Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 545, Section 543: Adjustment and Launch
Back at the Shilla Hotel suite where we were staying.

Wang Sheng dismissed his attendants and stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Gangnam District in Seoul.

The audition scene replayed in my mind, especially the eyes, postures, and potential chemistry of those young actors.

He murmured the name, "Lim Yoon-a..."

At fourteen years old, he is indeed a bit older than the initially vague concept of "Little Kim Seo-hyun".

In the original version of "A Separation," the daughter, Terme, is younger, and her sense of innocence and bewilderment at being forced into the conflicts of the adult world are important sources of dramatic tension.

However, if Yoona is chosen, her budding, fresh and elegant aura, along with her discerning gaze that begins to understand the world, could elevate the character's depth to another dimension.

A girl who is nearing puberty and has a considerable understanding of family conflicts and moral dilemmas will no longer be a sign of pure ignorance, but rather a sign of clear-headed pain and difficult choices. This is equally impactful and may even add a touch of cruelty.

"Raising the age up, setting it to thirteen or fourteen... that seems like a good idea." Wang Sheng stroked his chin thoughtfully.

As a result, the perceived ages of husband Kim Ji-hoon and wife Park Min-hee also need to be slightly adjusted, from the original early thirties to the thirty-five to forty-four years old, to better reflect the multiple pressures of midlife crisis, career bottleneck, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for sick elderly people.

With a little makeup and some adjustments to his appearance, Ryu Seung-ryong could perfectly fulfill the role.

Li Bingbing herself possesses a mature and intellectual temperament, making her portrayal of a woman in her mid-thirties at a crossroads between career and family more convincing than an attempt to force a younger image.

The key is that choosing Lim Yoon-a means transforming the "pure observer" aspect into a "participant with some knowledge," which subtly shifts the focus of the drama. However, if explored properly, it may produce unexpected results.

Moreover, Yoona's naturalness, unpolished by much acting, and the camera presence and discipline instilled by the SM trainee system are all pluses.

As for the Korean dialogue... Wang Sheng thought of this problem.

The three major European film festivals, especially Venice, have an almost obsessive pursuit of linguistic authenticity and immersive performances in their entries.

The extensive use of voice acting, especially for the main characters, almost completely shuts the company out of the competition for major awards.

The jury prefers to select works where the actors use their own voices and can convey the soul and subtle emotional changes of the characters to the greatest extent.

Use original Korean audio as much as possible...

Anyway, it's just bringing trouble to South Korea.

Wang Sheng made up his mind.

This is undoubtedly a huge challenge for Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang.

Korean and Chinese belong to different language families, with huge differences in pronunciation habits, intonation, and grammatical structure. It is extremely difficult to reach a performance-level proficiency in a short period of time.

It's not as simple as memorizing lines and imitating pronunciation to pass the test. You need to understand the emotional logic behind the lines, and even change your oral muscle memory so that language becomes a part of the character, rather than a burden.

But it all depends on man.

Wang Sheng immediately contacted Li Tingting and issued instructions:
First, immediately hire top-tier Korean dialogue instructors for Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang. These instructors should have experience training actors in dialogue, ideally be Korean drama professionals who studied in China or seasoned voice actors. The courses will be intensive, employing an immersive teaching method.

Second, we collected a large number of contemporary Korean dramas, especially those involving family and workplace themes, for the two actors to watch and familiarize themselves with Korean expressions, tone of voice, rhythm, and even body language.

Third, we will consult with the production team to finalize the Korean version of the script as soon as possible, allowing the actors sufficient time to preview and digest it.

The goal is to get Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang's Korean dialogue to "performance level" within two months—that is, to be able to deliver the dialogue fluently, naturally, and emotionally. Accent issues can be tolerated to a certain extent, but they must not be able to break the audience's immersion.

Next is the schedule.

Wang Sheng examined his schedule.

It's mid-March now, and the deadline for submitting applications to the Venice Film Festival is the end of June.

This means that "Seoul Farewell" must complete all post-production work, including editing, color grading, sound mixing, and produce a DCP that meets the requirements of the film festival, by the end of May at the latest.

All told, there were less than three months left for filming and post-production.

