Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 45 Resilience
Mei Ting is an actor who can evoke strong empathy from the audience.

Especially those eyes.

When she was very young, Mei Ting played Mei Xiangnan in the TV series "Don't Talk to Strangers," and her pale face with dark circles and dull eyes earned her high praise.

During the filming of the "What if?" scene, Mei Ting broke down.

Perhaps it was because Mei Ting had already made preparations when she first received the script and was prepared to act for free.

Perhaps it was because of Cao Zhong's request yesterday that they made many preparations in advance.

Perhaps it was her identity as a native of Nanjing that caused Mei Ting such excruciating pain.

It's just one shot.

Mei Ting then delivered a performance that was extremely moving.

It even transcended the instincts of an actor.

Xu Zheng is already a veteran actor, but he actually experienced a moment of surprise and panic during filming, almost losing his composure during the scene.
Cao Zhong, however, did not call "cut".

Two camera positions; the main camera position was carried by Du Jie, pushed forward, and extended.

The camera captured every twitch of Mei Ting's facial muscles.

It also captures Wang Guanghai's helplessness, disbelief, self-numbing, and fantasy.

Even after the four-minute scene was filmed, the crew remained silent.

"I'm sorry, Director Cao, I'm sorry, Teacher Mei."

Xu Zheng quickly came over to admit his mistake, "I was a little scared by Teacher Mei's acting for a moment just now. It was my fault. I will definitely film it well."

After watching the content on the monitor, Cao Zhong clapped his hands.

"I think that moment of confusion was correct. It was precisely because of that moment of confusion that Wang Guanghai's gray character arc was completely turned into black."

He had a slight doubt about whether he could lose, but he remained steadfast in his choice of the rare path, pressing forward without looking back.

Cao Zhong looked at the camera and shouted "Cut!"

The crew members were also quite moved at this moment. To see such a scene on the second day of filming gave everyone great confidence in the movie.

Huang Xiaoming turned to Zu Feng and said, "Brother, your acting is amazing. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with it when I turn around."

Before the play was explained, it was made very clear that this question is actually the key to understanding the two morally ambiguous characters, Lin Yuxiu and Wang Guanghai, in the entire film "The Photo Studio".

Having witnessed those horrific atrocities firsthand, Lin Yuxiu gradually transformed from a typical petit-bourgeois into a person, a Chinese person.

In this scene, Wang Guanghai, originally played by Gao Ye, was overshadowed by Lin Yuxiu, and his performance was merely adequate but somewhat forced.

However, due to an unexpected situation, Xu Zheng's character became even more compelling.

He wasn't without moments of hesitation, but he still made the unwavering choice to become a rare individual.

In this version of the filming, Cao Zhong covered up the detail that Wang Guanghai's wife and children were sedated by many Chinese people on the riverbank, but Wang Guanghai was unaware of this and instead came to find Lin Yuxiu.

The text includes a dialogue between a Japanese officer and Wang Guanghai, implying that even though they know we've killed so many people, we still need people like them to clean up our mess.

During the conversation, Wang Guanghai needed to show that he understood and put on a fawning smile.
Although this scene hadn't been filmed yet, Cao Zhong already realized it.

His smiling face, his unwavering resolve, and the memory of his deceased wife and children—all intertwined—would surely break the hearts of countless people… no, dogs.

Cao Zhong was very satisfied.

He himself didn't realize that this scene, which Cao Zhong considered a typical shot in the entire film, could be filmed in one take.

"Teacher Mei, are you alright?"

Just when everyone was incredulous, a question drew everyone's attention to Mei Ting.

The tears she had held back on camera were now completely uncontrollable.

"I'm fine. I just suddenly thought of Mu Guiying and Liang Hongyu. I felt the charm and power of our national culture. Whether it's movies or operas, what we should be passing on is this spirit."

She sobbed, "I won't let it affect my upcoming filming schedule."

Since he passed in one take, Cao Zhong chatted with him for a bit longer.

"This is what I wanted to express in the film. Actually, I know that some people in the crew have their own thoughts about the online comments about me. We're all in the art world, and you all know where the grass is greener on the other side these days."

You have no idea how difficult it is to express benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, or to express your own ideas, in a movie these days.

You will see more of the resistance and criticism in the future.

My statements were partly to generate public discussion, but also to protect us, at least allowing us to get through this year and next year smoothly.

When the movie is released, I will let you all know that you are on the right side.

Just like the storyline we're filming today, from the grand narrative of history, China has experienced many brief periods of decline throughout its five thousand years of history, but without exception, it has always risen again.

Whether it's national strength or culture, film is just a small part of it.

But I will lead you to victory.

As Cao Zhong spoke these words, he was thinking of the Disney version of Mulan from later generations.

Both the animated version and Liu Yifei's version are practically castrations of the Chinese narrative, with themes of loyalty, filial piety, patriotism, and Chinese collectivism all being crossed out.

The core narrative of filial piety and loyalty—the idea of ​​someone taking one's father's place in the army—has been interpreted as "female growth"...

I don't know if I should sigh and say it's a pity, but Liu Yifei really did get a good movie role.

Cao Zhong's words made many people lower their heads and think for a moment.

In fact, his previous statements have had some influence on many people.

Regardless of what they say or do,
At least for today's scene, no one present was unmoved.

Mei Ting did not give a loud, roaring performance. Instead, she used an almost silent trembling to match the gradually out-of-control yet gradually regaining control of her breath and becoming firm again.

