diymy Chapter 33 The Drama Maniac!
Chapter 33 The Drama Maniac!
At 10:15 a.m., the rainmaking system began to roar.
Six high-pressure water guns are arrayed on the roof, precisely controlling the rainwater to dramatic levels between torrential downpours and fine sprays.
The bluestone path had been coated with three layers of tung oil, which gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the lens.
Xu Lang stood at the alley entrance, his tattered ancient costume soaked through, clinging to his skin and outlining the lines of his shoulders and back.
"Xu Lang, when you stagger and turn around while drunk, the wire will exert force on your left waist to help you complete a 270-degree side flip. You must land precisely on marker point number two, where there is a close-up camera position."
The martial arts instructor, gripping the wire harness, stared intently into his eyes and spoke seriously.
"Understood, Director Chen." Xu Lang closed his eyes and exhaled, letting the makeup artist spray a mist of glycerin onto his face.
As the rain slid down his brow bone, Yin Qianshang's eyes already held a mixture of dejection and sharpness.
Behind the monitor, director Liang Shengquan adjusted his glasses, clearly somewhat worried.
As a director known for his strictness in Hong Kong, he was very satisfied with Xu Lang's dramatic scenes, but Xu Lang is ultimately a newcomer actor. This scene is not only an action scene, but it is also being filmed in the rain, which doubles the difficulty.
He was confident in Xu Lang's acting skills, but this scene was a triple buff of "rain scene + action scene + wire work scene", which would inevitably cause even veteran actors to have to do NGs.
The crew's time is like burning through budget; if newcomers get stuck here...
"Actors in position! Scene 273, Take 1 of 'Swords of Legends,' Action!"
The clapperboard was slapped.
The rain suddenly poured down.
Yin Qianshang staggered out from the end of the alley, carrying a prop wine jug in his right hand; five black-clad assassins leaped down from the eaves, their blades cutting through the rain curtain with precise calculations, weaving into a silver spider web in the shot.
When the first blow was aimed at his face, Yin Qianshang turned slightly less to the side than during rehearsals, making it more dangerous and more in line with the instinctive dodge of a drunkard.
Liang Shengquan was on edge. Seeing this, he unconsciously leaned forward and couldn't help but say "good".
The play continues.
After blocking the third assassin's elbow strike, Yin Qianshang used the momentum to retreat three steps. His steps seemed scattered, but he precisely stepped on each pre-set movement point.
As he thrashed about, raindrops swirled in a spiral pattern. Camera number two captured a close-up, showing the drunkenness in Yin Qianshang's eyes suddenly vanish, and a trace of the cold divinity belonging to Wu Xianfeng Guangmo flashed deep in his pupils.
"This...is beautiful!"
Liang Shengquan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, and the executive director was also amazed by this close-up.
"Director Liang, this actor looks unfamiliar?" Producer Deng Xibin suddenly appeared beside Liang Shengquan, his gaze fixed on Xu Lang in the film, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes revealing undisguised approval.
"Isn't this role supposed to be Yin Qianshang's? I remember the actor who played Yin Qianshang wasn't him, right?"
Deng Xibin is a producer at H&R Century Pictures and also the producer of this drama. He has extensive experience in period dramas.
In just this one scene, he saw the potential in the person in front of him, yet he was not someone they had arranged in advance.
The character Yin Qianshang was originally intended to be played by a new actor from Huanrui Media, with the plan being for Yang Mi to help the newcomer gain exposure.
I didn't expect them to change the person in charge.
Director Liang kept his eyes fixed on the set, signaling the third camera to move up and capture the moment Xu Lang flipped his wrist, letting the wine jug slip from his hand, tumble three times in the air, and then be kicked into the lakebed by his toe.
When Xu Lang completed the action in one smooth motion, he breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with undisguised approval. Only then did he turn to Producer Deng and say:
"The previous actor was sick, and we were worried that it would affect the filming schedule, so this is a replacement that Teacher Yang Mi found again."
Upon hearing this, Producer Deng paused for a moment, then asked:
"Which company's artist is this?"
