Generation Z Artists

Chapter 369 Finishing

Chen Dafu is a character who cannot move his entire body and can only be portrayed through expressions and eyes.

The level of difficulty in performing this role is unmatched in the domestic film industry in recent years.

Then, as soon as filming began, Teacher You's unique skill of creating two-dimensional faces completely stunned all the staff.

Splash splash splash splash...

"Awesome! Teacher You, that's perfect!"

Chen Dafu is a pitiful yet hateful person, so you have to find a delicate balance in between: be annoying but not dangerous.

The original "The Intouchables" primarily explores the theme of friendship. Philippe doesn't need to portray a pitiful yet hateful contradiction; the film is more humorous, composed, and peaceful overall.

Comparing the two versions of the opening—

In the French version, Philippe is a smart, humorous, and conscientious rich man who takes the initiative to control the pace and tries out Driss to seek a different experience, while Driss is a stereotypical black character.

Fang's version of Chen Dafu is a stereotypical, impatient, and bad rich man. He accepts Lu Xiaoye more out of pressure, which makes him seem passive and awkward, while Lu Xiaoye is responsible for eliciting positive emotions from the audience.

At first glance, Fang's version of this stark contrast between the rich and the poor seems utterly vulgar.

But this is precisely the foundation of reality and life – 2006 was the peak period for migrant workers demanding unpaid wages, factory workers being bullied, and white-collar workers lacking security.

The country has not paid enough attention to this aspect, the strict protection of labor laws is like a fantasy, there are capitalists who are rich but heartless everywhere, and the antagonistic ideas caused by the gap between the rich and the poor are deeply embedded in the booming economic environment.

It's cliché, but it's objective.

After 2025, the terms "hatred of the rich" and "flattery of the rich" will have largely disappeared from the public discourse.

However, every person born in the 80s will have a deep impression of the situation two or three decades ago. These two words and the ideas they represent not only proliferated on the Internet, but also caused countless heinous crimes in reality.

In contrast, the West at this moment appears to be a warm and compassionate place amidst the stark contrast between rich and poor.

Regardless of how others promote it, these days, once Chinese people have money, they rush abroad like crazy. The data doesn't lie, and the beacon is in the west.

Why didn't Chen Dafu run away?

He once muttered to himself, "I'd rather die at home. Those rural places abroad, are they even fit for a human to live?"

He was an old-fashioned Shanghainese, initially despicable and hateful, but gradually revealing a touch of pitifulness and endearment.

Grandpa You had a great time acting, and so did Fang Xinghe.

At first, many people were worried about Director Fang.

Chen Dafu couldn't move, so all the acting was in his face. When filming him, there were all sorts of close-ups and half-body shots. Grandpa You's attention to detail was so amazing that the screen was full of emotion.

When the final edited version is released, his strength will be amplified.

Lu Xiaoye's acting space is not that large. His character is consistent inside and out, which is very shallow and lacks the complexity to be explored in depth.

However, after filming their first scene together, the entire crew had no more worries, only anticipation.

I. First Impression (Fang Xinghe's Perspective)
Lu Xiaoye walked into the large living room of the villa, his steps faltering slightly—wow, quite a few people!

The job applicants sat upright, silent, and quietly sized up their competitors.

Lu Xiaoye's youth attracted the attention of all his opponents.

The camera pans back slightly, focusing on Lu Xiaoye's back as he observes from above. For a moment, his body tenses up in the face of this observation—depicting his inner tension.

He wasn't a clueless bum; he had his own troubles and predicaments.

Afterwards, Lu Xiaoye looked around the living room and found that there were no empty seats. Finally, he simply strode over to the piano bench in front of the piano, sat down backwards, spread his arms, rested them on the key covers, and comfortably crossed his legs.

Despite his nervousness, he was not a conventional person; he was bold and unruly.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses nearby was staring at him, and he immediately glared back: "What are you looking at?"

The middle-aged man turned his head first, then muttered under his breath, "Gan Du!"

