Huayu: Starting with mentoring female stars

When Chen Zhou arrived at the entrance of Beijing Film Academy, he saw a banner already hanging on the main gate.

It reads: Congratulations to Chen Zhou, a graduate of our school's directing department, for directing a film that grossed over 100 million yuan.

Because it was arranged in advance, someone was specifically waiting for Chen Zhou at the school gate.

Chen Zhou immediately spotted Tian Zhuangzhuang, the head of the directing department, standing there.

Tian Zhuangzhuang is a veteran director, belonging to the fifth generation of directors along with Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou.

"Teacher Tian, ​​why did you come out in person, and why did you make such a big fuss?" Chen Zhou stepped forward.

"Good lad, you've really made something of yourself. You've really brought honor to Beijing Film Academy this time." Tian Zhuangzhuang patted Chen Zhou on the shoulder, extremely satisfied with the young man.

Behind Tian Zhuangzhuang stood a group of teachers, some of whom Chen Zhou recognized, and others of whom were strangers.

Then, Chen Zhou went to the Beijing Film Academy with Tian Zhuangzhuang and others.

As Chen Zhou passed by the school's bulletin board, he immediately noticed that he had become a well-known alumnus of the Beijing Film Academy.

All the photos and stuff were hanging there.

This reminded Chen Zhou of a saying: "To return home in glory is like wearing fine clothes at night."

Similarly, wealth and honor not being displayed at school is like wearing fine clothes in the dark.

Furthermore, many alumni spend more than a decade becoming so-called well-known alumni.

And for him, it only took half a year.

Chen Zhou's first destination was the principal's office.

The main topic was discussing how Chen Zhou hopes to select promising actors from the Beijing Film Academy in the future.

Instead of being like some directors from the Beijing Film Academy who always go to other places to select actors, especially those from the Central Academy of Drama.

We finished talking in the office.

Tian Zhuangzhuang then suggested that Chen Zhou give a masterclass at the Beijing Film Academy.

I'll give some lectures to some of my juniors at the Beijing Film Academy so they can learn something useful.

Chen Zhou figured it didn't matter, so he agreed.

Then, Chen Zhou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and others passed by the rehearsal room.

Hearing the commotion inside, Chen Zhou asked, "Are people rehearsing a play inside? The lines sound like they're from 'Thunderstorm'."

Tian Zhuangzhuang asked the teacher next to her, and then told Chen Zhou, "Those inside are students from the 07 undergraduate acting class, and the play they are rehearsing is indeed 'Thunderstorm'."

The play "Thunderstorm" suddenly evoked many memories of Chen Zhou's past lives.

Back when he was a performance teacher, he was quite involved in the "Thunderstorm" project.

"Can we go in and take a look?" Chen Zhou asked.

"Of course, no problem," Tian Zhuangzhuang replied.

A group of people walked into the rehearsal room.

Then Chen Zhou noticed that there were several actors who looked very familiar.

First of all, there's Jing Tian, ​​an actress known as the epitome of wealth and beauty.

However, her acting career was extremely bumpy.

He remained relatively unknown after his debut.

It wasn't until 13 years after her debut, with the emergence of Si Teng, that she finally became popular.

The other one is Shuangzi.

She is definitely a top-tier actress in the Chinese entertainment industry.

However, due to too many questionable actions that followed, it was eventually sealed away.

Her face looked pretty good before, but she insisted on getting plastic surgery later.

In addition, there are Kan Qingzi and Chai Biyun, who are also actresses with some fame.

Upon seeing Tian Zhuangzhuang enter, all the performing arts students stopped rehearsing.

Their homeroom teacher immediately went up to greet Tian Zhuangzhuang.

"Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Director Chen Zhou, sitting next to me."

"The recently popular novel, The Unknown, is his debut work."

Tian Zhuangzhuang preached.

This statement surprised many performing arts students.

Because most of them had already seen the film "The Nameless".

Many people love this work.

