The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1839 Opening the Space
Exhaustion is real; numbness is real; elation and happiness, satisfaction and joy are also real.

Although Emmanuel felt as if he had been pulled out of the water, completely unable to perceive his lower body, as if he were floating in mid-air, he was now full of energy and enthusiasm, completely focused on his work, and had entered workaholic mode.

Emmanuel was extremely satisfied with the shoot inside the checkered wooden house, deserving a perfect score of ten. As a photographer, he felt an incredible sense of fulfillment.

But that's still not enough, or rather, it's not over yet. Even after leaving the checkered wooden house and going outdoors, the filming continues, and the ideas in his mind continue as well. Emmanuel believes he can score twelve out of ten, further pushing the dramatic tension of this scene to a whole new level.

It's an enjoyment, a dazzling visual enjoyment. This is why Emmanuel joined the "Children of Men" project, and it's what he's pursuing.

As a cinematographer, Emmanuel is able to use his talent and skill to give the film more than just a script and acting.

Emmanuel is currently in Super Saiyan form, working! working! working!

All the inspiration came from Anson.

Although Anson's last shoot was bumpy and unsuccessful, what's remarkable is that once he got into character, his performance completely exceeded expectations. Not only did Michael Caine praise him highly, but Emmanuel also felt inspired.

Emmanuel wanted to try and showcase his ambition in the film "Children of Men," just as Anson had said, to inject more charm into the film between commerce and art, and to make watching movies an enjoyable experience.

In some ways, today's scene was relatively simple, allowing him to practice and warm up for the truly difficult scenes later on. He certainly hadn't forgotten that there was a super long take in the later part of the film, and the entire crew had been preparing for that scene. Now, he actually had a chance to warm up for it—

Of course, we can't miss it.

Judging from the current situation, Anson and Scarlett have both brought surprises, not only getting into character and into the zone, but also creating a great chemistry.

Emmanuel was completely absorbed in the moment, oblivious to the menacing grimaces of his two assistants behind him. Without hesitation, he pressed all his weight onto them, focusing his attention on the camera in his hands.

With a backstep, Emmanuel can see Julian leaving the wooden cabin. The field of vision gradually opens up to the left and right sides of the camera, and light, color and air all rush into the eyes. The whole picture slowly pulls from the foreground to the middle ground, with people, houses and space layered on top of each other to form a stacked pattern.

Emmanuel stopped, frozen in time.

Julianne stood in front of the cabin, legs spread wide, looking straight ahead with a heroic air. Her trench coat swayed gently behind her, as if she were ready to go to the battlefield at any moment. The naturally exuded atmosphere of grimness locked the entire space.

Upright and honorable, ready to die for one's country.

Those turbulent thoughts, those hesitant moments, and those unintentionally revealed tenderness seem to have dissipated in the wind, allowing me to rediscover myself.

Not only Julianne, but Scarlett was also somewhat dazed. She tried to clench her fists to control herself, but she held back, because Julianne didn't need to do that.

Julianne's resolve was as firm as a rock, and those slight moments of wavering only strengthened her conviction in her views and stance. This reminded her of why they had separated, what she was chasing after as she turned away, and what drove her to turn back and find him again. It was precisely those surging memories that reminded her of her purpose today.

The brief wavering only served to awaken the inner resolve.

Just like the job of an actor.

Wavering. Hesitant. Uncertain. Struggling. Vulnerable.

Those emotions were real and still exist. Scarlett doubted herself more than once, but the answers to all her confusion and doubts always returned to the same place. She wanted to be an actress. She longed to explore, adventure, and experience through her roles, and she also longed to seek more possibilities in life through the collision between the roles and herself.

Those anxieties and confusions are, in fact, a test on the path to steadfastness, just like Julianne's.

Scarlett liked the current state, even enjoyed it, a kind of back-and-forth collision, a kind of swaying between reality and illusion, a kind of ambiguous state of finding herself in the character and finding the character in herself after breaking the fourth wall, the whole feeling was like a dream.

In Julianne, she saw herself—similar struggles, similar confusion, similar tug-of-war. If it were her, she would make the same choice as Julianne. Julianne was more like an answer, pointing her in the right direction, and everything slowly became clear.

But she was somewhat unsure of Theo's choice.

She thought she knew Theo well enough, but every now and then, there were gaps in her understanding that she couldn't fill in, things she didn't understand, wasn't sure about, and wasn't clear about.

She thought they should calm down and talk. Perhaps they had many differences, but on some things, they were essentially the same. For example, the thing she was about to accomplish, she felt... Theo should be able to understand and support her. She just needed to calm down and talk.

Standing still, all her chaotic thoughts vanished, and she gradually calmed down. She didn't need to clench her fists, adjust her breathing, or even straighten her posture. Her eyes naturally revealed a resolute look, a kind of unwavering belief, and then she relaxed.

Only with absolute self-confidence can one truly relax.

Over Julian's shoulder, one could vaguely see what was happening inside the cabin.

Theo, his upper body hunched over and his head bowed, his facial expression obscured, followed Julian out the corner, completely ignoring the others.

Stifling, bewildered, and oppressive, the ski masks grew restless, but ultimately did not stop Theo. The leader raised his chin impatiently and gestured, and a ski mask quickly followed Theo, sticking up to him in a flash.

Unexpectedly, Theo and Julian stopped right in front of the cabin—

He bumped into the wall.

A look of surprise, frustration, and confusion flashed across his eyes and brows through his ski mask; he clearly didn't understand what was going on.

Theo stood with his legs together, but his shoulders and body slumped lazily, looking completely out of place. He appeared lazy and carefree, showing no sense of crisis whatsoever, which contrasted sharply with Julianne next to him and the ski mask behind him. He exuded a nonchalant attitude, as if he didn't care about life or death.

Three figures, each with a different posture, are all captured in the shot. In just one scene, you can see not only the relationships between the characters, but also their positions in the entire space.

From indoors to outdoors, the space opens up dramatically, naturally altering the perceived presence of characters. What was once a space crowded with characters now feels like a space crowding out the characters.

This is common sense.

But now, the relationship between the three figures is filled with a tense one of entanglement, confrontation, suspicion, and collision. The subtle relationship is revealed in the completely open space, and the change in narrative perspective can be clearly felt in the compression of the wide space.

The atmosphere changed silently.

(End of this chapter)