Chapter 38

The old actors are truly old actors. With this costume, they are entirely in character, and they handle the role of Mother Concubine with ease and confidence.

Taking a few steps, she reveals a sinister face, like an old witch in the depths of the palace. No matter how you look at her, she evokes a deep-seated hatred.

The director was very satisfied with Teacher Li Mingqi's performance and said he would shoot directly.

Professional actors are professional actors. After just an hour of reading the script, Teacher Li Mingqi was able to get into character immediately.

During the shooting, although Lin Xinru knew everything was fake, the sinister look in Mother Concubine's eyes still made her feel a bit frightened and uneasy.

Lin Xinru was a bit nervous, and the first two takes didn't go well.

The director had to step in and say, "Teacher Li, please tone it down a bit. If you keep overwhelming her, we won't be able to continue shooting."

Lin Xinru's acting skills were not as good as Li Mingqi's, and being constantly overshadowed, she found it difficult to deliver her lines with confidence.

Li Mingqi laughed heartily and said, "Director, don't worry. I'll tone it down next time. I promise there won't be any problems."

Why can these old actors remain active in the film and television industry for decades? Although they haven't received any major awards, their acting skills allow them to handle various roles with ease.

On the third take, Li Mingqi indeed toned down his performance, and this time, Lin Xinru was able to handle it well, and the lines went smoothly.

By the seventh take, the director finally nodded in satisfaction and called it a wrap.

It was rare to have a break in shooting. Ye Ming had no scenes in the afternoon, so he asked for leave from the production team.

Just as Ye Ming was about to sneak away, a clear voice called out behind him, "Caught you! You were trying to sneak away, weren't you?"

Without turning around, Ye Ming knew it could only be Fan Binbin, the little girl.

Today, she also had no scenes.

Turning around, Ye Ming said irritably, "What do you mean 'caught me'? I asked for leave. I have something to do outside. When did it become 'sneaking away'?"

Hearing that Ye Ming was going out, Fan Binbin became excited. The intense shooting schedule over the past two days had exhausted her. At this moment, she was eager to go out.

Putting on a pitiful look, Fan Binbin said in a cute voice, "Brother Ming, I haven't been out for days. How about you take me along? I need to relax a bit."

Ye Ming immediately became wary and looked at Fan Binbin, suspecting her motives.

After a moment, Ye Ming said, "You don't have any scenes today, so you asked for leave."

It's not that you don't have scenes, so you don't have to be on set. That's a privilege of the big stars. If you don't have scenes, you can skip the set.

For newcomers, whether you have scenes or not, you still need to report to the production team.

Even if the call sheet doesn't list you, what if the director suddenly decides to reshoot a scene? Who can guarantee that won't happen?

Therefore, newcomers generally need to be on set even if they don't have scenes.

Like Ye Ming, even though he had no scenes today, he still had to ask for leave to go out. That's the unwritten rule.

It was really hard to say whether Fan Binbin had asked for leave.

Fan Binbin said confidently, "Brother Ming, don't worry. I watched the scene with Sister Weiwei. It won't be finished in the morning, and it might not even be done by the afternoon. We can go out with peace of mind."

Ye Ming naturally wasn't reassured. To go out, Fan Binbin might lie. He took her to ask for leave from Chao Guoli, which made Fan Binbin pout, as if her lips could hold three pounds of pork.

Sure enough, Fan Binbin hadn't asked for leave. This girl was always weak when it came to food and getting lost.

However, Ye Ming still took her out of sympathy.

But he warned her in advance that he wasn't going out to play but to the patent office to handle some business.

Although Fan Binbin was very curious about why Ye Ming was going to the patent office and kept asking, Ye Ming was as tight-lipped as a rock, only saying he had some business to attend to.

On the way out, they encountered the old actors Zhang Tielin and Hai Bo, who were playing with Sister Hua.

Looking at Ye Ming and Fan Binbin's retreating figures, Hai Bo sighed, "Young people these days have so much energy. We can't compare. They run out to play at the first chance, without feeling tired at all."

