Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 116 The Actor's Self-Cultivation

A live-action film adaptation of "The Adventures of Li Xianji"?

Upon hearing this, Ren Pingsheng's first reaction was...

Isn't this Guo Fan's debut work?

It was the experience gained from this science fiction film that laid the foundation for directing the "Wandering Ball" series later on.

In my memory, Yin Le even turned down an offer from Huayi Brothers in order to secure Guo Fan, a newcomer, as a director.

How did this opportunity end up falling into my lap?

"Mr. Yin, you're too kind," Ren Pingsheng said, taking the business card. "I really like Director Li's work, but I'm curious why you thought of collaborating with me? If you're making a live-action film, there are plenty of experienced seniors who are more capable than me."

Yin Le smiled and said, "Director Ren, 'Li Xianji' won the Golden Potato Award today. With the good reputation we've built up, we feel the time is right. We want to make a feature film to fully present the worldviews and stories that were not fully developed in the short film due to its length limitations."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Considering that animation has a limited audience and limited box office appeal, that's why we decided to turn it into a live-action film."

Yin Le glanced at Li Yang and continued, "But making animation and making live-action films are completely different tracks. Li Yang is a genius in the field of animation, but he is not good at the actor scheduling and on-site control of live-action films. So we need a young director who can understand this work and has the ability to produce films to take the helm."

He opportunely offered a compliment, saying, "Director Ren's 'Old Boys' and other works have garnered widespread acclaim and positive reviews. Given your current appeal to young audiences, if we were to collaborate..."

Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he listened to Yin Le's flattery.

So you simply don't want Feng Xiaogang to film it?

This is a little-known gossip that everyone in the industry knew in my past life.

Zhou Xun's contract with Huayi Brothers is about to expire, and Huayi Brothers has gone to great lengths to retain this award-winning actress.

Because Zhou Xun herself really liked the short film "Li Xianji", she has publicly stated on several occasions that she wanted to play the female lead.

So Feng Xiaogang went along with it and announced that it would be his next project after "If You Are the One 2".

Huayi Brothers has a very good plan.

With the top-tier combination of Feng Xiaogang and Zhou Xun, they secured this major IP and incidentally renewed the contract.

In the end, however, Yin Le partnered with Dasheng International, taking the adaptation rights with him.

The official explanation is that Huayi Brothers did not accept director Guo Fan, recommended by Yin Le, and the two sides could not reach an agreement.

But now it seems that Yin Le isn't necessarily determined to marry Guo Fan.

Judging from the situation of these two brothers, they are now lacking manpower, money, and fame!

So, I became the object of their three-way exploitation?

"Mr. Yin, this project is very interesting, but I do have a lot on my plate right now."

Ren Pingsheng did not rule out the possibility of a definitive answer.

Disappointment flashed in Yin Le's eyes, but she quickly adjusted her expression. "I understand, I understand. Director Ren must be very busy with many projects right now. Well then, I'll send you the materials first. Take a look when you have time, and contact us anytime if you have any ideas."

After exchanging contact information, Yin Le and Li Yang said goodbye and left.

Ren Pingsheng put the business card in his pocket and continued walking around the venue, but his mind was already calculating the gains and losses of this project.

"Li Xianji" tells the story of a gamer who goes crazy trying to make up for lost time after a breakup.

This kind of obsession can easily resonate with young audiences.

The problem lies in the core premise of the story, time lag, a psychological disorder that causes people to have a distorted perception of the passage of time, which is difficult to portray with live actors.

In animation, you can use all sorts of exaggerated, absurd, and even bloody visual effects to depict the distortion and chaos of time.

But what about live-action movies?

You can't expect actors to make all sorts of bizarre physical contortions in front of the camera, can you?

Even the live-action + animation combination model that Guo Fan later adopted was proven to be a failure by the box office results of his previous life.

Why should I touch this hot potato?

Unless he can come up with a better solution.

It was already evening when I got back to the studio.

Pushing open the door, I saw a slender figure sitting in the corner, looking down at the book "An Actor Prepares" in her hands.

It's Naza.

"Have you eaten?" Ren Pingsheng walked over and asked casually.

"Hmm," Naza replied without looking up.

Ren Pingsheng looked at her and frowned slightly.

After observing her for the past two days, he found that this girl really had a good sense of the camera.

It's probably because she studied dance from a young age and participated in many selection events and model competitions.

The problem is that as soon as she interacts with people, her true colors are revealed.

I don't know if it's because I'm introverted, or because I'm afraid of being laughed at for speaking Mandarin with a slight accent.

She avoids looking up whenever possible, and if she can reply with just one word, she will never say a second.

She was truly obedient. For the past two days, Ren Pingsheng had asked her to follow Qiao Xiang and watch Qiao Xiang rehearse and perform in a play, and she obediently sat in the audience for the entire day.

But when you talk to her, she looks like a frightened deer.

If this continues, let alone playing that complex villain who is both a victim and a perpetrator, she won't even be able to deliver a single line properly!

Have to think of a way.

Ren Pingsheng doesn't have much experience in coaching actors. For actors like Bai Ke and Baby who don't perform well, he can salvage the situation with some clever editing and emotional manipulation.

But there's really nothing we can do about someone like Nazha who doesn't even dare to open her mouth.

He thought for a moment, then went outside and dialed Xiao Shenyang's number.

At this time, Xiao Shenyang was on the set of "The Laughing Swordsman".

After some pleasantries, Ren Pingsheng got down to business.

"Brother Shenyang, I have a question for you. You Errenzhuan performers are so uninhibited on stage, how did you build up your confidence in the beginning?"

Upon hearing this question, Xiao Shenyang's tone immediately became serious.

"You think we'd dare to act crazy on stage right away? We're forced into it. We've never been born into privilege. As the old saying goes, if you don't sing, you can't afford to live; if you sing, you can't afford to die."

"When you first enter the sect, your master will make you perform in front of all your fellow disciples. They will deliberately make a fuss, boo, or even curse you. The purpose is to make you numb to the shame."

"When they were seven or eight years old, they would be pushed onto the stage and face the audience. Even if they forgot their lines or misspoke, they didn't dare to stop, because once they stepped off the stage, the master's slaps were more terrifying than the audience's boos."

His descriptions became increasingly vivid.

"In our Errenzhuan, we emphasize the importance of the drum. The first drumbeat you make when you step on stage has to be so loud that it will startle the audience. If you can't, the audience will boo and jeer. You'll have to do somersaults, act like a clown, and do vulgar moves. Do whatever makes you look as bad as possible to win back the audience's attention."

"If you go through this process a few more times, your sense of shame will be worn away completely. Because on stage, it's not called performing; it's your life, the life that your whole family has to eat. Once you're on stage, your face is the least valuable thing."

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