I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 303, Fan Wei: What a monster!
He has never been convinced of Zhao Benshan's acting skills.

He is a genius, there is no doubt about that. He went from being a farmer to where he is now. He is a professionally trained artist, and you could say that he has a very good background in the sketch comedy world. He was taught by famous teachers.

He can be considered a properly trained professional.

To be honest, he has always had many things he was dissatisfied with.

For example, the money he received, the way others always compared him to Zhao Benshan, and his years of hard work practicing sketches and dramas.

Everything, all these things
I accept the skit.

You are a genius.

He is indeed a genius at manipulating emotions.

However, he was suppressed in "Liu Laogen" and "Ma Dashuai".

It really comes down to the issue of screen time and role allocation; I'll always only be able to play the 'ugly' character.

And in this film crew, looking around, there really isn't anyone who can keep up with him.

At least Fan Wei has this confidence; it should be his own one-man show.

That was originally what he thought.
It wasn't until Li Xuan came out that he saw the look in his eyes.

Fan Wei knew that he seemed to want to perform a one-man show.

It seems that there is no intention to actually achieve it.

This look.

Li Xuan as an actor.

It was now fully visible before my eyes.

As a director, as an actor.
Actors, sketches, dramas, and operas are all ultimately about 'acting'; many things are essentially the same, and they are also fluid.

'nature'

'Express'

They are all things in common.

Only then did Fan Wei realize with shock that 'monster' was the word used to describe this kind of person.

In terms of 'acting'.

"Suspense and period dramas are common, but in the north, we mostly have rural themes."

"Because our northern region is very down-to-earth and relatable."

At this moment, Zhao Benshan was chatting with Liu Chenghe, the director of Dongshan TV Station, who was sitting next to him.

Liu Chenghe and Zhao Benshan are good friends—in Northeast China, both television stations and film crews really have to thank Uncle Benshan.
He single-handedly carried the film and television industry in Northeast China.

From sketches to TV dramas in the cultural market, and then to last year's release of "Homecoming".

The Northeast is deeply connected with local culture and art.

When people talk about TV dramas from Northeast China, they always mention Sister Ma, Ma Dashuai, and Liu Laogen. Works born from this black soil seem to be all related to rural life.

Aside from satisfying the curiosity of city dwellers, it's only watched by some middle-aged and elderly women.

They are the core target audience of the Northeast circle.

There are also some bourgeois and artistic young people.

They would be interested in the subject matter here.

In Zhao Benshan's words.

will die.

If a topic cannot attract young people...

If a circle can't win over young people...

They will die.

Even if Benshan Media Group manages to sustain this fertile land and has a core audience, it will ultimately face a slow death.

The Northeast and Northwest circles are basically sidelined in mainstream circles. Currently, the Beijing and Hong Kong circles, as well as the Shanghai circle which specifically targets young people, are the mainstream among the younger generation.

At this moment, Zhao Benshan said leisurely
"Therefore, in the future, sketches and crosstalk will inevitably be geared towards a younger audience. Only by appealing to a younger audience can they survive and be exported to other regions."

"In your opinion, given Li Xuan's youthful age, can he lead a production team that achieves anything significant?"

Liu Chenghe actually quite liked Li Xuan.

The TV series "The Young Students".

He really liked it.

Especially its core spirit.

He has reached his level and realm.

He also paid attention to "The Long Season".

After all, it's a work set against the backdrop of the mass layoffs in the 1990s, so it's quite relevant to the subject.

However, there is one thing he is worried about.

Northeast-themed stories tend to attract more attention from older people due to the region, but the suspenseful elements they present seem to appeal to more young people.

One thing that can be confirmed is this.

The two themes are incompatible and difficult to integrate.

Either the two themes are successfully integrated.

"Don't worry, with Fan Wei as the lead actor, no matter what, people in our Northeast circle won't lose out. He's been working under me all these years, and it's really unfair to him. This is a good opportunity for him to use his acting skills to lead the crew, and there won't be any major mistakes."

At this moment, Zhao Benshan was thinking.

This stage.

Without my suppression.

His performance.

I don't think anyone can stop them.

At this moment, on a film set in Northeast China.

For the production team, director Li Xuan and Gong Biao Li Xuan were completely different people.

