Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 204 Want to make progress too much

Later in 2005, Tian Zhuangzhuang served as the director of the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, was selected as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in the cultural and artistic sector, and later became the president of the China Directors Association.

"I understand, Mr. Tian, ​​I will consider it."

A loud drum needs no heavy hammering, and the two chatted for a few more words before returning to their respective residences.

Be close to the government and stay away from politics.

Whether in the past life or this life, this is the code of conduct that Lu Kuan set for himself and his team.

It would be fine if I didn't get involved.

Once one's business territory and capital scale really go beyond the circle and are not limited to the entertainment industry, and begin to attract the covetousness of the second generation as a capital, what should one do?
Those second-generation people are far from being fools like Liu Zeyu. They are the real ruthless people.

Tian Zhuangzhuang's words of advice to him were mature and prudent, but he did not understand his true strength.

Perhaps being merely the deputy director of the directing department and a CPPCC member is far from enough to provide protection for one's own industry.

If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. This issue does require preparation in advance.

The most important thing at the moment is to complete this "Foreign Land" with guaranteed quality and quantity.

On November 2003, 11, Beijing time, the 5rd China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards opened.

The Golden Rooster Awards selects films produced in the past two years, so "The Drummer" and "The Thief" were both nominated.

Lu Kuan disagreed with the domestic film festival system and the judges' style of dividing the cake, so he did not return to China to attend the meeting, but all the shortlisted actors of the two films were present.

To be honest, his participation caused a lot of trouble to the judges.

There wasn't enough cake to go around, and you submitted two films by yourself.

If we don’t give you the award, the audience and public opinion will say that your Golden Rooster Award is more awesome than the three major European awards?
They gave it the Golden Lion and Best Director awards, but you don't like it, right?

All the awards will be given to you. With all these personal connections, these old people in the industry who are old enough to be your fathers or grandfathers are shameless, right?
The judging panel discussed the final list of winners after several rounds of discussion.

But because "The Drummer" and "The Thief" are so outstanding, they still won many heavyweight awards.
At the awards ceremony, Liu Yifei defeated Zhang Yan from "Warm Spring" and Li Min from "Norma: Seventeen" to win the Best New Actress Award;
Fan Bingbing won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as a prostitute in the film "The Thief," beating Xu Jinglei from the Beijing Film Academy.
Feng Yuanzheng undoubtedly won the Best Actor award for his role as Zhuang Zhong in "The Drummer";
The best feature film is the triple yolk egg, of which "The Thief" is one;

Best Cinematography went to Cao Yu for "The Thief";

In addition, I also won some other minor awards such as the Special Jury Award and the Directorial Debut Award.

In short, it is tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.

But the two actresses he supported openly and secretly both achieved their wishes and are on the right path of development.

Fan Bingbing won this honor in his previous life for his role as Wu Yue in the TV series "Cell Phone".

"The Thief" is more artistic, giving her more room to perform, and the quality of the characters and the height of the image are also more outstanding. It is not surprising that it won the judges' recognition.

On November 11, the heroine of "Foreign Land" Liu Yifei returned to the crew and continued her tight filming schedule.

Foreigners on Hollywood crews often see a strange sight recently.

Every day when they clocked in for work at 8 a.m., they could already see an old Chinese man hired by director Lu Kuan training the leading actress.

Sometimes it is a passionate dialogue, sometimes it is a silent eye contact, in short, everyone is amazed by it.

The old man looked to be about fifty years old, but he looked a little haggard, with only his eyes that were frighteningly bright.

Sometimes he would demonstrate the villain's eyes to Liu Yifei, including the "Kubrick gaze" that Lu Kuan had taught her before, which could scare Deng Ye who was watching the fun.

That performance is even scarier than Hannibal!
It was 7 o'clock in the morning and it was still dark, but the crew would start work early today just to get the natural light brightness.

The Hollywood crew has a notice posted on the door of the crew studio.

The time of day when the lighting meets the director's requirements and is suitable for what kind of scene will be marked for the director's reference.

