Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 104 Joining the Filming Group
Hearing Gu Jingyi's modesty, director Zhu Ruibin couldn't possibly embarrass him. He stroked his beard, smiled affably, and said, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's great that you came in to help out."

The drama had already been filmed for a small part, but had been in a stalemate due to investors withdrawing their funding. The original male lead, Deng Lun, left the show after receiving the script for One Thousand and One Nights to partner with Dilraba Dilmurat.

During that period of time, the crew of "Ashes of Love" was in a panic. The crew only breathed a sigh of relief after Gu Jingyi took on the role of the male lead "Xu Feng".

Whether in terms of popularity or acting skills, Gu Jingyi is much better than Deng Lun.

The crew also resumed work after the investors changed. The industry even considered that Gu Jingyi's taking on this drama was a "blockbuster booking."

The other actors also breathed a sigh of relief, and during the time when Gu Jingyi was away, they concentrated on filming other scenes that had no intersection with the male lead Xu Feng.

Just waiting for Gu Jingyi to arrive and reshoot the scenes with him where they have some interactions.

Domestic entertainment filming is all done in fixed scenes. Almost all scenes are shot on a fixed location that is built after a fixed period of time, and that part of the scene is shot concentratedly before the scene is changed.

The crew of "Ashes of Love" is very wealthy. In order to better present the plot of the original novel, they specially built this antique building.

In addition, there are a lot of green screens used as exterior scenes, in order to present a better effect in front of the audience after the broadcast and give them a better sense of immersion.

Gu Jingyi needs to reshoot from the first encounter in the flower world. The first few episodes of the plot all revolve around Xu Feng's failure in nirvana and falling into the flower world where he meets the "grape spirit" Jin Mi.

"Gu Jingyi, look at this. You really can't blame Jin Mi for admitting her mistake. This is just a burnt crow."

Yang Zi is still a very social person. Today was just the first time she and Gu Jingyi greeted each other, but she started joking around so casually.

Gu Jingyi picked up the crow prop placed by the crew and took a look. It was indeed made with rough workmanship and did not seem to fit the setting of the Phoenix.

But after adding special effects, it should still be handsome.

"Crows are also birds. We birds love to eat fruit the most."

He looked at Yang Zi and blurted out a line.

Yang Zi was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses and laughed so hard that he couldn't stop.

The crew set up cameras to quietly record these moments, and these highlights will be recorded in the Blu-ray soundtrack of "Ashes of Love". The crew will only release a small part, and the rest are almost all paid for by CP fans.

"Gu Jingyi, you are completely different from what I imagined."

"What's different?"

Yang Zi thought for a moment and replied seriously, "You have a calmness about you, without the frivolity of young fame. It's like you've been stripped of all your makeup, a bit beyond your age."

"Not really. Speaking of young people becoming famous, Sister Yang Zi should be the most insightful. I have been watching Home With Kids since I was a child."

When Yang Zi heard Gu Jingyi mention "Home with Kids", he guessed what he would say next.

If someone of the same age said this, Yang Zi would feel it was a bit presumptuous. Gu Jingyi was 6 years younger than her, and there was indeed an age gap between them.
At that time, Yang Zi was only 26 years old, and she did not have the complicated feelings that Teacher He Jiong had when the guests on "Happy Camp" said sincerely that they had "seen her since she was a child".

In 2018, Yang Zi is doing well among the 90s girls. First, she gained popularity as Xia Xue in "Home with Kids", and then she became popular with her role as "Little Earthworm" in "Ode to Joy".

After that, she starred in "Fighting Legend" with "National School Prince" Li Yifeng to consolidate her popularity. Not only that, she also starred in "The Battle of Changsha" with "Old Cadre" Huo Jianhua. Yang Zi has good resources and a high status among the 90s flowers.

At the beginning of this drama "Ashes of Love", Yang Zi was also the first one, but after Gu Jingyi came to the rescue, Huace directly discussed the issue of the extra role with the Taoyuan production company, and decided that Gu Jingyi would be the first one instead of being the same as Yang Zi.

