Chinese entertainment starts with Hong Shixian

Chapter 178 Damn, that was a really good performance!
Martyrs' Cemetery
Several assistant directors, along with cameramen, sound engineers, and a lot of equipment, moved around inside.

Beside them were several people in military uniforms and several people in administrative jackets.

Government personnel came to supervise.

"Be careful, this is a martyrs' cemetery, try not to damage it," director Zhang Guoqing called out.

Qi Hui and Zhang Ruoyun, along with several other actors, stood at a distance, watching the spectacle.

Xiao Zhang's scene isn't here, but at the swimming pool.

If the filming goes smoothly, we can finish it today; if not, we'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Actually, Zhang Ruoyun was hoping for things to go badly because filming training scenes was too tough!
Those were all for real!
However, Qi Hui didn't feel anything; whether he trained or not didn't affect him much.

Anyway, it's all just slacking off, so it's not tiring.

Soon, everything was ready, and Wang Qiang and a member of the armed forces department took the stage.

Wang Qiang, who plays Long Baichuan, sets up a wine offering at a place marked "Tomb of Martyr Wu Tie" and says some words.

The veteran actor's skills are excellent; his lines are delivered with great emotion, instantly drawing the audience into the story.

"Very good, cut." Director Zhang called out, "Next shot, get ready, actors, get ready!"

Soon, the assistant director on the other side announced that everything was ready and they could begin.

Guo Jingyu and Director Zhang exchanged a glance and shouted, "Scene 47, Shot 3 of 'Fire Blue Blade,' action!"

"Four Dogs, Four Dogs, your mother sent me to see you, Four Dogs..." Three actors were carrying paper figures and other items.

His performance was somewhat sad, but the addition of his dialect made it a bit funny.

The core of comedy is tragedy.

However, something amiss is that they are using the Henan dialect.

Qi Hui looked at the people in the room with a strange expression.

This is Hong Kong, located in Guangdong Province, on the southernmost tip of the Leizhou Peninsula.

The locals, however, spoke with a strong Henan accent, which was quite unexpected.

Qi Hui suspected that Director Zhang was doing it on purpose!
"Very good, cut!" Director Zhang shouted, and the filming of the cemetery scene was over.

It sounds fast, but it wasn't actually fast. Due to various problems, it took three takes to get it right.

Three paper figures were burned.

Director Zhang gave several red envelopes to the three extras.

Burning paper effigies while filming this movie is considered unlucky, so we're using red envelopes to bring good fortune.

Meanwhile, the assistant directors and their crew packed up the equipment and left the cemetery in an orderly manner.

Before leaving, the group checked everything to make sure there were no problems.

While the assistant director of the film crew was inspecting the premises, people dressed in administrative jackets and military uniforms also joined the inspection team.

Fortunately, no problems were found, and everything was fine.

Soon, the crew moved to the next scene, where it was time for Qi Hui's scenes to begin.

Of course, before that, it's time for lunch.

Zhang Ruoyun was somewhat looking forward to it, as there was a lot of setting up the venue, filming, and all sorts of other miscellaneous things to do.

It probably won't be my turn today, right?

All his scenes are daytime scenes; he doesn't have any nighttime scenes.

It's the scene where Lu Yan is recruited into the army by Long Baichuan.

After all, it's a recruitment drive; I've never heard of the armed forces department recruiting soldiers at night.

……

At 1 p.m., the venue was ready, the equipment was ready, and the extras were all prepared.

The extras originally planned to film the staff of the location company directly, but they were a bit shy in front of the camera, so the crew members had to step in.

The actors who played Jiang Xiaoyu, her clients, and her colleagues were all assistant directors on the set.

In the dressing room, Qi Hui was having his makeup done by the makeup artist.

You have to wear a hood, and your facial skin has to look a bit dark.

Because Jiang Xiaoyu's character is a fisherman's child who grew up by the sea, exposed to the sea breeze and scorching sun all day long, wouldn't she be tanned?
Of course, it can't be too dark either, because Jiang Xiaoyu is 20 years old.

They need to make him look even uglier, since his face is just like Leon Lai's—too handsome.

With a face like that, why be a real estate agent? Wouldn't it be better to work at the White Horse Club?

To be honest, the original Jiang Xiaoyu looked a bit old; when he smiled, his eyes were full of crow's feet.

