Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 335 346 [The Empress Role Prepared for Gong Li, Empress Dowager Xiao Yanyan of Liao]

"Crack!"

Li Yishu was very satisfied with Wang Zhiwen's acting skills. The scene just now was filmed very well. Although it was not passed in one take, it was getting better and better.

Then, he shouted to the assistant director Zhao Fei, "This play is good, Lao Zhao, quickly have someone prepare for the next scene."

"Okay, Director Li." Zhao Fei responded and ran to arrange the stage staff to start preparing for the next scene.

Li Yishu turned around and looked at Director Huang Lijia next to her, "Director Huang, how is the set design going?"

Huang Lijia said with a smile: "They are all authentic Northeastern specialties, there will be no problem, Director Li."

"That's good!"

Li Yishu didn't know much about the living habits in Northeast China, so he left the following scene of dancing alone in the ballroom to Huang Lijia.

At this time, Wang Zhiwen came over and asked, "How is it, Director Li? Did you pass the scene just now?"

"pass."

Li Yishu stared at Wang Zhiwen with a smile and said, "Brother, your acting skills are amazing. I feel like you are the living Zhang Zili!"

He has seen Liao Fan in "Black Coal, Thin Ice", and his performance was quite good, but this time he watched Wang Zhiwen play the role again. From the perspective of acting alone, Wang Zhiwen has more power than Liao Fan.

The only shortcoming may be Liao Fan's natural rough image, which is something that the more elegant Wang Zhiwen lacks.

But the unruly image has its advantages, and the elegant style also has its advantages.

All I can say is that each has its own merits.

"Haha, as long as Director Li is satisfied, I'm really afraid..." Wang Zhiwen hesitated and finally didn't say it.

Li Yishu asked curiously, "What are you afraid of?"

"Nothing, I just felt a little bit insecure after being scolded when I was filming with Director Chen."

Wang Zhiwen laughed awkwardly twice. Last year, he took on the role of Lao Ai, a man who could turn the wheel, in Chen Kaige's film. He spent two months studying the script and historical materials.

I thought I was full of confidence, but when I got to the set, Brother Chen Kai's performance made Wang Zhiwen feel a little unsure.

"Haha, Director Chen is a bit strict."

Li Yishu smiled. Although he had never visited Chen Kai's crew, he had heard a little about his style in the crew. He was the typical self-entertaining type.

It’s not that he lacks ability, but that he is extremely confident in his work.

Since the days of The Promise, he has claimed to create a domestic Lord of the Rings. Later, for The Orphan of Zhao, our great director even made a bold statement:

"The most incredible revenge is not killing people, but killing their hearts!"

"Even though we already knew the story, we were still worried until the very last moment."

"The Taoist Goes Down the Mountain" and "The Legend of the Demon Cat"...

Wait, Director Chen is always full of confidence in his works. The most important thing is that he has a perverted desire to transform the script.

To put it simply, when it comes to movies, what he wants first is not to please the audience, but to please himself.

It would be fine if it was just art films, but he also did the same with commercial films, resulting in most of his films after “The Promise” being flops. The only relatively good one, “Search,” was also due to the “human flesh cyberbullying” environment at the time.

Just as Li Yishu and Wang Zhiwen were chatting animatedly, Yu Feihong came over with a cup of brewed coffee and said with a smile on his face, "What are you talking about so happily?"

"I didn't talk about anything. I just talked to my senior brother about the upcoming dance scene."

Wang Zhiwen was a student of the 1984 acting class of Beijing Film Academy, a few years older than Li Yishu. When he graduated, Li Yishu had just entered the school.

"Haha, senior brother, it will be so interesting when you dance later." Yu Feihong laughed. She had gotten to know Wang Zhiwen a little after getting to know him over the past few days. He was a rather easy-going person, and it was hard to imagine him dancing alone while smoking a cigarette.

Well, when it comes to solo dancing, it just means dancing to the beat of the music.

"Don't say that, Mr. Yu. My head still hurts. I haven't practiced this body shape class since graduation."

Wang Zhiwen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had acted in many plays but had never had any experience in dancing. Although he was not asked to dance properly, dancing randomly was more of a challenge.

"It's okay, brother. Just dancing casually. The main thing is the atmosphere."

Li Yishu smiled and took the coffee pot handed over by Yu Feihong. She opened the lid and smelled the strong aroma of coffee. She couldn't help but smile and said, "Yes, Feihong. Your coffee is really delicious."

"That's it!" Yu Feihong looked proud.

"Brother, can you give me some?"

"Okay, some."

Li Yishu asked someone to get a ceramic cup, but Yu Feihong said, "I brought a coffee cup."