Leonardo arrived early today, said hello to Lu Kuan, and then watched the Chinese old man and young girl do morning exercises together.

"Lu, this is the acting teacher you hired for the crew? What movies has he acted in?"

"His works are all Chinese films, involving many domestic historical and political figures. You probably haven't seen them."

Leonardo couldn't help but become curious because he saw how polite he was to the old man.

"You can talk to me about it. If he's as good as you say, maybe I can use his help."

Boss Lu laughed and said, "For example, in the 90s, Mr. Li starred in a movie called Jiao Yulu."

"The movie ticket price at the time was... well, the equivalent of 6 cents in your country today, but it grossed less than $2600 million."

In 1990, the exchange rate of USD to RMB was around 4.7, and the box office of "Jiao Yulu" of 1.2 million yuan was approximately equivalent to 2600 million US dollars.

Leonardo DiCaprio almost dropped his jaw. The ticket was 6 cents a ticket, the box office was 2600 million US dollars, and the number of moviegoers was over 4 million!
According to statistics, the number of viewers of his own "Titanic" was less than 5 million worldwide.

Lu Kuan also spoke frankly: "This number is distorted. These kinds of films are screened under unified arrangements by the government, but many people also go to the cinema spontaneously."

Leonardo was a little speechless watching the interaction between the two people not far away. Even if the number was halved, it was still incredible to him.

In 1990, the entire population of North America was less than 2.5 million.

“Is he a methodist or an experientialist?”

Boss Lu laughed in silence. These Hollywood stars who were not from professional backgrounds usually attended various acting training classes and sometimes got entangled in the differences between the systems.

“Are you a methodist or an experientialist?”

Leonardo sneered: "Me? Haha, I'm a natural actor, I just act as I please."

"He should be considered an experiential person."

"Come on, I'll take you over to talk."

The two interrupted Li Xuejian and Liu Yifei.

"The road is wide, you're here." Li Xuejian greeted them with a smile, but his voice still sounded dry.

Boss Lu asked Li Xuejian to just call him Xiao Lu, but Li Xuejian insisted that they must be serious on the crew and should call him Director Lu.

There was no other way, so Concubine Liu Yi came up with a compromise for the two of them, which was to just call each other by their names.

"Teacher Xuejian, Leonardo just asked me what acting style you are."

Li Xuejian was stunned. "Oh, if we talk about acting styles, then I should be considered experiential. But it's hard to explain, so there's no need to get so hung up on it."

"Are you talking about Stanislavsky and Brecht?"

Liu Yifei was listening to a few people chatting, and suddenly heard something she understood. "I'm not sleepy anymore if you guys talk about this."

Even though I’m only 16 years old, I also studied seriously at the Beijing Film Academy for a few months, and now I’m a sophomore!

Lu Kuan teased, "You understand? Then tell me about it."

The little girl gave him a discontented look, looking down on others with her eyes wide open!
"Give me an example!"

"If you and Leonardo DiCaprio were to play gay men, then according to the experiential approach, you would have to truly explore the gay emotions within yourself and truly fall in love with Leonardo."

Lu Kuan's mouth twitched when he heard this. You can give examples.

Leonardo laughed heartily when he heard this. Of course, he had attended training classes, but he had returned all those things to his teacher long ago. He had always acted as he pleased.

This is also a talented player.

"What about the Method School?"

Liu Yifei laughed and said, "The method school is that Lu Kuan imagines you as a woman and then falls in love with you. This way he will definitely be able to act well!"

Leonardo laughed even louder: "Lu, I don't mind playing a gay couple with you, it should be very interesting!"

Boss Lu felt a chill. If you feel any more nauseous, I will write you a script for "Brokeback Mountain" so that you can have a good time.

More and more crew members gathered around, including Liang Jiahui who had just joined the crew yesterday, team member Travolta and other cast and crew members.

Everyone has been curious about this strange pair of Chinese old man and little girl for a long time, and Lu Kuan also wants everyone to see Li Xuejian's true strength and help him better adapt to the crew.