Meanwhile, in early April, "The Monkey King" was scheduled to begin filming at the Jackie Chan Happy Park studio and other locations.

As a super project with a total investment of over 300 million RMB, aiming to create a benchmark for Chinese mythological epics, and also the first time that Xu Ke has taken charge of such a large-scale industrial production with the full support of Wang Sheng, Wang Sheng had to devote a lot of energy to setting the tone in the early stage, supervising in the middle stage, especially the design and shooting guidance of special effects shots, to ensure the unity of its visual style and the core of the story.

Throughout April and May, his work focus will inevitably shift to "Havoc in Heaven".

Filming for "Seoul Farewell" can only be scheduled for June at the earliest.

This conflicts with the registration deadline for Venice.

After weighing the pros and cons, Wang Sheng quickly made a decision to give up his bid for the 2004 Venice Film Festival.

"The time is too tight; rushing into it will only ruin the project."

He explained to his assistant, who arrived later to report on the work, "Art films need time to mature and be polished. We cannot sacrifice the quality of our work just to meet film festival deadlines."

The value of "Seoul Farewell" lies not in whether it will be shown at Venice this year, but in the artistic heights it can achieve.

He instructed his assistant: "Inform the Korean side that the project will proceed as planned, but filming will be scheduled for the end of August or the beginning of September. We have ample time for script readings, actor rehearsals, and technical preparations. The target has been adjusted to the Berlin Film Festival or Cannes Film Festival next year (2005)."

This immediately gave us much more time.

Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang had nearly five months to overcome the language barrier; Wang Sheng was also able to concentrate on completing the early and mid-stage filming of "Havoc in Heaven" before fully devoting himself to directing "Seoul Farewell".

……

March 22, Seoul, Grand Hyatt Hotel ballroom.

The spotlights, like a barrage of lightning, illuminated the hall as if it were daytime.

On the huge backdrop, the words "Press Conference for the Launch of the Film Project 'Seoul Farewell'" in both Chinese and Korean were particularly eye-catching. Wang Sheng, dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, sat calmly in the center of the stage.

To his left was Jung Tae-won, beaming with pride, as the main co-producer from the Korean side; to his right were Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang, dressed in formal attire, looking slightly nervous but trying their best to keep smiling.

Director Wang Sheng, producer Zheng Taiyuan, screenwriter (representative of Shengying's core screenwriting team), and lead actors Ryu Seung-ryong, Li Bingbing, Shin Young-kyun, Fan Xiaopang, and Lim Yoon-ah (accompanied by her mother and agent) and other key members of the production team all made an appearance.

Wang Sheng first introduced the project's original intention in Chinese: "Seoul Farewell is a work that delves into contemporary East Asian family, ethics, class and human nature."

It is rooted in the realities of South Korean society, but it is hoped that the emotions and dilemmas it expresses can transcend national borders and resonate widely.

We have brought together some of the most outstanding filmmakers from both China and South Korea, aiming to create a work with artistic depth and an international perspective.

His remarks were simultaneously interpreted and delivered to the South Korean media and international journalists present.

Subsequently, Jung Tae-won expressed his excitement in Korean, praising Wang Sheng's vision and courage, and promising to mobilize the best resources in South Korea to ensure the smooth production of the film.

During the acting segment, Ryu Seung-ryong expressed his expectations for the role and his trust in director Wang Sheng.

Li Bingbing greeted everyone simply in Korean, which she had practiced diligently for several days, and expressed her determination to do her best to learn the language and portray the character. Although her pronunciation was still a bit rusty, her sincere attitude won her applause.

Fan Xiaopang also gave a brief self-introduction in Korean, with a bright smile, trying his best to show his friendliness;

The most attention-grabbing contestant, Lim Yoona, appeared somewhat shy, expressing in her clear voice her honor and determination to work hard in participating in an international film production.

The highlight of the press conference was the signing ceremony.

In the presence of Wang Sheng and hundreds of media reporters, representatives of Shengying Media Group and Zheng Taiyuan, president of Taiyuan Entertainment, exchanged the signed cooperation agreement on a signing table covered with dark green velvet.

