Returning to the 82 Mountain Village: An Encounter with the Journey to the West Film Crew at the Beg

The pen scratched away, and within minutes, a revised outline of Pigsy's head appeared on the paper.

His mouth was pursed, his facial features softened considerably, and he looked less fierce and more innocent and greedy.

"Brilliant!" Wang Xichong put down his pen and let out a long sigh of relief.

"With this adjustment, the demonic aura is still there, but it's no longer a frightening evil demon. It's more like a lazy, slacking-off demon with some magic power but not enough to do with it, haha."

Li Chengru was overjoyed: "This is great! This scale is also in line with the original work, it will definitely shut them up."

He suddenly remembered something and slapped his thigh.

"I'll take it to Director Yang right away! At least she'll hear some good news today!"

Li Chengru grabbed the sketch, rolled it up quickly, and his original distress was replaced by an eager excitement.

He walked to the door and stopped, then turned back and laughed loudly at Zhou Fangyuan.

"Xiao Zhou, you're really something! Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll treat you to hot pot!"

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went out, his footsteps fading away hurriedly in the corridor.

Wang Xichong smiled and shook his head: "It's all a bit rushed, I just finished drawing it."

He looked at Zhou Fangyuan and nodded approvingly.

"That's right. Our play has many difficulties, which is why we need young people like you who are willing to use their brains and get to the heart of the matter."

Mr. Wang drew another sketch, and the two began to make more detailed revisions.

They discussed the length of a pig's snout, the beauty of its phoenix eyes, and even the fact that the high-ranking Marshal Tianpeng had been reduced to a pig's womb.

Different versions of Zhu Bajie were designed for different stages.

Looking at these, Zhou Fangyuan felt that they were more profound and more worthy of contemplation than the classic version he remembered.

The domestic pig's endearing clumsiness forms the base, the wild boar's vitality the sinews, and the lingering charm of the celestial pheasant the soul.

It's silly and ugly, and its appearance makes people want to laugh. But after laughing, you feel that this pig's life seems a bit sad and inexplicable.

I've been given a second chance at life. If I were to start from scratch like Teacher Wang, how much effort would it take...?

They figured it out during filming, which is why their appearances changed in the earlier episodes.

"Come on, it's time to give you a face mask now."

Zhou Fangyuan's thoughts were interrupted when Wang Xichong made him lie on the bed and put some padding on it to make him more comfortable.

"Teacher Wang, could I have those discarded drafts? I'd like to keep them as a souvenir..."

He lay in bed and asked tentatively.

The old man was quite surprised by this question and was stunned by it.

"You're quite sentimental, aren't you? Fine, take it if you want."

Wang Xichong responded with a gentle tone and a smile, his hands moving swiftly and efficiently.

"Okay, don't talk anymore. Relax, close your eyes, just take a break, try to breathe steadily, and keep your nose exposed."

First, wrap your hairline with plastic wrap, then wrap your entire head of hair with a cloth bag, and carefully apply Vaseline to your eyebrows.

Next, he took out the prepared alginate material.

This was one of the most commonly used molding materials back then, as it was gentle and could capture subtle contours.

Zhou Fangyuan felt that the cream had a peculiar feel when it came into contact with his skin; it was slightly cool, moist, and slowly settled with a little weight.

"Don't move, and don't be nervous. This material is breathable, it's fine."

Wang Xichong spoke softly, his hands never stopping.

While waiting for the paste to solidify, the old man copied a portrait, smiling and talking to himself.

"At that time, it was the most difficult for Jinlai and Dehua to do this. They had to have their entire heads shaved."

I did it for Jin Lai three times. After the first time, he came to the Beijing Film Studio to find me in the middle of the night and said that Sun Wukong's fiery eyes could not be hidden behind the mask.

We changed the plan, only working on the forehead and cheekbones, leaving more space around the eyes.

Listening to these stories, Zhou Fangyuan's body relaxed even more.

Wang Xichong began preparing the plaster bandage.

Soak strips of gauze in plaster slurry, then gently cover the gauze layer by layer.

His movements were very gentle, but the material still felt very uncomfortable on my face.

The face was layered with plaster, which gradually covered the skin, and the coolness seeped in.

Zhou Fangyuan felt himself slowly disappearing.

Instead, there is another kind of substantial existence that is solidifying.

The plaster begins to heat up; this is due to a chemical reaction taking place.

He had difficulty breathing, and the reed stalks in his nostrils were the only passage.

Time departed amidst the old man's gentle words, and the plaster completely solidified.

"Okay, let's take it off slowly now."

First, carefully pry open a small gap from the edge, then slowly peel it off. The whole process went smoothly, and by the time I finished, it was already dark.

Zhou Fangyuan felt a great sense of relief and took deep breaths of air.

"Hahaha, come on, look at your face."

Wang Xichong smiled and turned the inside of the mold towards him, revealing a young and handsome face clearly imprinted inside.

"Thank you for your help, Teacher Wang."

"Hey, go wash it quickly, you have a good foundation."

The old man examined the mold, then looked at Zhou Fangyuan's clean face after washing off the Vaseline, and nodded in satisfaction.

Zhou Fangyuan stared at Vaseline and began to ponder.

"Teacher Wang, you just said... Brother Ma and the others need to work on the entire head."

"Was their makeup and makeup done under the sun even hotter than it was in the cave last time?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xichong slowed down his hand-wiping motion with a towel.

"Yes, this vulcanized latex is not breathable, it's like a furnace inside. Sometimes when I remove my makeup, the skin on my face even cracks..."

But there's no way around it; the show has to go on.

His tone was tinged with sympathy, but more so with the helplessness one must face in the face of reality when creating art.

In the traditional makeup and styling system, resemblance and beauty are the most important ironclad rules, while special makeup and styling must also include durability.

The core task of a makeup artist is to create an artistic image that meets the director's requirements using limited materials.

In this system, the traditional way to solve the problem of the sweltering heat is to make the actors endure it and to film quickly to end the scene early.

Zhou Fangyuan seemed to be deep in thought, trying to determine if his idea was feasible.

"Teacher Wang, I've come up with a simple method, but I don't know if it will work. I'd like to ask you to give me your opinion."

"Look, this is petroleum jelly. Would adding some talcum powder make them more comfortable?"

Wang Xichong looked at him with some doubt.

"We sometimes use Vaseline, as a barrier against glue. But this baby powder... it's for applying to a baby's bottom, what does that have to do with this?"

"It's related, Teacher Wang."

Zhou Fangyuan explained happily, "The actors felt stuffy and hot, mainly because they couldn't sweat out."

Sweat clung to the skin and the hood, and the glue made it sticky, wet, and irritating to the skin.

First, apply a thin layer of Vaseline as a base to protect the skin from direct irritation.

Mr. Wang nodded; he understood.

"The key is here: before the Vaseline is completely dry, gently pat on a layer of talcum powder."

This powder will absorb any sweat that comes out later, keeping your skin surface dry!

Wang Xichong's eyes shifted from doubt to contemplation, and he did not speak immediately.

His brows furrowed slightly, not in denial, but in the midst of a rapid artistic creative association.