Abstract Art Award Winner

After the dinner with Jia Ling's crew, Zhou Le took his leave first.

Before leaving, Jia Ling pulled him aside and asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Le'er, give me another hint, how much do you think my movie will do at the box office?"

Zhou Le stopped and thought about it seriously. He said frankly, "Sister Ling, box office results are really hard to predict; there are too many variables. But for comedies driven by genuine emotions like this, as long as word-of-mouth spreads, audiences are willing to buy into them."

I think... the results probably won't be too bad. This kind of story, which reminisces about loved ones and has a bit of a time-travel element, generally has a fixed audience and market appeal, as long as it's filmed sincerely. It has considerable potential.

He didn't mention "Jianbing Man" on set. Although he subconsciously felt that "Hi, Mom" ​​was also a work that borrowed from the previous work to some extent, Jia Ling was obviously smarter. Not only were the actors she invited more suitable, but the core mother-daughter relationship was also more solid and resonated more with ordinary people than the dream-chasing story of "Jianbing Man".

Of course, if it grosses around a billion after its release, then it will definitely be a good film.

But if it reaches twenty or thirty or even higher, although Zhou Le understands that it's due to market reasons and capital choices, the public opinion will be different at that time.

After leaving the "Li Huanying" crew, Zhou Le immediately composed himself and threw himself into filming "The Long Ballad".

He rushed back to Hengdian, travel-worn and exhausted.

Speaking of Hengdian, Zhou Le hasn't been there for quite some time.

Most of the previous filming was done on location, which had higher requirements. In comparison, Hengdian is more like a pre-cooked meal.

But for a TV series like this, pre-made dishes are pretty good.

The director is Zhu Ruibin, who has a rich resume, especially in recent years, he has directed many hit period dramas.

The 16 release of Jade Dynasty and the 18 release of Ashes of Love were both blockbuster hits.

Although it fell a bit behind later on, that was because there weren't any good scripts to film, plus there were some favors to repay in the middle.

Back on set, the first thing to do was to greet the creative team and the main actors.

The director and producer, needless to say, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Zhou Le return. With the male lead in place, they felt much more at ease.

When Zhou Le was seen, Guli Nazha was reading a script in the rest area. She looked up and saw Zhou Le, and a bright smile appeared on her face: "You're back? How was it over there?"

"Everything's going smoothly, just a few shots." Zhou Le naturally sat down in the empty seat next to her, picked up a bottle of water next to her, unscrewed it, and took a sip. "How are you doing these past few days? How's the script going?"

“I think the script is really great. No wonder you didn’t tell me before. It’s so good. I even asked the director, and he said you’ve been preparing for it for a long time…” Naza naturally took over the conversation and started discussing it, as if that bottle of water was prepared for Zhou Le.

The two stood very close, their eyes meeting during their discussion. The staff around them seemed unfazed, each busy with their own tasks.

When he encountered Liu Yuning, he was chatting with fans on his phone during a live stream. Upon seeing Zhou Le, he immediately turned off the live stream and walked over: "Brother Le!"

"Yu Ning," Zhou Le patted him on the shoulder, "Did you try on the costume? How did it feel?" Although Liu Yuning's ancient costume look was ridiculed by some netizens, he has a cheerful personality and strong team management skills. He successfully transitioned from an internet celebrity singer and participated in many film and television dramas and variety shows.

Most importantly, the people behind it are willing to support it.

This is the key in the entertainment industry.

"I tried it, it's okay, but the hood is a bit tight." Liu Yuning grinned, making fun of herself without any concern.

This wasn't their first meeting, so they were very relaxed while talking and chatting.

"Yes, as long as your acting is up to par," Zhou Le encouraged with a smile.

When I greeted Zhang Jingyi, she was sitting quietly in the corner studying the script, exuding a cool and aloof air.

Upon seeing Zhou Le, she stood up politely and said, "Teacher Zhou Le."

Zhou Le always felt that the other person looked a bit like Zhou Ye.

"Don't be so polite, you can call me Zhou Le or Brother Le." Zhou Le gestured for her to sit down. "I watched your 'The Wind Dog Boys' before, and you acted really well. That stubborn yet vulnerable feeling was particularly touching."

Zhang Jingyi smiled a little shyly: "Thank you, Brother Le. It was all thanks to the director's good arrangements. I still have a lot to learn."

Zhou Le nodded.

As long as they are easy to talk to, that's fine. His biggest worry is that actors are difficult to get along with.

