The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

"I've been learning opera since I was a student. I sang roles like Mu Guiying and Liang Hongyu..."

"Click!"

Gu Ning stepped forward from behind the monitor and said, "Li Lin, you don't need to be so dramatic in this part. Try to make it as understated as possible. You're not showing your integrity, but stating a belief that's ingrained in your bones."

"I'm sorry, Director Gu."

Li Qin said somewhat embarrassedly, "Let me adjust it again!"

Gu Ning was about to speak when his phone rang. He took it out, checked the caller ID, and said, "Get ready quickly, we'll start again in ten minutes!"

"Okay!" Li Qin nodded repeatedly.

Gu Ning took her phone and went outside to answer the call.

"Mr. Gu..."

"What did you say?"

After listening to Fan Chunxi's story, Gu Ning was also a little confused and didn't know what to say.

Previously, Fan Chunxi recommended Shu Chang to play the female lead in "Back to 20".

After he made the contact, Shu Chang was also willing to accept it.

Gu Ning didn't make a decision right away. Instead, he asked Shu Chang to send her the character design for the female lead so that she could study the role first, and then they would hold a joint audition.

He actually prefers Shu Chang's version, since there aren't many young female stars with better acting skills.

Shu Chang's acting skills are fine, but whether she can portray the feeling of someone in their sixties is hard to say.

First, send her the female lead's character design and give her time to figure it out. If she still can't compete with other actresses, then Gu Ning will have to consider someone else.

He didn't expect Shu Chang to be so dedicated, even going to the park to observe the behavior of those middle-aged women.

It's good that she put in so much effort, but she even dragged Liu Yifei along, and they were reported by the older women for acting suspiciously.

Although Uncle Hat didn't take them home, the older women recognized them, which led to the incident being reported by the media.

"She didn't say that our company invited her in advance, did she?" Gu Ning asked.

No, not at all.

Fan Chunxi said, "Although she was surrounded by reporters, she said she was preparing for an audition. Because of the movie's title, we guessed it might be related to regaining youth, so she went to the park to observe."

"She's smart."

Gu Ning said, "In that case, it's also a form of publicity for the movie. We don't need to worry about it or make any response."

"Does Shuchang still need it?" Fan Chunxi asked.

"If we don't let her audition, wouldn't that be like protesting too much?"

Gu Ning said, "It's a normal audition. We'll use her as long as she's suitable."

"Okay, I understand," Fan Chunxi said.

After ending the call, Gu Ning returned to the house and waited for Li Lin to finish preparing before filming again.

His short film is a combination of the story of "Jinling Photo Studio" and the song "Red-Clad Ladies".

The overall story framework is based on the story of "Red Silk", but the location is set in Jinling.

Then, a line from a conversation between Lin Yuxiu and Wang Guanghai in the TV series "Jinling Photo Studio" was borrowed.

Even if a short film about the War of Resistance Against Japan is well-made, its reach will be limited.

But when paired with the song "Red-Clad Ladies," it's a completely different story.

When Lu Chuan's movie is released and there are criticisms online, release the short video.

Even an actor of humble status dares not forget his duty to the country. What could be more embarrassing than this?

Although Gu Ning couldn't compose music, he remembered the lyrics and melody.

A composer has been commissioned to create a melody based on his humming.

Anyway, it's not much different from the original.

As for Li Lin, he was found by Fan Chunxi. The story of "Red Actress" is Kunqu Opera, and Gu Ning asked him to find someone who could play Kunqu Opera and also knew some performance skills, so he chose Li Lin.

At this time, Li Lin had not yet officially debuted, but she had already finished filming the new version of "Dream of the Red Chamber" and signed with Rongxingda, the same company as Yang Mi.

Although it was just a short film, Rong Xingda still gave Gu Ning face.

Unfortunately, Li Lin is not a professionally trained actor and has only acted in one play so far, which is quite difficult for her.

This scene has been filmed seven or eight times already.

They filmed it again, but it still didn't turn out well. Gu Ning saw that it was lunchtime, so she announced that they would call it a day and have dinner.

"Director Gu, I'm sorry, my acting was terrible," Li Qin said with some self-reproach.

"Don't just think about acting; you have to immerse yourself in that sense of national and personal hatred."

Gu Ning thought for a moment and said, "After you finish eating, you can go to a nearby internet cafe and search online for things you did back in the day. That will make it easier for you to get into character."

Many things, if not deliberately sought to understand, are just cold, hard numbers.

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit." Li Qin nodded.

Gu Ning nodded, took the food her assistant brought, and ate it to the side.

Li Qin quickly finished his meal and left the film and television base, finding an internet cafe nearby.

…………

During the afternoon shoot, Gu Ning noticed that Li Lin's eyes were a little red.

"Director Gu, I'm ready. I'm sure I can do it this time!" Li Lin said earnestly.

Gu Ning nodded and said, "Then I'll wait for your performance. Go get your makeup done."

"Um."

Li Lin nodded and went to find a makeup artist to do her makeup.

Although this scene had been filmed many times, Gu Ning still told it to Li Lin again after she finished her makeup.

Once the actors were in position and the stagehands had finished setting up the clapperboard, filming officially began.

Li Lin's performance this time was indeed quite good. Although it was still somewhat different from what Gu Ning had expected, Gu Ning still gave it a pass.

There was no other way; this was Li Qin's best performance after more than a dozen takes.

Gu Ning couldn't afford to waste too much time on a short film.

"Alright, take a break, get your emotions in order, and get ready for the next round!" Gu Ning said.

Having heard that, Li Lin and the other crew members breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as the film crew was busy filming, a woman wearing a mask and sunglasses arrived at the set with several people carrying various fruits and drinks.

The staff on the perimeter stopped her, exchanged a few words with her, and then led her to Gu Ning's side.

"Director Gu, this is Ms. Yang Mi, she's here to visit the set," the staff member introduced.

Yang Mi took off her mask and sunglasses, smiled, and extended her hand, saying, "Hello, Director Gu, I'm Yang Mi."

"Hello there."

Gu Ning nodded slightly and glanced at Yang Mi, who had not yet grown into a mature woman.

"Li Lin hasn't officially debuted yet. President Li was worried that she might cause trouble for Director Gu, so she asked me to come and take a look."

Yang Mi smiled and said, "I brought some fruit and drinks for the crew. Director Gu, could you please have someone distribute them?"

"Thank you very much."

Gu Ning glanced at Li Lin, who looked surprised, and knew that Yang Mi wasn't telling the truth.

Rumor has it that Yang Mi was able to film "Chinese Paladin 3" because she promised to sign with Sugar Man after her contract expired.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, Yang Mi's contract is about to expire, but there has been no news of a renewal yet.

It's certain that Honorable Men will not renew his contract.

Under these circumstances, why would Rongxingda allow her to visit and support Li Qin on set?

However, this has nothing to do with Gu Ning. He wants to sign artists, but he has no interest in signing someone as restless as Yang Mi.

Gu Ning had the fruit and drinks distributed and then went back to her work.

Yang Mi said she was there to visit the set, so she didn't want to bother Gu Ning and went to chat with Li Lin instead.

Li Lin, a newcomer, was flattered and overwhelmed by the visit from a senior colleague from the same company. She was polite but somewhat reserved.

Of course, it's also possible that Yang Mi is leaving soon and they're worried the company might overthink things.