Do you think Li Xuan might have his scenes overshadowed while filming?

"I think so. After all, that's Fan Wei. Not to mention Fan Wei, even Chief Ma is a veteran actor from the Northeast Drama Troupe. Of course, it can't be said that Li Xuan has no advantages. The two of them combined are not as handsome as Li Xuan."

"I think Li Xuan's performance is slightly inferior to theirs, but his makeup and styling should make up for it a bit."

At this time, the crew members belonged to Huayi Brothers.

The director of photography and the assistant colorist were both discussing this matter in hushed tones.

They were rather uninterested in filming this drama.

We're from Huayi Brothers, after all. What kind of top-notch works haven't we seen? They've participated in Red Sorghum and To Live.

Having witnessed more sophisticated aesthetics, filming this TV series now seems a bit of a downgrade.

Just casually revealing a little something.

That would surely leave this young director speechless.

If we only consider it from the actor's perspective...

Li Xuan probably uses his appearance as an advantage.

I was just starting to get curious.

How to shoot Li Xuan's first shot.

What kind of dashing appearance will he make?

Fan Wei, who appears in the same frame as Li Xuan, is transformed into a middle-aged Li Xuan through makeup techniques.

His belly was slightly greasy, and he had stubble.

One of Li Xuan's innate advantages has been eliminated.

Handsome, a graduate of Beijing Film Academy.

It has vanished here.

Of course, this is divided into three timelines. In his middle age, Li Xuan became fat.

Young Li Xuan still maintains his handsome appearance.

This is a stark contrast.

It also makes people feel somewhat disoriented.

I thought you would draw him as a handsome middle-aged man.

It's surprising that it looks like this.

So ugly.

It's really a bit ugly.

When this image was sent back to Huayi Brothers.

It made people burst into laughter three times.

Li Xuan, Li Xuan.

You are even more arrogant than I imagined.

"He's becoming more and more like what I described as being overly ambitious and opportunistic. He's abandoning his handsome image and turning into a fat man. My God, what's he thinking? Does he really believe that his success has nothing to do with his appearance?"

After learning that Li Xuan was going to become even uglier.

Wang Haiyang was still a little incredulous.

This is too crazy.

Star factor.

Idol, actor.

Acting skills and physical appeal.

Only those who are collectively formed can be called stars. Li Xuan was outstandingly handsome when he was active in art films.

Good looks are a gift.

If you don't use it, it's like you're missing a leg.

It's really unreasonable.

After you give up your physical advantages.

After cutting off his own arm.

In the territory of Northeast China, where the subject matter is the main focus.

They're probably going to be completely suppressed by Fan Wei and his group.

You're just one of the four most popular young actors.

You're not a real movie star.

You're probably going to get crushed to death.

There's no doubt about that.

His background indeed limited his vision and led to his limitations.

And this limitation.

Then news came from over there that this was some kind of three-line parallel narrative, with an extremely high level of narrative difficulty. Even their film crew was completely confused and couldn't understand it. They could only say that the plot revolved around a case of a woman being murdered.

What a pathetic sight!

If this plot doesn't flop.

That market is too good.

The market is now undergoing rapid changes.

Thanks to the gradual development of the internet, many people have come into contact with the outside world and have seen excellent works in various senses.

The rapid development of the internet age has become unstoppable.

House, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. These are all excellent television shows.

Suspense, medical, science fiction.

These are niche topics in China.

They are all world-class outstanding works.

You've awakened, you know?

The internet has accelerated connections between the worlds.

Good works cannot be hidden.

This applies to both TV series and movies.

An even more brutal round of elimination is coming.

This applies to both actors and production companies.

Huayi Brothers is obviously not here.

As the leader.

My sense of smell is still there.

We may not have the ability to push prices higher now, but we can still hold onto profits.

I can sense this crisis.

“Li Xuan, his biggest problem is that he is too confident in himself.”

From the actor's perspective.

He abandoned his image advantage.

From a scriptwriting perspective, the three-line narrative and three main storylines present a visibly high level of difficulty.

Even the camera crew didn't know what they were filming; it all depended on the post-production editing.

It's important to know that these production teams have all worked on top-tier productions. Given their capabilities, there are practically no works they can't understand, unless they are extremely chaotic.

