Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

December 2014, 1.

Today marks the start of filming for "Ban Shu Legend".

Chen Li got up early again, and after washing up, he wandered around the hotel entrance.

Three minibuses were parked at the entrance, with red banners bearing the opening ceremony of "Ban Shu Legend" pasted on their sides; the edges of the banners were slightly curled up in the wind.

The props team is loading boxes onto the vehicle.

Several young women from the makeup team were squatting on the steps eating steamed buns, their mouths stuffed full, while carrying makeup cases in their hands.

Is this what daily life is like for working people?

Everyone looked miserable early in the morning.

We are all trying to live...

Chen Li wandered around for a while, but there was nothing to do, so he simply got into the car.

There weren't many people on the bus yet, so he walked to the back. Just past the middle, he heard someone call his name.

"Chen Li! Over here!"

Dilraba sat by the window, waved to him, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and patted the empty seat next to her.

Chen Li didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down on the floor.

"You got up pretty early," he said.

"Of course, I was the first one to get on the bus." Dilraba leaned closer to him, lowered her voice, and nodded towards the row in front of her.

"See that one over there?"

Chen Li followed the gaze.

A man with a strong profile was sitting in the front row, looking down at his phone.

"That guy has been texting me nonstop since the filming started, it's so annoying," Dilraba said, pouting.

"Why is it that he's a senior from my university, and now we're in the same group? It's fate."

Chen Li took another look.

The man turned around at that moment, probably because he heard the voices.

The two locked eyes.

Isn't that Zhang Zhehan?

Isn't that a coincidence?

I just stole a role from his in Nirvana in Fire.

Now, things have gotten even worse; we're in the same group again.

He's the male lead.

When Zhang Zhehan saw him, his eyes widened noticeably.

He was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened.

Why is it this kid again?

"Nirvana in Fire" stole my role, and now "Ban Shu Legend" is doing it again.

He even sat next to the junior he had his eye on.

You're chasing after me to kill me, huh?

What a coincidence!

Chen Lichong nodded in greeting.

Zhang Zhehan's lips twitched, and he turned his head back.

It's spinning quite hard.

Dilraba looked at the back of the head in front of her, then at Chen Li, and asked softly:

"You two know each other?"

"I guess you could say we know each other," Chen Li said.

Why did he look at you like that?

Chen Li thought for a moment and replied, "Maybe they think I'm handsome."

Dilraba chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

Zhang Zhehan, sitting in the front row, visibly stiffened his shoulders.

The minibus started and headed towards the venue for the opening ceremony.

Palaces outside the car window receded one after another, their gray brick walls and black tiles a striking contrast.

The Han Dynasty's architecture looks much more impressive than the Qing Dynasty's.

It has a high-end, classy feel to it.

The minibus stopped at the entrance to Han Street.

Han Street is a scenic street in the Qin Palace that imitates the market streets of the Han Dynasty. The buildings on both sides are all in the Han style, with dougong brackets, flying eaves, and vermilion gates.

The Yu Zheng film crew built the set here for more than a month.

Banners in Han Dynasty clerical script were hung along the street, bluestone slabs were laid in the middle of the road, and pottery jars and bronze tripods were displayed in front of the shops on both sides.

The main setting, "Inner Academy," is located in the two-story wooden building at the end of the street.

The cost of creating the scenery for this street alone exceeded one million.

Yu Zheng is known in the industry for his meticulous attention to costumes, props, and sets. When filming "Beauty's Rival in Palace," the phoenix crown worn by Ruby Lin alone cost over 300,000 yuan.

Later, when filming "Story of Yanxi Palace," it took more than half a year to embroider a single dragon robe. It was incredibly expensive, but also incredibly beautiful.

At the end of Han Street, the offering table has already been set up.

A red cloth was laid on the table, on which were placed an incense burner, candlesticks, and offerings.

In the center of the offering table sat a roasted suckling pig, roasted to a golden brown and dripping with oil, with three red chopsticks stuck in it.

Chen Li leaned closer to take a look at the roast suckling pig.

It smells pretty good!

Good luck! 666!