Others also cast disdainful glances at him—ironically, most of them were migrant workers speaking various regional accents, yet they found a subtle sense of superiority in Lu Xiaoye.

That's the fairness of this movie; Fang Xinghe spared no one, attacking anyone he could get his hands on.

Upon entering the bedroom and facing Chen Dafu, Lu Xiaoye displayed a strange tension.

The core issue was his anxiety about the future. He came to Shanghai with a strong desire to stand out and make a name for himself, to show those people what he was made of.

However, the initial setbacks in his job search, along with the disdain and ridicule he received, left him disheartened and filled with resentment.

Outwardly, he walks with a long stride, full of energy and drive, but he keeps his lips pursed and his eyes slightly darting away—he can't help but marvel at the lavish decor of the bedroom, but he's quickly distracted by the solid gold antique clock and looks away.

Having your eyes burned is an extremely difficult performance.

This is not an ordinary act of shrinking back or dodging.

Generally speaking, you need to fix your gaze on something within one second and form a stable connection.
Then, in that instant when it is clear enough, a fleeting expression of surprise, awe, and admiration is displayed.
Finally, a highly efficient micro-vibration is used to suddenly pull the gaze away, preventing it from shifting normally.

The hardest part is that quick recovery; it has to be fast, but it can't drift aimlessly. It really tests your control.

This thing isn't just a function of the orbicularis oculi muscle. Consciously using the muscles around the eyes to move the eyeball can only make the entire eyeball rotate, and it can't achieve that kind of rapid expansion and contraction at all.

For a normal person to achieve this effect, the only way is to be suddenly and violently startled. This causes the small muscles around the eyes to spasm in a state of fear, causing the gaze to "jump" away instantly, making it look like a burn.

During his performance, Fang Xinghe's lower eyelids trembled slightly, and his gaze snapped back with a crisp sound.

Zhao Xiaoding could see it clearly on the camera and gripped his thigh tightly.

Jiang Wu was also startled. At that moment, according to the script, he was supposed to turn around and act with Fang Xinghe, but when he turned around, he saw Lu Xiaoye looking away. He froze on the spot and couldn't finish his line.

The only option is to cut it out and reshoot.

Only then did Zhao Xiaoding dare to exclaim, "Holy crap! Director is awesome!"

Jiang Wu hurriedly apologized: "I'm sorry, director, I forgot my lines."

"It's alright." Fang Xinghe waved his hand. "Anyway, I'm familiar with the positioning, so I can just do it again."

After another take, Master Fang filmed the entire multi-layered performance.

The first layer is the nonchalant and carefree attitude; the second layer is the tension of seeing luxury; the third layer is the further feeling of Chen Dafu's financial constraints; and the fourth layer is the focus when seeing the emaciated old man on the hospital bed.

From the doorway to the bedside, it only takes him six steps at a time.

The first step was full of courage; the second step was an exaggerated turn around to look around; the third step was slightly hesitant; the fourth step was startled and slowed down; the fifth step was to look back at the head of the bed; and the sixth step was to stand at the foot of the bed and face Chen Dafu from a distance.

Fang Xinghe's performance of just his entrance was so captivating that it was impossible to look away.

As the director, Fang Xinghe filmed this scene as a long take with alternating fast and slow motion.

From following to over the shoulder, after sweeping the bedroom, Lu Xiaoye re-enters the frame, the camera rotates and zooms out to give a close-up of her eyes, then fixes the rotation and waits for Lu Xiaoye to move to the center of the frame...

Whether it's the filming techniques or the performance style, Fang Xinghe is showing off his skills in everything.

Showing off skills is mostly a bad thing. Overemphasizing technique results in a loss of simplicity and hinders the accumulation of emotions.

But there are always exceptions. When an actor's skill level is high enough to fully interpret the needs with technique, then no matter whether the style is precise, gorgeous or understated, the final effect will be equally stunning.

