Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 119 Zhou Ye VS Zhang Jingyi, Part 2 of "Better Days"
The first scene was filmed in a classroom full of vintage charm, with mottled walls and unknown symbols carved on the desks, exuding a sense of youthful rebellion and confusion.

Gu Yang quickly got back into work mode. He frowned slightly, his eyes showing sternness and focus, and began to issue instructions with a serious expression.

"Lighting crew, listen up! The next shot will be a close-up of Hu Xiaodie's facial expression. I want to see that cowering feeling after being bullied for so long. Use the lighting to create shadows under her eyes and emphasize the suffocating atmosphere."

The lighting crew leader nodded quickly, "Director Gu, got it!"

Gu Yang turned around, his gaze sweeping over the photography team. "Cinematographer, when shooting close-ups, the camera should shake slightly to simulate an uneasy, prying perspective. When zooming out, remember to frame the indifference of the other people in the classroom with Hu Xiaodie's isolation in the same frame to create a sense of rift."

The members of the photography crew took notes diligently and responded in unison, "Understood, Director Gu!"

He walked up to Zhang Yifan, who played Hu Xiaodie, squatted down, and looked her in the eye: "Yifan, in the close-up later, you need to portray the last struggle of a drowning person."

"When Wei Lai sticks chewing gum in your hair, your pupils will contract violently first, that's physiological fear."

"Then lower your eyes, your eyelashes trembling like broken butterfly wings, your fingers unconsciously digging into the corner of the table. But remember, in the moment you lower your head, you must let a glimmer of stubbornness about to be extinguished flash across your face."

Zhang Yifan gasped. Although she didn't understand, she quickly expressed her opinion.

"Understood, Director! I will portray Hu Xiaodie's despair and resentment perfectly!"

Gu Yang reached out and patted her shoulder, then turned to look at Zhang Jingyi, who played Wei Lai: "Your smile should be like poisoned candy, and when you look at Zhang Yifan, your eyes should be like you're looking at an ant. Remember, the real bully enjoys the pleasure of controlling the pain of others."

Zhang Jingyi gripped the script tightly, her nails almost digging into the paper: "I will try my best!"

"All departments, get ready!" Gu Yang strode towards the monitor, his black down jacket kicking up a gust of cold wind. "Don't mess up the first scene!"

"One minute countdown!"

"Three, two, one, Better Days, Scene One, One Shot, One Take!"

"action!"

As the clapperboard sounded, the actors in the classroom began to perform according to their roles.

Zhang Yifan hunched over his desk with his head down, his fingertips unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothes. Zhang Jingyi leaned against the desk, a contemptuous smile playing on her lips.

"Photography, zoom in, give it a close-up!"

Gu Yang stared at the monitor, his voice calm and deep, "Shift the lights ten degrees to the left and deepen the shadows."

His finger tapped lightly on the screen. "Yifan, your eyes are wrong. You need to show the numbness that comes from long-term suppression, not just simple fear. Try again!"

Suddenly, an extra in the back row couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Gu Yang frowned slightly, his tone still calm but tinged with coldness: "That extra, who brought you here? You've laughed twice already, is it that funny? Assistant director, replace him!"

He looked around and said, "Seriously, everyone! This isn't an amusement park."

"No!" Gu Yang looked at Zhang Jingyi's slightly deliberate expression on the screen and decisively called for a stop. "Wei Lai's smile needs to be more natural. That kind of nonchalant malice is the most deadly."

During the fifth take, when Zhang Yifan's shoulders trembled and tears welled in his eyes but stubbornly refused to fall, Gu Yang finally nodded: "Cut! That's a wrap!"

The tense atmosphere instantly relaxed, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Yang took off his headphones, his tone still calm: "Prepare for the next match."

As he methodically set up the next scene, the veteran crew members exchanged glances.

Why is it so strict this time?

"Nonsense, this is a movie, how can it be the same?"

"Director Gu, it seems you've evolved again, you've become even more amazing!"

"Yes, he's become even more perverted!"

? ? ? ? ?

What the heck? Is this something I can say? What if Director Gu hears me?
Do you still want to work on the film set?
Just as everyone was about to reprimand him, they turned around and saw Zhou Ye with an excited expression on his face.

Why are you always here, gossiping and watching the drama unfold...?

……

After the first shot was filmed, the subsequent filming went smoothly.

It wasn't until Zhou Ye came on stage that she started acting opposite Zhang Jingyi.

The atmosphere then became strange.

When Zhou Ye, wearing a faded blue and white school uniform, confronted Zhang Jingyi in her white dress in front of the camera, the production assistant in front of the monitor almost knocked over the thermos cup in his hand.

The moment their profiles overlapped, even the makeup artist who had been working on set for years was momentarily stunned.

"What's going on? Is it just my imagination? Why do these two girls look like twins?" Xiao Wu, holding the reflector, gasped, the plastic board slipping in his palm.

"No! I think so too!" The sound engineer took off his headphones and stared at the two similar faces on the screen. "It's like looking in a mirror..."

"What a strange feeling, am I hitting myself?"

Gu Yang suddenly stood up, staring at the image in the viewfinder, and began to get excited.

Zhou Ye's fingertips trembled as she gripped the backpack strap, while Zhang Jingyi's raised chin created an eerie mirror image of her movement.

This feeling...!
awesome!
"Cut!" Gu Yang's voice rang out. He strode between the two actresses, his gaze sweeping back and forth across their faces.