The banner was held high, and it read "Happy Start of Filming for TV Series 'Ban Shu Legend'".

A large crowd had already gathered at the scene.

Media personnel with their long lenses and microphones, and staff carrying reflectors and light stands, moved back and forth.

Chen Li glanced around; the scene was quite large.

The production companies are CCTV, Hunan Economic Television, Dongyang Xingrui, and Dongyang Huanyu.

Yu Zheng's studio has never lacked prestige.

Nine o'clock sharp, the auspicious time has arrived.

A middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses walked up to the offering table and tested the microphone.

He is the chief director, Xu Huikang.

"Distinguished guests and friends from the media, welcome to the opening ceremony of 'Ban Shu Legend'."

Xu Huikang had a loud voice, but the breeze blowing through Han Street dampened it by half.

"Legend of Ban Shu is a sister series to Legend of Lu Zhen, but this time we made many different attempts."

"The story is set in the imperial academy of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and tells the legendary tale of an orphaned girl from the grasslands who rises to become a renowned female tutor..."

The host took it and began the process.

Representatives from the production companies delivered speeches one by one.

Then there's Yu Zheng.

When Yu Zheng walked out of the crowd, the scene became noticeably more lively.

He was wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit, and his hair was combed back meticulously.

He took the microphone and cleared his throat.

"Legend of Ban Shu is my second collaboration with Zhang Wei after Legend of Lu Zhen."

"..."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was very confident.

A kind of confidence that says, "What I say is right."

Next comes the ritual of worshipping the gods and offering incense.

Yu Zheng was the first to walk to the offering table, took three incense sticks from the staff, raised them above his head with both hands, and bowed three times.

He closed his eyes and mumbled a few words as his lips moved.

Then there are the two directors—Xu Huikang and Zhu Ruibin.

Next up are Jing Tian, ​​Zhang Zhehan, and other leading actors.

We'll go by status, one at a time.

Jing Tian was the first to go up. As she took the incense, all the cameras on set focused on her.

The sound of camera shutters clicking away filled the air.

Dilraba was positioned slightly towards the back of the middle.

She let out a long sigh of relief as she came down.

Chen Li watched her walk back and whispered:

"Why does it sound like you've made a wish?"

"Huh? How did you know I was making a wish?" Dilraba's eyes widened.

"Hey! What respectable person worships gods?" Chen Li chuckled, leaning close to her ear as he spoke.

"What did you wish for? Tell us?"

"I won't tell you, because it won't work if I tell you."

She rolled her eyes at him, but the tips of her ears were red.

When the group kneels in worship, the people in the front row kneel on red cushions, while the people in the back row stand and bow.

Chen Li then bent down.

We pray for a smooth filming process, high viewership ratings, and the safety of all personnel.

Production crews always believe in this, especially for period dramas.

Although Han Dynasty dramas don't feature wire work and explosions as frequently as martial arts dramas and war films, there are still many scenes of horseback riding and archery.

The script also includes many horseback chase scenes, and falling off a horse is no joke.

People in the industry prefer to believe in the existence of such things, offering prayers for peace of mind.

Film crews in Hong Kong are very particular about this.

While mainland film crews aren't quite as extreme, they still follow all the usual rules and regulations.

The most typical example is the filming of "Mazu" in 2012.

Before filming officially began, Liu Tao made a special trip to the Mazu Ancestral Temple on Meizhou Island in Putian to consult the oracle using ancient rituals, earnestly requesting Mazu's permission for her to star in the film.

It is said that if the divination cup lands upright and then flipped over, it means that the gods have given their approval. Liu Tao threw the cup three times in a row, and each time it landed upright and then flipped over.

This probability is only 12.5%, which is quite rare.

After the news spread, the entire crew was convinced, and the local fishermen even regarded her as the "persona chosen by Mazu".

Later, when the TV series aired, its viewership rating exceeded 5%.

The people of Fujian collectively recognized her portrayal of Mazu, and some even worshipped her stills alongside the statue of Mazu.

This is a tradition of film crews to worship gods.

This is not only a sign of respect for the job, but also a way to put one's mind at ease.