The production team is currently exhibiting this kind of chaos.

This editing doesn't seem to be easy either.

In other words...

Even if you, Li Xuan, have the ability to control it.

Is your team capable?

Is your team capable?

Are those actors talented?

The school year ended with a challenge of extremely high difficulty.

If you don't crash, who will?
At this moment, Wang Haiyang stood confidently at his desk, holding Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, turning the beads around, certain of victory.

Li Xuan.

We hope that after you join our Huayi Brothers...

They will become my colleagues and my comrades-in-arms.

They are not our slaves.

It's up to you to choose.

I hope you can be a little smarter.

1997.

1998.

2006.

The narrative unfolds along three parallel lines.
For the film crew who weren't fully immersed in their roles.

It was all very confusing and unclear.

At least one thing they understood.

This Li Xuan is in this film crew.

The feeling one bears.

It feels very natural.

Whether it's acting opposite Fan Wei.

It was still acting with other people.

For Fan Wei, who was Wang Xiang's ally, this feeling was exceptionally strong.
Li Xuan chose to use warm sunlight to transform this cold and desolate place.

It's not just Li Xuan's acting skills.

And the script.

When Wang Xiang had a loving wife, a handsome son, and a respectable job, he was a pride of his time. Although he lived an ordinary life, he always had a strong backing behind him—the Hualin Steel Plant—as the greatest endorsement of his destiny and dignity.

His name also carries a lot of hope, with the word "loud" connecting him to a more forward-looking era.

But even the most impregnable steel mill will eventually break down.

The worker, who had lived his entire life within the safety zone, never believed that it would collapse.

Or perhaps they genuinely believe that he won't fall victim to them.

But that's the damn thing about fate; he was indeed on the layoff list.

Wang Xiang tried desperately to save something, like a drowning person desperately trying to grab onto a lifeboat.

He seized upon Gong Biao, a recent college graduate who had just joined the company—because Gong Biao's work in the factory office was closest to the "top leader" and could bring news from the front lines; he also seized upon Ma Desheng, the police officer handling the case—because Captain Ma was handling a murder case at Huagang Factory, and perhaps participating in this major event could open up a new path for him, allowing him to avoid being laid off by contributing to the collective.

However, these two floating planks, Gong Biao and Ma Desheng, though seemingly sturdy, were also drifting aimlessly in the turbulent river. At that time, they didn't yet feel the impending danger of falling like Wang Xiang. Gong Biao leisurely pursued the beautiful nurse Li Ru, and Ma Desheng arrogantly believed in his investigative abilities. They were optimists in a different guise, equally naively believing that as long as they worked hard and had talent, a bright future would eventually belong to them.

When they reunited in 2006.

The cruelty of life is etched on their faces. The once spirited and handsome college student has become a rough man with acne scars, a bulbous nose, and an oily belly; the sharp-eyed police captain has gone bald and tied his hair in a braid, arguing fiercely for a spot in the Latin dance competition at the senior university.

It seems only Wang Xiang lives in a state of peace, but in reality, the madness beneath his peace is a powerful adhesive, binding the three down-on-their-luck individuals together. One has lost his family, one's marriage is on the verge of collapse, and one is single with only a dog for company—these three ravaged men, both physically and mentally, have nothing left to lose. Only their stubborn pursuit of who that figure is seems to add a little meaning to their mundane existence.

This is the line connecting three men.

Wang Xiang.

Fan Wei.

He's already hooked.

Ignore any directorial techniques, ignore any showy parts.

Been captivated by this pure script.

I'm caught up in it.

王响
Biaozi.

Fan Wei was a little confused.

He gave up completely.

She gave up thinking and became Li Xuan's puppet.

Completely controlled by Li Xuan!

Yi Ming.

It was dark.

Two storylines that do not intersect.

The story of "Xiang," "Biao," and "Sheng" forms a visible narrative, showcasing the dramatic changes in fate that people can "see." However, there's another, more subtle storyline in *The Long Season*, one that never appears in the light of day or in warm places, where the protagonists merely eke out a living in darkness. This subplot involves three forgotten children: Shen Mo, Fu Weijun, and Sui Dong.

And at this very moment.

What Gao Yuanyuan felt.

(End of this chapter)