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

Chapter 399, The Beijing Film Academy's visiting team: former teachers, a new generation of students.

"In the bet between Huayi Brothers and Li Xuan, Li Xuan surprisingly didn't use any science fiction works, even though he's touted as the godfather of Chinese science fiction."

At this point, Wang Fengsheng, the president of the Beijing Film Academy, became somewhat anxious: "I heard he chose a realistic film, which might not be very successful at the box office."

Listening to Wang Fengsheng's words, Tian Zhuang took a sip of tea and calmly said.

"Calm down, our priority right now is to have a few student representatives visit the set."

At this time, the entire Beijing Film Academy was also paying close attention to this matter.

Among the relatively young generation of male actors, Chen Kun has the strongest overall achievements besides Li Xuan. His acting skills, appearance, and temperament are all top-notch among contemporary male actors.

Even on the path of pure acting, the perception has always been that he is still above Li Xuan. It's just that Li Xuan is no longer a pure actor. He has both acting skills and the ability to lead and create. Although he is more extraordinary, objectively speaking, at least for the acting academy and the acting department, the expression of acting skills is more important.

This is also what students are paying more attention to now.

Because 'actors' are still relatively close to everyone.

The roles of 'director' and 'producer' have reached a higher level.
It's either a family tradition or a skill passed down through generations.

Or maybe the landlord's good son has unlimited bullets.

Ultimately, very few people can actually reach the level of 'director' and 'producer'; they remain aloof and unattainable. On the contrary, the path for actors is much more down-to-earth.

“Visiting the set? We’ve contacted the production team. It shouldn’t be a problem. We can bring people over after signing a confidentiality agreement.” Wang Fengsheng paused and glanced at Tian Zhuang: “You don’t seem very surprised by Li Xuan’s kind of jumpy subject matter. From the filming of ‘The Awakening Age’ to the release of ‘Source Code’, and now there’s this realistic film.”

"Amidst the changes in subject matter, some fundamental elements remain unchanged. From Zhang Yimou and Ma Xiaogang to Cameron of Avatar, they've certainly changed their subject matter quite a bit over the years, but in reality, the core is the idea; the external packaging is not the essence. Many great directors change subject matter as easily as drinking water because they have grasped the essence."

Tian Zhuang squinted.

“Principal Wang, ever since I started to get to know him, I’ve found him to be an interesting guy. You’re just being too concerned, after all, he’s placed a bet. Although, if he wins, he’ll get just as much.”

Wang Fengsheng thought about it and realized that he had indeed let his concern cloud his judgment.

It can only be said that the offer Huayi offered this time was indeed tempting, which is why Li Xuan took the plunge.
But the price to pay is absolutely huge.

As their alma mater, the only help we can offer is to introduce some promising talents to Li Xuan's film crew for a "visit," allowing them to make their own choices within the Beijing film circle and with Li Xuan.

For example, Zhu Longyi and Zhang Ruoyun, who went to the set of "The Age of Awakening" last time, said that Zhu Longyi definitely wanted to work for Li Xuan's company after graduation.

Zhang Ruoyun didn't say anything, perhaps she was still struggling with her decision, but it seemed she also preferred Li Xuan's qualities.

That place has a magical quality. Whether you admit it or not, Li Xuan now represents a 'circle'.

Like the "Beijing Circle" of yesteryear, it is a resource center centered around one or a few individuals.
"I didn't have time to go see 'The Age of Awakening' last time, but I heard it was pretty amazing, which was a pity. This time, I'm going to check out 'Dying to Survive' and see what the ingredients are."

"You haven't read 'Source Code'?"

"Ultimately, I'm at this age, and my acceptance of new things isn't that high anymore. Even if there's something substantial in it, I'll still be selective about the subject matter itself." Tian Zhuang paused and said, "But science fiction is indeed a difficult path, a path that represents the future and the international arena."

Science fiction represents the future, the youth, and fantasy.

Realistic themes represent the present and the people of today.

Historical themes represent the past and the older generation's remembrance.

Past, present, Future.

Li Xuan's choice of subject matter is always very logical.

But it remains to be seen whether his talent can support this 'principle'.

Tian Zhuang said.

"Alright, let the boys go with Wang Jingsong to visit the set. I have something else to do."

Wang Fengsheng looked at Tian Zhuang and said.

"What you're talking about."

“Yes, the Beijing literary circle asked me to come out of retirement and polish Lu Chuan’s ‘The King’s Feast’.” Tian Zhuang paused and said, “Of course, not ‘Chen’s polishing’.”