The two sides stood up and shook hands, and the sound of camera shutters clicking was deafening, marking the official start of the substantive preparation stage for the film project "Seoul Farewell".

Following the press conference, the project team quickly got to work.

The final version of the script was polished, the storyboard was drawn, the scene was scouted, the costumes, props and sets were designed, and the shooting schedule was formulated. All the work was carried out in an orderly manner within the framework established by Wang Sheng.

Li Bingbing and Fan Xiaopang, on the other hand, began more intensive and rigorous training in Korean dialogue the day after the press conference.

Wang Sheng delegated the daily preparations for "Seoul Farewell" to the deputy director of the international business department and the designated executive producer, while he himself only focused on key decisions and artistic direction.

……

Time quietly slipped into April.

Huairou, a city in Beijing.

The film studio built in the first phase of Jackie Chan's Happy Park.

April 1st, 8:08 AM, an auspicious time.

Outside Studio One, the temporary ceremony area was bustling with people, with a red carpet laid out and an incense table set up high.

The opening ceremony for the film "Havoc in Heaven" was held here.

No major media outlets were invited, and the event was relatively private, but the atmosphere was solemn and warm.

A huge banner fluttered in the wind, and on the backdrop was a concept drawing of Sun Wukong personally drawn by Xu Ke, depicting him as unruly and spirited.

The core creative team, including director Tsui Hark, producer/executive producer Wang Sheng, action director Yuen Woo-ping, art director Huo Tingxiao, and director of photography Zhao Xiaoding, as well as the main actors Liu Xiao Ling Tong (Sun Wukong), Li Xiaoran (tentatively cast as Guanyin, this role may be adjusted in later chapters), Wu Gang (Jade Emperor), and Liu Xun (Laozi), all gathered together.

Wang Sheng and Xu Ke stood side by side at the front.

Having experienced setbacks and reflections during the creation of "The Legend of Zu Mountain," Xu Ke now exudes a greater sense of determination and creative passion.

Wang Sheng's support and trust, as well as the technical support provided by the company and the film studio alliance, gave him the confidence to take a gamble and realize his vision of an Eastern mythological fantasy.

On the table were offerings such as roast suckling pig, fruit, and pastries, with incense and candles burning.

At Wang Sheng's prompting, Xu Ke, as the chief director, stepped forward first, holding three incense sticks, and bowed deeply three times to the four directions of heaven and earth and the camera. His expression was solemn, and he murmured incantations, praying for a smooth filming process.

Subsequently, Wang Sheng, Yuen Woo-ping, Liu Xiao Ling Tong, and other main creators stepped forward to offer incense.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Sheng and Xu Ke jointly unveiled the red silk cloth covering the camera, announcing the official start of filming for "Havoc in Heaven"!
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

After the ceremony, the crew did not rest for a moment and immediately threw themselves into the intense filming.

According to the plan, the initial phase will mainly involve filming some real-life scenes, including the "Huaguo Mountain" scene built in the mountainous area surrounding Huairou, as well as the "Water Curtain Cave" and "Heavenly Wonderland" scenes that will be filmed later in Guangxi Province and Yunnan Province.

Inside Studio One, the first shot is about to begin filming—a grand scene of Sun Wukong leading a group of monkeys in training on Flower Fruit Mountain.

Hundreds of stunt performers dressed in monkey costumes were already ready, and makeup artists were doing the final touch-ups.

In front of a huge green screen, multiple high-performance cameras were set up.

Wang Sheng and Xu Ke sat together behind the monitor, while Yuen Woo-ping personally directed the stuntmen's movements and actions on set.

"Havoc in Heaven, Scene 1, Shot 1, First Take!" The script supervisor's clapper sounded crisply.

"Action!"

Director Tsui Ko's voice echoed throughout the studio through the loudspeaker.

In an instant, the hissing of the monkeys, the clanging of weapons, and the dust kicked up by the blowers... all combined to create a noisy and vibrant scene.

Liu Xiao Ling Tong, playing Sun Wukong, nimbly somersaulted onto the high platform, his fiery eyes scanning his monkey followers. His innate arrogance and kingly aura instantly captured everyone's attention.

(End of this chapter)