As she spoke, she pulled out two small coffee cups from her bag.

"What's the point of drinking coffee from such a small cup? If you want to drink, just drink a big cup."

Li Yishu waved her hand and asked the crew assistant to bring two ceramic cups.

When the cup was brought, he poured a full cup and said with a smile, "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Wang Zhiwen smiled. It's not like he hasn't drunk coffee before, but this is the first time he drinks it from a ceramic cup, and it's such a full cup at that.

"Tsk, why is it so bitter?"

After just taking a sip, Li Yishu looked at Yu Feihong with a frown.

Yu Feihong laughed out loud: "Haha, this is bitter coffee. If you want sweet coffee, I'll get you some sugar."

"No, the bitter taste is quite refreshing."

Li Yishu shook her head and began to talk to Wang Zhiwen about the upcoming solo dance.

Liao Fan performed very well in this play, and he is quite looking forward to Wang Zhiwen's performance.

Time passed little by little.

Zhao Fei is also ready.

Li Yishu asked someone to clean up the place and then headed to the dance hall that was temporarily built in the factory. The floor was made of wood, and the surrounding walls were covered with one-way glass mirrors. There were many red sofas placed around.

"Brother, it's up to you. I'll have someone play some music later and you can dance however you want."

"Then I'll try."

"Ready, power on!"

At Li Yishu's command, Zhao Fei carried the camera and pointed it at Wang Zhiwen and the dozen or so extras dancing ballroom dance behind him.

This jump lasted for half an hour.

Wang Zhiwen was already sweating profusely at this moment. He completely immersed himself in the role of "Zhang Zili", but his dance was never recognized by Li Yishu.

Yu Feihong, who was standing next to him, was initially curious and amused, but then became numb. Seeing that the camera was still on, she couldn't help but say, "Yishu, you've been dancing for half an hour, why don't you take a break?"

"Click! Stop for a moment."

Hearing this, Li Yishu stood up and asked Zhao Fei to stop the machine first. Then he walked up to Wang Zhiwen and said, "Brother, it's still a little bit short." Wang Zhiwen danced very well. Although it was chaotic, there was an inexplicable harmony in it. However, the visual impact it brought to Li Yishu was still a little bit lacking.

"I'm sorry, Director Li." Wang Zhiwen said breathlessly, "Can you give me some hints?"

"I'll try to jump once, and you can see how it feels."

Li Yishu didn't know how to tell Wang Zhiwen about Liao Fan's dance. He himself didn't really remember it, but the feeling was there, so he always felt that Wang Zhiwen was missing something.

"Okay!" Seeing Li Yishu was about to dance, Wang Zhiwen became interested.

Upon learning that he was going to dance, Yu Feihong immediately and excitedly asked Zhao Fei to start the camera. She had to record the great director's dancing.

"Play Zhang Qiangwei's The Girl Under the Streetlight." Li Yishu shouted to the stage manager who was playing the music.

"Okay Director Li!"

The stagehand immediately found Zhang Qiangwei's "The Girl Under the Streetlight". She is now the most popular female singer in China. With her expertise in disco music, her records have sold tens of millions of copies in the mainland.

In 1986, she became the first Chinese singer to be featured in Time magazine, which led to her classic disco music being played in rotation in almost all major dance halls, nightclubs and bars in the country.

As the music started, Li Yishu stood in the center of the stage, holding a cigarette in her hand, and began to try to put herself into the role of "Zhang Zili", while recalling the scene of Liao Fan dancing.

The next second, Li Yishu began to shake his body unconsciously. He twisted his body to the music while smoking a cigarette. Suddenly, he subconsciously stretched out his hand and made a pistol gesture.

"I see!"

This reminded Li Yishu of the most exciting part of the dance. She immediately asked someone to stop the music and said to Wang Zhiwen:

"Brother, Zhang Zili has always wanted to be a policeman again, and to be a policeman, he has to solve big cases. When the opportunity came, he seized it and finally got what he wanted by betraying Wu Zhizhen. But he felt guilty and struggled inside. In this dance, add a few shooting moves at the beginning, and then try to spin..."

Zhang Zili is a contradictory person. He has always wanted to be a policeman again, so he is eager to solve big cases. Although he got what he wanted by betraying Wu Zhizhen, deep down Zhang Zili despises his own behavior.

This dance may seem like Zhang Zili is just dancing blindly, but in fact it reveals his inner thoughts.

People always say: handwriting reflects the character of the person. In fact, anything can show a person's mental outlook and inner world, such as painting, dancing, smoking and so on.

Hearing this, Wang Zhiwen nodded thoughtfully.

