Generation Z Artists

Chapter 258 Filming wrapped, dodging death, publicity

When Liu Yifei walked out of the room weakly, everyone could tell that the child was different.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly where that change occurred, but it certainly happened.

Even though her legs were so weak that she had to lean against the wall, she insisted on not being helped and staggered towards her room.

Gong Li followed along out of concern, but the psychologist stopped her and gave her a few words of advice.

“Ms. Liu is more resilient than I expected. Based on my experience, I believe she can process all of this on her own, but it will take some time. So my advice to you is... let her be alone.”

Gong Li watched with concern as the little girl wobbled back to her room, gently closing the door. Suddenly, a thud came from inside the room.

She immediately moved her feet, rushed a few meters away, and then suddenly stopped.

She turned her head, her expression menacing, and asked, "What were they talking about inside?"

“I’m sorry.” The psychologist shrugged. “I don’t understand Chinese, but I think it was a sincere and insightful conversation—I could read their micro-expressions.”

"Grass!"

Sister Li muttered a curse under her breath, scratching her hair in frustration.

"What the hell is going on here...?"

This is about a crazy director who happens to meet a fearless newcomer actor.

And coincidentally, she idolized him, while he saw her as a tool.

In short, everyone is happy. (quotes)

……

The filming of "Less You" suddenly became smooth and peaceful.

When she wasn't filming, Liu Yifei would always quietly curl up in a corner, either lost in thought or reading, without interacting with anyone.

When I was at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, I instantly transformed into Chen Nian.

She is still not an extremely talented actress, but she has truly understood acting.

It sounds contradictory, but it's not at all.

The general public's understanding of acting is closer to the expressionist style among all acting styles—actors use various elaborate designs and muscle and facial expression control to achieve an effect of "I know this is fake, but I use techniques to make it look real."

It is often said that top-notch performing artists are found in politics. In fact, politicians' performance style is classic expressionism, with at most a little bit of method and experiential techniques mixed in.

Liu Yifei's current approach is based on the core of experiential learning, incorporating a large number of techniques from expressionism and methodology to produce authentic on-the-spot reactions.

If we were to rate her acting skills at 20 points before filming began...

So now, her acting skills have climbed to 70 points.

This is purely a matter of technique.

In other words, even if she is given a role that doesn't quite fit her own characteristics, she can still deliver a performance that scores above 70 points.

The non-technical aspects depend entirely on the suitability of the character.

Her portrayal of Chen Nian received a base score of 95, with individual scenes scoring 99. She held her own against Fang Xinghe, creating one brilliant and memorable scene after another.

Fang, the film emperor, finally got into the role, and for each take, he would come up with different acting techniques to stimulate her real reaction.

Many laypeople don't understand how actors improvise, but it's actually quite simple—

When an actor's conviction reaches a certain level, and they wholeheartedly believe in the situation and the character, any stimulus from their co-star will trigger their subconscious reaction.

In life, if a stranger suddenly slaps you, the cowardly will cover their face in fear, the reckless will retaliate angrily, the polite will ask what you are doing, and the rude will curse you... These are all the most real and correct subconscious reactions.

The so-called "inability to catch up with the performance" means that the stimulus from the other actor is too strong, and the actor loses this subconscious reaction and makes an incorrect "conscious reaction".

The so-called "formulaic acting" means not feeling the stimulation from the opponent, or refusing to accept the opponent's stimulation, and only performing according to one's own habits.

When Yang Xiaomi was filming the fantasy puppet show, she often widened her eyes and pouted, which is a classic example of refusing to accept stimulation from her opponent and reacting in a formulaic way.

In the industry, it's commonly known as "acting too oily."

But this time, instead of holding back, she delivered an outstanding supporting performance.

Of course, Liu Yinian was even more outstanding. Towards the end of the filming, even a simple glance or a turn of her head was full of acting.

That was awesome! So awesome!

Fang Xinghe also put in all his skills, giving a wonderful performance as Xiao Bei, who was already close to the camera.

Filming was completed on December 21.

The moment Fang Xinghe shouted "Filming wrapped," the entire crew relaxed and cheered.

Liu Yifei's shoulders slumped, and her eyes became extremely blank.

ended?
Is it really over?
Just as she was feeling confused, several staff members suddenly surrounded her with confetti cannons and sprayed her with a shower of sparklers.

Congratulations on wrapping up filming!

Fang Xinghe took the bouquet of white lilies handed to him by Tao Dang and walked up to Liu Yifei, expressing his sincere gratitude.

"Ms. Liu Yifei, thank you for all your contributions to this film. You are the most dedicated new actress I have ever seen. You delivered the most perfect performance I had envisioned. You have impressed and earned the respect of me and all the crew members. Congratulations on wrapping up filming!"

Liu Yifei took the flowers in a daze, looked up, her lips moved, but she couldn't really say a word for a long time.

Seeing this, Fang Xinghe simply smiled understandingly and then stepped aside.

