Huayu: Reborn in 97, transferring to the Central Academy of Drama's star-studded class

The film set was so much fun!

Jiang Lai has filmed several melodramatic love stories, and he's really tired of it.

Suddenly joining this comedy crew, which is full of joyful atmosphere, made every day incredibly happy.

Under Stephen Chow's guidance, everyone brought out their quirky side, and even a small extra could leave a lasting impression.

Everyone was all smiles during the filming process, and many of the moments when people laughed were even captured on camera.

Stephen Chow is indeed quite sullen in private, but he changes completely once he enters the film set. He smiles more and his eyes light up.

He's not the tyrant on set that people say he is; he has a gentle personality and is very patient, but he's just too serious.

For example, in the scene where the bottle is smashed on the head, even though the fake bottle was made of different materials and could almost be mistaken for the real thing, Stephen Chow still kept filming it repeatedly in order to achieve the best effect.

This was tough on Huang Yifei. The scene where he gets hit on the head took two days to film. Although he didn't get his head smashed like in the original story, being hit by this thing too often really hurts.

Then, Ng Man-tat joined the crew.

"Wow! Uncle Da! Hello, hello!" Jiang Lai excitedly stepped forward and shook Uncle Da's hand.

Uncle Da responded with a slightly reserved smile.

A recognized golden supporting actor in the industry, and known as the golden duo in the history of Chinese comedy along with Stephen Chow, Jiang Lai felt a special connection to his face.

(This picture has been kept for many years)

As soon as Uncle Da joined the crew, he and Stephen Chow showed a high level of chemistry. The two basically didn't need to rehearse their lines; a single action or glance was enough for them to understand each other perfectly.

The first scene the two worked on together involved asking Lin Zicong, the sixth junior brother, to use his light-footed skill to float down the mountain on water.

Lin Zicong is a familiar face to many. He's a lovable chubby guy who has played many classic roles. In fact, his first official debut was in the movie "Shaolin Soccer".

When Stephen Chow saw his chubby figure, he suddenly had the idea to have him play the role of walking on water, saying that it would create a comedic contrast.

Lam Tsz-chung, originally a screenwriter, worked with several other screenwriters on the film's script. After the script was completed, they showed it to Stephen Chow, who immediately rejected it.

The reason is simple: in the original script, all the fellow disciples with unique skills were swindlers and con artists. One used the sweeping leg technique to pretend to be disabled to gain sympathy, the ghost grappling technique to act as a thief, and the iron shirt technique to swindle money by pretending to be dead.

Stephen Chow rejected this idea outright, saying that filming it that way would corrupt children.

Look at that, that's what vision looks like.

These fellow disciples only knew kung fu, and it's logical that they were left behind by the times and went astray. If some directors were to make a film about it, it would be a reflection of the pain points of society and the times, something real and authentic.

But Stephen Chow will tell you that you don't need to do that to make a good movie, and you can still feel the struggles of ordinary people while being positive and uplifting.

Inside a supermarket.

The crew was sticking potato chip crumbs on Lam Tsz-chung's face, while Stephen Chow and the cameraman were discussing camera angles.

Filming began quickly. From a low angle, Stephen Chow said to Ng Man-tat next to him, "This is my sixth junior brother, nicknamed 'Light-footed Water-skimming,' and this is the famous football coach, Brother Feng."

The camera shifts to the same low angle, showing a huge, fat man stuffing potato chips into his mouth.

No one would associate the seemingly light and graceful phrase "light-footed water walking" with a large, fat man. This is a classic comedic effect, a violation of expectations.

Lin Zicong extended his hand, "Brother Feng, hello."

Just as Ng Man-tat was about to shake hands, he glanced to the side as if confirming something, "What do you mean, 'floating'?"

Stephen Chow had to explain again, "It's like walking on water with light-footed skills."

Wu Mengda turned around casually, "Hello, Mr. Qing."

Stephen Chow continued, "If my junior brother were to take over with his light-footed water-walking skills, our attacks from the upper and middle routes would be virtually flawless."

Uncle Da didn't refute after listening, but only asked, "Are you really that sure?"

"Yes," Stephen Chow replied.

"Okay." Uncle Da looked around seriously. "Do you have any effective weight loss pills here?"

He clearly thought Stephen Chow was bluffing him; it was ridiculous enough that a fat guy was playing football, but to call it "lightness skill on water" was even more absurd.

After that, Lin Zicong looked like he had given up on himself and grabbed a handful of potato chips and stuffed them into his mouth, but Stephen Chow was not satisfied with this shot, so he kept eating.

Jiang Lai found it amusing; Lin Zicong used to really like potato chips, but now he's probably going to develop a psychological aversion to them.

After the scene was filmed, Jiang Lai could no longer smile, because it was his turn.

Stephen Chow wanted Jiang to play the role of the fourth senior brother, Ghost Shadow Catching Hand.

He specifically told Jiang that he wanted to portray the decadence of a nobody at the bottom of society, as well as the kind of shrewishness who speaks one way to one person and another way to another.

Jiang Lai said OK. After watching these people's nonsensical performances these past few days, he is now full of confidence and can't wait to try it.

It's an urban village where low-rise houses are crammed together and the alleys are very narrow.

The air was filled with the sour smell of garbage, and if you stepped on a loose paving stone, dirty water would splash up.