After all, he had actually encountered this before. Sometimes it wasn't that actors acted like divas, yelling and shouting, or getting into conflicts with others. Some people would just cry when they were scolded, without saying anything, and would just lower their heads and go back to practice.

Just cry.

I'll cry again the next time I bring it up.

Those who watch it feel an inexplicable surge of anger.

Every time Zhou Le sees something like this, his aversion to stupidity kicks in.

However, at that time, Zhou Le was just a small-time extra, but after he became famous, he never encountered such a person again.

Of course, Zhou Le believes that the director also has a solution within the production crew.

He's a seasoned veteran, after all.

If you try this with me, I'll just kick you out.

Once everyone had arrived, Zhou Le, as the lead actor and a key participant in the script adaptation, organized a script discussion meeting for all the main creators and actors.

At the meeting, he clearly stated his demands:

"Dear teachers, the original novel of 'The Long Ballad' has a huge fan base, which is both our advantage and our pressure. I hope that each of us, regardless of the size of our role, will carefully study the original novel again to understand the core spirit of the story and the charm of the characters."

At the same time, since our story is set in the early Tang Dynasty and involves Turkic tribes and court struggles, we hope that everyone can take some time to learn about some relevant historical background knowledge.

It doesn't need to be too in-depth, but it's important to have a basic understanding and feel for the characters so that they can be believable and reflect the spirit of that era.

He paused, looked at the director and action choreographer, and continued, "In this film, there will be a lot of action scenes and horseback riding scenes, which cannot be completely solved by stunt doubles and editing alone."

To ensure the best visual effects and our safety, everyone needs to undergo necessary physical training, practice of movements and routines, and equestrian adaptation in advance.

Thank you all for your hard work, but we must be fully prepared.

Zhou Le's request was reasonable, and since he set an example himself, everyone naturally responded.

In the days that followed, the crew entered a period of intensive pre-production training.

The gym, rehearsal room, and horse farm have become the places where everyone spends the most time.

Although the training process was tedious, when many people gathered together, some interesting things were bound to happen.

Liu Yuning put on heavy ancient costumes to practice martial arts moves. She was drenched in sweat after only a few moves, calling herself a "moving steamer," and her expression became somewhat listless.

After all, the environment was harsh, and people couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

Zhou Le immediately contacted Li Guangjie and asked him to tell Liu Yuning about his experience filming The Wandering Earth. Li Guangjie couldn't contain his emotions and got excited every time he talked about it.

Liu Yuning felt much better after hearing this.

Compared to the other person, I am incredibly fortunate.

Zhang Jingyi was learning to ride a horse. At first, she was so nervous that she gripped the reins tightly and was as stiff as a wooden block on the horse's back. Zhou Le personally taught her, sitting behind her and giving instructions. In just one afternoon, Zhang Jingyi gradually relaxed and was even able to trot a few steps.

Naza practiced drawing her bow and shooting arrows with extremely graceful posture, but she lacked the strength to fully draw the bow.

Zhou Le would often stand behind her, almost hugging her, and teach her how to exert force step by step.

His breath brushed against her ear, making the tips of Nazha's ears turn red, but her movements still didn't improve much. It was unclear whether she truly lacked strength or if her mind was wandering. However, on this very day, Zhang Jingyi finished her horse training and was resting and drinking water.

Just then, Zhou Le finished practicing the moves.

So I walked over.

"How are you feeling? Are you able to adapt?"

"It's okay. I'm willing to be a little tired because everyone here is reliable. Unlike the unprofessional people I encountered when filming before."

Zhou Le heard that the other party intended to share.

So they perked up their ears.

"At the time, we were filming The Wind Dogs. There was a scene where I had to cry and have an emotional outburst. I had been preparing for it for a long time and finally got into the mood when the actor opposite me suddenly let out a really loud burp."

I almost lost my temper. I felt incredibly wronged, and it felt like my entire emotional state was ruined in that instant. I was so angry that I felt a tightness in my chest, a real physical pain.

Zhou Le listened with great interest: "And then?"

"Later, the director yelled 'cut' and told me to calm down. I sat down by myself, clutching my chest. After a while, I realized I didn't really have much chest, and then I found that my chest didn't hurt anymore."

Zhou Le: "."

That doesn't seem wrong at all.

Looking at Zhang Jingyi, Zhou Le really wanted to sign her to his own company, but unfortunately, he met her too late. If he had met her earlier, she wouldn't have been signed by Chen Kun and Zhou Xun's company first.

After Zhou Le finished expressing this statement.

Zhang Jingyi smiled.

"Why is Teacher Zhou trying to poach me to my face? I still have many years left on my contract with Dong Shen Future, and they've been treating me very well."

