Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

"Haha, your film crew has so many newsworthy stories! How about I do a series of reports for you?"

Yang Che extended his hand directly: "It's a pleasure to work with you."

The two sides then chatted and agreed to report every six days. The first report mainly consisted of an interview with Fan Bingbing, as well as some footage of the crowd's reactions that had just been filmed, and a brief overview of the plot.

Then, when other actors came, they would come, such as the Queen of the Women's Kingdom and the Imperial Brother; Cheng Hong; Kou Zhanwen; and there were also special reports about product placement and box office; and reports about the two songs.

Yang Che agreed to Yin Junjie's request, saying they would prioritize cooperating with media outlets, which made everyone happy.

Then they filmed a shot of Fan Bingbing dangling one foot on the edge of the platform and being pulled back by Huang Haibo, which was filmed in one take.

The subway station staff all turned away, not because they were afraid to look, but because they were afraid of triggering their occupational hazard.

That concludes the morning's filming. Of course, the crew will not move to another location; they will continue filming scenes 47 and 65 inside the subway station platform in the afternoon and evening.

When Yang Che shouted "That's a wrap," he could see the smiles on his brothers' faces. The first scene went surprisingly smoothly.

After expressing his gratitude and seeing Li Ding off, Yang Che focused more on Fan Bingbing. Her performance was unexpectedly good, completely shattering his preconceived notions. He had chosen her for her natural acting style, but she had given him a pleasant surprise.

Yang Che thought that she had thoughts outside of movies now, but very few.

Feeling his gratified and gentle gaze, the chubby boy smiled, turned his back to his hands, and skipped off to find Yin Junjie for an exclusive interview.

..........

Clearly, Cheng Er and Wu Shixian didn't think Fan Bingbing's performance was that good, and they said during dinner:

"Bingbing's performance wasn't as good as yesterday's rehearsal. She was still a bit stiff during the actual filming. Today's scenes didn't have any scenes with the two of them together, so it was okay. But once they were in the same frame, the difference was quite obvious."

Yang Che was completely confused: "Really?"

Wu Shixian opened his mouth: "A little bit. Think about Xia Yu and Huang Haibo, and then think about why you chose Huang Haibo."

Yang Che then realized what was going on and thought about it carefully: "I know, it means not letting her act, or rather, letting her play herself."

Cheng Er and Wu Shixian exchanged a glance, then nodded somewhat perfunctorily: "Yes, that's exactly what we mean."

Yang Che banged on the table: "You two directors, fucking, just spit it out."

Cheng Er lowered his head and ate his food; the braised chicken leg today was quite good.

Wu Shixian coughed lightly: "Bingbing's basic skills are very poor. If she wants to stand out, she must act naturally, that is, she must get into the role, at least she must get into the emotions. But she doesn't have those emotions. Brother Che, we have to make her feel like she's in love."

Yang Che remained silent for a long time, silently eating half a bowl of rice before saying, "Is it really necessary? I really think she did a great job."

Cheng Er coughed lightly, put down the chicken leg, and said very seriously, "Well... Brother Che, firstly, we're working on the movie's complexity; secondly, you two are quite a good match, and you're both interested in each other, so we discussed it and it's a win-win situation. If you have other ideas, then just pretend we're talking nonsense. Acting takes time; as long as she's serious, she'll eventually get it right."

Wu Shixian quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes."

Yang Che shook his head again: "Love is sweet, but most relationships are about life and death. Aren't these contradictory?"

Wu Shixian blurted out, "Well, could we ask Gao Yuanyuan to help us with a scene? I think she'd definitely be happy to. We can explain after filming, and with your skills, Brother Che, a little coaxing will surely make our relationship even better than before!"

Yang Che was shocked. Holy crap!

If he hadn't truly believed that these two were people with a passion for art, he would have thought they were just bluffing from the start.

These two are really something... trying to get Fan Bingbing into character, huh? You know what, you really have to admit.

"This is absolutely not the act of a gentleman; gentlemen, please do not mention it again!"

Wu Shixian opened his mouth and asked in a low voice, "Boss, you're not with Gao Yuanyuan, are you?"

Yang Che cleared his throat and changed the subject: "I know the effect you want, and I'm very pleased. But I haven't been wasting these past month or two. Besides deepening my understanding of the characters and guiding their emotions, I've also optimized the performance environment and adjusted the filming techniques. There are many ways to achieve an overall balanced effect, so don't think about slacking off."

Cheng Er and Wu Shixian exchanged another glance: Damn it, we've taught him too much. Ugh, that's not it. Should we just beat him to death? Isn't he a perfect Chen Shimei?

Cheng: "We're just providing you with the best solution, Che-ge. Of course, you can also put in more effort and keep communicating with the team and her."

Wu: "Yes, Che-ge, the look you gave Bingbing this morning was spot on!"

Yang Che opened his mouth. He had originally planned to stay with the crew because he could really learn a lot. He also found that his comprehension ability was indeed much higher than that of his counterpart in the other timeline. He thought it might be due to the combination of an old man's mindset and a young man's energy.

The three reached an agreement on this matter.

During the next two days of filming, what the three of them said was actually quite right. Fan Bingbing was great when she appeared on screen alone, but in the scenes with her co-stars, it wasn't as exaggerated as it seemed that there was a clear difference in their levels.

However, it's quite noticeable that Fan Bingbing's acting is a bit raw. Cheng Er, being a perfectionist, would yell, "Producer, tell me what to do!" if he felt it wasn't enough.

Of course, in addition to having Yang Che guide the actors' emotions, the directing team represented by Cheng Er and the photography team represented by Zhao Xiaoding will also adjust the shooting plan, camera positions and lighting.

Yang Che benefited greatly from the fact that Cheng Er and Wu Shixian would also communicate about the editing techniques and dubbing adjustments for the scene, and sometimes even hum the background music and write the score, etc., in order to make up for the momentary shortcomings in the performance and enhance the character's appeal.

Yang Che knew that this was the core competency of a director.

This ability cannot be learned systematically; it can only be grasped through understanding.

The young people in the crew may be technically inexperienced, but the vast majority of them are extremely talented, full of creativity, and willing to use that creativity in "My Sassy Girl".

All of these factors constantly influenced Yang Che's state of mind and behavior, leading him to frequently correct Huang Haibo and Fan Bingbing's performances, striving to make them perfect.

Huang Haibo is quick to understand and often surprises people; Fan Bingbing is less so and doesn't learn from his mistakes.

For example, during the filming of a crying scene, Fan Bingbing showcased her three acting skills: frowning, pouting, and having tears in her eyes, all learned from Qiong Yao dramas…

It's so beautiful, it makes you want to hold it in your arms and comfort it.

Then Yang Che bypassed Cheng Er and yelled "Cut!" and dragged her to a private room in the restaurant in front of everyone.