The meaning of 'Chen' is immediately clear to those in the industry. He is a master of retouching, and although many people in the industry do this, only he has a huge difference between the before and after retouching.

Wang Fengsheng never expected that Tian Zhuang would personally take charge this time.
The Beijing film circle is determined to secure the position of the leading figure of the seventh generation of directors, and has even enlisted Tian Zhuang to help.
Tian Zhuang squinted and smiled.

"Therefore, the reason Li Xuan has come this far is because of his exceptional 'purity'. He has truly relied on himself to get to where he is today. In fact, those who can reach the pinnacle all advance step by step, relying on their own 'purity'."

Wang Fengsheng could tell that Tian Zhuang was indeed more optimistic about Li Xuan's future.

At least, that's the case compared to Lu Chuan.

But if it simply refers to the 'next movie'...

That's different.

After all, Tian Zhuang was also someone who almost reached the pinnacle in the previous generation.

At this time, Wang Jinsong, Chen Bing, and Xu Xiaodan took the "Rising Stars" to visit the set.

Jing Tian, ​​who is about to graduate, is played by Wu Jinyan.

Zhang Yishan and Yang Zi, who have just enrolled
"I haven't seen my older brother in so long!" Zhang Yishan said excitedly.

Wang Jinsong then remembered that Li Xuan had made a cameo appearance in "Home with Kids".
"I always felt that Li Xuan's footprints were left in every corner of the industry."

Whether they are seniors, juniors, or elders, they are all influenced by its principles.
"He's a director now, but not a junior director. He's truly forged his own path."

Chen Bing, standing beside her, also seemed slightly moved by the situation.
He is truly a prodigy with extraordinary talent.

But all three teachers felt the same way about one thing—even Wang Jinsong felt the same way about one thing.

From the perspective of these actors, solely from the angle of performance.

I think Chen Kun is stronger. He's a top male star now, and one of the most outstanding male actors from the class of '96.

At this moment, Xu Xiaodan spoke.

"Forget it, there's no use saying so much now. Just go and see for yourself. In any case, Li Xuan is ahead of the curve, far ahead. Beyond my expectations as his teacher."

Stepping onto the high-speed train to the film crew—

Chen Bing looked out the window.

"This is my first time riding a high-speed train. I'd heard before that trains could be as fast as airplanes, but I didn't believe it."

high speed.

Compared to the green-skinned cars, it's really fast.

There is a kind that can quickly shake people off.
At this moment, Wang Jinsong murmured.

"Times have changed. If we don't keep up with the new era, we'll be like those old green trains."

the other side.

A sense of unease had been hanging over the film set for several days.

It wasn't because the director was yelling at people, nor was it because the schedule was behind schedule.

On the contrary, the filming went strangely smoothly.

Behind the monitor, Li Xuan shouted "Cut!"

A face is frozen on the screen.

Chen Kun's face.

He plays Lu Shouyi, who is looking at his newborn son in an incubator through a glass partition.

On that sallow face, stained from long-term chemotherapy, a smile was forced out, but it looked worse than a grimace.

He didn't cry, not a single tear.

He simply pressed his palm against the cold glass, his lips trembling, muttering something over and over again.

It's hard to hear clearly, but everyone can understand it.

It was a complex emotion mixed with the joy of new life, the desire to survive, and immense fear.

It's that kind of extreme despair: "I have the most precious treasure in the world, but I don't have time to protect it anymore."

"call……"

Zhou Xun exhaled a long breath, which seemed to carry weight and condensed into a cloud of white mist in the cool early spring air.

She wasn't looking at the monitor; she was staring at Li Xuan sitting next to it.
"He's acting a bit crazy," Zhou Xun said, stubbing out his cigarette, his voice hoarse.

"Hmm, this is a very good state for acting," Li Xuan said thoughtfully.

Zhou Xun didn't say anything more.

She understood what Li Xuan meant.

After that script reading session, Chen Kun seemed like a different person.

Chen Kun used to be handsome, talented, and his acting skills were top-notch among the middle generation in China. But you always felt that when he acted, he still retained a bit of sobriety and a bit of the dignity that belonged to the star Chen Kun.

But now, he has personally torn that dignity to shreds.

To portray Lu Shouyi's weakness, he actually went on a diet. In just half a month, he became so thin that he looked unrecognizable, with sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones. People would mistake him for a real patient when he walked down the street.

He stopped thinking about acting techniques; he just threw himself into that desperate situation.

He would spend an entire afternoon sitting in the hospital corridor, not saying a word, just watching the patients and their families come and go.

