America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 789 The Female Lead and the Green Tea

In the photography studio, which was set up like a residential house, Martin sat in front of the piano, his ten fingers dancing on the black and white keys, and cheerful music rang out.

Wearing a dress, Saoirse Ronan twirled and danced to the rhythm.

The film crew is currently conducting test shoots.

Saoirse turned to the piano and had just uttered one line when director Damien Chazelle yelled "cut!"

"That's not the feeling, Saoirse, you're being too sweet." The director had a different interpretation of the script, which was not entirely the same as that of the screenwriter Mia: "Remember the point we specifically emphasized during the script reading: the female lead is not infatuated with the male lead, but is a modern woman with dreams and independent thoughts."

Saoirse, her hands resting on the piano, said, "I understand."

Damien then looked at Martin. Although Martin was the project owner and producer, the filming location belonged to the director.

He said directly, "The tune and rhythm played should be more retro, so that people can feel the golden age."

Martin nodded and tried playing a section.

Damien was still not satisfied and beckoned to Sebastian: "You demonstrate it."

Martin moved aside.

Sebastian sat down at the piano, gathered his emotions, and pressed the black and white keys.

The song is still that jazz tune from the 1960s, but it sounds completely different.

Martin was brought back to the table, and he played it once more based on his intuition.

Damien shook his head slightly, went to the piano, and whispered to Martin, "The live performance didn't sound very good. How about we try a different filming method?"

Music requires even more talent than performance, Martin knew very well. After practicing for more than half a year, he could master the fingering, but the pieces he played were just so-so.

"Sure," Martin said directly. "Film me playing, but change the piece to Seba's."

He specifically asked, "Has the production team reached an agreement with Seba?"

Of course, Sebastian should be paid more for this kind of filming.

With the production crew willing to pay, things became much easier. The assistant director then exchanged a few more words with Sebastian.

Since both sides had already reached an agreement, the shooting mode was changed.

Martin focuses more on fingering and personal expression during his performances, rather than worrying too much about how the music is played.

Saoirse continued to dance to the music.

But she called a stop every time they filmed four or five times.

Damien could only call Saoirse aside and say to her alone, "I don't know what your relationship with Martin is, and I don't care about that. During the performance just now, the way you looked at Martin and your facial expressions were completely off!"

He emphasized, "You're like a mere admirer, not a woman with independent thought."

Saoirse realized she had brought her real-life situation into the role and said, "I'll adjust as soon as possible."

Damien returned to his seat behind the director's monitor, suddenly raised his hand and slapped his face hard, muttering, "You can do it! You can do it! You definitely can..."

This is only his second feature film as director; he never felt this much pressure with his first.

Filming resumed, and the shot was taken three more times. Damien was finally satisfied with Saoirse Ronan's performance and called "cut."

Martin stood up from the piano and stretched his wrists.

Saoirse came over, looking somewhat downcast, and said softly, "Teacher..."

Martin encouraged him, "You're in good shape, keep it up."

Saoirse immediately perked up, clenching her fist: "I will!"

This is a girl with exceptional acting talent, far surpassing Blake Lively. After some adjustments, she gradually found the feeling of being the leading lady.

After filming the piano scene for a morning, the crew moved to another restaurant interior.

The scenes being filmed were still those of the male and female leads.

This is a scene between the male and female leads in a jazz bar.

Before filming began, Damien specifically sought out Saoirse Ronan to discuss the scene, emphasizing the key core of the character: "This is one of the three crucial scenes where the female lead meets the male lead. In these scenes, the female lead is proactive; even though she already has a boyfriend, she still can't help but flirt with the male lead!"

Saoirse understood: "My character sent out enough signals for the male lead to develop feelings for me."

Damien pointed at her: "You understand correctly."

Saoirse returned to the set and sat down next to Martin.

Martin said, "Don't feel pressured, just act according to the director's requirements and your own understanding."

"Hmm!" Saoirse nodded vigorously and asked, "My understanding is that the female lead is a 'green tea' like Emma Watson."

Upon hearing Emma Watson's name, Martin couldn't help but ask curiously, "How's your arch-rival doing lately?"

Saoirse laughed happily: "She avoids me now, but I heard from people in the British entertainment industry that Rowling seems to have some issues with her."

Martin calculated the timeline and estimated that Rowling's and Emma Watson's versions would be roughly the same. In a few years, Rowling's version would be severely outdated and would be mercilessly crushed.

The crew began clearing the set, and the two stopped talking, preparing themselves for their characters' emotions.

As the script supervisor claps the clapperboard in front of the camera, filming begins.

Mia's script was partly based on her own experiences and partly on what she saw and heard on set; some of the plots are very Hollywood.