Zhou Le knew that the other party would definitely say that.

However, Zhang Jingyi signed with that company in 2018, when she was just starting out.

Even if they wanted to sign, they didn't have the capability.

"If you're thinking of changing jobs in the future, please consider working here," Zhou Le said at the end.

However, despite their work commitments, Zhou Le and Gulnazar's interactions became increasingly ambiguous in their private lives.

Sometimes when they finished work late, Zhou Le would naturally invite Nazha to a small shop near the film studio for a late-night snack, ostensibly to "replenish energy and discuss the script."

But most of the time they are seen in the room.

When discussing the script, we were indeed discussing the script.

Sometimes, Zhou Le would point to a line of dialogue and say, "Here, Li Changge's gaze towards Ashina Sun should be a bit more complex, containing hatred, doubt, and perhaps even a little bit of dependence that she herself is unaware of?"

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Nazha, as if he weren't looking at the script but at her. Nazha's heart raced under his gaze, and she could only nod vaguely, "Hmm...that makes sense..."

Zhou Le felt that he really needed to do this.

Otherwise, he was really afraid that Nazha wouldn't be able to get into character.

But often during training breaks, Zhou Le would only wear a tight-fitting vest soaked in sweat, which accentuated his muscular physique.

He no longer has exaggerated muscle mass, but rather smooth lines and a thin layer of tendon muscle covering his bones, exuding power and sexual tension.

This is exactly the kind of lean and muscular physique that the director wanted for a young man from a grassland tribe.

He drank water from his bottle, his Adam's apple bobbing, while Naza watched from the side, her eyes somewhat glazed over.

Zhou Le noticed her gaze, turned his head, raised an eyebrow and smiled: "What are you looking at? Is Teacher Nazha satisfied with Ashina Sun's figure?"

Naza blushed instantly, grabbed her script and pretended to fan herself: "Who's looking at you! Narcissistic! I'm hot! The air conditioning isn't even on here!"

She looked at Zhou Le with annoyance and said, "Honestly, wearing so little in this hot weather and getting all wet, I don't know who you're trying to seduce."

The script for "The Long Ballad" did indeed make significant changes to the original novel.

Li Changge was originally the daughter of the crown prince. After her entire family was wiped out, she embarked on a path of revenge and fled to the Turkic tribes on the grasslands while being pursued.

Zhou Le plays Ashina Sun, a brave and mysterious young general in the tribe.

He saved Li Changge, and in their time together, they went from initially being wary of and using each other to gradually developing feelings for one another, eventually becoming involved in a larger conflict between the nation and its people.

With the crew's start of filming, shooting officially began.

Because it was the beginning, the filming schedule was extremely demanding, often starting before dawn and continuing until late at night.

The very first scene filmed was an important dialogue scene where Li Changge arrives at the tribe, is injured, is rescued by Ashina Sun, and the two confront each other in a tent.

The emotional tension required was very high, and we had to film several takes to meet the director's requirements.

It was past 1 a.m. when we finished work, and everyone was exhausted.

Naza and Zhou Le's hotel rooms happened to be on the same floor and were adjacent to each other.

In the elevator, Naza was so tired that she almost had to stand against the wall.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Le asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, I'm just a little sleepy, my brain is all numb." Naza rubbed her temples.

Reaching the room door, Zhou Le took out his room card and opened the door, but did not go in immediately. Instead, he looked at Nazha, who was looking down and searching for her room card.

"We don't have any scenes to film tomorrow morning, so we can sleep in a bit longer," Zhou Le said.

"Yeah, at least I can finally sleep in..."

Naza finally found the room key and breathed a sigh of relief.

"How about..." Zhou Le paused, lowering his voice even further, with a hint of barely perceptible temptation, "we'll go over the scene again tomorrow afternoon? I feel like in the last take, there was a look in your eyes that could have been a little more ruthless. Let's think about it some more?"

Late at night, in the quiet hotel corridor, between adjacent rooms, an ambiguous invitation.

Naza's heart skipped a beat. She looked up and met Zhou Le's deep gaze.

Whether his rehearsal was genuine or not, both of them knew perfectly well.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and after hesitating for only a second, she nodded almost imperceptibly.

Soft voice: "Okay... then, let's check it again..."

Zhou Le smiled and stepped aside to let the doorway open: "Come in."

Naza took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and stepped into Zhou Le's room.

The door closed gently behind her, cutting off the light from the corridor and any possible glances.

Soon, the sounds of whispering romantic scenes filled the room. (End of Chapter)