1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

Many people think that Hong Kong dramas are filmed quickly, so they must not pay attention to details, and it's easy for actors to get by.

It's actually a misunderstanding.

Firstly, the fast filming speed is constrained by TVB's integrated production and broadcasting operation model, which requires them to be responsible for both production and broadcasting.

TVB Jade's prime-time slots are fully booked, with new episodes every week. This time slot is locked in in advance, leaving no room for delays.

It's not that the production team doesn't want to film a show for several years like in mainland China—if you slow down, you can't produce a show. Are you going to use ATV's shows to fill prime time slots?

Furthermore, it's a question of whether being an actor is easy or not.

Normally, TVB only allocates two to three months for filming a 20-episode drama.

This means shooting for at least 12 hours a day to produce enough footage for half an episode of the main feature.

However, setting up a scene, just for the lighting, camera positions, sound recording, and set design, takes a lot of time.

If an actor makes a mistake, the entire scene has to be reshot, which delays the entire crew's schedule, forcing everyone to work overtime.

Vivian Chow is a strong-willed person with high self-esteem. She would secretly practice many times in private to avoid making mistakes, just so that she wouldn't let so many people's efforts go to waste.

At this moment, when Yuan Yingming shouted, she immediately panicked and hurriedly said:

"Sorry, director, I'll do it again."

"1, 2, 3, Action!"

The clapperboard fell again.

Vivian Chow adjusted her expression, deliberately restraining her emotions, and threw herself into Lau Ching-wan's arms.

"stop!"

This time, he lasted two minutes, which Yuan Yingming felt was slightly better, but he was still not satisfied. He pointed out, "No, your emotions are too calm."

"sorry."

Vivian Chow lowered her head, her ears feeling a little hot.

the third time.

Vivian Chow stood there, her lips moved, but before she could get into character, Yuan Yingming waved his hand.

"Take a break and get into the swing of things. We'll film the next scene first."

After he finished speaking, he turned to the cameraman and whispered a few words to him, without looking at Vivian Chow again.

All the staff sprang into action again, adjusting camera positions and moving props as if nothing was amiss, without giving the hottest female celebrity a second glance.

She stood alone in the center of the field, looking somewhat lost and helpless. The lights shone down from above, casting her lonely shadow on the ground.

She had prepared herself to be scolded.

But Yuan Yingming didn't scold her; he just kept making her repeat the NG (no good) requests, which was even more unbearable than being scolded.

In a daze, a sentence suddenly popped into my head.

You only see the surface.

That's what the young screenwriter said.

That day at the casting meeting, he commented on her performance word by word, in a calm tone.

At the time, she was a little unconvinced, feeling that she wasn't that bad. But now, standing in front of the camera, having had countless takes, she suddenly realized he was right.

She really only saw the surface of the character.

At that moment, what welled up in her heart was not resentment or anger, but a deep sense of defeat. The feeling of self-denial washed over her like a tide, drowning out all her pride.

Sure enough, it was because her acting was so bad that she couldn't even do the most basic things right, wasting everyone's time.

That's a real failure.

She stood there, lost in thought, for a long while.

Suddenly, a shadow blocked the overhead light, overlapping with the lonely shadow.

Is it convenient?

Huo Sheng walked up to her without her noticing, holding a script in his hand. He said casually, "Let's go, we still have filming to do here later. Let's go over and chat for a bit."

Vivian Chow looked up and glanced at him.

The annoying screenwriter had no expression on his face, neither looking like he was there to comfort nor to lecture anyone. He just said something very ordinary, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

However, Vivian Chow was prepared to be criticized and move on from the past.

Huo Sheng simply pulled up a chair and sat down, asking, "Are you feeling unwell today?"

Vivian Chow shook her head instinctively, then realized it was impolite and changed her words, saying, "No, I'm fine."

"oh."

He nodded, then asked, "So you're not in good shape?"

"..."

Vivian Chow instinctively wanted to deny it, but the words wouldn't come out. She wouldn't tell a lie that ignored her own feelings.

She was definitely not in good condition. She was very nervous from the moment she stood on the sidelines in the morning. The more she wanted to perform well, the less she could perform.

"It's okay."

Huo Sheng assumed she was in a bad mood and comforted her, saying, "It's just that you're not in a good mood. Everyone has bad days. Don't be so nervous."

He was surprisingly easy to talk to when it came to NG (no good performances), probably because he hadn't yet experienced the torment of TVB's scheduling.

Moreover, Yuen Ying-ming is currently busy filming the next scene, while Wai Ka-fai has already quietly left to prepare the location for the next day's outdoor shoot.

As the third member of the production team, he should have helped to mediate the actors' emotions.

Ordinary mistakes can be criticized, but when something is wrong, the harsher the criticism, the more counterproductive it will be.

This gentleness did indeed ease Vivian Chow's tense emotions a little.

This screenwriter doesn't seem as cold-hearted as I imagined.

From her initial meeting with Huo Sheng to the start of filming, her opinion of the screenwriter has been constantly shifting.

Just when you think he's annoying, you find he's actually quite nice. Just when you think he has a good temper, you get criticized by him.

The car, with its swirling, flipped and spun, making her dizzy.

Vivian Chow's initial psychological resistance to Huo Sheng actually increased her attention to him. She paid extra attention to every aspect of him, and this intangible thing affected her judgment.

"Take a break first."

Huo Sheng closed the script, patted the chair next to him, and gestured for Zhou Huimin to sit down. "If you continue in your current state, you'll only make things worse. We still want you to play Xiao Youji well, so we can't let you resist filming right now."

When he said this, he had no idea that he had already been offended by Vivian Chow several times.

"sorry."

Vivian Chow said in a low voice.

Huo Sheng didn't know how to respond to these repeated apologies, and he didn't think Zhou Huimin had anything to apologize for.

He could only remain silent, and casually flipped open the script again.

Seeing that he was completely ignoring her, Vivian Chow suddenly asked, "Screenwriter Huo, am I that bad?"

"poor?"

Huo Sheng looked up, frowning slightly. "It's just a matter of condition, don't overthink it."

"no."

Vivian Chow shook her head, bit her lip, and said, "I mean, as an actress, am I a really bad actress?"

When she asked that question, she actually felt a little wronged. It wasn't that she wasn't trying; after she went back, she read Ruan Mei's biography over and over again, and even memorized her lines perfectly.

But as soon as I stand in front of the camera, something just doesn't feel right.