Huayu: Starting with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

In the first week after filming began, the crew entered a high-intensity shooting schedule.

Gao hope has a habit when filming: he doesn't film in the order the series airs, but rather in groups of scenes.

All scenes on the same set are filmed in one take before moving on to the next scene.

This filming method places extremely high demands on the actors.

Because you might be playing the seventeen-year-old Xiang Yu in the morning, and then suddenly have to switch to the twenty-five-year-old Hegemon of Western Chu in the afternoon. You have to make that emotional and mental transition within a few hours.

Most actors will have the problem of "not being able to connect" because they haven't completely shed the previous state before they can't connect to the next state, and the performance will look like two different people.

But Chen Mo doesn't have this problem.

His ability to switch between states is unbelievable.

After watching from behind the monitor for three days, Gao hope said something to the assistant director.

"It's like there are several Xiang Yus living inside this kid's body; he can pull out whichever one he wants."

The assistant director smiled, thinking to himself that the director's way of praising people was quite frightening.

On the eighth day, the crew filmed a key scene.

The death of Xiang Liang.

The background of this scene is: Xiang Liang was ambushed by Qin general Zhang Han in the Battle of Dingtao and was defeated and killed. When the news reached Xiang Yu's army, the twenty-four-year-old Xiang Yu lost his uncle, who was also his last blood relative in the world.

From the time the uprising began until now, Xiang Liang has always been the pillar of support behind Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu was in charge of fighting battles, while Xiang Liang was in charge of the overall situation.

Xiang Yu was responsible for charging forward, while Xiang Liang was responsible for covering his retreat.

The uncle and nephew were like a sword and a scabbard.

The sheath is gone now.

The sword was exposed.

No one can stop it anymore.

Gao hope's original design for this scene was a rather traditional approach.

Upon learning the devastating news, Xiang Yu flew into a rage, drew his sword, overturned the table, and vowed to avenge his uncle.

This approach isn't problematic; many tragic scenes in movies and TV dramas are portrayed this way.

But before filming began, Chen Mo contacted Gao hope.

"Director Gao, I have an idea for this scene. Could I discuss it with you for a moment?"

Gao hope glanced at him.

In his film crew, it's rare for actors to proactively approach the director to discuss the script.

Young actors, in particular, are often too intimidated to even breathe loudly in his presence, let alone offer any opinions.

But Gao hope did not dislike this behavior.

On the contrary, he admired it.

If an actor has no ideas about his role, then he is just a tool to carry out the director's instructions.

Having ideas shows that he is truly "living" the role.

"explain."

"I don't think Xiang Yu would have been furious when he heard the news of Xiang Liang's death."

Gao Xi raised an eyebrow.

"He can laugh," Chen Mo said.

"laugh?"

"right."

Chen Mo's tone was calm, but very confident.

"Xiang Liang was not only Xiang Yu's uncle, but also the only person in the world who could keep him in check. When Xiang Liang was alive, no matter how arrogant Xiang Yu was, there was always someone above him who controlled him. When Xiang Liang died, that shackle was gone."

Gao hope did not interrupt him.

"Xiang Yu's grief was genuine."

Chen Mo continued.

"But his sense of liberation was also real. These two emotions are not contradictory; they exist simultaneously in the same person's body. So I think his reaction was to laugh first, not a happy laugh, but the kind of laugh where he couldn't even explain why he was laughing. As he laughed, his eyes reddened, and a tear fell. He reached out and wiped it away, stood up, and said a sentence very calmly."

"What did you say?"

"From today onwards, I'm in charge."

Gao hope stared at Chen Mo for a long time.

The assistant director next to him didn't dare to breathe.

He knows Gao hope too well.

Gao hope hates it when others change his scripts, especially when actors offer interpretations that differ from his own.

The last actor who mentioned "I have an idea" to Gao hope was immediately rebuffed, with Gao Xi saying, "Your idea is not important, my idea is."

But today, Gao hope didn't confront Chen Mo.

He remained silent for about fifteen seconds.

Then he said two words.

"Give it a try."

These two words mean: You perform for me. If you can perform to a level that I approve of, then I will use your plan. If not, then I will stick to mine.

Chen Mo nodded.

There were no polite words exchanged.

Because at moments like these, language is the most useless thing.

Only the performance in front of the camera can tell the whole story.

"All departments, prepare. News of Xiang Liang's death. First, prepare."

The scene is Xiang Yu's military tent.

Chen Mo sat inside the tent, holding a bamboo scroll in his hand, looking at a map.

A messenger rushed in, knelt down, and his voice trembled.

"General! Urgent report from Dingtao! General Xiang... he's dead in battle!"

The bamboo slip slipped from Chen Mo's hand.

It fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Everyone inside the tent held their breath, waiting to see his reaction.

Chen Mo lowered his head, looking at the rolled-up bamboo slips on the ground.

There was a three-second silence.

Then he laughed.

It wasn't a loud laugh, but a slight upturn of the corners of her mouth.

It was like hearing a not-so-funny joke.

But that laugh was more chilling than any loud crying.

Because you can see a lot in that smile.

sad.

That was the instinctive pain of a young person who had lost a loved one.

absurd.

It seemed as if fate had played a cruel joke on him.

And... a barely perceptible sense of relief.

It was like a ferocious beast that had been chained for many years suddenly hearing the sound of the chains breaking.

Is it sad? Yes, it is.

Because that iron chain was its only relative.

But is it free?

Yes.

It is free.

The smile lingered on Chen Mo's face for less than two seconds.

Then his eyes slowly reddened.

It wasn't the kind of red that screams "I'm going to cry," but a red that was bloodshot, as if something was burning in his eyes.

A tear slid down his cheek.

He raised his hand and gently stroked it with the pad of his thumb.

The movements were slow and gentle.

It's like wiping away a speck of dust that's fallen on your face.

Then he stood up.

The moment I stood up, the air inside the tent seemed to change.

It became heavy.

It became oppressive.

It's like a mountain rising abruptly from the ground.

He glanced around at everyone in the tent, his gaze eerily calm.

Then he spoke.

The voice was soft and steady, without any extra emotional fluctuations.

"From today onwards, I'm in charge."

Eight characters.

No one dared to utter a sound inside the tent.

Even the messenger who brought the message forgot that he was still kneeling on the ground.

"Card!"

Gao hope's shout of "cut!" was unusually loud in the quiet film set.

But after he shouted, he didn't move.

Sitting behind the monitor, staring at the frozen image, he remained motionless.

After several seconds, Zhao Hengyuan was the first to applaud.

Then came the other actors.

Then there are the staff.

The applause wasn't just a few polite gestures; it was genuine, heartfelt applause.

Gao hope stood up and walked to Chen Mo.

He didn't say anything, but patted Chen Mo's shoulder hard.

Then he turned around and walked back to the monitor, saying something to the assistant director.

"Delete my original version of the script. Use his instead."

The assistant director paused for a moment, then nodded.

He had followed Gao hope for twelve years, and this was the first time he had seen Gao hope voluntarily change his proposal to the actors' proposal.

the first time.

Chen Mo stood inside the tent, his chest still rising and falling slightly.

The scene he just witnessed had taken a toll on his emotions.

He looked down at his hands.

My fingertips were still trembling slightly.

That's not nervousness.

It's the aftershock of getting too immersed in the role.

He took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and then relaxed it.

Then he went to a corner, sat down, and opened the Records of the Grand Historian.

Get ready for the next game.