The story transforms a selfish, petty-bourgeois woman focused on survival into a strong and upright Chinese woman. Hai Qing witnessed the entire event firsthand, and Cao Zhong's voice echoed in her ears.

It was just completely different from what her teacher had taught her; it was profound but not artistic.

Hai Qing was at a loss for words; she realized she couldn't quite see Cao Zhong clearly anymore.

……

During the following period, filming took place around the photo studio at the film and television base.

The actors were increasingly shocked.

Huang Xiaoming also proved that his reputation as a leading man in mainland China was well-deserved. His role required him to be a connector, and most of the time he had to endure fear of the script and compromise for the sake of everyone in the photo studio's safe zone.

This requires Huang Xiaoming to be very restrained in his performance, and even when acting with enemies, he cannot show any hatred in his eyes.

Huang Xiaoming specifically discussed with Cao Zhong about adding some small gestures, but later took the initiative to request that these gestures be deleted because, as he gained a deeper understanding of the character, he found that the character was somewhat wooden.

Huang Xiaoming abandoned the idea of ​​finding any personal arc in this role, but instead immersed himself in the character, transforming himself into a subjective, experiential character.

Zu Feng's acting skills are excellent, especially his Nanjing native and his advanced age, which give his performance a touch of simplicity and authenticity.

Zu Feng's familiar hometown dialect and lack of emotional conflict allowed him to perform with ease.

It didn't even seem like acting.

Thanks to Zu Feng's performance, Hai Qing, Yang Zi, and the selected child actors were also inspired, and not much film was wasted.

Only after filming began did Qi Jiuzhou put aside his tasks of battling Wang Renjun online and doing odd jobs for the crew, put on Song Cunyi's makeup, and start filming.

His father was a director after all, so his performance was decent but not outstanding.

However, Cao Zhong hoped that he could express the "righteousness" in "propriety, wisdom, benevolence, righteousness, and trustworthiness," so he made many demands. His senior fellow apprentices, such as Huang Xiaoming and Zu Feng, also gave him a lot of guidance, and in the end, his performance was quite good.

Lu Fangsheng's portrayal of Ito is a very difficult one to grasp. Cao Zhong practically dissected the core of the character, which allowed Lu Fangsheng to fully immerse himself in the role.

Xu Zheng needs no further explanation.

Although his role is very complex and rare, Xu Zheng grasped it very steadily and accurately.

Most of the scenes in between were completed step by step.

There were only two scenes when an accident occurred.

In the plot of "A Thousand Miles in a Day", Cao Zhong explained very clearly when he was directing the play that this play describes why patriotism arises and why the spirit of resistance exists.

We must admire the magnificence of our mountains and rivers and not let them fall into the hands of barbarians.

The undeniable facts were laid bare before them: what lay inside had already been compromised.

This scene embodies empathy.

More accurately, it conveys a sense of grief and indignation within history.

Therefore, many people were in a certain emotional state during the filming of the previous scenes.

During the filming of this scene, Yang Zi was the first to break down and cry.

Her fragile heart was deeply shocked.

After that, the girl cried.

The boy cried too.

Wang Renjun lay beside Cao Zhong, sobbing incessantly.

This scene took a full day and a half to film, and was shot seven or eight times before Cao Zhong finally declared it complete.

And while taking photos to recall that part of the story.

Han Zheng and his team first selected these individuals from a large pool of extras, took photos of them, and had Zu Feng accompany them throughout the process. They provided detailed introductions to these individuals' relationships and family backgrounds, allowing Zu Feng to develop closer relationships with them during his performances.

During the actual performance and recording,
"Smile... The gentleman can put his hand on the lady's shoulder. May you two be happily married and have a baby soon!"

Hey! Twins! A perfect family reunion, with both a son and a daughter, making a complete family!
Two venerable elders! May you be in excellent health, enjoy boundless blessings, and live as long as the Southern Mountains!

Congratulations on the arrival of your precious son! May your family prosper! Oh dear... baby, don't be afraid, look at the camera, oh dear...

Joining the army is great! So dashing and heroic, protecting our country! I admire you!
Stand tall and proud! Brothers united, their strength can break gold!

Oh my, you two beauties! Hey, they're so stunning they could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and the moon hide its face in shame!

What job do you want to be when you grow up? A nurse? Oh, being a nurse is great! Saving lives and healing the wounded!
Graduation is here! Study hard in university! Maybe study abroad! But you must come back and serve your country!
"...Riding a dappled horse, carrying a large sword, he'll walk past your doorstep and ask you whether you want oranges or bananas."

Looking at the photos in my hand, I thought about the possible fates of these people during the filming process.

Zu Feng, who has always been known for his composure, broke down in tears several times.

12 month 15 day.

Most of the scenes that did not require extras had been filmed, and Cao Zhong announced that the indoor scenes were finished.

Everyone knows that the most difficult scenes to film in "Nanjing Photo Studio" have only just begun.

That afternoon, Han Zheng and other crew members finalized a large number of extras and arranged the subsequent filming schedule.

Starting with a small number of extras and gradually increasing the number, this maximizes cost savings.

Cao Zhong has also entered a period where he needs to withstand pressure both on and off screen.

"Still Life" was released nationwide a day ago.
A fierce debate about the Golden Lion-winning film at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival in 2006 is about to begin!

Countless enemies, hiding under the guise of "art," launched the fiercest attacks against Cao Zhong.

The light of the sword and the shadow of the sword.

(End of this chapter)