Global Film Emperor

Chapter 201 A Monster That Keeps Growing
"Is the route checked? Check the people again. Extras, wait a bit before letting them in. Cameras in the back, the slide rails are all laid out, right? Double check the cameras. The north side is blocking the sun. Add lighting to the props. Makeup team, finish within fifteen minutes. Hearing your reply, that's it."

"Camera, props, and makeup teams, all completed."

On September 28th, on the set of the first scene of "To Live", the production crew was making final adjustments. Zhuang Yu and Guo Mingde sat in the director's chair and began to adjust the monitor. The sun was shining brightly today, and the temperature was not low. Even with parasols, the two sitting in the chairs were still covered in sweat, let alone the people working.

On September 25th, the film "Living" held its opening ceremony press conference, leaving little time for post-production editing, because the final cut was already swirling in Zhuang Yu's mind, and he didn't want any editing other than what he imagined.

At the press conference for the start of filming, most of the reporters' questions were about Lu Ze, because Qian Shijia Company had previously said that Lu Ze's stomach problems and other health issues had seriously affected his health, and he even needed to suspend all activities to seek treatment. This led many people to speculate that Lu Ze might have stomach cancer.

However, at the press conference, the alarming claim of stomach cancer was disproven. Apart from losing a lot of weight and looking a bit more haggard than before, Lu Ze hadn't changed much. In fact, due to the weight loss, his appearance had actually returned to a passing grade.

The fact that this series features the original cast and crew of "Mr. Tree" plus Guo Mingde, one of China's top TV drama directors, is quite eye-catching, even with just this one gimmick.

Although the investment was only 30 million, which is far less than the hundreds of millions invested in other films featuring young, popular actors, the money was used wisely, and the actors chosen were all recognized as talented actors in China.

Since the start of filming for "To Live", there has been a lot of anticipation on various film review websites. For fans who like Lu Ze or Zhuang Yu, this is undoubtedly a delicious meal that will appear in the future. Even just smelling the aroma makes them eager to watch.

The movie caused a sensation online, but it had nothing to do with the production team. They still had to do what they were supposed to do. They couldn't get carried away with the audience's anticipation before the movie even started filming.

In the dressing room, Lu Ze rubbed his face vigorously. More than three months without filming was the longest period of leisure he had ever had since his debut, but he had no doubt about his abilities. He could do it; that was Lu Ze's belief.

The stylist quickly started styling Lu Ze's hair. The long parts had already been cut off, and now they were setting the style. Two makeup artists were also working on his face, applying makeup and smearing things.

Lu Ze let them do as they pleased, his eyes closed, his mind racing as he designed some actions for himself. After all, words have limitations; the most difficult part of acting is how to transform words into images that are powerful enough to impact the audience.

Other actors were also rehearsing their lines in the dressing room, making the whole room noisy. This was the impact Guo Mingde had on the crew; his requirement for everyone on the crew was to keep busy.

Don't stand there watching what others are doing, because that's the director's job and has nothing to do with you. If you're just standing there watching others film, you're not only wasting your own time, but also everyone else's. This is something Guo Mingde absolutely cannot accept.

This is something Zhuang Yu can't compare to. Although he has a lot of say in the crew, he's not the kind of person who's impatient. He believes in slow and meticulous work, which makes the crew atmosphere great, but it also wastes a lot of time, especially when the budget is limited, making the movie easy to die before it even starts.

The noisy atmosphere did not affect Lu Ze at all; on the contrary, it made his mind work even more urgently, giving him a feeling of being back in the filming days of "My Regiment".

"The first act is a bit difficult; it's actually not a good choice."

Guo Mingde took the script and thought about it. He was someone who liked auspicious beginnings, and he usually preferred the first scene to be as simple as possible. He was a little unaccustomed to Zhuang Yu arranging such a difficult shot as the first scene.

"It's okay, Lu Ze can do it."

Zhuang Yu unscrewed the water glass and took a sip of tea. His confidence in Lu Ze was evident in his words; he had no doubt about Lu Ze's abilities.

"Hey! Brother-in-law, we've come to visit the set."

Song Guiyuan's voice came from not far away: "This grandson hasn't worked since he had his baby. He's gained more than 20 pounds in a few months. You can see his double chin even without him looking down."

He was carrying several bags of things and walking towards Zhuang Yu. Zhuang Xue was also beside him, holding the child and pulling the sun hat down for the child, her face full of maternal love and kindness.

"Why did you bring your child to visit the set on such a hot day? Xiaoxue, hurry up and go inside the studio, don't let the child get sunburned. Your family is really making a fuss. Do you think I need your food? Why did you have to bring it here now?"

