Chapter 16 of 100

Chapter 16

17 min read4,173 words

Around nine o'clock, all preparations were in place, and the formal shooting began. Although Zhang Chengyuan arrived earlier, the camera would not start with him. The first shots were of Zhang Dongjian's solo performance, followed by scenes where Zhang Chengyuan cooperated with him, and finally, Zhang Chengyuan's solo scenes. The remaining close-up shots of the Shin Ramen were not part of today's shooting.

If the shooting progress was too slow and Zhang Dongjian couldn't finish today, Zhang Chengyuan would have to wait until the next day. This wasn't because Zhang Dongjian was domineering, but rather a rule in the entertainment industry. Junior artists must yield to seniors, and those who are not popular must yield to those who are rising in popularity, while newcomers are always at the bottom.

Zhang Dongjian's first scene was: a young white-collar worker who supports his family alone, returning from overtime work late at night, collapses on the living room sofa with a tired face.

This scene wasn't difficult, and Zhang Dongjian passed it on the first try, vividly portraying the physical and mental exhaustion of the young white-collar worker, demonstrating his excellent acting skills. After this shot, not only did the staff praise him, but even the proud Zhang Chengyuan nodded in approval, acknowledging that he was still too inexperienced compared to Zhang Dongjian.

Next, Zhang Dongjian shot several scenes, such as eating Shin Ramen with gusto and praising its delicious taste, all of which went smoothly, with only one or two NGs, which were due to Zhang Dongjian's own dissatisfaction and his request for a retake. Although Zhang Dongjian performed well, the same scenes in commercial shoots sometimes need to be repeated several times to capture the best shots. Thus, shooting and selecting, along with adjusting the lighting and the makeup artist's touch-ups, several scenes took several hours, and before they knew it, it was time for lunch.

In the studio, everyone simply ate some boxed meals, jajangmyeon, and ramen, even big stars like Zhang Dongjian. They ate while discussing the next shooting content and what to pay attention to.

After lunch, they rested for about ten minutes and then resumed shooting. This time, Zhang Chengyuan also joined in.

The shooting began: Zhang Dongjian lay tired on the sofa, resting with his eyes closed. At this moment, Zhang Chengyuan entered with a large bowl of steaming Shin Ramen. He walked carefully and joyfully to Zhang Dongjian, about to speak, when Zhang Dongjian caught the rich aroma of the Shin Ramen and sat up suddenly, staring at it with great surprise and exclaiming in an exaggerated tone, "Wow! Nongshim Shin Ramen!"

At this moment, Zhang Chengyuan gently placed the bowl on the coffee table in front of the sofa and bowed, saying, "Brother, it's time to eat!" His voice was gentle and affectionate, and his demeanor was natural and unfeigned, as if he were really speaking to his most respected elder brother. After completing this scene in one take, everyone around nodded in approval of Zhang Chengyuan's performance.

Originally, there was no scene where Zhang Chengyuan had lines, but Director Park Myeongjae, seeing the harmonious image of Zhang Dongjian and Zhang Chengyuan standing together, with their similarly chiseled handsome faces and equally charismatic auras, and their similar expressions and smiles, thought they looked like real brothers. He had a sudden idea to portray a stronger sense of brotherly warmth in the commercial, to convey the image of Shin Ramen as a "family warmth noodle." After discussing with the advertising representatives and the main creative team, he gave Zhang Chengyuan more opportunities to perform, adding a few short scenes to provide more options during editing.

This naturally delighted Park Byungnyeol and brought a bit of joy to Zhang Chengyuan. Zhang Dongjian, being generous, had no objections. For Zhang Chengyuan, adding a line could give him more chances to become famous, but for Zhang Dongjian, commercial shooting was just a side job to earn money, not his main career. A few seconds less of screen time wouldn't affect his popularity or status, nor would it reduce his endorsement fees. Given his harmless personality, he didn't mind these things.