Grandpa You Benchang, lying opposite him, felt this shock.

After he said, "It's more expensive than you can imagine," Fang Xinghe immediately responded—

Grinning and baring teeth, responding with exaggerated facial expressions rather than words →

He then subtly pursed his lips and rolled the whites of his eyes slightly.
He shoved his thumb into his pocket, turned to look at the butler, and spoke →
Slightly higher than usual pitch, strong mixed voice:

"I think I know why it's so hard to find someone for your harem, sir... Alright, here's the money. You've finally come to the right person. I'm the best at dealing with these arrogant guys who think they're all that just because they have a little money!"

The first "了" is pronounced in a neutral tone, the second "了" is pronounced with stress, and the third "了" is pronounced with excessive stress.

As his tone of voice rose, Lu Xiaoye's tone became more like a provocation than a genuine desire to find a job.

Cleverly, he didn't directly provoke Chen Dafu, but instead brandished his claws at the butler—one-third based on respect for wealth, and two-thirds based on his chivalrous spirit of disdain for bullying the old cripple.

It's not that he doesn't want to be tolerant, it's just that he can't control his temper.

Chen Dafu was naturally furious; he breathed rapidly and coughed forcefully.

The butler sternly warned, "Mr. Lu, we haven't decided to hire you yet. You seem to lack even the most basic manners..." "No..."

Dr. Chen interrupted.

"Use him."

The mean-spirited old man had a cold smile on his lips, his eyes fixed on the boy.

“I really like him, he’s more interesting than anyone before… Come on, how much do you want?”

How do I know how much this job is worth?

When Lu Xiaoye frowned, he clearly expressed this doubt.

But he didn't dwell on it much and quickly became immersed in joy.

Then, he casually mentioned a number that he considered excessive: "It should be at least 5000 a month, right? Any less than that won't be enough for me to support my family."

"Okay, 5000 it is."

Chen Dafu's smile returned to its peaceful state, his eyes were cloudy, but that did not diminish the playfulness in his gaze.

"Xiao Wu, teach him what he should do as soon as possible, and explain the rules of the mansion to him. Xiao Liu, I hope you can earn the full 5000."

Lu Xiaoye tilted his head slightly, looked back at Chen Dafu, raised his hand and snapped his fingers, making a very large arm swinging motion.

"No problem, sir. From now on, I will be your loyal sixth son... loyal!"

Stand at attention, salute, and look up at the sky.

The sudden shout startled the butler and also made Chen Dafu's expression freeze. A flash of visible annoyance crossed his face, quickly replaced by a deep scrutiny.

This isn't appreciation, but it's hard to say there's not even a tiny bit of appreciation in it.

After a series of setups at the beginning of the film, intense sparks fly when the two male leads first meet.

There was no warmth, only confrontation.

The story moves at a breakneck pace, but the superb acting adds the necessary subtlety, making the undercurrents powerful and solid.

This is a very tense start.

……

After filming the first scene, Grandpa You jumped out of bed and laughed heartily: "That was awesome, awesome!"

Jiang Wu also burst into laughter, taking the initiative to play the straight man: "Director Fang, how did you train that look in your eyes? Did you study opera?"

He is very knowledgeable.

Fang Xinghe's flick of the eye just now is something that very few actors in the world can pull off. It's probably only possible for a small number of traditional opera schools to reach that level of skill.

But Fang Xinghe knows absolutely nothing about traditional opera.

"No, no, I just made that up randomly."

Once out of character, Brother Fang was humble and kind. He stepped forward to help Grandpa You up and asked modestly, "How are you feeling? Do you need me to play it a bit more outward to create a more striking contrast with you?"

The old man thought about it seriously for a while, then shook his head.

"No need. We Chinese don't express our emotions as readily as Westerners. I feel this balance is just right, very subtle. If it were as exaggerated as Western styles, I would be too unconventional."

Wow, a master is a master. He saw through Fang Xinghe's 99-point acting precision at a glance.