As the uncle, Zhuang Yu became anxious as soon as he saw Zhuang Xue holding the child. He quickly stood up and scolded Lao Song and Zhuang Xue, then tenderly grabbed the child's little hand.

"Wow~ Song Guiyuan, look how fat you've become, are you even presentable? Are you really planning to stay home and become a stay-at-home dad? You'll stop acting and just be a stay-at-home dad? Let me see your son, he's really good-looking, those big eyes, thankfully he takes after his mother. I wonder what you guys brought here."

Guo Mingde and Song Guiyuan were old acquaintances. Guo Mingde had even come to the full moon celebration for Song's son. He was quite informal in his speech, glancing at the child before rummaging through the bag. Inside were cups of chilled mung bean soup.

"My wife made this herself. I just wanted to bring some to you all. Have some, it's so hot outside. Where's that kid Lu Ze? He's sick and he's playing hide-and-seek with me."

"They're getting their makeup done inside, they'll be going into scene soon. It's so refreshing, the coolness is really satisfying. Let the extras in, when will Lu Ze be able to come out?"

Guo Mingde answered Song Guiyuan's question, took a sip of mung bean soup, picked up his walkie-talkie and called to the stage manager. Upon learning that Lu Ze was coming out, he put down the walkie-talkie and told someone to hand Zhuang Xue an umbrella.

When Lu Ze came out of the dressing room, he was wearing a simple tracksuit and shorts, along with a sports watch (both from advertised brands). With his short, choppy hair and a face that resembled both Fei Xiang and Takeshi Kaneshiro, even those who prefer a mature look couldn't help but say that he was really handsome.

Lu Ze glanced over at the director and saw Lao Song and his family of three. He went over and played with the child, but Lao Song scolded him, saying things like he was being unfriendly by not letting him visit the sick child.

However, due to time constraints, they didn't chat for long. After all, the staff and extras were out in the sun. Once all the work was finished, Lu Ze walked into the frame, took a couple of deep breaths, and gave the director a thumbs up.

Zhuang Yu gave the script supervisor a look, and the script supervisor walked in front of the camera, announced the official start of the first act of "To Live", and then quickly left the camera.

Lu Ze's eyes instantly lost their focus, looking vacant and lifeless. His body seemed to have lost all strength, and he couldn't even lift his legs to walk, his toes scraping the ground with a soft, rustling sound.

Cars passed by on the road and occasionally honked their horns, but Lu Ze affected the atmosphere around him. Even when cars honked, the atmosphere remained "silent," like a vacuum.

"Are all kids this amazing now?" Song Guiyuan glanced at Zhuang Yu with a puzzled look and muttered something under his breath. This kind of aura is really powerful. With post-production processing to enhance the sense of silence, this feeling of despair will be amplified infinitely, and it can easily draw the audience into the story.

Zhuang Xue hissed and slapped Song Guiyuan's arm in dissatisfaction. Although the sound couldn't reach them, she was really enjoying the filming and hoped that Old Song wouldn't disturb her.

As Lu Ze stepped across the green belt, his toes were tripped, but he didn't fall. This was part of Lu Ze's plan; if he had fallen, it would have seemed too deliberate. Although it would have looked worse, it would have disrupted the current atmosphere and ruined the audience's viewing experience.

"pretty."

Guo Mingde clenched his right fist and gently pounded his thigh, praising in a low voice. This scene of walking like a zombie wasn't particularly outstanding, but Lu Ze's ability to control details was truly remarkable, and the action design was spot-on.

This requires a complete understanding of the script, and even more so, a complete understanding of the individual character, perfectly capturing Lin Qin's mental state, and then adding action sequences. Anyone who can do this is no ordinary actor, and this deserves praise.

The extras walked past Lu Ze, most of them ignoring him. A few people glanced at him, but without any emotion, as if they were looking at a piece of wood.

As he walked into the parking lot, he accidentally dropped his keys on the ground while taking them out. Lu Ze numbly picked them up, pressed the unlock button, and the two beeps broke the deathly silence. But unlike before, this time it was intentional on Lu Ze's part, because his emotions were about to erupt here.

Once in the car and in the driver's seat, Lu Ze leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. He sighed, glanced down at his medical record, and realized that his ability to cry on cue played a crucial role at that moment.

"Clap."

A tear fell onto the medical record, smudged the doctor's notes, and wrinkled the paper. Then, large tears kept falling.

