This director is vindictive.

Chapter 247 Truly amazing acting skills that will scare you to scream!
Although Chen Mo had watched these dramas in his previous life, it was impossible for him to remember all the details.

Therefore, how to avoid and balance sensitivity in his past life are things that Chen Mo needs to pay attention to.

As for Third Master's words, they can be said to be absolutely insightful and helpful.

After all, Chen Mo is definitely not as sensitive as him in this regard.

Third Master's words did indeed give Chen Mo a lot of inspiration.

Many people complain about domestic censorship, but in reality, restrictions exist in every country.

It's just that the focus is different.

"It would be best to film 'The Silent Truth' using metaphorical storytelling techniques, otherwise even I would have a hard time helping!" Third Master said again.

Chen Mo nodded. In his previous life, this drama had used a lot of metaphorical narrative techniques.

For example, using the term "subway body dumping case" to package a sexual assault case avoids directly presenting the underage victim.

Of course, the "subway body dumping case" itself is a very dramatic and suspenseful plot, and it has to be said that there is a reason why he has become a great mystery writer in China.

Another point is that the original novel, "The Long Night Is Hard to Brighten," depicts Jiang Yang being tortured, but the TV series changed this to include subtle hints such as trembling and fear of the dark after his release from prison.

It can be said that although it is not directly presented, this metaphorical narrative technique is more watchable from a dramatic perspective.

At the same time, it can appear less direct and sensitive.

This in itself is an art of compromise.

After saying goodbye to Third Master, Chen Mo began to have the screenwriting team revise the script.

"The Silent Truth" is still a long way off; he's going to film "The Untouchable Crime" first!
For the male lead Yan Liang in "The Untouchable Crime", Chen Mo did not choose anyone else but Qin Hao from the original version.

After all, his portrayal of Zhang Dongsheng in "The Hidden Corner" has indeed proven himself.

However, the most outstanding character in "The Untouchable" is actually Li Fengtian.

This character can be considered the pinnacle of villainous roles in Chinese film and television.

The original actor who played this role was Ning Li, who can be described as an absolute veteran actor. Many people may not know him, but in terms of acting skills, he can definitely be said to be one of the top actors in the entire series.

Chen Mo also contacted him.

After all, the original actor performed so well, there's no reason to replace him.

In fact, Chen Mo is certainly familiar with him, after all, they worked together in "The Hidden Corner".

However, to be honest, that's precisely why Chen Mo was even more amazed and impressed. You see, the characters he played, Zhang Jinglin in "The Hidden Corner" and Li Fengtian in "The Untouchable," are completely unrelated.

However, Chen Mo was also very curious about how he had portrayed Li Fengtian in his previous life. After all, in reality, Teacher Ning Li was completely different from Li Fengtian in the drama.

Chen Mo specifically arranged to meet him today to discuss the role of Li Fengtian.

Actually, the script had already been given to him, but Chen Mo didn't know what preparations he had made or how well they were going.

For this reason, Chen Mo even brought Yang Mi and Zhao Liying over.

The main purpose was to let them experience what real acting skills are!

Zhao Liying is not like she was a few years later in her previous life. At that time, she was praised by many for her good acting skills. However, a few years later, she began to move into the big screen and starred in Zhang Yimou's "The Twentieth Article" and Feng Dagang's "Sunflower". However, she encountered a setback.

In fact, this is also a manifestation of a problem with the persona.

As for Yang Mi, there's no need to say more.

In Chen Mo's opinion, whether it's Yang Mi or Zhao Liying, they definitely have acting skills, but not many.

Because they are more famous "stars" than they are skilled actors.

What makes a truly great actor?
The term "chameleon actor" is often used to describe an actor with excellent acting skills. Compared to actors whose acting skills are fixed and who play every role like themselves, these actors can always show a "completely new look" and bring many surprises to the audience.

They are "a thousand faces in one person", opening up a new path in the dead end of "formulaic acting".