For example, in the portrayal of the female lead, even though she is a girl pursuing her dreams from beginning to end, in many scenes, the female lead always exudes the bitchy and scheming air of a Hollywood actress.

This is actually easy to understand. The screenwriter herself is a Hollywood actress who is used to the people and things around her.

Therefore, what seems like a sweet and innocent romance, upon closer examination, feels a bit off.

Martin's protagonist is a down-on-his-luck artistic youth who dreams of saving classical jazz from extinction.

Two people in dire straits can easily spark a passionate connection.

Just like in a movie theater in Martin's previous life, extras waiting for their chance would team up temporarily once they took a liking to each other.

As for the future? Actually, it's about the same on both sides.

The entire afternoon was spent filming scenes in a jazz bar. Several black musicians were playing at a very high level, and during breaks in filming, Menez even came over to ask him some questions about music.

Menez will play the lead singer of a band.

After wrapping up in the afternoon, Martin returned to the rest area to pack his things. Saoirse followed him, and seeing that there were people around, she said matter-of-factly, "We'll be filming the dance scene soon, shall we rehearse a little longer?"

Martin understood what he meant and said, "Okay, you go remove your makeup first, I'll wait for you."

"Wait for me at the ice cream shop." Saoirse excitedly ran out of the photography studio.

Martin returned to the makeup trailer to remove his makeup and change his clothes. He chatted with Mene, who had come over, for a few words, and then got out of the car to go to the ice cream shop. Before he even reached the door, he saw Mia and Sebastian arguing under the sun umbrella outside the ice cream shop.

The two men faced each other with cold expressions, and because they were a bit far apart, Martin couldn't hear what they were saying.

But Sebastian looked rather grim and retorted a few words to Mia.

As a result, Mia pointed at his chest, raised her voice, and shouted a couple of times before throwing her bag aside, turning around, and leaving.

She took a few steps forward, looked up and saw Martin, forcing a smile: "Hello, Martin..."

Martin waved his hand: "Go do your thing."

He glanced at Sebastian over there, who gave Martin a helpless shrug.

Martin didn't care about any of that, and didn't even ask any questions, as long as the two of them didn't interfere with the normal work of the crew.

Sebastian left soon after.

Martin sat under the parasol for less than five minutes before Saoirse Ronan rushed over.

She ordered two cold drinks, brought them over and placed them on the small round table, and chatted with Martin while they ate.

It was still early, and after filming all day, the two of them took a short break.

Saoirse took a bite of her ice cream and asked, "The female lead I play is a lot like Emma Watson; she's a hidden bitch."

She thought for a moment, then asked, "You're familiar with Mia, so why did she write the female lead like this?"

Martin put down his cold drink glass and said, "Mia may have brought these with her unconsciously, or perhaps she felt that these things were normal and that she could give them up in the face of her dream of becoming a star."

"I can understand the ending." Saoirse was thinking about a scene in the middle: "Before the female lead and the male lead established their relationship, she was too much of a slut."

Martin gestured for her to continue.

Saoirse added, "The female lead has a rich and handsome boyfriend. He takes her to a high-end restaurant to eat with his brother. According to the script, this man is somewhat rigid and conservative, so the female lead finds him boring and dumps him on the spot to go find the male lead."

She coughed lightly: "What kind of person is the male lead? He's an artistic young man."

Martin knew what Saoirse was trying to say: "She's sophisticated, enjoys art, and is incredibly romantic."

"Doesn't the female lead resemble many bitches? She takes it for granted that her boyfriend is good to her." Saoirse Romain plays the female lead, so she has done some in-depth research: "But she just thinks her boyfriend is boring, doesn't understand romance, has no sense of ritual, and the two of them have nothing in common. Then a fun-loving, artistic young man appears, and she immediately becomes infatuated. She feels that if she doesn't get together with the young man, she will be letting down her beautiful youth."

Martin couldn't help but laugh: "Your insight is almost identical to that of director Damien." He revealed: "Didn't you notice? Damien consciously shaped the female lead in this way."

Saoirse didn't understand: "Why? Youth, dreams, love... none of these are right."

"I don't know what the screenwriter was really thinking; I only know the director's idea," Martin said simply. "The female characters in movies today are all about taking control of their own lives, and everything the female protagonist does is a manifestation of that."

Saoirse thought for a moment and nodded: "It seems so. The female lead actively seduces the male lead, dumps her current boyfriend to be with him, uses her phone call with her mother to push the male lead to make money so she can focus on writing the script, and then asks the male lead to give up his high-paying job and become as down on his luck as her, choosing to go to Paris to pursue his dreams..."

Martin knew very well that Damien, while seemingly giving the female protagonist control over her own life, had secretly planted several seeds of malice in her heart.

(End of this chapter)