Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 106 Who says women are inferior to men

The morning after they reported for duty, the group of energetic and enthusiastic actors gathered at the Tangren Media Group's small white building to begin action training.

The martial arts director for the TV series "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" was Chen Weitao, a famous martial arts director from Hong Kong.

He has directed many blockbuster movies and TV series, including "The Legendary Twins", "Young Justice Bao", and "Kung Fu Soccer".

Cai Yinong invited him because he hoped Chen Weitao could design several exhilarating and spectacular action scenes for the TV series.

Although Liu Shishi, who plays Princess Chai, doesn't have many action scenes, she still diligently follows Cai Yinong's instructions and accepts Chen Weitao's training to build a solid foundation for action scenes.

Although the Yang family generals were skilled with long spears, martial arts scenes are not simply about training in weapon use. The realism of the martial arts movements, the control of force, and the flexibility and coordination of the body are all very important.

As the saying goes, "Ten minutes on stage requires ten years of practice off stage." Although it's a bit of an exaggeration, actors need to spend time and energy training repeatedly to present a wonderful martial arts scene on camera until they reach perfection.

Chen Weitao, who has practiced martial arts for a long time, has bright and piercing eyes and looks lean and strong. Surrounded by a group of actors, he waved a long spear while explaining the key points of spear handling in his Cantonese-accented Mandarin.

"The force should be applied reasonably; too much is as bad as too little. The crew is only using props, so you must be careful not to use too much force, which could damage the props or injure the actors. But you also can't use too little force, which would make the action scenes look weak and powerless."

Chen Weitao glanced around the crowd, his gaze finally settling on a burly man. He instructed, "He Rundong, come here and help me with a demonstration."

He Rundong, with his rich acting experience, calmly walked to the middle of the training room, carrying a long gun, and stood facing Chen Weitao.

He firmly planted his legs in a horse stance, gripped the spear shaft tightly with both hands, raised the spear, and pointed the gleaming silver spearhead at Chen Weitao, striking a very cool pose.

Chen Weitao nodded slightly, satisfied with He Rundong's perfect cooperation. He suddenly thrust his spear forward, the shaft striking He Rundong's spear with a dull thud.

His hands moved swiftly, repeatedly wielding the spear to demonstrate the movements to the crowd, while simultaneously explaining the key points of each action:
"Everyone, pay attention to me. The striking position braking technique is very important. It means using a counterforce at the predetermined striking position to stop the weapon in the striking position. This can protect the actors and props, and also create a strong sense of force in the collision of weapons."

Most of the actors present were using long weapons for the first time, and they only had a vague understanding of what they were seeing. Hu Ge, who was still struggling to grasp the essence of the weapon, asked with a puzzled look, "Director Chen, could you please demonstrate it again so that we can have some time to digest it?"

"An inch longer, an inch stronger." When he was filming "Chinese Paladin," he had only learned a few simple sword dance moves, but they were all just for show and to look cool. What Chen Weitao was teaching him was real, professional sword skills, which were indeed profound and difficult to understand.

After demonstrating several more times without getting tired, Chen Weitao put away his gun and stood upright.

"Talk is cheap. Everyone should start practicing now. I will provide individualized guidance based on each person's progress."

After saying that, he divided everyone into two groups, men and women, and began practical training.

Although it was Liu Shishi's first time participating in martial arts training, she picked it up very quickly and her talent far surpassed that of Tong Yao and Lin Jiayu. After a little training, she wielded a long spear with great skill, drawing frequent glances from those around her.

Because of her dance background, Liu Shishi has excellent coordination and flexibility due to her years of dance experience, and she is good at using her waist and hips to generate power.

Her excellent dance foundation allows her to use the flexible rotation of her waist and hips to drive the power of her arms, making her whole body coordinated and orderly, thus improving the coordination and visual appeal of her action scenes.

Chen Weitao was delighted to see Liu Shishi's exceptional talent and couldn't help but show some favoritism towards promising martial arts talents, occasionally offering her targeted guidance.

"Xiao Liu, you must remember one thing: you are just actors. All the actions are for the audience to see. So when fighting, you must pay attention to controlling your facial expressions and learn to use body language to convey the character's psychological state. Only in this way can the fight scenes be more vivid."

Chen Weitao shared his knowledge generously, and Liu Shishi kept the director's teachings in mind. Through simulated combat, she made rapid progress and has already shown signs of becoming an action star.

Every drop of sweat that fell accompanied the ticking of time. The group continued to repeat the monotonous training exercises, and before they knew it, two hours had passed.

