One person's entertainment

Chapter 124: This is what a professional actor should look like

Yanjing, Grand View Garden.

This is Jiang Qinqin's third time to come here to film. "Kangxi's Private Visits 1" and "My Fair Princess 1" were both filmed here.

This is Shen Lingyou's second time here. The last time he came here was on a mission and he rescued Fan Qiaoqiao who fell into the water.

In the morning, the opening ceremony was low-key and simple. Several media outlets were invited to take photos and report on the event. There has to be some news spread out to create some hype.

In the afternoon, we had a half-day script reading because the shooting schedule for this drama was relatively tight and it couldn't be done over several days like "Never Forget You".

The four main characters, Shen Lingyou, Jiang Qinqin, Liu Huohua and Hu Dajing, have all prepared biographies of the characters they play in the play.

Shen Lingyou asked me to write this. On the one hand, it would help me complete my studies. On the other hand, it could be used to enrich the characters' relationships, dynamics, motivations, fears, life goals and experiences, etc.

Maybe these contents will not become part of the play, but they can help actors understand the roles from the inside out and create three-dimensional characters more comprehensively.

Shen Lingyou spoke first...

In history, Zhu Yunwen had a personality similar to his father Zhu Biao. He was also a tolerant and kind person. Although he did not have great achievements, he advocated the Jianwen New Deal and abolished many harsh calendars established by the late emperors, allowing the people to recuperate. However, it was precisely this "weakness" and "indecisiveness" in his character that made him lack a firm will to reduce the power of the princes, and he allowed Zhu Di to leave the capital. He also misused Li Jinglong and Geng Bingwen, and finally ended up dying in the Jingnan Campaign.

Zhu Yunwen in the play is very gentle to others and a typical modest gentleman. Moreover, his infatuated character appears throughout the play. He is devoted to Xianxian and does not give up the world for love. He once thought that he could have both the country and the beauty.

This character longs for love but sometimes doubts it. He has a pure nature but has to ascend the throne, so he is a complex character.

"In film and television dramas, the emperor is the most difficult role to play. I hope to work together with everyone to present a different Zhu Yunwen."

After Shen Lingyou finished his last sentence, applause broke out in the conference room.

Many of you here are working with him for the first time, or even meeting him for the first time.

The stereotype that singers who switch to the film and television industry give people is that they are just here for fun, and that they use the popularity they have accumulated in the music industry to harvest and cash in on their fans.

After hearing this character's biography, their opinion of Shen Lingyou immediately changed.

Anyone who can study the script seriously and figure out the role like this is worthy of respect, no matter if they are actors or singers.

Next, it was Jiang Qinqin's turn.

"When Xianxian first appeared, she was wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt and carrying a teddy bear backpack, looking like a pure middle school student. However, she was so playful and powerful that a large group of police officers were helpless. Her words 'Xianxian doesn't like fakes' made people smile..."

"She is the one who lives the happiest and most fearless life in the play. She steals things not for survival but for hobbies. Although she depends on Zhu Yunwen for survival, she does so openly. When she truly falls in love with Zhu Yunwen, she can give her everything..."

"This is my first time playing this type of role. There are many things I don't understand and can't do. I would like to ask the director and seniors for guidance."

Willful, eccentric and weird characters are common in film and television dramas, but some actors can make you fall in love with them at first sight, while others just want to cover their faces, which is a great test of the actors' acting skills.

Jiang Qinqin's understanding of the role is also thorough. There is no problem in theory. It just depends on whether she can apply it in actual performance.

Then, Liu Huohua and Hu Dajing also read out their respective character biographies.

Although they are not as meticulous as Shen Lingyou and Jiang Qinqin, they also have understanding and ideas.

This directly opened the eyes of everyone in the room.

It turns out that character biographies can be written this way.

As expected of someone who studied acting at the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy, he has a set of skills. In the evening, the script reading ended.

Shen Lingyou treated everyone to dinner.

On the way back to the courtyard, Huo Wenxi, with a curious heart, talked about their character biographies: "In Hong Kong, when filming movies and TV series, let alone character biographies, some don't even have scripts..."

Shen Lingyou said with a smile: "Improvisation is a very difficult thing for an actor. If you throw away the script, there is no plot, no lines, then what is needed is no longer just performance ability, but more creativity."

Seeing that Huo Wenxi seemed to understand, he continued: "You can understand it as not only doing the job of an actor, but also the job of a screenwriter and director."

Huo Wenxi immediately understood and said, "Just like Master Xing."

Shen Lingyou nodded and said, "This is a good example."

Huo Wenxi smiled and said, "Then you can too."

Shen Lingyou shook his head slightly and said, "I'm still a long way from that. Now, what I need to do is to play each role well and put my own stamp on it."

Huo Wenxi blinked, not understanding, and immediately asked, "What do you mean?"

Shen Lingyou frowned as he looked at her, and said, "How can I explain it to you... it's because your performance has been so well-known that when people see a character of the same type, they will immediately think of the character you played."

Huo Wenxi said "Oh", "I understand. Just like when people mention zombie movies, they think of Lin Zhengying, when they mention Chu Liuxiang, they think of Zheng Shaoqiu, and when they mention Nie Xiaoqian, they think of Wang Zuxian..."

"Yes." Shen Lingyou nodded, and then said: "This is also the ultimate pursuit of many actors, to gain a foothold with their works."

His idea was very simple, starting from Xiao Tong, he would change the label of each character to "Shen Lingyou".

Instead, there is only one main character, which can bring you benefits for a lifetime.

Of course, this is very difficult, but if it wasn’t difficult, there would be no sense of accomplishment.

During this short conversation, Huo Wenxi's eyes when looking at Shen Lingyou changed again, becoming gentle, appreciative, and expectant.

------

------

"Extras, don't look at the camera, be more natural, do it again..."

"Heroine, the angle of that action just now was wrong, do another one..."

"Hey, where's the stagehand? Whose little fan is that? Didn't you see it's a glitch?"

Fan Xiuming is a Hong Kong director known for his strictness.

He has previously directed many well-known classic TV series such as Zheng Shaoqiu's "The Legend of Xiang Shuai", the 83 version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", Louis Koo's "The Return of the Condor Heroes", Felix Wong's "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", and "Ma Yongzhen". He is also known as the "master of martial arts films" and his ability is unquestionable.

Being strict is a good thing, as it can ensure the quality of their drama.

It is also for this reason that Shen Lingyou did not exercise his power to interfere with Fan Xiuming's filming methods.

(End of this chapter)