The cheater smiled slightly: "Then, shall we keep this intensity from now on?"

"Okay, let's do it this way!"

……

The intensity of the performance was enough to give the two leads a great deal of enjoyment, but it left a bunch of supporting actors on edge.

If we only talk about the single field of acting, what exactly is the difference between a master and an award-winning actor?

It's actually about the richness and adaptability of the performance.

At the level of international film stars, any actor has the ability to deliver their best performance under the right conditions.

It can be precise or explosive; no master can suppress it.

But the key is—the right conditions.

What makes the masters better than them is not their level of expertise, but their low requirement for "suitable conditions".

If there are no conditions, I can create them myself.

This acting style is a bit lacking; I can adjust it immediately and try a different approach.

When the two masters began to put on a fierce performance, the two different sources of "richness and adaptability" started to collide violently, and the nightmare for the other actors began.

The old man and the young man often act out a scene where, suddenly, they react instinctively and give a response that is not in the script, inserting a line or dropping a line.

This is what people call "getting into character."

In the professional field, this is called moving from "consciousness" to "unconsciousness," thereby achieving the ultimate performance level of experiential acting.

With intense focus and genuine communication, and a firm belief in the "what if," one ceases to perform and is instead driven by the fellow actor and the environment, achieving a synchronized authenticity of emotion and body.

This realism results in significant differences in the details of each performance of the same scene.

It was sudden, impromptu, unexpected, yet reasonable.

In a typical film crew, this kind of "external improvisation that naturally grows from inner, authentic experience" might not occur even once every few months.

But in "The Intouchables," this is just an everyday occurrence.

The frequency is too high, and the intensity is too great.

Jiang Wu's head was spinning from their torment: How am I supposed to keep up? How am I supposed to keep up?!

In fact, Lao Jiang is not weak at all. In terms of rhythm and adaptability, he can even be ranked among the top 10 Chinese male actors.

But when you put the top 10 in two dimensions together with the top 3 in hexagons, it's a complete rout—the old and the young are ruthlessly attacking him, while Zhongdeng is just there yelling and screaming.

That's pretty tragic...

Good news: The entire cast and crew suffered, it wasn't just me, Brother Wu, who was embarrassed.

Bad news: He was closest, died the worst, and had the most NGs.

As he filmed, he felt his acting skills were improving rapidly, but at the same time he began to question his life—where the hell had all those years of learning, thinking, and training gone?
Could it be that... the experiential school is really no good, and the geek school is the best?
He had been thinking about this for several months.

Originally, there was nothing wrong with him figuring it out on his own. Once his acting skills improved to another level, he would eventually come to his senses.

However, by sheer bad luck, he was cornered by a reporter one day and inadvertently let the matter slip out.

Media outlets, which were just lamenting the lack of big news lately, immediately began hyping up the new topic—

Fang Xinghe, who is heading straight for the second round of the three Best Actor awards, just how amazing is his real acting skills?

With his left hand conquering Jiang Wen and his right hand crushing Jiang Wu, where does Fang Xinghe's acting skills rank in China?

Xi Mo Fang Xinghe is rewriting the Chinese performance system with cruel drama!

Fang Ge didn't have time to deal with them, so they started making trouble for themselves, bringing up well-known domestic performing artists one by one to criticize and pick on them.

As a result, "The Intouchables," which originally had little market appeal, actually caught up with a number of blockbusters in terms of popularity.

Others spent tens of millions on publicity, but Fang Ge just coasted along and that was it, which made Xiao Gangpao and Chen Kexin so angry that they had mouth ulcers.

—This movie wasn't even released at the same time as ours, so why do you guys always include him in your press releases?!
But there's nothing anyone can do. From the middle of this year until the release of "The Intouchables," every movie in between will inevitably be compared to other films.

This is the influence Fang Xinghe has in the film world today.

Time flies, and in early September, filming for "Untouchable" was successfully completed.

(End of this chapter)