Chapter 77

He Jun loudly called out at the film set, "Where's that little dog? Xiangxiu, Xiangxiu, you take care of the old lady's dog, hold it, I said hold it, don't let it get lost."

When Ye Ming arrived at the set, everyone was bustling about preparing for the next scene.

At this moment, he approached Liu Peiqi and asked, "Uncle, what scene is it today? It looks so lively, and there are quite a few extras."

Liu Peiqi pointed to the stage in front and said, "See that? It's the scene where Bai Wenshi is celebrating her 70th birthday. The drum and gong players on stage are from the Beijing Opera troupe. Director Guo has a lot of influence; one call and they came to help."

This scene is absolutely spectacular. It's rare to see two film emperors and empresses performing together, a great opportunity to learn.

There's no need to mention Si Qin Gao Wa, a veteran film empress. Even when she sits quietly, her expressions and demeanor are full of character, and her every move is seamless.

Chen Baoguo, too, is incredibly precise in his every gesture, sipping tea and pondering his role.

Jiang Wenli, playing Bai Yuting, was also getting into character.

Seeing this, Liu Peiqi patted Ye Ming on the shoulder and said, "Alright, kid, I need to go on stage now. Just watch and enjoy."

Once in the shot, Liu Peiqi immediately transformed into Bai Yingyu, vividly portraying the demeanor of a wealthy and miserly old man from the Republic of China era.

Cut.

The entire set began to operate smoothly, and the atmosphere outside the set became quiet.

Ye Ming's palms were sweating. This was a showdown between film emperors and empresses. In fact, there were two film emperors, one film empress, and Jiang Wenli, who, though not yet a film empress, was destined to be one.

Watching these four actors perform, the atmosphere on set became intense, as if the entire crew had been transported to the turbulent Republican era.

Bai Wenshi suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Isn't Wan Xiaojie performing today?"

With this one sentence, she perfectly captured the demeanor of the head of the Bai family, exuding an air of authority.

At this moment, Bai Jingqi's expression was somewhat hesitant, as if he was hiding something, but he didn't want Bai Wenshi to notice. He quickly replied, "We didn't invite him today."

Bai Yuting, upon hearing this, was not pleased. Jiang Wenli's performance was outstanding, showing no signs of stage fright in front of the film emperors and empresses. She glared and said, "We did invite him. Didn't you say he was the main act today?"

In the "Dazhaimen," the dialogue is in authentic Beijing dialect, with many erhua (er-sound) pronunciations, similar to the conversations in "Dream of the Red Chamber."

Especially when Jiang Wenli spoke in this dialect, it had a Lin Daiyu-like quality, a deep and lost kind of passion.

In the matter of Wan Xiaojie, she was completely immersed.

Jiang Wenli used a mysterious gaze to express her deep love for Wan Xiaojie.

Facing her mother Bai Wenshi, Bai Jingqi fully conveyed his hesitant and cautious demeanor, as a son should.

But when facing his sister, as the older brother, Bai Jingqi's demeanor instantly changed. This transition was crucial, subtle yet noticeable to the audience.

This skill is not something that can be achieved just by getting into character.

Bai Jingqi grumbled, "We did invite him, he's in Beijing."

This time, Bai Yuting stomped her foot and insisted, "He's here, I know."

Bai Wenshi said with some regret, "I wanted to hear his 'Great British Hero,' why didn't we invite him?"

Bai Jingqi was flustered, stammering, "It's just that these days... we were planning to..."

The atmosphere instantly reached a climax, a moment of conflict. This was the most intense part of the scene, where the two film emperors and empresses showcased their best.

At this moment, the few maids, including Xiangxiu and Chen Xi, who played a minor role, were so intimidated that they didn't even dare to breathe, completely overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

Even through the camera, one could see the beads of sweat on Chen Xi's forehead, a result of the tension caused by the film emperors and empresses.

Even the maids were sweating.

Xiangxiu even felt her hands, holding the dog, were drenched in sweat.

At this moment, Ye Ming, watching from outside, heard a ding from the system.

