Chapter 74

Many people have grown up influenced by Japanese adult films.

In his previous life, Shen Zhenghui was not a fan of adult films, but he had still seen quite a few. To him, Japanese adult films had already taken a fixed path that was hard to change. Although they still maintained a huge market, the monotonous and formulaic process had made Shen Zhenghui feel bored. People's interest in new adult films was entirely focused on the female actors, which Shen Zhenghui thought was completely wrong. Shouldn't we pay attention to the plot and acting?

The formulaic process of Japanese films also made Shen Zhenghui feel bored. "I've already finished my part, but the film hasn't even ended. Who can endure watching the whole thing?"

The Japanese mindset was already outdated. They didn't understand that what viewers wanted was not just the sexual content, but also an engaging background and an attractive story. The appeal of adult literature wasn't just about the sexual content. Search for the most famous female leads on adult websites, and you'll find that they are often characters like Huang Rong and Luo Bing, who have distinct personalities. The star system for female actors in Japanese adult films was a good method, but they lacked enthusiasm and investment in the production itself, leading to a lack of highlights. They could only rely on the female leads to attract viewers. When a female star's reputation declined, her appearance in adult films became a topic of gossip, clearly indicating a lack of industry development.

Now, Shen Zhenghui was trying to bring a new breeze to this industry as an outsider. He handed the script he had written to Director Kurokawa with a somewhat smug expression.

"High... high... reading." Kurokawa stared at the script, flipping through it and raising his doubts, "What does it mean for the female lead to read a fairy tale? And the male lead?"

"Not needed."

"Huh?"

"This is a complete test of the female lead's acting skills. She has to read while acting as if the male lead is present, but in reality, he isn't."

"Uh, this has never been done before. Can the female lead perform alone without a male lead?" Kurokawa was speechless, "Isn't this too difficult?"

"Because it hasn't been done before, it will be fresh!" Shen Zhenghui said confidently, "No one has seen this type before, and it might be very popular. I can't stand the ugly male leads in adult films; the immersion is too poor."

Kurokawa didn't know what to say.

"Say nothing. The film is our investment, and the distribution company will handle the profits. Have you found the female lead yet? Communicate with her early and tell her our requirements. This is quite challenging, so we need someone with excellent acting skills."

Although Shen Zhenghui was confident, the shooting results gave him a hard blow. The invited female actor couldn't meet his requirements, and her performance was too forced, both in expression and voice, which greatly disappointed Shen Zhenghui.

In the end, Kurokawa, with his experience, suggested, "Why don't we set up a table, simplify the background, and have an assistant hide under the table to use the equipment to achieve the effect, making it more realistic?"

This was a last resort. The female actor wasted the whole morning, looking at Shen Zhenghui with a strange expression. The morning was wasted, and the veteran actress couldn't endure it.

Shen Zhenghui also lost his initial ambition. Achieving a certain peak reaction through acting alone was indeed very difficult. However, with an assistant under the table using equipment, the performance became part of the reality. They adjusted the shooting method, but then they realized they hadn't prepared an assistant to hide under the table.

Everyone was at a loss. Kurokawa, as an experienced director, felt embarrassed for not being thorough. Since Shen Zhenghui said he didn't need a male lead, he hadn't even brought a male assistant, which was irresponsible.

"Shall we take a break and shoot tomorrow?"

"No, we must see the results today. If we shoot tomorrow, we'll have to start from scratch," Shen Zhenghui said firmly, "Find someone. Is there anyone on set who can help? They don't need to show their face."

"We have the equipment, but..." Kurokawa scratched his head and looked at the lighting technicians and other staff. To reduce the budget, the crew was kept to a minimum. Kurokawa gritted his teeth, "I'll do it."

"You?" The director doing it? Shen Zhenghui's eyes widened, "Who will direct?"

Kurokawa looked at Shen Zhenghui with an innocent expression.

"Me? I can't." Shen Zhenghui waved his hands, "I don't know how to use it."

Kurokawa thought, "Who asked you to hide under the table? I meant for you to watch the monitor." But since Shen Zhenghui had said that, Kurokawa had to call someone, "Let's take a break. I'll find someone."

The female actor became even more suspicious about the production.

"Director, I'll do it!" A voice came from behind Shen Zhenghui and Kurokawa. They turned to see a girl timidly raising her hand.

Her face was familiar to Shen Zhenghui. Wasn't she the girl who ran to his office that night? She was wearing the company's uniform, and her name was Horiguchi Natsumi.

"How did you get here?" Shen Zhenghui looked around, "I didn't see you earlier."

"I'm here to communicate on behalf of the company," Horiguchi Natsumi seemed uneasy, "Secretary Yamamoto assigned me to be Director Kurokawa's assistant."

Shen Zhenghui looked at Kurokawa.

Kurokawa said, "Oh, I do need someone to help with communication." He nodded and looked at Shen Zhenghui for approval.

Shen Zhenghui nodded. The assistant had already brought the prop—a vibrating massager.

