Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 469 Schedule, Rehearsal

Although no photos of "Liu Yifei in the wild" were taken at the airport, news of her return to China spread like wildfire.

Fans on Weibo and Baidu Tieba were very happy.

Many actresses in the industry are also secretly following this development, not out of concern, but because they want to know how many days the second female lead in "Inception" will actually have to film.
"She's back, which means filming is basically finished, right?"

"It hasn't been easy; it's been almost three months since we joined the crew."

"It's alright, Marion Cotillard seems to still be in Los Angeles, she's still the lead actress!"

"Maybe the filming didn't go well, they'll have to reshoot."

The spirit of Ah Q is fully displayed at this moment.

An inescapable jealousy, shrouded in the "problem with the production crew" narrative, was used to maintain the last shred of psychological balance.

Yang Mi couldn't help but mutter to herself as she watched the news about Liu Yifei's return to China sparking heated discussions.

Just then, Liu Shisi called.

After thinking about it, she answered the call anyway.

It's not time for the two to break up yet.

After filming the advertisement for "Fantasy Zhu Xian," Liu Shisi was somewhat grateful to Yang Mi, because it was a resource that Yang Mi had given up. Therefore, she couldn't help but ask:
"Mimi, why did you suddenly stop taking these commercials? I have to play two roles!"

Yang Mi knew immediately that Liu Shisi was still confused, and narrowed her eyes: "Hehe, do you still not know what that game company said to me?"

"What did you say?" Liu Shisi was stunned.

"They said it directly—'Do you think you're Liu Yifei? It's already a good thing we hired you as a spokesperson.'"

Yang Mi's tone was calm and unhurried, yet it pierced through like a knife.

Liu Shisi felt a sharp pain in her heart.

Although these words were meant for Yang Mi, she didn't like hearing them.
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Yang Mi quickly changed the subject: "By the way, hasn't President Cai gotten you any good roles lately?"

"Oh, not yet."

“Then you’ll have to work harder yourself.” Yang Mi’s tone carried a hint of “experience sharing”: “Didn’t Tangren Media prepare for ‘Scarlet Heart’ before? Did they mention the female lead to you?”

"Well, it doesn't really matter now, but neither Xiaoma Benteng nor Xingchen Pictures have any artists under their management."

Yang Mi's words were very persuasive, but Liu Shisi was still thinking about what she had just said.
The next day, early in the morning.

Inside the villa, the curtains blocked out the sunlight, with only a ray of sunlight filtering through the gaps, carrying the warmth of late summer and spilling into the messy bedroom.

The bed sheet had already been kicked aside and was curled up in a corner.

In the center of the large bed, soft bedding was piled up in a mess.

A slender, fair arm emerged from the blankets, resting slightly on the edge of the bed, its fingertips still trembling from the previous night.

Near the foot of the bed, a glimpse of smooth, slender legs peeked out from the gaps in the blankets, wrapped around the soft mattress.
The air still seemed to retain the scorching heat of last night, and an ambiguous atmosphere mingled with the dawn.

The phone suddenly vibrated and rang, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet room.

Wu Chen was still immersed in the fatigue of last night, his eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and he had no intention of waking up.

Liu Yifei curled up gently in his arms, her voice soft and sweet: "Okay, answer it quickly."

After saying that, she groggily pushed Wu Chen's chest, her movements weak and limp.

Wu Chen slightly opened his eyes, but instead of reaching for his phone, he looked down at Liu Yifei in his arms.

His dark hair was scattered messily on the pillow, the ends softly clinging to his shoulders, and the lingering scent of last night remained between his brows and eyes.
The phone kept ringing stubbornly, so Wu Chen had no choice but to reach out and grab it from the bedside. He squinted and saw that it was Rebecca Sarkin from Paramount calling.

He rubbed his temples and lowered his voice to answer, "Hello."

Rebecca's crisp and efficient voice came from the other end of the phone:

"Wu, we've sent people to specifically study 'The Hurt Locker,' you know, that film tells the story of the Iraq War. We're planning to forgo releasing 'Black Swan' this Christmas and instead release it next year."