"Liu Peiqi's acting has improved, officially entering the ranks of film emperors, with acting skills exceeding 900."

At this moment, Ye Ming finally understood. It wasn't that becoming a film emperor meant one's acting skills would immediately surpass 900. Sometimes, even after winning the title, one's skills might not reach 900.

Liu Peiqi was a good example of this.

Last year, his performance in "Leaving Lei Feng's Days" won him the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actor, but his acting skills were only 860, which surprised Ye Ming.

Now, Ye Ming finally understood that it wasn't that Liu Peiqi's skills hadn't reached 900, but that he hadn't encountered a strong enough opponent to push him.

To truly become a film emperor or empress, one needed a powerful opponent to stimulate their growth.

This time, Liu Peiqi did just that.

Facing the intense performances of Si Qin Gao Wa and Chen Baoguo, and Jiang Wenli's seamless performance, Liu Peiqi was greatly stimulated. Seizing this opportunity, his acting skills finally surpassed 900.

At this moment, Liu Peiqi felt much more relaxed. As Bai Yingyu, he continued, "Want to hear his performance? It's easy. Yuting, you can perform 'Great British Hero' just like Wan Xiaojie. Why don't you entertain your mother?"

This scene was flawless, and Director Guo Baochang gave a thumbs up, saying, "Great, everyone did well today. We're done. Take a 30-minute break, then we'll shoot the next scene. He Jun, what's next?"

Filming is very demanding, especially for actors of Si Qin Gao Wa and Chen Baoguo's caliber. When they perform intensely, it drains a lot of energy and stamina.

Therefore, after such a major scene, the actors need a break to recover, to detach from the previous scene. If they can't detach, it will affect the next scene, and the likelihood of NGs will increase.

He Jun walked over with a script and said, "It's the 18th scene, the third shot, where Bai Jingqi scolds his son Bai Jingye and breaks his leg."

Director Guo Baochang waved to Chen Baoguo, "Baoguo, take a 30-minute break, familiarize yourself, and then we'll continue. Any problems?"

Chen Baoguo, in his prime, had no issues with stamina. He nodded and said, "Director, you can count on me."

At this moment, He Jun called Ye Ming over and said, "Did anyone give you a rundown of your scene?"

Ye Ming shook his head, "Not yet, but I'm familiar with the script."

He Jun was a bit annoyed, "These brats, they've gone wild. I arranged for someone to give you a rundown, but no one did. I'll deal with them later. Anyway, let me explain. In this shot, you need to show fear, yes, the fear of facing your father. You've seen Chen Baoguo's acting. I asked you to come early to watch how he performs. If you can avoid being overwhelmed by him, you'll have succeeded."

For a newcomer, facing a film emperor like Chen Baoguo, it's not easy to avoid being overwhelmed, especially when he's performing at his best.

This scene is an emotional outburst, a moment of frustration and disappointment. Bai Jingqi's emotions will fully erupt in this scene, and the ruthless side of Bai Qiyi will be deeply etched in the audience's memory.

Therefore, He Jun understood that Chen Baoguo would definitely unleash his full potential in this scene, and it would be impossible to hold back.

If he held back, it would ruin the entire shot.

This is something the director would never allow.

Therefore, Chen Baoguo would definitely unleash his full potential, and He Jun needed to ensure that his opponent, Ye Ming, was ready.

As a newcomer, could Ye Ming withstand such a powerful impact? This was a significant test.

Perhaps the others were busy with the previous scene and forgot to give Ye Ming a rundown. He Jun had to personally explain the script to him.

After explaining, He Jun repeatedly instructed Ye Ming, "I don't expect you to match him, but I want you to hold your ground. If you can maintain your composure in the face of Chen Baoguo's intense performance, that will be a contribution to the scene. Understand? I want you to fully portray your fear and helplessness, and bring out the spoiled nature of a young master. If you can do that, the scene will come alive. Don't worry, if it doesn't work the first time, we'll try again. Focus on your mindset; it's very important."

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