"Not from your Huanrui?" Director Liang asked, somewhat puzzled.
On Xu Lang's first day, he told Yang Mi that he wanted to cast Xu Lang as the second male lead in his next urban drama. Yang Mi said that he could be cast in her, which meant that he was her person and her artist.
As a senior executive and veteran producer at H&R Century Pictures, does Producer Deng not even recognize his own artists?
Producer Deng realized something, waved his hand, took out his phone, and walked to the side.
He had to call Yang Mi to confirm.
A few minutes later!
After learning the whole story, he returned to Director Liang's side and looked at Xu Lang, who was making a beautiful martial arts move in the rain. His throat moved and his eyes shone with a burning light.
The unclaimed flower, who rejected Yu Zheng's pleasure, is now being manipulated by Yang Mi through drama, who plans to slowly wear him down.
He approved of Yang Mi's approach, but more importantly, he was full of expectations for Xu Lang's potential.
"Click!"
Director Liang picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted.
Everyone stopped and looked at him.
"Xu Lang, pause for another 0.3 seconds during the transition from the drunken step to the airborne phase! I want to see the layering of muscle activation!"
Xu Lang let the rain slide down his face without wiping it away, and let his clothes cling to his skin without pulling them down. After listening to the director's words, he immediately responded:
"Understood, Director Liang!"
Director Liang gave an OK sign and said, "Actors, get in position, let's do it again!"
"Action!"
Xu Lang staggered a few steps, seemingly in a daze, then leaped up, his eyes turning cold. He somersaulted in mid-air and charged towards the enemy—
Director Liang kept a close eye on the camera and lens. When the camera captured this beautiful series of movements, a smile appeared on his tense face.
"A drama fanatic," the word flashed through Director Liang's mind.
"Pass!"
The whole room relaxed.
Xu Lang was slowly lowered down by the wire crew. Dilraba's assistant, wrapped in a thick towel, rushed up, followed closely by Dilraba herself, clutching a thermos and ginger tea, her eyes shining brightly.
Director Liang walked over and patted Xu Lang's soaked shoulder:
"Xu Lang, you performed very well in this scene. Your martial arts movements and body language were very expressive."
"Hurry up and drink some ginger tea to warm your stomach. Go change your clothes so you don't catch a cold. You still have to shoot outdoor scenes this afternoon."
Xu Lang took the ginger tea from Reba, took a sip, and then said gratefully:
"Thank you, Director. It's all thanks to Director Chen's excellent design."
The martial arts instructor standing nearby smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this.
This kid knows how to talk!
"The design is the skeleton, the flesh and blood are what you provide," Director Liang said with a smile, urging him on.
"Go ahead, don't catch a cold."
Several veteran actors from the surrounding crew exchanged glances, their hearts filled with envy. Director Liang was known for praising people as if he were giving alms.
I didn't expect Xu Lang to be praised so highly.
His future is limitless.
Xu Lang quickly left the film set, with Dilraba jogging behind him. However, a figure was faster than her and arrived beside Xu Lang.
"Xu Lang, your fight scene in the rain just now was really beautiful. We have a lot of scenes together later, so let's walk together for a bit and go over the scenes."
The newcomer was Qiao Zhenyu, the actor who played Ouyang Shaogong. He was dressed in an ancient costume robe, with an elegant demeanor and a gentle and refined air. He truly deserved to be one of the Four Beauties of the World, a genuine handsome man in ancient costume.
Using acting together as a pretext to actually make friends is a common practice among veterans in the industry.
"Okay, let me change my clothes and we'll have lunch together."
Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang. His phone was in Dilraba's hand; it was inconvenient to carry it while filming in the rain.
I glanced at it; it was a call from Mao Xiaotong. Feeling a bit guilty, I quickly left the crowd.
These past few days, Mao Xiaotong has been asking me out, but he's filming during the day and reading scripts at night, so he simply doesn't have the time.
So she politely declined them all. I guess this girl must be really anxious, otherwise she would usually send WeChat messages when she's not sure if she's available.