Lu Kuan suddenly smiled at Leonardo and said, "Leo, learn a move from me."

Before he finished speaking, he turned sideways and walked towards Concubine Liu Yi. Just as he was about to pass by her, he turned slightly sideways to look back at her. Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, he glanced at her again when he passed by her. Everyone was a little confused and didn't know what his intention was.

Only Li Xuejian was still laughing, with a calm expression, but there was a hint of surprise in his eyes as he looked at Lu Kuan.

Didn’t Zhuangzhuang say that he was from the directing department? How come his muscle control is better than many actors?

Leonardo saw that Lu Kuan gestured for him to do as he was told, curled his lips and walked towards Concubine Liu Yi.

Pass by, turn your head, pass by, and turn your head again to observe.

Huh?
Not only Leonardo himself, but all the onlookers could see that something was wrong.

Travolta asked in confusion, "Leo, your movements seem much slower than the director's. And not very smooth."

Liang Jiahui also laughed and said, "It's a little off. Director Lu's movements are smooth and natural, and every part of his body is in harmony. Leo's movements are a bit stiff, and it looks like he's not fully mobilizing his muscles."

Lu Kuan pointed out: "A single head turn or double head turn involves the coordination of muscles such as the sternocleidomastoid, splenius capitis, and rectus capitis posterior major. This movement also requires the coordination of the back muscles of half of the upper body to perform beautifully."

"Leo, it's not as simple as it looks."

The action performed by Lu Kuan is a detail of the action of Li Xuejian's character in the 1990 film "Desire".

According to Liang Tian, ​​one of the core figures in the Beijing circle, in an interview, this daily action of looking back twice in a short period of time shocked him at the time, and he tried many times but couldn't achieve the same effect. (Note 1)

He even exaggeratedly said that there are no more than two actors in China who can perform this action.

This statement can be understood as commercial hype, but there is no doubt that Li Xuejian himself has high basic skills in acting techniques, muscle control, etc.

Leonardo tried several more times, and even until his neck was nearly broken, he still didn't win the approval of the onlookers.

"Lu, where did you get this move? It looks so easy, why is my completion always falling short?"

"This is the action of a character in a 90s TV series performed by Teacher Xue Jian."

Lu Kuan turned to Li Xuejian and said, "Teacher Xuejian, please demonstrate it to everyone."

There was a translator from the crew on the scene who was responsible for helping Chinese and foreign actors and directors communicate. Everyone applauded after hearing it.

Li Xuejian was a very low-key and introverted person. He looked at Lu Kuan helplessly, then walked towards Liu Yifei with ease, completing a coherent action very naturally.

"Oh!"

"What a surprise!"

The Americans in the Hollywood crew were stunned by Lu Kuan's professional skills on the first day, and now their praise was easily taken away by an old Chinese man. They all felt that this oriental country was really unfathomable.

Concubine Liu Yi had been observing everyone and demonstrating the process in her mind.

The little girl didn't scream out loud like the other cast members, because she suddenly felt...

It seems I can do it too!
"Xiao Liu, you try it. I'll just stand here and not move."

"Ah? Oh!"

Concubine Liu Yi recalled the details of the action for two seconds, and walked towards the road with light steps. Her movements were smooth and flowing, without any hesitation.

The onlookers exclaimed again and applauded!

This included Liu Xiaoli's usual small favors and bribes, which the foreigners also fell for;
Of course, it was also because of Liu Yifei's dedication and hard work during her time as a stunt double that she won their recognition.

Leonardo is really going crazy now!

If it is true as Lu Kuan said, that this middle-aged Chinese actor can attract more than 4 million viewers for a movie, then it would be fine if we lose to him!

But this Concubine Liu Yi is obviously just a young girl?

It was because the heroine was accidentally injured that he was replaced. Lu Kuan was very anxious during the filming of the drama scenes these days!

How could she do it so easily?

Li Xuejian still had a smiling expression on his face. He had been taking care of Liu Yifei for several days, so he was not surprised that she could master these movements.