In 18, the domestic entertainment industry did not attach so much importance to the ranking, and the trend of tearing up the ranking began in 2019. It was pushed to the top by the tragic drama "The Legend of the Phoenix" starring Chris Wu and Yang Zi, which was mentioned by CCTV.

After the original time and space "Ashes of Love" became a huge hit, not only did Deng Lunjia and Luo Laoshi start a fight over "Ten Days to Slay the Dragon", but they also fought over the ranking after the end-of-year award review.

Before the filming, the third-tier star Lunzi was directly promoted from "second-tier" to "equal-tier" by fans.

With Gu Jingyi's current popularity, Yang Zi didn't say much. After all, Yang Zi had previously been following the "Qingyi" route like Sun Li, and who would have known that she would transform into one of the "90s Flower Double Top Streamers" after this?

When Yang Zi was teased by Gu Jingyi, he just patted his shoulder and laughed.

"Jingyi, that's enough. It feels so weird to mention 'Home With Kids' at this time. It seems like I'm really old."

"No, how can 92 years old make me look old? I'm still youthful and beautiful, and I have a confidence and ease that other young girls can't even learn. I've experienced some years, and I'm intellectual, elegant, and independent."

Gu Jingyi smiled and said that he had originally intended to just give her some compliments for fun. Then, remembering that Dilraba was also born in 92, he couldn't help but extend his compliments a bit...

Yang Zi was overjoyed by his coaxing. She was a simple girl to begin with. Being praised so lavishly by a younger handsome man made her, who was often mocked for her plain looks, suddenly feel like she was walking on clouds.

"Wow, you're so young, yet you're already so sweet. It's incredible."

After all, Gu Jingyi and Yang Zi will be working together again on "Go Go Squid!", apart from the three or four months of filming for this drama, there is also the second drama waiting to be filmed, so he will definitely not let the relationship get strained.

The relationship between the male and female protagonists is good, and the overall atmosphere of the crew is not bad. As the first S+ ancient idol project, "Ashes of Love" also has a large crew.

Not only did the original novel's author participate in the screenwriting, but several other screenwriters also joined in. It just made up for the emptiness of the political and career lines, and overall it is a conscientious work.

Although there were some problems in the writing team's collaboration before, after Gu Jingyi was confirmed as the lead actor, they started to work together again and moved several famous scenes from the original.

The main storyline of Xu Feng in the later period is more complete, unlike the "cut off" in the original time and space.

"Teacher Gu, come and try on the armor."

The stagehand was calling Gu Jingyi's name. This was not only Xu Feng's first appearance, but would also be announced on Weibo by the crew.

Outside the venue, Gu Jingyi was re-made up by the makeup artist. His facial features are three-dimensional and deep, which makes him very suitable for playing a handsome man in ancient costume.

The makeup artist on "Ashes of Love" was very professional. He used a brush to slightly deepen Gu Jingyi's contours. He also used a shadow stick to lightly outline his eyes and jawline. His contours became more defined and he looked perfect for Xu Feng's role as the "Number One God of War in the Six Realms."

After lightly applying a layer of primer, Gu Jingyi's makeup was basically completed.

The makeup artist carefully put a headgear on Gu Jingyi, which was custom-made according to Gu Jingyi's head circumference.

After Lunzi ran away, the previous wig was scrapped.

Fortunately, the height difference between Gu Jingyi and Deng Lun is not too great, so only the wig needs to be adjusted in the costumes and makeup.

Thanks to the efforts of the entire makeup team, Gu Jingyi successfully appeared in a gorgeous golden armor.

This set of armor is a one-to-one replica of the original work, with every metal scale clearly visible. Pearls are also used as embellishments on the chest and neck.

Phoenix elements can be seen everywhere on the chest and belt, and even the shoulder armor has a feather-like design. When the sun shines through, the scales of each feather are clearly visible. It looks beautiful and domineering, which is very consistent with Xu Feng's early "fire phoenix" character design.