The film crew carried their equipment here, and most of them covered their mouths and noses, unable to stand the smell.

"This is it."

The assistant director stopped and pointed to a shed made of sheet metal and wooden planks, with various scraps piled up next to it.

He went up and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came an old voice from inside.

"Grandpa, it's me. I was the one who said I'd rent your house a few days ago."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pulled open, revealing a dark, wrinkled face. It was an old man wearing a worn-out old man's shirt.

Seemingly startled by the large crowd, the old man gave a restrained yet ingratiating smile, rubbed his hands on his clothes, stepped aside, and gestured for him to come in. "You've arrived? I've cleaned this place up very well. Would you like to come in and take a look?"

The assistant director waved his hand, "No need, please come out first, we need to set up the set."

"Okay, okay." The old man nodded and bowed as he stood to the side.

Stephen Chow and his team got to work, while the assistant director strolled over to the riverbank, pulled out a cigarette case, and asked, "Want one?"

"Here you go!" Jiang Lai took the cigarette and waved to the bald Fan next to him, "Kid, go play somewhere else and don't smell the smoke."

"Tch!" Fan Bingbing rolled her eyes and walked away.

"Miss Fan looks good even with a shaved head," the assistant director said with a smile as he lit a cigarette for Jiang Lai.

Jiang Lai took a puff, squinted at Fan Xiaopang, who was already showing signs of gaining weight, and said, "What? She's still just a little girl."

The assistant director gave an awkward laugh, unsure how to respond, and quickly changed the subject, "The locations Stephen Chow requested were really hard to find; finding this place was quite a challenge."

Jiang looked around and nodded in agreement.

"That old man who collects scraps is quite interesting." The assistant director pointed to the old man squatting on the ground in the distance. "When I said I wanted to rent his shabby shed, he didn't believe me and insisted on kicking me out. He even picked up a stick. I just pulled out two hundred yuan. Wow, his face changed so quickly."

The assistant director exhaled a puff of smoke. "He was so eager to give me a shoulder massage and a back rub. Ugh! The clothes he wore that day were even more tattered than today. I don't know why he changed into something nice today."

As the two were chatting, Stephen Chow called out, "Come on, kid! Come over here and go through the scene once!"

"Okay!" Jiang Lai replied, nodded to the assistant director, and ran over.

Stephen Chow roughly arranged the positions of Jiang Lai, Uncle Da, and himself, and then explained the rhythm. Finally, he looked at Jiang Lai and said, "Lai-zai, take off your shirt. You should show off your good physique."

"Alright." Jiang Lai quickly took off his shirt.

Xiao Fan, who was some distance away, craned his neck to look and felt a little embarrassed.

Stephen Chow stroked his chin and looked at Jiang Lai. He picked up some dust from the ground and smeared it all over Jiang Lai's body until it was covered in dust. He stopped and said, "You can do your own face."

Jiang Lai immediately understood. It was just too clean. Living here would indeed make him a bit sloppy. He squatted down, rubbed the dust on his face, and then asked the makeup team to help him spread it evenly.

After a while of preparation, filming officially began.

"Action!"

Stephen Chow and Ng Man-tat enter the frame and begin knocking on the door.

"Bang bang bang!"

The door opened, and Jiang Lai looked like he was still half asleep.

Stephen Chow said, "Good morning, Fourth Senior Brother!"

Jiang Lai instantly perked up, his eyes widening as he exaggeratedly laughed, "Wow! Good morning, Brother Xing! Long time no see! What can I do for you?"

Stephen Chow frowned slightly, but continued acting, "Let me introduce you to a hunky guy, this is..."

He grabbed Uncle Da's shoulder and was about to go inside when the door slammed shut.

"OK, cut!" another assistant director in charge of coordination called out, and the shot was considered finished.

Jiang Lai walked out the door. "How was it, Stephen Chow? How was this scene?"

Stephen Chow smiled and said, "That's good, let's do another take."

restart.

Jiang Lai, still with his wide eyes and exaggerated smile, exclaimed, "Wow! Good morning, Brother Xing! Long time no see..."

"Click!"

This time it was Stephen Chow who shouted, "Come on, you don't need to act so exaggeratedly."

Jiang Lai nodded, pondered for a moment, then turned around and closed the door. This time he was much more restrained, but Stephen Chow still stopped him.

So the scene of opening the door was filmed more than twenty times, and Stephen Chow kept stopping it.

Finally, Stephen Chow said with a grim expression, "OK, let's stop filming for now! Let's take a break!"

The atmosphere at the scene became oppressive.

Jiang Lai walked to the side dejectedly, feeling as if he had forgotten how to act. Was comedy really that hard to act?

Fan Bingbing wanted to offer some comfort, but felt it wasn't appropriate.

After a while, perhaps realizing that his earlier outburst wasn't appropriate, Stephen Chow walked over to Jiang Lai and said softly, "Lai, you're not acting right. You're trying too hard to be funny."

"But isn't this a comedy?" Jiang Lai asked, puzzled.

"We're not acting in a comedy, so there's no need for humor." Stephen Chow shook his head, looking around at the alley that resembled a garbage dump.

"What we're acting is about being respectable."

"It is the story of an ordinary person striving to maintain dignity and respectability."