Global Film Emperor

Chapter 242 Gap
"Act One! Scene One! Begin!"

After the staff completed the final check, they shouted loudly to get the extras ready. The script supervisor communicated with Lu Ze and, after confirming Lu Ze's condition, stood in front of the camera and started setting the clapperboard. Then, he quickly bent down and moved away from the camera, leaving Lu Ze with the space to improvise.

A pair of black skateboard shoes came into view. Lu Ze looked a little sleepy, his head drooping as he slowly walked down the steps. He saw his classmates waving at him, and he raised his hand to indicate that he saw them.

"Excuse me, classmate, let me pass."

He walked sideways through the gap between the chairs from the middle power strip, found his seat, flipped the chair over, and plopped down.

"Hey? Zhou Yi, where's Meng Chen? What's he doing?"

The female class monitor counted the number of students. As the most handsome boy in the class, Wang Mengchen's absence was naturally very noticeable. She glanced at Zhou Yi, walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and asked.

"Huh? I didn't see him. Why don't you call him? When will the ceremony be over? I'm leaving now that the teacher isn't checking attendance. I'm feeling sleepy."

"Where do you get so much sleep all day? It's like you can never get enough sleep. The teacher doesn't check attendance, but I do. Am I not human? Don't you dare leave, you hear me! Otherwise, I'll report you to the teacher. Call Meng Chen right now and have him come over."

The class monitor rubbed Zhou Yi's head, seemingly a little angry at Zhou Yi's attitude. His previously open fingers suddenly closed, and he grabbed Zhou Yi's hair and pulled hard.

"Ouch! Are you crazy? Why are you pulling my hair when you're just talking? If he doesn't come, go hit him yourself, I don't care. Fine! I'll hit him, I'll hit him."

Zhou Yi was somewhat dissatisfied. He looked up at the class monitor and saw her raise her hand as if to punch him. In the end, he gave in to her whims, took out his phone, dialed a number, and showed it to the class monitor before she left satisfied.

He held the phone to his ear, paused for about twenty seconds, and then, as if the call had been answered, Lu Ze continued reciting his lines.

"Where are you? What? Can't you hear me? Of course I can. I'm in the auditorium right now. You're the only one missing from our class. Hey? Wait a minute, I'll go out and talk to you."

In reality, Lu Ze didn't make any phone calls at all; he was just talking to thin air. However, thanks to his performance, no one thought he was talking to himself.

This kind of performance is very simple. Anyone who has studied acting can do it easily. You could say that using external objects to create a "non-existent" virtual character and then communicating with it to continue the plot is a basic skill for an actor and is not a difficult task.

From the beginning until now, the plot has been very simple and basic: someone enters the auditorium, answers a phone call, and walks out. There's nothing else, so there's no opportunity for Lu Ze to put on any amazing or shocking acting performance.

Many employees outside the studio were watching Lu Ze's performance. After all, it was a rare sight to see an award-winning actor filming. Since Xiao Fengying wasn't strict, they secretly glanced at Lu Ze. But after watching for a while, they didn't find Lu Ze's acting particularly good. It just felt like he was acting realistically, very ordinary, not much different from a regular professional actor.

Even Xiao Fengying and Ding Zhiyi didn't initially notice anything special about Lu Ze's performance, but gradually, they realized something was off. In short, it was too steady.

An actor, since the word "actor" is part of their name, is essentially someone who uses their professional skills to imitate others. Moreover, a person's mindset can lead actors to unconsciously incorporate elements of showing off their skills into their performances.

This isn't a problem unique to young actors; on the contrary, it's more common for seasoned actors with solid acting skills to make this mistake. Young actors are usually focused on how to play the role well, while seasoned actors are thinking about how to make the role stand out. To stand out, they have to show their true abilities, which means demonstrating their excellent professional skills.

Just how solid was Lu Ze's performance? Simply put, aside from a few ordinary little gestures that could enhance the immersion in the character, there wasn't a single personal signature move that Lu Ze himself had imposed on the character of Zhou Yi. This whole routine was based on fundamental skills, but it was incredibly smooth.

