Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 618 Visiting Team
The unexpected set visit for "Sewing Machine Band" was actually suggested by Gulnazar.

She is a fan of Liu Yifei. After learning that Liu Yifei was filming in a studio in Huairou today, she said she wanted to go and see her.

Director Da Peng was in a dilemma. It would be impolite to visit without prior notice.

What kind of director is he? You think you can just show up at my door whenever you want?

But a colleague from the "Sewing Machine Band" crew who had worked with Li Qiutang told Da Peng: "Aside from being a bit grumpy during filming, he's a very nice person at other times. Why don't you ask him? Maybe he'll agree."

Actually, Da Peng also wanted to visit the "Butterfly Lovers" film crew, so he asked one of the producers of "Butterfly Lovers" if he could visit the set now.

"Hey, what's the big deal? Seeing one or two is the same as seeing two. The task isn't heavy today. Wu Jing and Yu Qian are here to visit the set, so you can all come along."

So, Da Peng brought several of the main actors from "City of Rock" to the "Butterfly Lovers" production team.

When Li Qiutang saw Da Peng bring people over, she didn't blame the producer for acting on her own initiative; this kind of situation is quite common.

The last time Li Qiutang saw Nazha was at an industry banquet, where Mr. Hu brought her along.

After exchanging greetings, Nazha seemed distracted, constantly glancing at Liu Yifei beside her.

This was the first time she had met Liu Yifei in person, and she was really excited. She wanted to go up and say hello, but she didn't dare and didn't know what to say.

Da Peng was introducing his actors to Li Qiutang and the others, introducing Nazha: "Nazha, plays Ding Jianguo, bassist."

Liu Yifei laughed and said, "Why would a girl choose such a name?"

Nazha then found a topic to talk about and said to Liu Yifei, "The director said this creates a contrast."

Liu Yifei laughed and said, "It is indeed a stark contrast."

Naza continued, "At first, I told the director to change my name, but he didn't agree."

Da Peng laughed and said, "What a great name, Ding Jianguo, why change it?"

Wu Jing said, "It's already good enough that he didn't call you Wang Tiezhu."

Everyone burst into laughter. Both groups chose to stay and watch Li Qiutang film.

Wu Jing and Da Peng were seeing Li Qiutang filming for the first time.

As for whether Li Qiutang has any superior directing skills or special abilities on set, it seems there isn't.

The storyboard sketches posted on the blackboard in the director's studio were also very ordinary. They were neither the oil painting style of Feng Xiaogang, nor the dynamic cartoon style of Xu Ke, nor the stick figure sketches of Jiang Wen.

The storyboard was drawn in a very conventional and ordinary way.

What's most valuable about Li Qiutang is that he knows very clearly what he wants and how to achieve it.

Don't underestimate this seemingly insignificant thing; in fact, many great directors, both Chinese and foreign, cannot do this. Many directors just do whatever comes to mind.

What's most terrifying is that Li Qiutang can achieve this in commercial films, and he can also achieve this in art films like "The Butterfly Lovers".

His directorial debut was an art film, yet he showed no signs of inexperience. Many commercial film directors struggle when making art films, often making the mistake of trying to have it all—wanting to retain the strong conflicts and high-energy stimulation of commercial films while also wanting the intellectual depth and profound meaning of art films. The result is that they please neither side.

Li Qiutang can clearly distinguish between the two types.

When making commercial films, he can create action-packed thrillers like "Mojin: The Lost Legend," which are full of conflict and excitement and completely please the audience; when making art films, he can completely disregard the audience, cast Liu Yifei as an unlikable young woman suspected of cheating by her husband while also suspecting him of cheating, and even use the Rashomon technique, which is difficult for the average viewer to understand, to film the movie, and the ending is a somewhat depressing "just getting by."

This quality sounds simple, but many directors can't achieve it.

Li Qiutang's last task for today is to shoot a moving, off-axis shot.

On set, Liu Yifei and Qin Hao sat together, ready and waiting for the director's instructions to begin.