Often, these people are surprising; you wouldn't even know it unless you looked at the cast list that all these roles were played by the same person.

"Director Chen, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!" When Ning Li arrived, Chen Mo, Yang Mi, and Zhao Liying were already there, and he quickly apologized.

"Not at all, we arrived early, Teacher Ning, please have a seat!" Chen Mo had great admiration and respect for these veteran actors.

He is the true people's artist; as for Yang, let's not even mention him.

"Teacher Ning, the reason I asked you out today is partly to see how your preparations are going, and partly to hear your thoughts on the character Li Fengtian. Our drama will start filming soon when the weather gets colder," Chen Mo said with a smile.

Yang Mi and Zhao Liying remained silent, but they were both very curious.

The main reason is that they rarely see Chen Mo so highly praising an actor.

Even Zhang Songwen, a renowned teacher, was not so highly regarded by Chen Mo.

"Then let me tell you?" Ning Li said with a smile.

"Okay! Let's begin!" Chen Mo nodded.

What did Li Fengtian say?

In my view, he is not a criminal with "antisocial personality disorder" in the traditional sense, but a beast who spontaneously became an experimenter on humanity after being abandoned by society. His experimental field is the icy hell of Ice City, and his subjects are all those he chooses. Ning Li's words made Chen Mo's eyes light up.

This interpretation was something Chen Mo hadn't expected.

Although Ning Li is not well-known, he is a genuine overseas study elite. He was admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy with the highest score and later studied abroad.

As expected, an expert's skill is immediately apparent.

"Your point is interesting. Tell me more about it," Chen Mo said, nodding.

"The script gave him a signature habitual action: smoking backwards. I think it symbolizes a survival logic that goes against human nature. I watched some documentaries about serious criminals in Northeast China and found that some of them really smoke backwards."

I want to start by talking about his family of origin and childhood trauma to explain why he became the way he was later.

Having read the original novel and combined it with the script, I can understand...

He was chained to a pigsty by his mother from a young age and survived by eating swill, which led to his later matricide. He lost his humanity and ended up on the streets, where he was taken in by an underground casino and trained to be a thug.

I think that his transformation into the "Snowman" was, in a sense, an experiment for him.

A raw test of violence and fear.

The purpose of the experiment was to test human reactions under extreme fear, such as when a victim kneels and begs for mercy, and to mimic the victim's expression; to verify the hypothesis that "human nature is inherently evil," especially the breakdown of highly intelligent elites like Luo Wen.

The reason why he is said to be antisocial personality disorder rather than antihumanity is because of his cognition and behavior.

I've analyzed his personality and deduced that he probably believes civilized rules are hypocritical, and only violence is real—"You wear suits and ties, but deep down you're just like me."

His experiment's ultimate conclusion was that everyone reveals their animalistic nature when facing death, including Yan Liang and Luo Wen, who prided themselves on justice.

Because he was abused as a child and ended up on the streets being trained to be a thug, his survival rule was: "The more ruthless, the safer!"

This unique experience distorted his worldview.

He believed that all people were beasts in human skin, a belief reinforced by his observations of gamblers and patrons of prostitutes in casinos.

His logic for killing—using frozen fish, gasoline drums, and other tools to commit murder—was a retaliatory imitation of the "pig feeder" he experienced in his childhood; the songs he hummed while burning the bodies were derived from folk songs his mother often sang when she was ill, a distorted emotional connection.

Therefore, in conclusion, he was not a born demon, but a monster created by human society itself.

Yang Mi and Zhao Liying had both read the script, but at this moment, their eyes were still filled with astonishment as they looked at Ning Li.

Ning Li's analysis gave them a chilling feeling.

"Clap clap clap!" Chen Mo couldn't help but clap his hands.

“Teacher Ning, your understanding of this character is truly unique. How about we perform a scene together right here?” Chen Mo asked with a smile.

“I have no problem. Which scene would you like to see, Director Chen?” Ning Li asked with a smile.