However, in the highly competitive entertainment industry, only a star with a broad-minded heart like Zhang Dongjian would make such a seemingly insignificant concession.

Next, Zhang Chengyuan cooperated with Zhang Dongjian to complete all the joint scenes. In these scenes, Zhang Chengyuan's role was slightly increased, but no matter how much it increased, it wouldn't affect Zhang Dongjian's position as the main character of the commercial. After completing these scenes, Zhang Dongjian's part was done, and he and his agent apologized to the on-site creative team and left to attend other events.

Everyone understood that a star like Zhang Dongjian would naturally have many events to attend, and even if he didn't want to, his agency wouldn't let him be idle. After seeing Zhang Dongjian off, the staff continued shooting Zhang Chengyuan's solo scenes without a break.

Zhang Chengyuan's solo scenes were not many, only two.

One was: when Zhang Dongjian returned home and lay on the sofa to rest, Zhang Chengyuan, who was reviewing his lessons, heard the sound and walked out of his room, looking at his brother, who supported the family like a father, with a grateful, guilty, and heartbroken expression.

In this scene, since Zhang Dongjian had already left, Zhang Chengyuan had to focus his gaze on a spot about half a foot above the sofa, imagining Zhang Dongjian lying there, and he had to exert his acting skills to the fullest, especially for a close-up of his expression.

This method of expressing complex emotions through eye movements and subtle facial changes was a challenge for Zhang Chengyuan, who usually maintained a poker face for most of the day. Without prior practice, Zhang Chengyuan performed poorly, and after failing to meet the director's requirements in over ten consecutive takes, he was scolded harshly by Director Park. After failing to guide Zhang Chengyuan, Director Park, who had exhausted his words, invited a professional actor from a nearby studio to demonstrate for Zhang Chengyuan.

This move worked immediately. To avoid being scolded, Zhang Chengyuan used his mental power to vividly remember the professional actor's eye movements and facial muscle changes, then replicated them. Although the result wasn't as vivid as the professional actor's, it was passable, and Director Park finally let Zhang Chengyuan off.

One take left Zhang Chengyuan mentally exhausted due to the strain of using his not yet fully recovered mental power. This small setback made Zhang Chengyuan realize that he still had a long way to go in his acting career.

The other scene: Zhang Chengyuan, wearing an apron, seriously cooking Shin Ramen in a small kitchen. This was very simple for Zhang Chengyuan, as he had cooked instant noodles many times recently and was almost tired of them. He moved quickly and orderly, adding ingredients accurately and skillfully, looking quite like a master chef. Unfortunately, Director Park didn't value this much and just casually shot it and said it was okay.

After completing these two scenes, the day's commercial shooting was done, and the rest was post-production. Director Park dismissed everyone. When most people had left, Park Byungnyeol, with Zhang Chengyuan who had removed his makeup, solemnly apologized to Director Park, "Director Park, we caused you trouble, please don't take it to heart."

Director Park, in a good mood after the shoot, replied, "It's not your fault. I added the scenes last minute, which was indeed difficult for a newcomer. I still have high hopes for your artist, and perhaps we will have the chance to work together again in the future."

After a few more pleasantries, Park Byungnyeol and Zhang Chengyuan left in their car. In the car, Zhang Chengyuan was silent, thinking about what had happened today. Park Byungnyeol, thinking Zhang Chengyuan was upset about being scolded, comforted him, "Still thinking about being scolded earlier? Don't take it to heart. Being scolded by the director during shooting is very common, unless you are a senior with status and position, even the biggest stars can't avoid it. On the set, the director is the boss. You must remember this, no matter how angry you are, you can't argue with the director. Your performance today was good." This "good" referred to Zhang Chengyuan not getting angry despite being scolded many times.

Zhang Chengyuan said, "I deserved to be scolded today, but being scolded really doesn't feel good. I don't want to give any director a chance to scold me in the future. I will perform so well that they can't find any reason to scold me."

---