As soon as Gu Jingyi put it on, the makeup team responsible for the costumes and props gasped.

"This outfit is really authentic, even better than the one Deng Lun presented before."

"Teacher Gu is truly the perfect fit for the role of the Six Realms' Number One God of War. The moment he stands there, he personifies Xu Feng. Now that the final makeup photos have been released, fans should be able to find no more faults."

Gu Jingyi was indeed handsome and dashing in this outfit. He was greeted with a roar of “wow” the moment he appeared. It was as if Xu Feng in the original novel had really torn through the wall and walked out of the book.

The armor is also very well made and doesn't feel plasticky.

It was a bit heavy, made entirely of metal with leather trim. Gu Jingyi estimated it weighed around thirty pounds. Fortunately, he had a long-term fitness routine. Not a single muscle was unused, and he could move freely even after donning the armor.

This also made the martial arts director, who was worried about his lack of martial arts training, feel relieved. Top stars can certainly carry the ratings. But they don't have that much time to stay on the set and participate in basic training.

The ancient idol drama "Ashes of Love" also has martial arts scenes, and Gu Jingyi will need to hang on a wire and descend from the air to start fighting.

If it was regular clothes, it would be fine, but putting on that armor and having to float in the air and perform pre-designed movements according to instructions is indeed not an easy task, at least most of the male stars in the circle who rely on protein powder to gain muscle can't do it.

Those guys are all muscular, and in "Eternal Love", the entire crew had to take turns to carry Reba, who weighed less than 100 pounds, in a princess carry.

He walked down the aisle with a look of effort, his waist slumped. It can only be said that the uncle is weak, not that the female star is fat.

"Jingyi, does this outfit fit you well?"

The assistant director came over specially. This piece of armor took the longest time to make, used the most complicated craftsmanship, and was the most expensive among all the costumes and makeup in the entire crew.

So when Deng Lun ran away, the people who were most angry were the costume and makeup team.

Fortunately, Gu Jingyi has a better figure, and his shoulder width and waist look better than Deng Lun's.

When the assistant director saw Gu Jingyi changed his clothes, his heart instantly settled down.

"He's so handsome! This outfit is so heroic. Very handsome. After the final photos are released, no one will doubt our casting ability. This is how Xu Feng should look, heroic and scorching."

Gu Jingyi smiled and waved his hand, "It's not that exaggerated. Clothes make the man look more heroic."

Taking the final makeup photos was even easier, and the director took photos of Gu Jingyi during the break.

Under multiple screens, Gu Jingyi, dressed in armor, kept changing directions.

"Jingyi, turn your head slightly to the left. Hold your head high and don't look at the camera. Yes, that's good."

The director made the requirements while setting up the camera equipment to shoot.

These makeup photos are all static, usually taken from multiple angles and the best-looking one is chosen for publication.

Taking makeup photos is not difficult at all, and is not much different from shooting for the inside pages of a fashion magazine.

Gu Jingyi handled the task with ease, he was highly cooperative and performed very well.

Director Zhu Ruibin estimated that it would take twenty minutes to complete the shooting, but Gu Jingyi simply cut that time in half.

After the final makeup photos were taken, Zhu Ruibin handed them over to the team.

The staff responsible for this area were very efficient and finalized the version quickly.

On April 2018, 4, the official account of the "Ashes of Love" crew released a new Weibo post.

[Ashes of Love V]: Have you ever seen Xu Feng with such a charming demeanor? So this is what it feels like to have your heartbeat quickened (heart) (CP heart)

Gu Jingyi stood with his head held high in his golden armor, his eyes filled with countless emotions.

As soon as this Weibo post was sent out, the "Jing Fei" quickly rushed to the scene.