Gong Li, who stayed until the very end, immediately stepped forward, hugged Liu Yifei tightly, and patted her back tenderly.

"Sisi, it's over, it's all over. You did a fantastic job, you're the best actress, and the best Liu Yifei. Forget about Chen Nian, come on, smile, it's all over!"

Liu Yifei's eyes flickered for a moment, then she broke into a big smile.

A smile tinged with tears, a sense of relief—it looks beautiful, but…

It was exactly the same as the scene in the interrogation room.

Immediately afterwards, Gong Li let go of her, but stayed by her side. One by one, the main members of the crew came forward and gently hugged her.

Cao Baoping: "Qianqian, from now on, I will never cast anyone else in any of my productions, as long as you can act in them!"

Zhao Xiaoding: "Xixi, you are so outstanding, you will definitely win the Best Actress award for this movie!"

Dong Quede: "Qianqian, don't blame your uncle. Uncle apologizes to you. I was wrong in every way. I was too eager for quick success. I won't make up any excuses. Uncle will drink a bottle of baijiu to make up for it later!"

Chen Daoming: "Incredible! Really, your courage and belief are incredible. Let's exchange contact information, Qianqian. If you have any questions about acting in the future, don't hesitate to contact me. Don't be shy or afraid of the trouble. It's my honor to guide you."

Only a handful of people know what happened that day.

They didn't see the scene, but they witnessed Liu Yifei's prolonged confinement, focus, and immersion after she came out of the room.

Focus on self-improvement and immerse yourself in real experiences.

It's hard for modern people to imagine digesting that level of pain.

But Liu Yifei did it right under their noses. A 15-year-old girl performing while enduring such torture—there is nothing more shocking and awe-inspiring than that.

As for Fang Xinghe... he's a psychopath, no need to mention him.

Following the main cast and crew, the other staff members also stepped forward to shake hands and bow to her.

"I'm sorry, Miss Yifei, I've offended you recently."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Yifei, I'm actually a fan of yours, but it's a rule of the production team..."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Yifei. I hope my actions didn't hurt you. Actually, I really like you and admire you very much..."

……

One heartwarming word after another flowed into my ears.

Gradually, the smile on Liu Yifei's face disappeared, but her crying grew stronger, and her expression began to collapse.

After everyone had finished greeting each other, the trio of Yang Mi, Fatty, and Glasses stepped forward.

Yang Mi stared at her face to face and said fiercely, "I have nothing to apologize for. I did it on purpose. I'm just jealous of why you get so much love from Fang Fang!"

The next second, the fierce look on her face suddenly softened, and her expression became complicated.

"However... you are indeed a remarkable person. I accept defeat wholeheartedly."

Liu Yifei completely ignored Yang Mi and just stared at her.

Yang Mi wasn't annoyed and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Fine, don't take it! We can't be friends anyway. Just you wait and see, if I see you near Fangfang again, I'll yell at you!" Fangfang?

Fangfang!

Liu Yifei suddenly looked up and found that figure again.

He was lying in the director's chair, his legs stretched out on Cao Baoping's folding stool, his chin resting on one hand, smiling as he looked this way.

It's hard to describe what kind of laugh it was.

It felt warm, casual, comforting, reassuring, and relaxing.

He just lay there, letting the staff around him come and go, tidying up this and that, ignoring everything and looking at nothing.

No, that's not right either. His gaze did, to some extent, fall on me.

The moment their eyes met, he withdrew his hand, raised it halfway, and gently clapped for himself.

In an instant, the grievances and pain in Liu Yifei's heart broke down the dam built by her heart, and all the emotions belonging to Chen Nian and Liu Yifei herself surged forth in a devastating torrent.

"Waaaaah... Wow!"

Suddenly, Nenxian burst into tears, sat down on the ground with a thud, covered her face, and howled loudly.

So many tears, no one can see.

The sound traveled very, very far.

Passersby nearby instinctively looked over, while media outlets kept snapping photos from behind the cordon.

But none of that mattered; Liu Yifei didn't care about any of that, she just kept crying.

Fang Xinghe deliberately staged this scene to make her cry.

Moreover, the crying cannot be a character's performance; it must be an expression of genuine emotion.

So, at his prompting, the crew members offered apologies, encouragement, and praise one after another, using the keywords "Xixi" and "Miss Liu Yifei" to recreate a realistic environment for her.

Liu Yifei's own consciousness finally realized, through a sufficiently strong signal, that it was all over, that everything belonging to Chen Nian had come to an end, and that the real life of actress Liu Yifei was opening its warm embrace to her once again.

Then, she broke down in tears.

Fang Xinghe watched this scene with a smile, a special sense of accomplishment welling up inside him.

It's hard for outsiders to understand his joy.

It's a sense of control, or a sense of writing.

It's not just about changing the life trajectory of a silly, beautiful woman; its greater significance lies in achieving a breakthrough through "her own efforts."

The quality of the new version of "Less You" is bound to be higher than the original.