Chen Mo glanced at Zhao Liying and Yang Mi, and suddenly had a "good idea"!
For some reason, Yang Mi and Zhao Liying had a bad feeling after being looked at by Chen Mo.

Sure enough, Chen Mo then smiled and said to Ning Li, "It's that scene of burning people alive!"

"Hiss!" Even Ning Li gasped.

The main reason is that this scene can be said to be Li Fengtian's most perverse scene. He did not expect Chen Mo to actually let him perform this scene here.

He was confident he could act well, but the key point was that this scene was genuinely terrifying!
"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?" he asked hesitantly. Chen Mo turned to Yang Mi and Zhao Liying and asked with a smile, "Which of you two will act alongside Teacher Ning?"

Yang Mi and Zhao Liying looked at each other, wondering why, even though Ning Li seemed gentle and kind, neither of them said a word.

The main reason is that they had all read the script and knew which scene Chen Mo was referring to.

That scoundrel is definitely up to no good!

Both of them conveyed the same message in their eyes.

"Yang Mi, you're here? Didn't you aspire to be a people's artist? Teacher Ning, a real artist, is giving you a live lesson. Why don't you give it a try?" Chen Mo teased.

Yang Mi rolled her eyes. Is this never going to end?

"Xiao Dao! Don't you always boast about your acting skills? Why don't you try?" Chen Mo said, looking at Zhao Liying.

Ning Li was well aware of Chen Mo's relationship with these two female celebrities, and wisely chose to remain silent.

He silently mourned for the two of them for a few seconds, while also inwardly criticizing Chen Mo, this great director, for having such a perverse sense of humor.

The main reason is that he is confident in his acting skills. Because of this, he knows that if he were to actually act, the people who would be acting opposite him would definitely be "shocked"!
He was even wondering if he should tone it down a bit? Otherwise, it wouldn't be good to scare the director's woman.

Chen Mo was naturally unaware of Ning Li's wild thoughts at that moment; he simply wanted to teach these two a lesson.

One of them is always daydreaming about becoming a people's artist, but he keeps taking on multiple roles at once.

Another issue is that some people get praised a lot for their acting skills and start to believe they are good at it.

They should be taught a lesson by a true veteran actor like Ning Li, otherwise they'll get too cocky.

After all, times have changed. Since their roles in Chen Mo's "Article 20" and "Making a Name for Themselves," the two actresses have been praised by netizens for finally showcasing their acting skills.

But they are still far from it. Chen Mo has been a director for many years and has worked with countless actors.

You could say that watching young actors perform is just work, but watching veteran actors put on a show is a real treat.

It's not that Ning Li's acting skills are better than those of other veteran actors, but rather that different roles produce different effects.

Other veteran actors tend to perform in more stable roles, without such direct reactions.

However, Ning Li's character, Li Fengtian, faces such a "pervert" head-on. A truly great actor can make you feel like you are there.

Of course, it's not to say that only veteran actors have acting skills.

Let's get back to the main topic. Let's return to the present moment.

“How about this, we’ll do two shows, and the other one is the scene where Li Fengtian asks ‘Are you warm?’ when he kills someone,” Chen Mo said with a wicked smile.

"Hiss!" Yang Mi and Zhao Liying felt a chill run down their spines when they heard Chen Mo's words and thought of that scene.

If there hadn't been outsiders present, they probably would have already gone berserk.

What a scoundrel! How could he be so cruel?
However, deep down, both of them felt a sense of eagerness to try.

"Yang Mi, you go first!" Chen Mo directly appointed her.

“I’ll read the scene to you to make you feel more immersed,” Chen Mo said again.

Soon, Yang Mi gritted her teeth and prepared.

Chen Mo said, "Scene: An abandoned chemical plant in Harbin, cold and damp, with the smell of gasoline and rust permeating the air."

Ning Li paused for a moment, and then his entire aura changed instantly.