Zhou Ye glared at him fiercely, but Zhang Jingyi subconsciously turned her face away, her ear tips turning a suspicious red.

“This sense of similarity…” Gu Yang suddenly reached out and adjusted the positions of the two people, “Keep it.”

His voice was excited, “This is natural dramatic tension! When two similar souls turn to opposite sides, the audience will see two sides of humanity in them: vulnerability and cruelty, light and darkness!”

He whirled around and yelled at the camera crew, "Switch to two cameras! Capture that suffocating feeling of a doomed showdown!"

These two girls, who are so similar, might bring a different kind of change to this film!

After a week, all the scenes at the school were filmed, and the crew moved on to other locations. In December, Chongqing was shrouded in a damp, cold fog, which draped the city in a hazy veil.

The new filming location is near an old residential building. The narrow streets are lined with mottled walls and slightly dilapidated buildings, realistically recreating the kind of life-filled yet slightly oppressive scene needed in the movie.

At this moment, the crew is filming a scene where Chen Nian (played by Zhou Ye) witnesses Xiao Bei (played by Gu Yang) being beaten up by thugs on her way home from school.

This is also Gu Yang's first appearance!
Zhou Ye was wearing a simple blue and white school uniform, carrying a slightly worn-out schoolbag, with her hair tied in a low ponytail, and her face showed the kind of cautiousness and timidity that Chen Nian had.

Gu Yang also analyzed the differences between Zhou Ye and Zhou Dongyu in the original novel.

The downside is that she might be too beautiful compared to the original Zhou Dongyu.

The good thing is that the two have similar body types!

As she passed through the alley, she saw Xiao Bei, played by Gu Yang, being punched and kicked by several thugs.

Dust churned in the cold wind, and the sight of him huddled in the corner, protecting his head, made the onlookers clench their fists.

"Cut!" Gu Yang suddenly shouted, startling the extras into freezing in place.

He wiped the fake blood from the corner of his mouth, rolled off the ground, his clothes covered in mud and dust: "Soft and limp like playing house? Really hit me!"

"Director Gu, this..." The assistant director wrung his hands anxiously, glancing at the trembling extras, "What if you get hurt..."

"It's okay, come on, slap me, put some force into it!" Gu Yang loosened his collar, glanced at the hesitant faces of the extras, and suddenly chuckled: "This is nothing! Wolf Warrior is much more intense than this. During Operation Red Sea, the director even pointed a real gun at you! Bullets whizzing past your scalp, that's what you call thrilling!"

During the eighth take, an extra's fist grazed Gu Yang's brow bone and fell, a drop of blood rolling down his eye and into the fake blood.

He curled up, breathing heavily, a sound that silenced the entire set.

"Cut!" Gu Yang uttered hoarsely, but upon seeing the replay, he suddenly said, "The expression wasn't fierce enough! Let's do it again!"

Zhang Jingyi gripped the script tightly, her fingernails almost piercing the paper.

During this time, he called her to stop countless times. In the dressing room, she secretly wiped away tears in front of the mirror, her heart filled with grievances and resentment.

Is it necessary to be so strict?

Isn't that being too nitpicky?
At this moment, as Gu Yang once again took the initiative to meet the punches of the extras, his back slammed heavily against the brick wall, and amidst the dust that rose up, he made a "again" gesture towards the camera.

He was in a terrible state.

Fake blood mixed with real blood snaked across his face, but beneath his disheveled hair, his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

As he curled up to protect his head, but still kept checking the camera position with his peripheral vision, Zhang Jingyi suddenly heard her heart pounding wildly.

It turns out that the man who always had a cold face and was nitpicking on set was all strict because of his burning passion.

Something scalding hot exploded in her chest.

It wasn't just simple admiration, but awe at the ultimate professionalism, an irresistible surge of emotion and immersion when witnessing a soul burning wildly for art.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ye was already crying her eyes out!
No need to prepare any emotions!
That heartbroken expression is a perfect fit!

She bit her lip, and just as she was about to run away, she was grabbed by a thug.

"You want to get beaten up too? Either kiss him and I'll let you go."

Zhou Ye's breathing quickened. She glanced at Xiao Bei, then at the thugs around her, and a struggling expression appeared on her face.

Waaaaah, Gu Yang got beaten up so badly!

My heart aches for you!
She's completely immersed in the role!

So she pounced on him, cupped his face, and started kissing him.

? ? ? ? ?

"Card!"

"Card?"

Here we go again?
The person filming was the assistant director who had filmed "Qingqing's Daily Life" last time. He was calmly watching the scene and letting the cameraman continue filming.

A production assistant leaned over and whispered, "Director, wasn't it supposed to be cut? Why are they still kissing? Should we remind them?"

"Remind you my foot! The director doesn't want to cut the scene, don't you understand???"

"You pig, get out of here!"

He's already quite used to it.

Last time, Director Gu and Tian Xiwei kissed for five minutes on set.

Although he was severely scolded later, and others laughed at him.

But what do they know?
Didn't you see that he's back here as an assistant director, continuing to work for Director Gu?

This time the kiss only lasted two minutes!

Gu Yang was bruised and swollen, but he immediately regained consciousness.

Zhou Ye blushed deeply with embarrassment.

"Where's the assistant director? What are you doing? Can't you call 'cut'?"

"I'm sorry, Director Gu, it's my fault!"

"Be careful next time!"

"Good good!"

(End of this chapter)