There is no doubt about it in any aspect.

Whether it's the completeness and conflict of the script, the director's storytelling ability, the cast, or the final audiovisual effects, it surpasses the original version.

If some areas receive fewer points and others receive more, the overall quality will be significantly higher.

This transcendence was achieved through his own efforts.

Regardless of whether it's crooked or unorthodox, these two guys, if they were any other director, who could train them properly?
Once they become famous and other directors flock to them, you can use them all, but don't say a word.

Finally, what do you all think?
All the glory belongs to Director Fang!
Fang Xinghe didn't care how others praised him; what he truly enjoyed was this kind of scene—

When Zhang Yimou or Xiao Gangpao invited Liu Yifei to act in a film, the result was disappointing. At the film's premiere, director Fang frowned in public and criticized her without reservation.

"Such a promising talent, how did you manage to waste him like this?"

He frowned, shook his head, put down the microphone, and turned to leave...

Wouldn't that be incredibly awesome?!
Fang Xinghe couldn't help but chuckle as he thought of something amusing.

He was quite relaxed today and in an extremely happy mood.

As a result, just a few seconds into the enjoyment, someone unexpected yet perfectly logical rushed in—Liu Xiaoli.

Yesterday, only the last scene of "Young You" was left, so they deliberately left it until today to wrap up filming. Chen Jinfei and Liu Xiaoli arrived in Xiamen early and waited outside the quarantine area.

"Sisi, what's wrong, Sisi?"

Liu Xiaoli was so anxious that she was covered in sweat and rushed over to hug her daughter.

"Honey, why are you crying? Tell Mommy, did you feel wronged during the filming?"

Fang Gou could no longer laugh.

He stood up, crouched low, pushed off the ground, and with a phantom V-step, rushed straight towards his vehicle.

He opened the door, got in, and closed it again in one smooth motion.

"Let's go, let's go!" Fang Gou finally realized he was feeling guilty and kept urging, "Hurry up, let's get to the city!"

The wrap party was held in the city. After dinner, everyone went home and did their own thing. If they avoided today, there was probably not much risk of being killed.

Just before the meal began, Dog Fang had his assistant go down and take a look.

"Brother, Aunt Liu is sitting at the main table with a gloomy face. Qianqian isn't here; she seems to have fallen asleep from crying too much..."

Cai Cai, the 13th Eagle Sister, who really didn't want to study anymore and was indeed not suited for studying, reported to her older brother with a wicked smile.

"Depend on."

Fang Gou rubbed his temples, indicating that he should make a clean break.

"We can't attend the wrap party. Let Lao Dong cover for us. We're heading back to the capital right away!"

I can't afford to mess with you, can't I just run away?

Clearly, he knew exactly what he had done wrong.

He was a tyrant on set before, but now that filming is over, the mothers of the characters are coming to settle scores. He can't keep acting like a director, can he?

When Dong Youde received the instructions, Fang Xinghe had already arrived at the airport.

Old Dong took the phone away from his ear and remained motionless for a long time, his face ashen, as if covered in soot.

At the banquet, he burst into tears and showed off a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

"Girl, I'm not human, I apologize to you!"

"I'm under so much pressure!"

"Waaaaah... Wow!"

Old Dong cried and vomited at the same time. Before Liu Xiaoli could question him, he threw a drunken tantrum and was then carried out.

Ms. Liu felt a sharp pain in her breasts from holding it in, and looked around the table...

Cao Baoping was the coordinating deputy director, a mere tool in the operation.

Zhao Xiaoding was just a photographer, a beast of burden carrying equipment.

Chen Daoming is an acting coach; you should call him "teacher."

Gong Li's warm companionship and righteous words are deeply appreciated.

There's nowhere to vent this fire.

Ugh! I'm so angry!
Liu Xiaoli was so angry that she drank heavily, and soon after, she also started crying.

"Sissi is my life! You all be the judge, she's only 15 years old, how could you treat her like this?!"

The main creators were both embarrassed and guilty. They secretly exchanged glances and cursed in unison, "Isn't that right? It's all Dong Youde's fault. He's such a scoundrel!"

What about Fang Xinghe?
Director Fang, who is always upright, always pure, and always never suffers a loss, locked up the footage at the company, hired Cheng Long, the editor of "Hero," to do a non-director version of the editing, and then made a quick getaway once again.

Don't come near me, I'm going to America!

On December 25th, "Hero" was released globally. Zhang Yimou led a team to tour Asia and has already set off. Naturally, he will take on the promotional work in North America and Europe without hesitation.

This is Fang Xinghe's first film in the true sense, and also the first blockbuster in the Chinese film industry. It is groundbreaking and attracts worldwide attention.

To put it bluntly, how much box office revenue "Young Ones" gets, and even whether it can win awards, largely depends on the performance and reputation of "Hero".

If we could launch a giant satellite...

Then the era in which Fang Xinghe calls himself father and grandfather will officially begin!
(End of this chapter)