Once, Zhou Xun went to visit him and saw him squatting in a corner, crying loudly at a man who couldn't pay his bills. Zhou Xun also shed tears.

That wasn't acting, nor was it empathy.

Zhou Xun felt that he was using his own body and soul to experience the pain of those people again and again.

He treated himself as a container, filling it with all his despair, helplessness, and struggle.

That's why we saw that thrilling scene on the monitor just now.

That wasn't acted out; it was the truth seeping from the very marrow of my bones.

"He's risking his life," Zhou Xun couldn't help but mutter again.

She watched as Chen Kun was fed glucose water by his assistant, his face as pale as paper, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

I got too caught up in the role and can't get out of it.

For actors, this is both an honor and a huge risk.

"Let's give him a break in a couple of days," Zhou Xun suggested to Li Xuan.

If things continue like this, she's really afraid that Chen Kun will collapse before the movie is even finished.

Li Xuan shook his head. "We can't stop."

"This momentum will disappear as soon as you let your guard down."

He looked at Chen Kun, his tone devoid of any pity, only displaying an almost cruel calmness.

"He knows what he's doing."

Chen Kun certainly knew.

He sat in the chair, his mind buzzing, the scene from just moments ago still replaying in his mind's eye.

On the other side of the glass was his newborn son.

On this side of the glass is myself, on the verge of death.

He wasn't thinking about anything at the time, he was just in pain.

It felt like a piece of his heart had been ripped out, the pain making it hard for him to breathe.

He wanted to live; he wanted to watch his son grow up and hear him call him "Dad" for the first time.

This thought grew wildly like weeds, overwhelming him completely.

He drank two sips of the water his assistant handed him, and only then did he feel a little more alive.

He looked up and met Li Xuan's gaze.

The young man just looked at him, neither praising nor criticizing, as if he were evaluating a newly polished work of art.

Chen Kun's inner drive resurfaced.

Not satisfied.

Still not convinced.

He admitted that Li Xuan was right.

Li Xuan pointed him to a path, a path he had never dared to even imagine before.

Throw away all your self-esteem, skills, and experience as an actor; smash yourself apart and blend yourself into the flesh and blood of the character.

This path is both painful and exhilarating.

Every day after work, he feels like he's been skinned alive, but the next day when he gets to the set, he's like he's been injected with adrenaline, eager to throw himself back into that hell.

He seemed to understand.

Li Xuan is neither cold-blooded nor heartless.

He simply saw it earlier than everyone else: the ultimate expression for an actor, or rather, a creator, is to completely abandon oneself.

Li Xuan can do it.

Chen Kun, a graduate of the class of '96 with formal training, has been in the industry for so many years, why can't he do it?

He even wants to do better.

This is no longer just a fit of pique.

It's a contest.

It was also for the sake of 'expression' that Li Xuan mentioned.

What was said in the conference room that day intensified Chen Kun's desire.

A desire to express oneself.

Previously, Chen Kun's only thought about the path of acting was simply that it was a profession.

It's nothing special, neither noble nor lowly, just a job, a pretty good one at that.
But now, Li Xuan seems to have given this profession another meaning.

One aspect, Chen Kun believes, is that it can elevate his acting skills and sense of immersion to a higher level.
Li Xuan.
If I maintain this state, perhaps when acting opposite you, I really need to 'hold back' my performance.

When the group from Beijing Film Academy arrived at the film set, they encountered a chaotic scheduling situation.

The lighting crew was yelling, the prop crew was running, and the track cart was being pushed to its designated position with a creaking sound. The whole set was like a pot of boiling water, steaming and bustling with noise.

Li Xuan was standing behind the monitor, wearing headphones, his brows furrowed, talking into the walkie-talkie, completely oblivious to everything else.

Wang Jingsong and the other teachers, along with their students, stood on the periphery, feeling somewhat unable to get involved.

"This is quite a show of force," Chen Bing remarked softly.

"Big brother is really busy these days." Zhang Yishan craned his neck to look inside, his face full of excitement.

Just then, Liu Yifei came over from the side, carrying several bottles of water.

"Teacher Wang, Teacher Chen, Sister Dan." She greeted them with a smile, then handed out water to a few students. "You must be tired from the journey. Take a rest first. It's chaotic here, so be careful."

She handled it naturally and appropriately, as if she were the lady of the house.
Wang Jingsong took the water, glanced at her, then looked at Li Xuan, who was completely absorbed in the water not far away, and a knowing, slightly teasing smile appeared on his face.
"Oh, I knew that back then."