After a moment's silence, he said, "Director Li, give me ten minutes. I'll think about it."

"No problem, it's a good opportunity for you to take a break..."

Li Yishu paused, thought for a moment, and continued, "Senior brother, try to dance more decadently, like a lost dog."

"Okay Director Li, I'll think about it carefully."

Wang Zhiwen had an idea for this scene, but it was a bit noisy because there were too many people here, so he simply ran out and found a deserted place to start thinking about this solo dance scene.

Ten minutes passed quickly.

After Wang Zhiwen came back, he seemed much more depressed.

With just one glance, Li Yishu knew that he could pass it in one go.

As expected, as the camera was turned on, Wang Zhiwen danced decadently and aimlessly, and he also incorporated the suggestions given by Li Yishu into the dance.

First, he made pistol-like movements, then began to spin, as if falling into endless darkness.

"Brother, your acting is really good."

Yu Feihong admired and said: "I really seem to see a lost dog!"

She is the heroine of this movie and has studied the script for almost a year, so she is well aware of the grievances and love-hate relationship between Zhang Zili and Wu Zhizhen.

At this moment, Zhang Zili had just betrayed Wu Zhizhen. Unless he was born a bad person, he would feel guilty and ashamed, and be as depressed as a stray dog.

To sum it up in one sentence, he loved that woman very much, but he felt sorry for her. He was extremely conflicted and guilty, and could only use dance to vent his inner sadness and guilt.

"Yes, Senior Brother is indeed the best actor in his class."

Li Yishu agrees with Yu Feihong's words. Wang Zhiwen's acting skills are really rare in China.

The song ends.

"Crack!"

Li Yishu shouted and said with a smile, "Passed!"

Hearing that he finally passed, Wang Zhiwen breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down on the ground. Although he seemed to dance very smoothly in the previous scene, he was actually very nervous, fearing that he would have to dance for another half an hour.

"Old Zhao, have someone clean up the mess. We'll wrap up the filming after the last scene tomorrow."

"Okay Director Li, I'll have someone clean it up right away."

In the northeast, it gets dark very quickly at night in the winter. It’s only a little after three in the afternoon, but the sky outside is already gray, as if it will turn dark in the next moment.

"Director Li!" At this moment, Director Huang Lijia suddenly came over and said, "Deputy Director Xing from Liaoning Film Studio wants to see you."

"Deputy Director Xing?"

Li Yishu was a little surprised, but still nodded and said, "Then please ask Deputy Director Xing to come over."

"Yes."

Huang Lijia turned and left. Not long after, Deputy Director Xing Dan walked into the dance hall with a smile on her face. As soon as she came in, she immediately extended her hand enthusiastically: "Director Li, I'm so sorry to bother you by coming here uninvited."

"Director Xing, you are too polite. I have to thank your studio for providing us with this place."

As Li Yishu spoke, he asked someone to pour tea for Deputy Director Xing.

After exchanging pleasantries, they found a warmer place to sit down.

Xing Dan picked up the teacup and took a sip, then hesitantly said, "Director Li, actually, I came to you this time because I have something at the factory that I would like to ask you for help."

Hearing this, Li Yishu raised his eyebrows.

The Liaoning Film Studio asked him for help, which was nothing more than co-production.

After all, if a film studio could find him, there is probably only one possibility.

In recent years, he has cooperated with Beijing Film Studio, Emei Film Studio, Shandong Film Studio, and Kunming Film Studio. He has long been famous in major domestic film studios. Everyone knows that cooperating with him will definitely not result in a loss.

However, Li Yishu no longer needs to cooperate with the production studio, so when facing Deputy Director Xing, he did not take on too much responsibility. Instead, he asked curiously, "What does Director Xing want me to do for you?"

Xing Dan said, "It's like this. Our studio wants to make a movie about Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty recently, but we are limited by funding issues. So I want to ask Director Li if he is interested in co-producing the film?"

"Empress Dowager Xiao of Liao?"

Li Yishu became interested. Could it be the drama "Empress Dowager of Liao"?

Xing Dan said, "Yes, Director Li. I graduated from the history department. Most of the historical dramas produced in China now are based on the Tang, Song and Qing dynasties, but there are very few that reflect the history of the Liao Dynasty, especially the Empress Dowager Xiao Yanyan of the Liao Dynasty. I think her life is full of legends, but in some works, she is portrayed as a villain..."

Li Yishu seemed to be lost in thought. He thought of Gong Li, for whom he had promised to play the role of the queen.

It seems that Empress Xiao of Liao is quite suitable. This woman can be said to be a rare female genius in ancient times who was proficient in both military and political affairs.

(End of this chapter)