"Can you use this?" Shen Zhenghui asked.

Horiguchi Natsumi looked excited, "I use it often, I'm very familiar with it." She took the massager and began to check and adjust it carefully.

With the buzzing sound, Shen Zhenghui felt a bit embarrassed and turned to the female actor.

The female actor stood up and bowed to the director, "Hi, I'm ready."

Shen Zhenghui waved his hand, "Alright, let's start."

This time, the effect was much better. The female actor began to read seriously, and with the buzzing sound, she started to pause, her voice becoming scattered, and her words disjointed. Finally, she let out almost uncontrollable, self-forgetful exclamations. The whole process was natural and smooth, making the men on set feel excited. Everyone had a strange feeling; although it wasn't explicit, it seemed more exciting than explicit scenes.

Shen Zhenghui was also surprised. He felt his own excitement and, to distract himself, asked Kurokawa in a low voice, "This actress is good. What's her name?"

"Yoshiki Mai, a famous and talented actress," Kurokawa said briefly. The scene was over, a long shot, less than ten minutes, with no fancy tricks. "Should we remove the buzzing sound in post-production? The shot is too short. Should we shoot more and edit it?" Kurokawa asked Shen Zhenghui.

"Uh..." Shen Zhenghui was thinking about who Yoshiki Mai was. He was caught off guard by Kurokawa's question and felt a bit at a loss. He had no experience shooting such films. He thought that the reading was already a complete performance, and having the same person read another story might not be as appealing. However, it was necessary to read a few stories to decide which to use.

He explained his idea to Kurokawa, who, with his experience, knew how to handle it, "Why don't we choose a shorter story? When the shot ends, the story is finished. That would be good."

Shen Zhenghui nodded.

Kurokawa continued, "Actually, this could be a series. We can find more female actors, each reading a different story, and release a collection. I think that would be good."

"Right," Shen Zhenghui nodded, "Let's shoot a sample today. Contact more female actors."

Kurokawa nodded and went to make calls. Horiguchi Natsumi came out from under the table, "Director, was my performance good?" she asked excitedly.

Shen Zhenghui felt awkward, "You should ask Yoshiki Mai."

Yoshiki Mai seemed exhausted, taking a long time to catch her breath and then began to tidy her clothes, her face flushed. Shen Zhenghui turned away.

Horiguchi Natsumi came forward to claim credit, "Director, can I perform like this too?"

"Do you know what we're shooting?" Shen Zhenghui squinted.

"Yes, adult films!" Horiguchi Natsumi replied, "Actually, I think being an adult film actress isn't bad if I can't be a regular movie or TV actress."

Shen Zhenghui pursed his lips and saw that Yoshiki Mai had finished tidying up. He said casually, "Yoshiki, take a break. We'll shoot another scene later. Think about what story you'll read, and try to finish it by the end of the shot."

Yoshiki Mai looked embarrassed, "Sorry, Director, can I take a longer break?"

"Oh..." Shen Zhenghui was confused for a moment.

Yoshiki Mai looked at Horiguchi Natsumi, who was still holding the prop, and blushed, "Horiguchi, you're amazing!"

"Ha ha ha," Horiguchi Natsumi laughed, "I just... ha ha... use it often."

Shen Zhenghui felt a bit embarrassed.

"Can I have that thing? I'll wash it," Yoshiki Mai continued.

"Sure," Horiguchi Natsumi looked at the wet prop, "I'll do it." She walked toward the restroom.

Kurokawa walked over, looked at Horiguchi Natsumi's back, and sighed, "She's a great behind-the-scenes actor!"

Shen Zhenghui didn't want to talk about it, "How's it going?"

"Five female actors can come tomorrow, all with experience. If it's not enough, we can add more. I've already discussed the appearance fees with them," Kurokawa replied.

Shen Zhenghui scratched his head, "Besides the reading, we can also try a script where a woman plays alone without a man."

"Self-defense?"

"No, just pretend there's a man, but there isn't."

"Uh, do we need props?"

"It's all about acting. She has to perform the process as if it's normal."

"Doesn't the normal process require props?"

"Huh? Do Japanese normal processes always require props?" Shen Zhenghui was surprised.

Kurokawa coughed, "Is this for today's test shoot?"

Shen Zhenghui looked at Yoshiki Mai, who was resting and drinking water, "Yoshiki seems a bit tired."

"She's a very dedicated actress, don't worry," Kurokawa said, checking his watch, "It's still early." He looked at Horiguchi Natsumi, who had finished washing the prop, "This prop handler is good. Should we use her tomorrow?"

"Let's use her," Shen Zhenghui sighed, "She wants to be an actress."

Kurokawa nodded, "She has a good appearance."

Shen Zhenghui rubbed his face, "I'll leave the rest to you."

Kurokawa bowed and turned to call everyone to prepare. He then said to Horiguchi Natsumi, "You can help as a prop assistant first." He looked at the prop in her hand, "Have you disinfected it?"

Page break

Page break