While playing with Sister Hua, Zhang Tielin said, "If it's that little girl, she's definitely going out to find something to eat. She's so forgetful, she might not even find her way back. She's dragging Ye Ming along as a guide. As for Ye Ming, he's a cunning one. He won't be content with just being an actor. I saw him hanging around the camera crew the other day. Who knows what he's up to."

Ye Ming kept his word and really went to the patent office. He came out with a file, and no matter how much Fan Binbin asked, he wouldn't say what was in it.

However, when they reached the nearby food street, Fan Binbin, seeing the abundance of delicious food, completely forgot about the file in Ye Ming's hand.

When the production team finished shooting a scene, Chao Guoli hesitantly walked over to the director and said, "Director, I have some bad news. The film studio said they won't renew the lease. We have two weeks, and we must vacate the premises within that time. Other production teams will take over after us, and they won't give us any extra time."

Originally, they had planned for two weeks of shooting, but it was clearly impossible now. They had changed an actor, and although the cooperation between Ye Ming, Zhao Wei, and Lin Xinru had improved, finishing the shooting in two weeks was still impossible.

Sun Shupeng frowned and said, "What did Manager He say? Can't she negotiate with them?"

Chao Guoli sighed, "This is the result of Manager He's negotiation. If it weren't for her, they might have kicked us out even earlier."

The production team of "The Story of the Palace" had significant influence. Although the production looked modest, the film studio didn't dare to be too harsh. They wouldn't dare to force the "The Story of the Palace" team to leave early.

But if it were a smaller production, it would be much harder to secure the two weeks.

The entertainment industry is like this—survival of the fittest. You can't blame others.

Sun Shupeng hesitated and said, "Do we have a few more scenes to shoot today? Can we finish on time?"

Chao Guoli checked the records and said with a bitter smile, "It's not easy. At the current pace, it would be a miracle if we finish two of the four remaining scenes today. And one of them is a major scene where the princess goes to the execution ground. The requirements for this scene are very high, and it's a key part of the series. Auntie Qiong Yao wants us to shoot it to the quality of a film."

During a break, in a temporary office, Sun Shupeng gathered everyone and said seriously, "I've called you all here to let you know that this afternoon's scene is one of the most grand and complex in the series. It will involve the most extras and is the most challenging. Auntie Qiong Yao wants us to shoot it with the quality of a film, making it a highlight of the series. This is not easy."

Chao Guoli added, "To meet Auntie's requirements, there are two challenges: the camera and the extras.

We have a Sony camera, which is fine for TV series, but for a film, it's a bit lacking. Especially during high-speed dolly shots, if there's any shaking, we'll have to reshoot. The Sony lens can't meet the requirements."

This was a significant challenge, and it had to be solved by He Xiujun.

He Xiujun asked, "If we change the lens, can we do it in time?"

Sun Shupeng said helplessly, "It's almost impossible. To meet the shooting requirements, we need an Angenieux lens, which costs over $70,000. We can't afford it, even a used one, which costs around $30,000. There are no more than ten production teams in the country that have such a lens."

Sun Shupeng's words were clear. He Xiujun also knew that the production team couldn't afford even a used Angenieux lens.

He Xiujun realized the situation was not as easy as she thought.

She fell into silence, thinking about the huge expense of over $200,000, which was impossible to manage.

At this moment, Sun Shupeng looked at the actors and said, "I've called you all here to ask you to be at your best and try to get it right in one take. As for the lens issue, I'll discuss it with Manager He."

Suddenly, Ye Ming raised his hand and said, "Director, if we solve the shaking problem during high-speed dolly shots, will that solve the lens issue?"

Sun Shupeng nodded and said confidently, "There are two ways to solve the lens issue. One is to change the lens, which is impossible. We can't afford a used Angenieux lens, and we don't have the time. The other is to solve the shaking problem during high-speed dolly shots. If we solve this, I'm confident we can shoot it to the required quality even with the Sony lens."

Chao Guoli added, "The second option is almost impossible. No one has solved this problem yet."