Unscientific Movie King

Chapter 2 If you don't use your brain, you will be an extra for the rest of your life

Huang Bo looked at his watch and said to Qin Chuan, "It's six o'clock now, a little late. You have to be here at half past five. It's best to be here at five o'clock. Anyway, the earlier the better."

"The crew usually starts working after 8 o'clock. It takes time to get from here to the filming location. Once on the set, we have to put on makeup, eat breakfast, and have the assistant director explain the scenes and give some simple training. It takes at least two hours to complete it."

Qin Chuan nodded, looked at the man on the tree again, and sighed secretly: "I'm afraid I can't beat this guy even if I try harder."

I knew being an extra was tiring, but I didn’t expect it to be this tiring.

It's half past five, which means he has to get up at half past four, spend half an hour washing up, and then go out to catch the bus at five.

It’s not far from where I live.

Those who live far away, requiring an hour or two’s drive, may have to spend the night in front of the Beijing Film Studio like the guy on the tree.

Fortunately, he has a cheat.

Qin Chuan glanced at Huang Bo beside him and held on to this thigh tightly. In the future, he could start with supporting roles and would not have to work as hard as an extra.

"Beep!"

While the two were talking, a bus drove up from the nearby street corner.

Qin Chuan only felt a flash before his eyes, and the person who was sleeping on the tree just now had jumped down, holding his clothes and coat and running towards the bus.

The people around seemed to be hyenas smelling blood, and they swarmed over.

Before the car had completely stopped, it was already packed with people in three layers inside and outside.

The leader of the group stood in front of the car door and shouted with a loud speaker:
"Come one by one and line up."

"Anyone who pushes should not get on the bus."

"You, you, get in the car."

"You are too old, don't come."

"Brother, I'm a professional extra. I have half a year of acting experience."

"Okay, you come too."

Huang Bo saw Qin Chuan lining up stupidly and couldn't help but say, "The crew can only recruit a limited number of extras. The way you line up, you can't even keep up with the heat of the shit."

"Ah, what should I do?"

"You have to fight, grab, steal, and do whatever it takes to get the role."

As he spoke, Huang Bo searched his pockets, ready to teach his brother-in-law a lesson.

"Look, I'll only teach you once."

Pulling Qin Chuan, he came to the leader of the group and handed over the cigarette in his hand without any expression.

"Brother, please help me. We two brothers can't afford to eat. We haven't eaten for several days."

The leader of the group glanced down and said, "Changle, twelve yuan a pack, not bad."

"You two get in the car."

Huang Bo and Qin Chuan got on the bus, but there were no seats at all, it was full, so they could only stand there.

People these days are still simple and honest, and will do anything for a gift.

Seeing this, the leader of the group pointed randomly inside the car and said, "Hey, you two, get out."

The guy who was called stood up weakly. He was the one who was sleeping in the tree just now: "Brother, why?"

"There's no reason. You're not tall enough, okay? Get off the bus, hurry up. And that old man, hurry up!"

The young man looked aggrieved and left his seat with a pout. He passed by Qin Chuan and Huang Bo with a complicated expression.

He was not stupid, so he knew that he had encountered someone who used the backdoor.

When Qin Chuan met his gaze, he felt that he looked more and more familiar. After the young man got off the bus, he sat down and slapped his head.

"This is not strong."

More than ten years later, Wang Baoqiang is also a household name. He has produced many classic works, such as Soldier Assault, Mr. Tree, Shunliu, and Tang Ren.

His status is no less than Huang Bo.

Unexpectedly, on his first day on the job, he would be replaced by him. Huang Bo continued to educate Qin Chuan: "If you don't use your brain, you will be an extra for the rest of your life. Learn something."

……

Half an hour later, the bus arrived at its destination, a corner of a park.

What we were shooting today was a modern drama, in which the hero and heroine were on a date and walking around in the park.

The extras don’t need to change their clothes, they just need to walk around according to the script and pretend to be passers-by.

The role played by Qin Chuan is very simple. He sits on a chair not far from the male and female protagonists as a background board, without a single line.

We arrived at six in the morning and started filming at noon.

The filming was finished at three o'clock in the afternoon, and today's work was over.

Because he showed his face, Qin Chuan received a few more dollars, and earned a total of thirty dollars.

Back at the rental house, Qin Chuan was still excited, but Huang Bo, who was smoking in the lower bunk, poured cold water on him: "You have no talent in acting, you can't eat this bowl of rice, I advise you to change your career as soon as possible."

Qin Chuan's smile froze, his heart sank, and the first pot of gold was no longer attractive: "Why?"

Huang Bo rolled his eyes: "When you act, your whole body is stiff, like a zombie."

Qin Chuan explained: "It's normal to be a little nervous for the first time."

"Don't be dissatisfied, kid. Let me ask you, what is the role you play? A student, an office worker, or a rich second generation?"

“It’s not in the script.”

"Who were you waiting for in the park? Your girlfriend, your brother, your parents, your classmates?" Huang Bo sneered, "It's not in the script, right? Because you don't have a script. The assistant director just told you to sit there, and then you just stood there like a log."

Qin Chuan was silent. Huang Bo was telling the truth.

Huang Bo said earnestly: "If the assistant director didn't tell you, wouldn't you be able to add your own suggestions? No script will tell actors where to cry, where to laugh, and where to sigh. It's all designed by the actors themselves."

"The moment you get the script, you should fill it in your own mind and give your character an identity. He should have a family, parents, relatives and friends."

Huang Bo took out a pen and paper from the drawer and wrote as he spoke: "Talent is a very abstract thing. To be more specific, it is voice, stage, appearance, and performance. Of course, the most important thing is the ability to understand."

“An actor can only perform the essence of a role if he understands it. How realistic he can perform the role depends on how deeply he understands the role.”

In just a few minutes, Huang Bo had written hundreds of words on the paper and handed it to Qin Chuan.

The above is the identity of the role he just played.

Name: Qin Chuan

Date of birth: 1983.

Height: 1.82 meters

Weight: 75 kg
Educational background...

character:……

Scene: As the sun sets, the elderly, children, couples, and lovers are walking and playing around.

Character's psychological state: Qin Chuan just broke up with his girlfriend. He happened to walk to the park where he once dated his girlfriend. The scene brought back memories and made him sad...

"This is a required lesson for every actor after receiving the script, a simple character biography." Huang Bo said calmly: "If you had acted according to this, would you still be like a zombie, at a loss, slumped in the chair, not knowing whether to stand or sit?"

Qin Chuan was in deep thought without saying a word. He had never acted in a play and didn't know much about this industry, so he really hadn't thought about these things.

The assistant director asked me to sit on a chair as a background board, and I just sat there stupidly, not thinking about anything.

He didn't know his identity, who he was playing, or why he was sitting there.

Huang Bo said that he was not good at understanding the role, which was a compliment because he did not try to understand it.

Seeing Qin Chuan didn't say anything, Huang Bo sighed: "If you really want to eat this bowl of rice, you can't be an extra for the rest of your life."

"But if you want to play a role, you have to pass this test."

"If you find it difficult, go home."

(End of this chapter)