[Gu Jingyi is so handsome, Xiangxiang, please post more handsome photos of our Phoenix.]
[My heart beats for you, @顾璟艺]
[That figure, that look, wow. Who's still questioning Gu Jingyi's acting skills? The best eye acting talent among the new generation of '95 students!]
Shufen shed tears of satisfaction. Finally, it's the right character! This is the domineering and affectionate Phoenix from my original novel! The previous actor wasn't as good as this one.
[Jingyi, TAT. My treasure boy is about to be discovered by more people.]
They are all praises, and I can't find a single bad review.

The most rare thing is that when I clicked on the book review section of Lujiang's "Fragrant Honey", Shufen and others were crying with joy under the book post, and the New Year began.

After Gu Jingyi became famous from "A Little Thing Called First Love", he has always been nicknamed "the fugitive male protagonist of Green River".

His name often appears under popular IPs, serving as the prototype of the male protagonist for readers to identify with.

It wasn’t until the final makeup photo of Gu Jingyi was released that fans of the original novel felt relieved.

As we all know, the crew likes to use a bunch of popular actors of the right age to "attract fans" before announcing the final makeup photos.

After Deng Lun ran away, the role of Xu Feng was speculated to be played by Gu Jingyi, Chris Wu and Teacher Yang Yang.

Even Lu Han, who went from being a top star to an ordinary top star after announcing his relationship, was used by "Ashes of Love" to "attract fans".

These are all routine operations of the production crew, and every time they release a smokescreen, they attract the curiosity of passers-by. Meanwhile, the top fans of each star are ostensibly controlling the comments on Weibo, such as "How did you know my brother just released a new song? Come and listen to the song (link)" and "My brother is very busy, those who speculate about him should just go away."

In fact, the core fans are secretly happy. Although "Ashes of Love" did not go so smoothly. Investors withdrew their capital in the middle, but it is still an S+ ancient idol drama pie!
Since "Gu Jian Qi Tan", people in the circle have generally accepted that ancient idol dramas are more likely to produce top stars.

Domestic entertainment ancient puppet dramas often have large investments, exquisite costumes and props. Even the scenes are built to better reproduce the plot.

These are things that Korean, Thai, and Japanese dramas are reluctant to spend money on, as they are more known for their low-cost modern dramas.

Ancient idol dramas have always been a niche area in the domestic entertainment industry, and often cause ratings frenzy after being exported to Southeast Asia and South Korea.

After "Ashes of Love" released Gu Jingyi's makeup photos, Gu Jingyi also logged into his own account and reposted the crew's makeup photos.

[Gu Jingyi V]: I'm honored to take on this role. Let's work hard together. //@香蜜沉沉灰如霜

As soon as the Weibo post was forwarded, his backend messages quickly scrolled by. A large amount of information flowed down like a waterfall, and Gu Jingyi was directly stuck and logged out.

Lin Ze called Gu Jingyi directly, "Jingyi, the number one trending search right now is Gu Jingyi and Xu Feng. The third most popular search is "Ashes of Love"'s cast change, and the fourth is "Ashes of Love's makeup photos."

"Well, we should pay attention to the direction of public opinion. I have a feeling that Deng Lun's family might try to get me to take over."

Gu Jingyi thought about it and reminded him.

"You guessed it right. The company has already discovered that there are Deng Lun fans on the homepage who are angry about him."

Lin Ze's gentle laughter came through the receiver, sounding a little unreal.

"Why should he feel wronged? I didn't ask him not to shoot. It was Deng Lun who was more optimistic about working with Dilraba Dilmurat and left "Ashes of Love" during its investment hiatus."

Gu Jingyi burst out laughing and was speechless.

"These companies have all gone bankrupt, and your fans are also speaking out for you. One Thousand and One Nights has been mentioned repeatedly, and it would be interesting to watch the two dramas airing one after the other."

Lin Ze made a direct prediction, and since the crew had other work to do, Gu Jingyi didn't say much.

It is certain that "Ashes of Love" will compete with "One Thousand and One Nights", and poor Dilraba Dilmurat has also been dragged into it...

(End of this chapter)