"What do you know?" Chen Bing asked, puzzled.

"Are you alright?"

At this moment, Wang Jinsong was looking at the film set in front of him.

at this time.

Liu Yifei was in charge of receiving them. She found them a few folding chairs and had them sit in a corner where it wouldn't be in the way. She also thoughtfully had someone bring them a few scripts, since the visiting crew would also be going in as 'extras', and there was a script for them.

"You guys watch first, he becomes completely unrecognizable as soon as he enters the film set," Liu Yifei explained half-jokingly.

"I understand, I understand." Wang Jinsong waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it.

The students immediately immersed themselves in the script.

Zhang Yishan read the pages the fastest, flipping through them with a loud rustling sound, while muttering to himself.

"Oh, I see..."

What they saw was exactly the turning point in the script.

After experiencing a series of scandals involving selling medicine, the protagonist, Cheng Yong, suddenly learns that his initial diagnosis of leukemia was a misunderstanding.

He is not sick at all.

Now, all the previous pressure and struggles seemed to have found an outlet.

In the script, Cheng Yong decisively quit his life of crime, selling all his channels and connections to Zhang Changlin, who sold counterfeit drugs. He then used the large sum of money to open a textile factory and become a big boss.

A down-on-his-luck middle-aged man, separated from his wife and children, has transformed himself into a successful entrepreneur.

"This script is awesome!" Zhang Yishan slapped his thigh, losing control of his voice, which attracted the attention of those around him.

He quickly covered his mouth and whispered to Yang Zi and Wu Jinyan beside him, "See? I told you this script would be awesome! The protagonist makes a comeback, escapes unscathed, becomes a boss, and reaches the pinnacle of life! How cool is that!"

Liu Yifei, who was standing next to them, listened to their discussion without saying anything, but gave them a rather strange look.

Is it cool?

Um.
From what I've seen so far, it's definitely quite 'awesome'.

There, a scene had just been filmed.

Li Xuan called "Cut!" and walked out from behind the monitor, talking to several actors.

Meanwhile, Chen Kun's assistant was supporting him.

Chen Kun's condition surprised the students who came to visit the set.

His face was so thin it was almost unrecognizable, with high cheekbones, sunken eyes, and an unhealthy sallow complexion. He was hunched over, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

"That's... Senior Chen Kun?" Wu Jinyan was a little hesitant to recognize him.

"What...how did he get into this state?" Zhang Yishan stopped his rant and looked at Chen Kun, feeling a little uneasy.

Wang Jinsong and Chen Bing exchanged a glance; both were experts and immediately understood the situation.

"He's really putting himself into the role," Wang Jinsong said slowly, his tone serious. "This kid is really going all out."

As they were discussing, the production crew had already begun setting up the next scene.

After giving his instructions, Li Xuan came over. He was still wearing his costume, a high-quality shirt, and a casual suit jacket. His hair was neatly combed, and he looked radiant.

This is exactly what Cheng Yong dressed like after becoming the boss.

"Teacher Wang, Teacher Chen, I'm so sorry, I couldn't leave just now." Li Xuan came over and apologized to the teachers first.

"It's okay, work is important."

Li Xuan exchanged a few pleasantries with the teachers, and then noticed that Zhang Yishan and the others each had a script in their hands, and they still seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"How's the script? Not bad, right?"

"Great! Absolutely fantastic!" Zhang Yishan immediately perked up. "Brother, you wrote this script brilliantly! Especially the part where Cheng Yong discovers he's not sick, then sells his stall and becomes a boss—it's so satisfying to read!"

Li Xuan listened without any expression on his face, and simply nodded.

"Get ready, next scene," he said to the assistant director beside him.

The next scene is Cheng Yong, now the boss, going to find Lü Shouyi.

A scene of "farewell".

The atmosphere on set changed instantly.

The scene, which had been chaotic just moments before, suddenly quieted down. Everyone took their places and even held their breath.

Li Xuan took off his coat, straightened his shirt collar, sat down in a chair, and crossed his legs.

He became Cheng Yong, the spirited Cheng Yong who had shed all his burdens.

Across from him, Chen Kun, supported by his assistant, slowly sat down.

His character, Lü Shouyi, wore a faded hospital gown and huddled in a chair like a crumpled piece of paper.

One is riding high on success, with a bright future ahead.

One is on the verge of death, exhausted and struggling.

The two of them sat facing each other across a small table.

The students who came to visit also fell silent; they could sense that something in the air was tense.

Wang Jinsong leaned forward slightly, knowing that the real show was about to begin.

(End of this chapter)