Chen Weitao patrolled the set, keeping an eye on everyone's training progress. Seeing that the actors looked tired, he clapped his hands and announced, "Everyone, take a half-hour break."

Upon hearing this, everyone deflated like punctured balloons, putting their arms around each other's shoulders and taking the opportunity to relax and rest.

Exhausted, Tong Yao slumped to the ground, motionless. It took her a while to recover. It was her first time participating in martial arts training, but she performed far worse than Liu Shishi.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she gasped for breath, feeling weak and sore all over, and pleaded softly, "Shishi, lend me a hand, help me up."

Although Liu Shishi was drenched in sweat and breathing rapidly, she was in much better condition than Tong Yao and Lin Jiayu. Upon hearing this, she reached out and pulled Tong Yao up, helping her to sit down and rest on a bench in the corner.

Tong Yao's fingers ached from holding the gun for so long, and it took her a lot of effort to shakily unscrew a bottle of mineral water. Forgetting about being a lady, she gulped down a big mouthful, exhaled a breath of stale air, and finally regained some energy.

Lin Jiayu, standing to the side, was even more distressed. She was a wealthy heiress from Taiwan, pampered and spoiled, and had never experienced such hardship.

At this moment, his arms were sore and numb, and he couldn't exert any strength at all. In addition, his palms were sweaty and slippery, and he couldn't even open the bottle cap. He could only look pitifully at Liu Shishi.

Liu Shishi first helped Lin Jiayu unscrew a bottle of water, then opened one for herself, took a couple of sips to replenish her lost fluids, and started chatting with the two delicate and frail beauties on either side of her.

Recalling Liu Shishi's captivating figure during training, Lin Jiayu instantly transformed into a devoted fan, admiring her immensely: "Shishi, you're so amazing! You completed the entire routine flawlessly, and Director Chen kept praising you."

Tong Yao echoed her praises, as if Liu Shishi were a nimble and heroic heroine.

Liu Shishi was a little embarrassed by the two people's praise. She blushed and said modestly, "It's not that exaggerated. I've only practiced dance and can barely be considered to have some basic skills. Compared with seniors like Teacher He Rundong, I am far behind."

Lin Jiayu retorted, "That's different. Teacher He is a seasoned veteran who has been through countless trials. He might not have been as good as you, Shishi, during his first training session."

"Sigh, I have no hope of doing action scenes. I'm too clumsy and don't have the talent for it. I guess I can only do modern dramas in the future."

Seeing her friend looking dejected, Liu Shishi held her hand and encouraged her, "Jiayu, it's only the first day of training, don't be discouraged. Director Chen is very experienced. As long as we train hard according to his requirements, we can all perform beautiful action scenes." Lin Jiayu knew that she was afraid of difficulties, and sighed, "Well, I'm mainly afraid that I won't be able to persevere."

"It's okay, I'll cheer you on, and so will Sister Yao. Let's cheer each other on." Liu Shishi didn't forget to bring Tong Yao along when she was encouraging Lin Jiayu.

Although Cai Yi-nong told her about Tong Yao yesterday and advised her to be mindful of boundaries when interacting with Tong Yao, she wasn't interested in other people's private matters, especially memories that were painful.

When they first met yesterday, Tong Yao made a very good impression on Liu Shishi. Her gentle and kind manner made Liu feel good about her and she was willing to spend time with her during the filming period.

As the girls encouraged each other and decided to work together, Hu Ge pulled Yuan Hong to stand in front of the three of them.

When they arrived yesterday morning, He Rundong's inappropriate joke caused an awkward moment for everyone. Liu Shishi hasn't spoken to me since, and she didn't attend the gathering last night.

Hu Ge thought about coming over to greet and care for her junior sister and ease the tension, but she was worried that Liu Shishi was still angry, so she specially brought Yuan Hong along to smooth things over.

Hu Ge glanced meaningfully at Tong Yao, who was all smiles and chatting animatedly with Liu Shishi. "Teacher Lin, Teacher Tong."

After nodding and greeting the two, he smiled at Liu Shishi, who was sitting in the middle, and asked, "Shishi, how is the training going?"

Liu Shishi didn't actually take yesterday's events to heart. She wasn't unreasonable; it wasn't Hu Ge's fault to begin with, so why would she hold a grudge against him?

Yesterday, a group of actors had a gathering at a bar. Now she follows her husband's lead and, like Song Ci, doesn't like to attend these kinds of gatherings.

