Entertainment Industry: I am a top-tier movie star

Chapter 92 Script Reading

chongqing.

The unique humid air of the mountain city permeated everything, casting a slightly somber tone over the upcoming filming of "Better Days".

The hotel conference room where the creative team was staying was temporarily set up as a script reading area, with a long table, simple tea, and concept art of the main scenes on the wall, creating a solemn atmosphere.

At nine o'clock in the morning, everyone arrived one after another.

Zhang Lei sat on the left side of the main seat, his expression more serious than ever before, with a thick director's workbook spread out in front of him.

Screenwriter Han Jianu sat to the right of the main seat, her gaze calm, a pen between her fingers.

Production manager, director of photography Cao Yu, art director Ji Miao and other core behind-the-scenes members sat on both sides.

On the actors' side, Chen Nianbei sat to Zhang Lei's left. He had shaved his head very short, his skin tone was noticeably darker, and he was wearing a simple black T-shirt. He looked much thinner than before, but his muscle lines were more defined and taut.

He lowered his eyes slightly, holding a script that had been flipped through and was now slightly curled in his hand. His whole demeanor was calm and reserved, and he seemed somewhat detached from his surroundings.

That's "Little North's" shell slowly covering it.

Zhou Dongyu sat opposite him, without makeup, with her hair tied in a simple ponytail, wearing a loose gray sweatshirt, looking even slimmer than usual.

She also kept her head down, reading the script. Occasionally, she would look up, but when Zi Guang and Chen Nianbei made contact, she would quickly look away, with a cautious, first-time glance and the kind of fear and wariness that belonged to the early "Chen Nian" character.

A subtle tension, consistent with the initial relationship between the two characters, was created between them.

Liu Haochun sat next to Zhou Dongyu, her posture upright. Her usual sweet smile was gone, and she looked somewhat nervous, her fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the edge of the script.

The character "Wei Lai" she portrays is vastly different from herself, and this pressure is clearly visible.

Wang Hao sat next to Chen Nianbei, dressed in casual clothes, trying to look more composed and capable, fitting the identity of "Zheng Yi" as a police officer, but his eyes still showed excitement and solemnity in the face of an important opportunity.

"Everyone's here, let's begin."

Zhang Lei cleared his throat, breaking the silence, "First of all, welcome again to Ms. Han, welcome to Dongyu, welcome to Haochun, Haozi, and welcome to all the main creators."

We will work together to finish this film over the next few months.

The purpose of the reading session is to help us reach a consensus on the story and characters before filming begins, and to identify and resolve any issues.

Speak freely, but please be serious.

Ms. Han nodded, her voice calm yet firm: "We've worked on this notebook for a long time. It's not easy, it's even a bit heavy. But its power comes precisely from this authenticity and pain."

I hope everyone will not just see it as a school story. It is about violence, about the silent majority, and about how two teenagers abandoned by the world become each other's light, even if that light is weak and short-lived.

Every character, including the perpetrator Wei Lai, has their own complexity and underlying causes. Understanding them is the first step to bringing them to life in a performance.

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The reading officially begins, with actors reading their lines in the order of the script, and they can stop at any time to discuss.

At first, the rhythm was a bit sluggish. Zhou Dongyu's voice was very soft, with a tremor, perfectly matching Chen Nian's suppressed fear in the early stages.

Chen Nianbei's lines are low and concise, often carrying an impatient rudeness, or a long silence, only responding with interjections like "um" or "ah," but every time he speaks, he carries Xiaobei's clumsy concern wrapped in a cold shell.

When reading the passage where Chen Nian was first cornered in an alley by Wei Lai and others, her textbooks were torn up, and sewage was poured over her head, Zhou Dongyu's reading voice grew softer and softer, almost trembling with sobs. It wasn't acting; it was a completely immersed expression of empathy.

On the other side, Liu Haochun's face turned pale as she recited Wei Lai's innocent yet cruel lines. Her voice unconsciously rose, taking on a spoiled and uncomfortably sweet tone. She herself seemed uncomfortable, and immediately pursed her lips after finishing the lines.

Chen Nianbei's first official appearance was when Chen Nian was at her most disheveled.

He rode his dilapidated motorcycle, stopping like a ghost at the alley entrance, not immediately approaching, but simply watching in silence.