Leonardo called her English name: "Crystal, how did you do it?"

"It's...it's very simple, just do it?"

Leonardo DiCaprio feels that the acting coach he hired for hundreds of dollars an hour should resign.

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "She studied Grotowski, a school of acting other than Stanislavsky and Brecht, which focuses more on utilizing and training the actor's own conditions."

"The movement you just saw requires the coordination of many muscles in the neck, back, and even waist. Grotowski's body training absorbs the essence of movement training including Chinese Peking Opera, Japanese Noh, and Indian yoga, which is very helpful for actors to improve their muscle control."

Leonardo exclaimed, "Wow!" and eagerly asked Liu Yifei, "Crystal, can you introduce your teacher to me?"

Concubine Liu Yi smiled and said, "Sure, but he doesn't have a very good reputation. He always has unclear relationships with actors, so you have to be careful."

Boss Lu looked at her speechlessly.

Ever since the two of them severed their apparent subordinate relationship, the little girl had become increasingly unscrupulous towards herself.

"Who?"

Concubine Liu Yi stretched out her green fingers: "Him! Your homosexual partner!"

"Hahahaha!"

The whole audience burst into laughter, knowing she was joking.

Leonardo held his forehead and said, "Lu, it turns out you are an acting teacher. No wonder you are so professional every time you teach me a play."

He really likes Lu Kuan's way of explaining the play as a director. He will give actors clear suggestions on performance techniques, character inner thoughts and personality shaping, and will not let the actors guess on their own.

For novice actors like Liu Yifei, Lu Kuan would give the most specific requirements, striving to achieve the shooting effect as quickly as possible;
For actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Liang Jiahui, he will provide a general performance framework, hoping that the actors can come up with different solutions, and provide more ideas and possibilities for the post-production editing of the film.

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "I'm also a latecomer, and I only taught her some basic skills."

Then he turned to Li Xuejian and said, "Teacher Xuejian, Liu Yifei's hardware equipment should be pretty good now, right?"

"very good!"

Li Xuejian praised: "Yesterday I communicated with Director Yuan Heping. Although Xiao Liu's acting skills are still relatively immature, his physical fitness and reaction ability are very good."

Concubine Liu Yi looked at Lu Kuan with a proud look on her face, and the words "praise me" were almost written on her face.

"Lu, tell me about the Grotowski you taught Crystal."

Leonardo DiCaprio looks like a top commercial film star, but he is indeed devoted to art films and profound roles, and he pays great attention to improving his professional abilities.

When James Cameron asked him to play the role in Titanic, Leonardo flatly refused.

Cameron advised him that with his current fame, even big directors would not look at him if he wanted to act in art films.

You must first make yourself famous and ensure box office success, and then art film directors will give you priority based on box office success and investment recovery.

Lu Kuan patiently advised: "In terms of muscle control, a truly top-notch actor must have extremely strong control over their body, emotions, and desires, and be able to express themselves freely."

"Glotowski's body training consists of 32 sets of movements. Long-term practice is very beneficial to the actor's whole-body muscles and control ability. In fact, this point is also mentioned in the Stella School."

Leonardo was surprised and asked, "Is it related to Stella?"

Concubine Liu Yi was also surprised and asked, "Lu Kuan, who is Stella?"

"Stella is one of the three great masters of the Method School. She has always been committed to cultivating top actors and implementing her own performance philosophy."

Seeing that she didn't understand, Boss Lu explained in a different way.

"Marlon Brando knew, right? Robert De Niro knew, right? They were all her disciples."

Liu Yifei didn’t know, but other actors including Leonardo and Travolta knew it well. He was a big name behind the scenes in Hollywood!

Leonardo nodded silently, then suddenly smiled at Liu Yifei and Li Xuejian and said, "You two, can you take me with you when you do your morning exercises next time?"

In order to win an Oscar, I, Leo, really want to improve!

　Note 1: Liang Tian said this in an interview. Unfortunately, the TV series was made in 90 and I can’t find any information about it. The author is also very curious about what the action was.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)