"This basic skill... is simply amazing." Ding Zhiyi wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the words. He had never seen such a steady, pure performance without any personal style before. He was completely the one playing the role. He was Zhou Yi, while Lu Ze had temporarily "disappeared" from this world.

Xiao Fengying didn't respond, but focused intently on the monitor. The impact Lu Ze had on her was far greater than the impact Lu Ze had on Ding Zhiyi.

How old is Lu Ze? Twenty-nine! He hasn't even celebrated his twenty-ninth birthday yet! He's only twenty-eight in real age. If he's this strong at such a young age, will the earth still be able to accommodate him when he's forty or fifty?

She was the only one on set who noticed something, but it had nothing to do with Lu Ze. Instead, she noticed the lazy production crew who had completely immersed themselves in the scene.

Where is this? This is a film set, not a movie theater after editing, post-production, and the film's official logo. If they were watching Lu Ze's performance in a movie theater right now, Xiao Fengying wouldn't say anything, given the strong sense of immersion. But right now, script supervisor, can you please put the clapperboard down?

This illustrates one thing: Lu Ze's current performance has a terrifying sense of immersion and an extremely high degree of fidelity to the script and the character. In her more than ten years of acting career, such an actor can undoubtedly be called No.1. Besides genius, she doesn't know how else to describe Lu Ze.

It was a long take, and the filming wasn't over yet. Lu Ze, holding his phone in his left hand, patted his classmate on the shoulder, slipped out through the aisle, and walked to the small door of the auditorium before asking if "the other person" could hear him clearly.

"I just asked you where you were? No, we're graduating soon, and you're still at the internet cafe? Hurry up and come over. You're the only one missing from the whole class. Otherwise, the class monitor will report you to the homeroom teacher, and you'll get a demerit. That's not my problem. I'm telling you now."

Teachers don't pass by here, so there are quite a few students smoking in the corridor. Lu Ze thought for a moment, took out a cigarette from his pocket, bit open the cigarette pack with his teeth, held a cigarette in his mouth, patted all the pockets on his body with his right hand, found a lighter in his back pocket and lit it.

"Okay, I'm here at the small gate. I'll wait for you. If I don't see you in five minutes, I'm leaving. Don't say I'm not loyal then."

After hanging up the phone and putting it in his pocket, a "student" next to him borrowed a lighter from Lu Ze. Lu Ze reached out and lit it for him. The student knew the proper etiquette, protecting the flame with both hands. After lighting it, he patted the back of Lu Ze's hand, said thank you, and turned to leave.

Peering into the venue from outside, the stage lights were already on, and the "students" who were going to perform were beginning their auditions. The final thank-you ceremony about the end of youth was about to begin, and Lu Ze seemed very confused about the unknown life after stepping into society.

He raised his hand and took a puff, the cigarette glowing with tiny red lights. Now it was time to really put his strength into action. The camera focused on Lu Ze's face. His expression was calm, but his brows furrowed, his gaze became blank, his eyes became melancholy, and a glimmer of light flickered in them.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, flicked the ash off his cigarette onto the trash can, and his expression returned to normal.

"Pass! Prepare for the next one."

Upon hearing Xiao Fengying call for a stop, Lu Ze's demeanor instantly changed. He stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can, then turned and walked out of the film set. Wang Zixuan quickly ran over, handed Lu Ze a thermos, and he took a sip of tea. Lu Ze sat down in a chair, held the cripple in his arms, and picked up the script to read his next scene.

"Lu Ze is in very good condition."

"It was alright, but not quite at its best. I almost didn't get the right emotional build-up at the end."

Xiao Fengying watched as Lu Ze crossed his legs, hugged a cat, and flipped through the script, and then gave her this answer. She could only shake her head and smile bitterly. Sure enough, the difference was huge. Only those bastards who were serious drama directors could hang out with Lu Ze.

"Get back on track. Zhiyi and Xilu, you two get ready."

(End of this chapter)