So when I suddenly saw Chen Zhou standing here, I felt like I was breaking through a wall.

Shuangzi whispered, "My God, it's that unknown director! And he's so handsome, way more handsome than the boys in our school. If I didn't know, I would have thought he was some male celebrity."

Chai Biyun chimed in, "He really is handsome, totally my type."

Kan Qingzi said, "Can you guys stop being so superficial? What's truly impressive about her is her talent."

Jing Tian remained silent, filled with great curiosity about this currently hottest new director.

"You're rehearsing 'Thunderstorm,' right?" Chen Zhou asked.

"Yes," the acting professor replied.

"That's perfect. Anyway, Professor Tian told me to give lectures to the junior students at the Beijing Film Academy, including those in the acting department."

"Thunderstorm is one of my favorite works. How about I try directing a play for them?"

Chen Zhou preached.

"That's wonderful, it's their honor." The performing arts professor was also very happy.

These students were all freshmen last year, and he, as their homeroom teacher, was extremely stressed trying to train them.

Upon learning that Chen Zhou would personally direct their play, Jing Tian and the others were overjoyed and suddenly became much more motivated.

Jing Tian wanted to see for herself whether Chen Zhou was truly the strongest among the new generation of directors, as reported by the media.

"Everyone, please act out the scene in your own way first," Chen Zhou said.

Then, Chen Zhou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and others walked to a corner, leaving space for the performing arts students.

The performance by Jing Tian and others was actually only a small part of the thunderstorm.

After all, Thunderstorm is a very long play, and they simply cannot finish rehearsing it now.

Soon, rehearsals officially began.

Because he was very familiar with the play "Thunderstorm," Chen Zhou immediately knew what roles Jing Tian and the others were playing from their conversation.

They also mentally critiqued their performances.

Shuangzi, who plays Fan Yizheng, confronts Sifeng, who plays Kan Qingzi. She speaks her lines clearly, but her emotions are somewhat externalized.

Chai Biyun's portrayal of Lu Shiping was somewhat stiff in terms of body language, and she failed to fully immerse herself in the role.

Jing Tian plays the male character Zhou Ping, but his portrayal lacks the depth of the character's inner struggles.

"Stop for a moment." Chen Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the rehearsal room.

Chen Zhou walked onto the stage and said, "The overall framework of the play we just performed is there, but the details still need to be polished. Let's start with the blocking. Blocking in a play is not just about moving around; every step must serve the relationships between the characters and the changes in their emotions."

He pointed to the square table in the center of the stage:

"Shuangzi, when you, as Fanyi, were questioning Sifeng, you shouldn't have stood still."

"You are the mistress of the Zhou family, and you are filled with a sense of superiority and jealousy. You should walk slowly from the right side of the stage to Sifeng, with heavy steps, each step like an application of pressure."

"Walk to a distance of one meter from Sifeng. This distance creates a sense of pressure and conforms to the social etiquette of the time. It is more impactful than standing still and shouting."

Chen Zhou then turned to Kan Qingzi:

"Sifeng was filled with fear and helplessness when faced with Fanyi's questioning."

"Your movement was too scattered. You should have retreated slowly as Fanyi approached until you reached the pillar on the left side of the stage."

"A pillar can serve as a support for your heart. When your back is lightly leaning against a pillar, your body is slightly curled up, which can better show the character's cowardice."

Next, Chen Zhou's gaze fell on the props arrangement.

He pointed to the rattan chair in the corner of the stage:

"This rattan chair is where Lu Shiping should sit, but now it's been placed too far back, making it difficult for the audience to notice the character's presence."

"Chai Biyun, although your role as Lu Shiping is relatively minor, she is a key figure in driving the plot forward."

"Move the rattan chair half a meter towards the back of the stage, placing it in an area where the lights can reach it, while ensuring that it does not obstruct the performance of other actors."

Afterwards, Chen Zhou focused his attention on Jing Tian.