This shot is simple in theory: it moves from Liu Yifei's right front, past Qin Hao's shoulder, and slowly to Liu Yifei's left front, completing the cross-axis maneuver.

But the actors need to coordinate their lines and performances well. "This shot is crucial, everyone, pay attention. 3-2-1, action."

The two actors began their dialogue, and the camera started moving.

Wu Jing and Da Peng had not seen the complete script and storyboard of "The Butterfly Lovers," so they were inevitably puzzled when they suddenly saw Li Qiutang overstepping the bounds.

It's not that you can't cross the axis, but you should try to do so as little as possible.

Li Qiutang deliberately arranged a shot that crossed the axis of gravity here, and emphasized that this shot was very important and must have a deeper meaning.

Da Peng, being quick to speak, took the initiative to ask about the significance of this shot.

Li Qiutang replied, "The 'crossing the axis' here represents the change in Zhu Xiaoyan's perception, moving from one side to the other. But whether the change in perception is for the better or for the worse is left to the audience to judge."

The actors were in good form today, and after two takes, Li Qiutang let it go and announced that the shoot was over.

In the evening, the cast and crew of "The Butterfly Lovers" hosted a dinner for Wu Jing, Yu Qian, Da Peng, Nazha, and other members of both casts and crews.

Actually, Nazha had other work to do after meeting the film crew. Her movie "The Game Changer" is going to be released in a few days, and she has promotional duties.

But when her agent heard that she was currently on Li Qiutang's film set and would be having dinner with Li Qiutang, Liu Yifei, Wu Jing, and others that evening, he immediately changed her flight.

This gave Nazha time to get closer to Liu Yifei.

“When I was in school, there were posters of you all over my dorm room, the one with the two braids.” Nazha was specially arranged to sit next to Liu Yifei, who was easy to talk to, and even took out her phone to show Liu Yifei that photo.

Liu Yifei looked at it and laughed, "This photo is so old, I can't find it anymore."

Recalling watching Liu Yifei's performance on the set of "The Butterfly Lovers," Gulnazar said, "Sister Yifei, your acting was so good!"

Although she knew it was just polite talk, Liu Yifei fell for it. Like Huang Xiaoming, she liked hearing others praise her acting skills.

Hearing Nazha say this, she put on an act: "It was all because of the torture. You have no idea how much I was tortured when the filming first started. I was cut dozens of times a day, for a whole week."

"Oh, I see. Director Li is willing to spend that much."

"He didn't care about any of that," Liu Yifei laughed. "Towards the end, I even doubted whether I could act anymore. But thankfully, I got through it all, and my performance got better and better."

What movies or TV shows have you been filming?

Liu Yifei doesn't seem to remember seeing Gulnazar act in any dramas, or maybe she just can't recall?

I'm sorry, but it seems that Gulnazar doesn't have any outstanding representative works so far.

Xiaoxue from "Heaven's Scar"?
Diao Chan in "God of War Zhao Zilong"?
Or is it Xiao Zhuang from "The Breakup Guru"?

It seems like they can't really say it out loud.

So Gulnazar only mentioned that her upcoming drama, "Fighter of the Destiny," will air in April, in collaboration with Lu Han.

Liu Yifei had no idea what "Fighter of the Destiny" was, but she knew that Lu Han was a top star. A drama starring such a top star, regardless of its quality, would definitely attract a lot of attention.

"Wow, that's amazing. Lu Han is so popular," Liu Yifei exclaimed. Actually, Gulnazar is quite popular now too; she's one of the top female celebrities.

The meal was very relaxed and comfortable. Before leaving, Nazha successfully added Li Qiutang, Liu Yifei, Wu Jing, and others on WeChat. On the way back, she scrolled through their Moments, especially Liu Yifei's.

Unfortunately, Liu Yifei doesn't post on WeChat Moments. Her most recent post was on the evening of October 30, 2012, which read "Happy Halloween." She doesn't know how to set the privacy settings for her Moments, so she just leaves it there without doing anything about it.

Li Qiutang's WeChat Moments are full of promotional content, offering no glimpse into his personal life.

"The couple are exactly alike."

(End of this chapter)