Wu Chen instantly regained some of his senses.

He had long suspected that Paramount would consider the odds of winning the award.

Going head-to-head with a film like *The Hurt Locker* might be a box office contender, but it's likely a guaranteed loss during awards season—money can't buy anything. He paused for a moment, his voice still groggy: "Next year...which month?"

"September or December."

"Um"

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yifei's eyes were half-open, her voice saccharine and cloying: "Who was it?"

"Paramount," Wu Chen replied, momentarily stunned upon hearing the voice, then warned, "I advise you not to use that voice."

Liu Yifei couldn't help but reach out and hook her arm around Wu Chen's neck, biting her lip: "I won't!"

"Then don't blame me."

Wu Chen lowered his head and landed.

The rumpled bedding rustled once more, and sunlight, fragmented by the swaying sheets, spilled onto the intertwined shadows of the two people.

At noon, the sunlight outside the window had changed from the morning light to the blazing midday sun.

Liu Yifei was at the dressing table, her eyes lingering with a lazy air, and she playfully pinched Wu Chen's waist with her puffed-out fingers, her voice tinged with coquettishness:

"I told you no, no, and now look what happened, I'm going to be laughed at to death."

"How was I supposed to know you had lunch with Shu Chang? Besides, she's not very bright. Someone would call at 11 a.m., so it wouldn't be late," Wu Chen complained.

Do you want to hear what you're saying?

Liu Yifei was amused.

Both she and Shu Chang knew that the other couldn't get up early in the morning, so they usually chose to get up around noon. But this time it just didn't happen. When she called back, Shu Chang's teasing "I know, I know" made her lose the energy to refute.

Entering September, Wu Chen had already started rehearsing with the crew in the film studio's soundstage, and even the supporting actors had been signed to six-month contracts.

This move has truly baffled those in the industry.

Although it wasn't a lot of money, we hired quite a few people; this is the popular way to do things these days.
"What is Wu Chen up to? He's hired so many supporting actors, but filming hasn't even started yet."

"I heard it's for rehearsals."

"Rehearsal? Rehearse what?"

"."

But this delighted the person who signed the contract. They acted arrogantly among the supporting actors, claiming to the outside world that they were now high-level supporting actors with six months' salary.
Meanwhile, Wu Chen sat to the side.

The main participants in the rehearsal were only three people: Zhang Yi, Li Gan, and the photography team.

Although the other supporting characters may seem to be just background figures, in this pseudo-one-shot war film with seven long takes, any mistake by any one of them could ruin the shot.

That's why he signed six-month contracts with all the supporting staff first.

“This shoot is different from the previous ones.”

Wu Chen called over two people, but the most important thing was to tell Zhang Yi, because Li Gan didn't know much about it yet.

"During training, you need to move around with the photographer, know when to stop and when to run, and you must memorize it all."
Secondly, the military training during this period, including jungle survival, snow marching, and night stealth, cannot be stopped. The August 1st Army will arrange it according to the schedule. Of course, the main focus is on you, Zhang Yi, whose character Wei Sanpao is quite proficient in this area.

Then, Li Gan, since Huang Xiaoshan is a new recruit, he doesn't need to master everything, but he needs to know how to run messages and navigate through dense forests. Also, on August 1st, some veterans will be invited to communicate with you about the details of their experiences in relaying orders and fighting.

"Understood!" they both said in unison.

Li Gan couldn't help but raise his hand and cautiously ask, "Director, what about my acting skills? I haven't studied these things, will I be able to do them?"

“You don’t need to worry about that. Just do as I say, and I’ll teach you how to act when the time is right.” Wu Chen patted him on the shoulder.

"Ok."

Li Gan didn't dare ask any more questions, but Zhang Yi, after taking a few steps, spoke with a smile:
"Don't worry, Director Wu is an internationally renowned director, he's more than capable of teaching you."

This is what we call immersion in real life, where life itself is training. You'll get used to it. Using 'acting techniques' to imitate in acting is second-rate. Director Wu doesn't need that kind of acting.”

Li Gan's eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically: "Understood, Brother Zhang Yi!"

(End of this chapter)