This face, and he's calling Long Baichuan "Uncle PLA." It just feels so out of place, which is why Qi Hui disliked the early episodes of the show.

The truly captivating part of the show is when Jiang Xiaoyu and Lu Yan leave the beast camp and arrive at the sea training ground.

The only decent episodes in the early part were the two episodes about surviving on a desert island.

Before coming to the sea training ground, Jiang Xiaoyu was actually somewhat annoying.

After finishing his makeup, Qi Hui put on a black and white suit.
He chuckled, a smile that carried a hint of ingratiation and eagerness.

At first glance, he doesn't look like a Marine Corps soldier at all.

Guo Jingyu glanced at Qi Hui, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before saying calmly:
"Remember, you're playing a businessman in a bit, so stop trying to look cool..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Zhigang pulled him away, saying, "Brother, stop talking!"

"What are you doing? Am I wrong... Let go of me!"

"Nonsense! Have you forgotten Xie Ruolin, the character he played?" Yang Zhigang whispered. "He acted very well!"

"Not as good as you." Guo Jingyu curled his lip.

Yang Zhigang was speechless. How did you figure that out... Where did our brother get this confidence?
I don't even have that confidence!

"Old Guo, come over and get ready!" Director Zhang called out.

The assistant directors signaled to Guo Jingyu that everything was ready.

The assistant director, who will be making a cameo appearance, is also ready.

"Okay, 3, 2, 1, action!" Guo Jingyu shouted through a megaphone.

Qi Hui held up a floor plan of a house, his face beaming with a smile.

“This house is nice, but I heard it’s next to a revolutionary cemetery,” the assistant director, playing the client, said slowly.

"That's great!" Qi Hui, who plays Jiang Xiaoyu, chuckled and said.

"This is a good thing?" The assistant director stared wide-eyed.

"Of course," Qi Hui said solemnly. "Think about it, don't other cemeteries have a gloomy and eerie feeling? Does the Revolutionary Cemetery have that?"

"Think about it, children are told not to go near cemeteries, but which parent would tell their child not to go to a revolutionary cemetery?"

"Have you ever been to the revolutionary cemetery? Did you feel a sense of gloom there?"

"No, it feels warm and cozy on the contrary!"

"Uh...that makes sense. Why?" The assistant director was taken aback and asked instinctively.

These lines were revised by Qi Hui; he didn't think there was anything wrong with them when he read the script.

But when he said it, he was taken aback. Yes, why?
He paused for a moment as soon as he said that, because it wasn't in the script; he, the assistant director, had made a mistake.

However, the director didn't call "cut".

"Because they are the most lovable people," Qi Hui said solemnly.

"They sacrificed themselves for the people, so how could they harm the people after their deaths?"

On the other side, Director Zhang was also stunned. He didn't really care about changing the lines but not the play.

He glanced at the script a few times to make sure it wasn't too outrageous, and forgot the lines before they even went through his mind.

However, now, these words, spoken, have a resounding impact on him.

To be honest, this character is well-developed.

Jiang Xiaoyu's wit and intelligence are shown in her expressions and tone of voice, while her inner self and soul are revealed in her lines.

Impressive!

The assistant director was stunned for a moment, then said seriously, "Okay, I'll take this house!"

Guo Jingyu stared blankly at Qi Hui's beaming face, even forgetting to say "Pass" in surprise.

Yang Zhigang is another example. Both are businessmen, but Qi Hui's portrayals of Jiang Xiaoyu and Xie Ruolin are completely different.

Xie Ruolin only does business for money. Li Ya once asked him, "What else is in your head besides money?"
Xie Ruolin's answer was: a sense of accomplishment.

Only by making money can Xie Ruolin find meaning in life.

Jiang Xiaoyu, however, was different; he earned money to pay for his mother's medical treatment.

Compared to Xie Ruolin, Jiang Xiaoyu, who is also a businessman, is less greasy, slick, and unscrupulous, and more energetic and heroic.

"Brother, why aren't you saying anything?" Yang Zhigang looked at his older brother, who would usually complain about Qi Hui at this time.

"Shut up!" Guo Jingyu cursed.

He hadn't expected that changing these few lines would have such a good effect, nor had he expected Qi Hui to be able to perform it to this effect.

Damn, that was a really good performance!
(End of this chapter)