Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 73 Surrounding Reading
Hu Xiaobei followed in a few steps and said generously, "Come on, I'll treat you to breakfast."

An Xiaoqian tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes, and asked, "When did breakfast have to cost money?"

Hu Xiaobei smiled smugly: "What I mean is, we can treat it as a free meal, and you can also practice your acting skills."

An Xiaoqian's eyes lit up, revealing a faint dimple: "That's fine."

As more actors joined the crew, the script reading with the main actors was also organized in the past few days.

Since director Yu Minjie had been out scouting locations in the early stages, Zhou Xiaowen also handed the script reading over to Hu Xiaobei.

Of course, he himself will be there.

Organizing actors to read the script together can make them more familiar with the lines, enhance mutual understanding, and discover and solve some performance problems in advance.

However, the main actors need to undergo closed martial arts training during the day, so they only have some time at night.

For the sake of their physical and mental health, Hu Xiaobei will make adjustments to the martial arts training in advance to ensure that the actors are not too exhausted during the script reading.

In the past, script readings were mainly hosted by Hu Xiaobei, but tonight was a little different.

Because another chief director, Yu Minjie, had finished the temporary location shooting and returned to the crew.

Since Director Zhou Xiaowen is not in charge, he should be asked to host a reading out of courtesy and respect.

Yu Minjie returned home exhausted and after a short rest, he stepped into the script reading room.

The lights in the room cast a soft light on everyone. The actors sitting around had a focused look on their faces, holding the script tightly in their hands.

Yu Minjie said with a focused expression, "So, let's begin reading the key plot of the Heroes' Conference, starting with Guo Jing's intention to betroth Guo Fu to Yang Guo."

Huang Xiaoming, the actor who played Yang Guo, hurriedly stood up and saluted, his tone sincere and firm: "Uncle Guo, that won't do."

Yu Minjie spoke on behalf of Guo Jing. He frowned slightly, revealing a hint of displeasure: "Guo'er, what do you mean by this?"

(PS: The actor who will play Guo Jing had not yet been confirmed. It was not until the main force arrived in Sichuan in early October that Wang Luoyong was confirmed to play Guo Jing.)
At this time, An Xiaoqian continued softly, "Guo'er can't marry your daughter."

Guo Jing asked with a puzzled look, "Why?"

An Xiaoqian lowered her head slightly, then raised it after a moment, her eyes clear and firm: "Because... because Guo'er already has a wife."

Kong Lin, the actor who played Guo Jing and Huang Rong, both showed surprise and asked in unison, "Who is his wife?"

An Xiaoqian's expression was calm, and she opened her red lips slightly: "Of course, I am his wife."

Guo Jing seemed to be greatly shocked. He stood up suddenly, his voice trembling: "Miss Long, what...what are you talking about?"

An Xiaoqian spoke calmly and confidently, "I want to marry Guo'er, and he is willing to marry me.

I knew it long ago that the Quanzhen Taoist priests all said that the relationship between me and Guo'er was not right as master and disciple.

But the rules of our Ancient Tomb Sect are different from those of the Quanzhen Sect. Guoer and I grew up together, and in our hearts, we both consider each other our husband and wife.

Guo Jing's body swayed slightly, and he stammered, "This...this..." Then he turned to look at Kong Lin, his eyes full of help.

Kong Lin also had a look of shock and confusion on his face. He looked at him, speechless for a moment.

The atmosphere at the reading scene gradually solidified. Everyone seemed to feel this sudden wave of emotions and was immersed in the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes, which was full of chivalry and emotional entanglements.

However, after reading it together, we still found many problems.

First of all, in terms of the lines, some of the lines in the original text are too long. They are expressed naturally and smoothly in the book, but they seem inappropriate when put into filming.

The screenwriter did not copy the original text, but made appropriate modifications.

However, this modification still seems a bit off when read out on the spot, and the director and actors need to carefully consider and modify it bit by bit.

This will make the plot dialogue more compact, more efficient, more conflicting, and better suited to the filming of TV series.

Since someone was presiding over the reading, Hu Xiaobei naturally spoke less. After this reading, the next one would be handed over to Yu Minjie.

Normally, Hu Xiaobei would avoid the reading if he could avoid it. Since ancient times, there has never been two suns in the sky, and no two masters on earth, and the same is true for the crew.

The core of the Condor Heroes crew is Big Beard, but he does not overly control the specific details of the shooting.

He will only intervene in the filming if he is interested or dissatisfied with the content.

Even so, the entire crew still carries out their daily work based on his will.

This is also the reason why the Divine Condor is called the Bearded Version of the Divine Condor, but not the Agile Version of the Divine Condor.

Take the first "A Chinese Ghost Story" for example, its director was Cheng Xiaodong and its producer was Tsui Hark.

In conventional terms, this work should be Cheng Xiaodong's representative work.

But in fact, this is not the case. The film was completed under the control of producer Tsui Hark.

The film was created according to Tsui Hark's ideas and concepts from beginning to end, so in the film industry, everyone thinks that "A Chinese Ghost Story" is Tsui Hark's work.

The core of the drama The Return of the Condor Heroes is Big Beard; this is his work.

It is precisely because of this that Hu Xiaobei did not attempt to take control of the crew by taking advantage of Zhou Xiaowen's delegation of power.

Not to mention that Yu Minjie was watching closely from the side. Even if he could get around him, could he get around the bearded man?

So, some things should be let go without hesitation.

As long as the filming of the plot related to Xiaolongnu is done well, no matter how bad the reputation of The Return of the Condor Heroes was in the early stage, it would not affect Hu Xiaobei.

According to the weather forecast, the weather will be good for the next two days, which is rare for Jiuzhaigou during the same period.

Therefore, the crew decided to let the circus actors practice equestrianism in the next two days.

As the heroine of the show, An Xiaoqian also has several circus scenes to shoot.

There was a horse riding scene in the original time and space drama. An Xiaoqian was wearing a white dress and riding a horse in the rain, which was a beautiful scene.

However, because white clothes would become transparent when wet when it rained, which might affect Xiaolongnu's image as a pure and innocent girl, this circus scene was eventually deleted.

In addition, the circus was also filmed at the Bonsai Beach scenic spot in the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area.

There is a shot of An Xiaoqian riding a horse here, but part of the scene is done by a stand-in.

Because she had altitude sickness at that time and was not feeling well. After that, she often shot night scenes, as well as various wire-hanging and water scenes.

It can be said that during the filming in Jiuzhaigou, An Xiaoqian was basically in a state of half sickness and half fatigue, which also laid the groundwork for her later illness.

It’s different now. I came to Jiuzhaigou nearly a month in advance to adapt, and after a day of rest, I officially started exercising.

Not only does her life and exercise routine remain regular, but Hu Xiaobei has also developed a special exercise plan for her, as well as a tailor-made nutritional supplement plan.

Not only are there no hidden dangers in her body, but her physical fitness is even better than before.

Since the weather is good tonight and it will be sunny tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, Hu Xiaobei will definitely go out early to have some fun.

It was just past nine o'clock, but he couldn't wait to open the window. Then he stepped on the window sill with one experienced foot and stuck the other foot on the surface of the outer wall.

He looked around, his ears alertly listening to any movement around him.

As the shadow fiddled with it, the window was gently closed and locked again.

Even so, the slight "click" sound was still clearly audible in the quiet night.

At this moment, his entire body was at a 90-degree angle to the wall, yet he seemed to be standing on flat ground.

Just as he was about to step over the wall, An Xiaoqian's surprised and confident voice came from the next room: "Hu Xiaobei!"

(End of this chapter)