I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

The armor design of the Mongol army in the TV series "Marco Polo" is a faithful recreation of ancient records.

According to historical records, Mongolian armor was made by combining raw hide and metal, and each set of armor could weigh more than 30 kilograms.

Imagine ancient people wearing such armor, fighting on the battlefield with unimaginable ferocity.

In modern times, actors wearing these suffocatingly heavy suits of armor are almost unable to perform any strenuous movements.

The production team ultimately had to use a large number of extras to fill in the gaps in the scenes.

This shows how difficult it is to completely recreate historical costumes.

But Cheng Sheng managed to do this, mainly because he had the advantage of being able to create immersive experiences. So as long as the props were accurate enough, he wasn't worried about the actors not being able to wear them.

Another type is the fantasy/martial arts style, which is mainly characterized by its elegant and beautiful appearance, giving it an unreal feel.

The reasons can be broadly summarized as follows.

Firstly, most period dramas nowadays choose to be set in fictional worlds, so they don't have to worry about background restrictions (although they still need to submit reference materials for a certain dynasty). All of these dramas are viewed from the perspective of modern people using modern thinking, so they feature historical events and boundless imagination.

Secondly, most actors tend to have a pale, youthful, and thin appearance, which may not be suitable for the traditional costume style.

Thirdly, costume restoration is very expensive and time-consuming. After all, it is not an industrialized product. Moreover, if the costumes are restored, the props must also be restored. Compared with the customized route, it also requires academic evaluation, material selection, and production. The time and economic costs are very high. For some film and television dramas that are limited by investment time and need to quickly start production and recoup their results, they simply cannot afford such costs and it is difficult to assess the economic benefits.

Fourth, most viewers are not actually visually averse to novel costumes and props, and are even immersed in modern aesthetics. Some restoration makeup and costumes may seem "novel" to some people now, but that does not mean they will be the same many years later.

It can be seen that in the early days, Hanfu could attract passersby to stop and watch, but nowadays, unless the makeup and styling are exaggerated, it is difficult to get people to stop and comment on Hanfu. This may be because the popularity of Hanfu has increased, but in fact, it is because after understanding it, the curiosity of those who are not interested in the culture has passed.

Cheng Sheng is shooting historical films, so of course he wouldn't choose costumes with the post-production style of martial arts or fantasy films.

Besides clothing, there are also seemingly insignificant details in period dramas that reveal differences between eras—shoes and boots.

This problem has become an unavoidable common issue in period dramas.

The design of shoe soles always seems to be an unavoidable topic.

In almost every period drama, you can see obvious rubber marks on the soles of the shoes.

While some production teams might put in a little more effort and choose less conspicuous rubber soles, there are always others that simply use thick black rubber soles, making it seem like they want the audience not to notice.

Even more outrageous, some Qing Dynasty official boots were directly used in a Tang Dynasty scene, which is simply astonishing.

As for those historical footwear items—straw sandals, slippers, boots, wooden clogs, and so on—they seem to have been forgotten in the corner of the script, as if they never existed.

These minor oversights often cause viewers to unconsciously question the historical accuracy while enjoying the story.

Cheng Sheng naturally paid attention to this as well. To this end, he specially commissioned a manufacturer to make a batch of official boots and ordinary people's boots from the Ming Dynasty, trying his best to restore history.

Liu Dehua had already changed into his costume and was standing next to Cheng Sheng.

Although Zheng He was a eunuch, he had followed Zhu Di on the battlefield in his early years and was no less manly.

In general, eunuchs in movies and TV dramas are portrayed as having white faces and no beards, being sinister and vicious, and speaking in a effeminate manner, as if they want everyone to know that they are eunuchs as soon as they open their mouths.

Zheng He was different. He had been to the battlefield and was a eunuch at heart, but on the surface he was a man.

After Cheng Sheng finished discussing the shooting order with the assistant director Peng Damo, he glanced at Liu Dehua next to him and was about to tell Liu Dehua to get ready to go on set when Chen Kun, who was standing behind Liu Dehua, raised his hand and said, "Director."

Cheng Sheng looked at Chen Kun and frowned, "Kun, is there something wrong?" Chen Kun played a eunuch who accompanied Zheng He on his voyages to the Western Ocean, a minor supporting role.

If it were a film by an ordinary director, and Chen Kun, a top star, were to play the role of an eunuch, he definitely wouldn't agree.

But Cheng Sheng's movies are different. Even for a minor role, most stars would probably fight to get the part.

“It’s like this, I think this role should be like this… Director, are you sure you can do it?” Chen Kun asked Cheng Sheng cautiously after speaking.

Cheng Sheng looked at Chen Kun with great surprise. He didn't expect Chen Kun to have such a deep understanding of the role of a eunuch. No wonder he was able to make a bigger splash than the main character when he played the villainous eunuch in "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate".

In director Xu Ke's "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," Chen Kun broke with his usual style and played the role of an extremely effeminate eunuch.

As the male lead villain in the drama, he is Consort Wan's most trusted confidant.

Therefore, his power was second only to the emperor, and above all others.

In Xu Ke's mind, this character has a "feminine yet ruthless" personality.

Therefore, under his direction, Chen Kun's alluring side was discovered.

Therefore, he was dubbed by netizens as "the most beautiful woman in both the East and West factories".

In fact, Chen Kun in the drama has a temperament somewhat similar to Dongfang Bubai.

His captivating eyes and brows, paired with his M-shaped lips, create a unique and alluring charm.

However, this character's ending was not perfect; in fact, it was rather tragic.

Therefore, due to Feng Lidao's repeated impersonations, his subordinates were repeatedly tricked.

In the end, good triumphed over evil, and he perished in that desolate desert.

Chen Kun, who plays two roles, is able to portray both the extremely charming eunuch of the West Depot and the quirky and clever Feng Lidao.

With his unisex appearance, it's no wonder netizens have dubbed him the 'most beautiful eunuch'.

This also shows that Chen Kun's acting skills are really amazing.

"Okay, then act it the way you want."

Cheng Sheng accepted Chen Kun's suggestion and allowed him to portray the character according to his own ideas.

"Not bad, you have ideas. The entertainment industry needs actors like you. Keep it up, I believe in you." Liu Dehua patted Chen Kun on the shoulder and praised him with admiration.

"Thank you, Director. Thank you, Mr. Liu Dehua."

Chen Kun was extremely excited to be recognized by the two bigwigs.

"Cheng Sheng, Teacher Liu Dehua, Kun, these are the apples I just had my assistant buy."

At this moment, Li Xiaoran walked over with a plate of washed apples and spoke.

"Thank you, Sister Xiaoran." Chen Kun thanked her and took the fruit plate from Li Xiaoran. (End of Chapter)