When Chen Nianbei read this passage, there were almost no lines, only a few simple inner monologues.

But with his eyes and slightly adjusted posture, everyone present seemed to see the lonely boy observing everything from the shadows.

As the plot progresses to the point where Xiao Bei begins to silently follow Chen Nian, takes action on another violent night, and then says, "You protect the world, I protect you," Chen Nian's voice is not loud, even a little hoarse, without any deliberate affection, but rather with an almost stubborn sense of entitlement.

It was this resolute determination beneath the surface of calm that instantly brought tears to the eyes of several female staff members present.

Zhou Dongyu raised her head and looked at Chen Nianbei. This time, her gaze did not immediately move away, but lingered for a few seconds. Her eyes were complex, showing lingering fear, a hint of dependence, and deep worry.

Chen Nianbei looked back at her, his eyes still devoid of warmth, but something deep inside seemed to loosen for a moment.

The silent communication between the two transcended the words on the script.

As the reading progressed to the middle, scenes of conflict and emotional outbursts occurred in quick succession.

Xiao Bei confronts Chen Nian in the interrogation room to take the blame, and both try to protect the other with lies.

The dialogue between Zhou Dongyu and Chen Nianbei is fast-paced, with their emotions rapidly switching between despair, pleading, anger, and feigned strength.

Zhou Dongyu's tears rolled down silently, while Chen Nianbei's veins bulged slightly, his eyes filled with suppressed pain and an unquestionable "command".

After this passage was read, the conference room fell silent, with only the sound of suppressed breathing.

Zhang Lei and Han Jianu exchanged a glance, both seeing satisfaction in each other's eyes—the actor had captured the core tension.

Wang Hao plays Zheng Yi, who engages in interrogation with the two men, attempting to uncover the truth.

His delivery of lines was solid, conveying a police professionalism and a subtle sense of sympathy and frustration.

He successfully portrayed an adult who tries to fulfill his responsibilities within the system but feels deeply powerless.

Liu Haochun encountered a bottleneck when reading the scene of Wei Lai's breakdown before her ending.

She tried to portray Wei Lai's fear and remorse, but it always seemed somewhat thin and remained superficial.

The woman from the Han family called for a halt.

"Haochun, Wei Lai's fear right now isn't just because things have been exposed."

The woman patiently guided her, explaining that "what she feared was that the rules she had always relied on for survival" had suddenly broken down, and she had never truly faced the consequences.

How much of her remorse is genuine remorse, and how much is simply fear of punishment?

You need to find that spoiled, selfish soul of hers, one that's incapable of truly understanding the pain of others, in its distorted state during its collapse.

Chen Nianbei also spoke up, her voice still carrying the coldness of Xiaobei, but the content was advice to the actress: "You can think about whether she didn't even realize that it was evil when she did it before," like stepping on an ant?

Now that the ants have come back to bite her, she's afraid. But this fear is different from genuine repentance.

Liu Haochun seemed to understand something. He took a deep breath, readjusted his mind, and read it again. Sure enough, the layers were much richer. The fear and false remorse that came from ignorance and selfishness were chilling.

The reading session lasted all day, from morning until night.

The process was not easy; it often required stopping to repeatedly discuss the motivation behind a line of dialogue, the rationality of a character's behavior, and the emotional intensity of a scene.

But no one complained; everyone was fully engaged. Lunch was a simple boxed meal, and they continued their quiet discussion while eating.

When the final scene unfolded years later, as Chen Nian became a teacher and saw that familiar figure on the street, Zhou Dongyu finished reading the final monologue in a calm tone that concealed endless turmoil, and the conference room fell into a long silence once again.

Zhang Lei closed the script, looked around at everyone, his eyes bloodshot but shining brightly: "Thank you everyone for today."

We've had a very good start. I have even more confidence in this film now.

He looked at Chen Nianbei and Zhou Dongyu, "Nianbei, Dongyu, the silent connection between you has been established."

Hold on, take it to the set.

Han's daughter also showed a relieved smile: "The script is dead, but the actors are alive."

Today, I saw Chen Nian and Xiao Bei come back to life, and I saw Wei Lai and Zheng Yi stand firm.

Next, we need to capture this "live" state on camera. Wishing you a successful shoot.

The reading session ended, and everyone dispersed, but the heavy emotional atmosphere of the story still lingered.