"what"

With a slightly painful sigh, Lu Ze's hands began to tremble. He threw the medical records and examination reports onto the passenger seat, and wiped his eyes with the first knuckle of his index fingers to wipe away the tears, but it had no effect.

A good actor is one whose performance can still move you even when you're watching on set. Just like now, everyone who sees Lu Ze's performance has a very serious expression, with a hint of pity and fear. They really treat Lu Ze as a terminally ill patient and are worried that the same disease might befall them.

Wang Zixuan and Zhuang Xue were even more upset. Watching the director's monitor, Wang Zixuan pouted and cried. She didn't wail, but just bit her lower lip, shedding two tears, which she then wiped away with her chubby little hand. Zhuang Xue, on the other hand, was a mother and easily became sentimental. Moved by Lu Ze's performance, her nose tingled, and she wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand, turning her head away, unwilling to watch anymore.

I wiped my eyes with my fingers, but I still couldn't stop the tears, which caused my whole body to tremble slightly and my breathing to become disordered.

The blood pack in his nose was opened, and a drop of blood fell onto his clothes. Lu Ze's pupils dilated instantly, and he trembled with panic. He remembered that there was toilet paper in the passenger seat drawer, but it took him several tries to open the simple switch.

He pulled out a lot of tissues and wiped away the blood, but the bleeding wouldn't stop and seemed to be flowing more and more. Lu Ze clenched his fist tightly, crumpling the blood-stained tissues into a ball. His pupils, which had been dilated, shrank and focused on the tissue box, as if it were his lifeline.

His tear ducts, which had stopped releasing tears, burst open again, and the tears just wouldn't stop. He threw the blood-stained paper in his hand aside, pulled out another one, and wiped his nose with it, but it was still wet with blood.

On camera, his expression was one of terror, tears streaming down his face, reflecting a large amount of light. He held tissues to his nose, but blood still trickled down his hands and onto his arms. Yet, his eyes were filled with a strong will to survive, making the viewer's heart clench.

By the time he pulled out the last piece of toilet paper, the lower half of his face was covered in blood. The blood entered his mouth and made him feel nauseous. He gagged and spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood, sticky and clinging to his lips.

He seemed to realize now that he shouldn't have put his will to live on toilet paper. He opened the car door, tripped again as he got out, but didn't fall. He braced himself on the ground with his hands, straightened his back, and ran towards the hospital, ignoring the horrified looks of the people around him.

"Click! Pass!"

Lu Ze stopped and sat down heavily on the ground, breathing heavily. Feeling nauseous, he spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood. Wang Zixuan ran over crying with her short legs and handed Lu Ze a bottle of mineral water.

There was not a sound on set. Everyone was stunned by Lu Ze's performance. There were no rough emotional outbursts, no smashing of the steering wheel, no muttering to himself about why it was me, and not a single line. Yet, he realistically reflected the fear experienced by a terminally ill patient and his will to live.

"This scene was absolutely amazing!"

Song Guiyuan looked at Lu Ze with a slightly unfocused gaze. During the "My Group" period, his acting skills were only passable. It was hard to tell much from the other two TV series. After all, one was a romance drama and the other was just about showing off. Anyone with some acting skills could have done it. It's just that Lu Ze's acting skills were already quite good back then, and he acted even better.

Lu Ze's acting skills exploded when "Mr. Tree" was released. Through the role of "Tree", Song Guiyuan really realized how much his little brother had improved from "My Regiment" to "Tree". It was like heaven and earth, incomparable.

That's only been a few years? A little over a year! Almost two years!
His performance in "The Boxer" alongside veteran actor Guan Yong was a huge leap forward, showing significant improvement in every aspect, including facial expressions, dialogue, and physical movements.

And now? More than three months of injury recovery and rest did not make Lu Ze feel unfamiliar on camera. On the contrary, his acting skills have reached a new level. Can you believe it?

Looking at Lu Ze sitting on the ground washing his face, Song Guiyuan felt that he was not seeing his good friend Lu Ze, but a monster that was growing rapidly, just like a Kun, which gets stronger by eating something.

Acting skills need time to develop and be honed little by little, which is something everyone agrees on. But Lu Ze is always different from others. He loves to play triple jump, leaping up and down. Who can stand that?
Although Song Guiyuan thought it was impossible, if this growth rate continued, in three to five years at most, when people talked about Chinese actors again, Lu Ze would probably be the number one name mentioned.

Song Guiyuan and Guo Mingde exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with astonishment, and then shook their heads in unison. From this moment on, two more people believed that Lu Ze was a monster.

"."

Two-in-one!! That's all for today!

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(End of this chapter)