Instead of wasting time on this, I'd rather chat with my boyfriend. I'm currently in Hengdian, and I bet some vixens are already getting restless.

Upon seeing his two senior brothers arrive, Hu Ge responded gently, "It's alright, I can keep up with Director Chen's pace."

Lin Jiayu, however, looked proud and praised with his head held high: "Shishi is super amazing. Teacher Hu, Teacher Yuan, you don't know, Director Chen said that she has excellent talent and can endure hardship. She completes all kinds of movements meticulously."

Hu Ge immediately looked at Liu Shishi with new respect. She never expected that such a gentle and weak girl would have such talent and perseverance in training. It seems that Sister K really has a discerning eye.

Yuan Hong was somewhat skeptical, thinking the girls were just flattering each other. "It's only the first day. The challenges of falling off the wires are still to come. Don't give up and cry."

"Teacher Yuan, you underestimate us girls. Who says women are inferior to men? The story of the Yang family's female generals has been passed down through the ages. Although we can't compare to the heroines of ancient times, we can still manage a martial arts training session."

Tong Yao replied with a smile, her words spoken with grace and conviction.

After being refuted, Yuan Hong immediately shut her mouth. A good man doesn't argue with a woman; the one who retorted to her was a ruthless person.

She could laugh off the fact that her ex-boyfriend beat her up like that, and even recanted her testimony in court. She was full of shrewd calculations. An honest person like me couldn't outmaneuver her and dared not offend her.

Hu Ge was clearly not as simple-minded as Yuan Hong; following Tong Yao's words, she intentionally praised her. "That's a real pity. There are very few action scenes for Shi Shi in this drama, so the audience can't have a good look. It's a real shame."

"Building a solid foundation will definitely come in handy in future filming." Liu Shishi doesn't mind that she doesn't have many action scenes in this drama. It's always good to have a skill to rely on. Not to mention, Sister K promised her that she would have a lot of action scenes in the next "Legend of the Condor Heroes".

After chatting idly for a while, half an hour passed quickly. Chen Weitao then gathered everyone again to continue training. Liu Shishi pulled the reluctant Lin Jiayu up from his seat and picked up his spear again.

Seeing this, Hu Ge and Yuan Hong returned to the boys' group and threw themselves back into the intense training. If the girls were so serious and hardworking, how could he, a dignified seven-foot man, lose to them?

Several days of training passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already December 9th. As the first rays of sunlight shone on Hengdian, the filming location of "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" was decorated in a solemn yet festive manner.

A red carpet stretched from the entrance to the stage, with flowers and balloons lining both sides, creating a warm and festive atmosphere.

After more than a week of careful preparation, the crew of "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" officially started filming today at Hengdian World Studios.

In the center of the stage, a huge backdrop was particularly eye-catching, with the words "The Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" written in large gold characters, shining brightly in the morning light.

In the center of the stage is a square offering table with a majestic statue of Guan Yu on it. Around it are offerings and fruit platters, creating a traditional and mysterious atmosphere.

The film and television industry in Hong Kong and Taiwan is deeply influenced by traditional drama. Before filming begins, there is a long-standing tradition of offering sacrifices to the gods, hoping to pray for divine protection to ensure smooth filming and the safety of the crew.

The main creative team of "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" all come from Hong Kong and Taiwan, so a grand blessing ceremony is held before filming begins.

At 8:18 a.m., the auspicious time chosen by the production team, Cai Yi-nong led the director, actors, and crew onto the stage to officially begin filming.

Cai Yi-nong, holding three sticks of incense, stood solemnly in the center facing the statue of Guan Gong, flanked by director Wei Hantao and Liang Shengquan. Behind him were the main actors and crew members, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

After reciting auspicious blessings, he led everyone in bowing three times to the statue of Guan Gong. Then, with a devout expression, he slowly stepped forward, holding incense and candles, and inserted three sticks of incense into the bronze incense burner in front of the statue.

Instantly, wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner, mingling with the lingering morning mist to create a hazy yet sacred scene.

Then several directors came forward one by one to offer incense and pay homage to the gods. Wei Hantao even put his hands together, closed his eyes and prayed silently. Hong Kong directors are indeed more superstitious and attach great importance to the opening ceremony.

As the incense burned, a faint fragrance spread, a scent of ancient wood and spices.

The aroma was so refreshing that it seemed to dispel all worries and sorrows with the wisp of smoke. Everyone present hoped that the filming of "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" would go smoothly and that the show would be a huge hit.

(End of this chapter)