "Okay, sit down and let's talk."
The mother and daughter sat down.
Liu Yifei looked a little excited and said, "Director, when we were filming the ventilation duct scene just now, I looked down and was shocked. It was so high! I definitely couldn't have gotten down without the right equipment. Isn't Nightingale just an ordinary military officer's daughter? How did she get down there?"
Shen Qing nodded and asked, "What are your thoughts?"
Liu Yifei tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "Also, Nightingale ended up in Vietnam. Our drama is set in the old society, which should be chaotic and war-torn. Nightingale, a young girl, escaped thousands of kilometers alone and even went abroad. And she seems to be doing quite well in Vietnam, unlike the disheveled and unkempt refugees. How did she manage that?"
Shen Qing nodded and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"
Liu Yifei thought for a moment and said, "Director, is this foreshadowing you left? Nightingale's character is actually quite skilled, right? That's why she was able to go down the ventilation duct from such a high exit by herself, and that's why she was able to escape to Vietnam alone?"
Why would you think that way?
"Because it makes perfect sense. Nightingale likes Qi Leshan, and to have more time alone with him, she pestered him to teach her kung fu. She never imagined that her unintentional act would ultimately save her life. Director, is that really the truth? Is that why you just told me to tone down my emotions? To calm myself down and not overact? Everyone else said I couldn't let go in my acting, and only you told me to restrain myself. But doesn't that make Nightingale too calm?"
Before Shen Qing could respond, Liu Yifei spoke up again, and it was clear that she was quite excited.
"Director, how about we add a scene where the nightingale comes down from the ventilation duct? Or give Qi Leshan another line? Just as the two of them are looking at the high exit, for example... for example... for example, like this, Qi Leshan says: Do you remember the key points? Don't be afraid, believe in yourself, you can do it, I taught you, believe in your own abilities."
Shen Qing was silent for a moment, looking at Liu Yifei with newfound respect. No one else had noticed, perhaps because Liu Yifei had genuinely experienced how high the exit was above the ground? However, despite being moved, Shen Qing declined, saying, "Don't overthink it. Just act according to the script. Your scenes will be finished after the next one, and the crew will throw you a wrap party tonight."
Liu Xiaoli looked at Shen Qing with some surprise, and then at Liu Yifei with some worry.
Liu Yifei was suddenly doused with cold water. She had originally thought that either she had discovered the foreshadowing in the movie that no one else had noticed, or she had found a plot hole and provided a good solution. In any case, she was very capable.
Unexpectedly, Shen Qing only asked her to act strictly according to the script.
"oh."
Her voice was full of disappointment.