He walked over to Yang Mi and made a gesture as if he were tying her to a gasoline drum with a rope.

Despite performing without props, his movements appeared incredibly relaxed.

Then, he made a gesture of taking out a cigarette, and even lit the filter end with a lighter, taking a deep drag.

The action, even though there was no real object in his hand, was inexplicably vivid.

Even Yang Mi had a misconception, as if she could actually smell a stench of burnt tobacco mixed with the smell of gasoline.

Then he picked up the gasoline can (which was not actually there) and slowly poured it over Yang Mi's head!
At this moment, Yang Mi was really scared. She even felt liquid flowing down her hair, face, and clothes. She was so scared that she started to tremble!
Chen Mo thought Yang Mi was acting really well! But he had no idea that Yang Mi wasn't actually acting at this moment.

They were scared!
Ning Li said softly, "Don't move it, or it will spill and won't burn properly."

The tone was as if he were adding seasoning to a dish, which gave Chen Mo a chilling feeling.

They were saying the most ordinary words, but they sounded incredibly terrifying and horrifying.

He hummed a tuneless version of "Katyusha," struck a match, and stared at Yang Mi as if admiring a work of art, as if a flame were truly dancing in his pupils.

At this moment, Yang Mi truly felt a sense of despair.

He mimed the motion of a match falling, a strange quality in his eyes, as if he were savoring the completion of a work of art.

"Aaaaaah!" Yang Mi screamed in terror.

The sound was extremely shrill.

Ning Li, however, was completely absorbed in his role. He took two steps back, tilted his head, as if to confirm whether the burning was complete.

"Cut!" Chen Mo quickly called for a stop!
"Aaaaaah! Waaaaah!" Yang Mi screamed and suddenly burst into tears.

Ning Li, however, was out of character at this moment and stood there with an embarrassed expression.

Chen Mo hugged Yang Mi and patted her back to comfort her: "It's just acting, don't be afraid!"

"Huff! Huff!" Yang Mi took a while to recover.

"You scared me to death, Teacher Ning! You were really terrifying!" Yang Mi patted her chest, looking like she was still shaken.

Then she glared at Chen Mo fiercely, thinking how utterly despicable that scoundrel was.

However, she was truly amazed by Ning Li's superb yet relaxed acting skills.

This was the first time she had experienced that someone's acting skills could be so good that it truly made you feel like you were there.

She even had the illusion that she could smell gasoline.

This is absolutely outrageous; it's safe to say that this is the first time she's ever encountered such a situation in her acting career.

"Sorry, sorry, I used a bit too much force!" Ning Li said apologetically.

"No, no, no, Teacher Ning, you really taught me a lesson!" Yang Mi quickly shook her head.

"So? Now you know what real acting is, right?" Chen Mo asked sarcastically.

Yang Mi reached out and pinched Chen Mo in an annoyed tone.

"Teacher Ning, how did you do that?" Yang Mi couldn't help but ask.

"You've stumped me. How should I put it? I do think that calm cruelty is more terrifying than madness, but if you ask me how to do it, I really don't know how to explain it," Ning Li said with a wry smile.

Being able to act doesn't necessarily mean you can teach, and similarly, being able to teach doesn't necessarily mean you can act.

There is still a big difference between theory and practice.

That's the charm of images; if you just read words, you may never be able to experience that feeling.

Yang Mi was completely won over.

On the other side, Zhao Liying also had her mouth agape for a long time.

Even though she was just watching from the sidelines, she could still feel the terror.

"Liying, how about it? Do you still dare to audition?" Chen Mo turned to look at Zhao Liying again.

"Of course I dare! I really want to experience what it's like to act opposite a true acting master like Teacher Ning," Zhao Liying said, though her words didn't reflect her true feelings.

Actually, I was terrified inside.

But he still stubbornly insisted on his words.

Then, after a while, Ning Li asked, "Is it warm?"

Zhao Liying wasn't much better off than Yang Mi; she immediately screamed.

(End of this chapter)