Chapter 507: Chapter 389: On-Location Filming
(The anti-theft protection updates at 8:00 AM.)
The scene we’re shooting soon starts with Shen Yao walking into this hair salon.
He gets off the motorcycle, striking a very handsome pose, while Zhou Yun and the other girls need to act like they’re interested in this man.
Wan Zhiliang instructs: "Yuqian, you need to be cuter, let your expressions and emotions be more expressive, like you’re seeing a really handsome guy you like."
Liu Yuqian says with a smile: "Don’t worry, Director, I’ll act naturally since Brother Shen is indeed a handsome guy I really like!"
Shen Yao jokes about himself with a smile: "A handsome guy? More like an old slick."
Wan Zhiliang looks towards Meng Ran and says, "Meng Ran, you should keep some of your aloofness, but not seem prudish. Need to convey a clear hint, but don’t make the first move."
Meng Ran nods, saying, "Sure."
Finally, Wan Zhiliang looks at Zhou Yun with a smile and asks, "Teacher Zhou, any thoughts?"
Zhou Yun, flattered and surprised, quickly shakes her hands and says, "Please don’t call me Teacher, Director. Seniors like Zhenxi and Brother Shen are the real teachers, I’m nowhere close - you scared me!"
Wan Zhiliang says, "Everyone knows you’re a great actress."
Zhou Yun: "No, no, no, don’t say that. I haven’t been acting for long and need guidance from you all. What’s your feedback, Director?"
Wan Zhiliang looks at her in surprise, asking, "Do you still need me to give you feedback?"
"Oh, Director, it’s my first time playing this kind of role, I’m unsure," Zhou Yun repeatedly clarifies her stance.
Only then does Wan Zhiliang say, "The character you are playing, Dong Zhimei, comes from the countryside, a bit exaggerated in manners, and doesn’t get along with others in the hair salon. However, she isn’t a gloomy person. Even if she doesn’t gel with others, she doesn’t blame herself; she believes that one day she will turn everyone’s heads. So, when you see Shen Yao, even though you’re very attracted and think he’s handsome, there should be a hint of restraint. This restraint is different from Meng Ran’s reservation due to her confidence in her beauty and allure, her reservation is more of a posture, waiting for Shen Yao to approach her; your restraint and reservation stem from feeling it’s out of question, Shen Yao is handsome, but he isn’t someone you must pursue."
Zhou Yun, after listening to Wan Zhiliang, realizes that their thoughts align.
"I understand, then how should I act when I see Brother Shen? The difficulty I feel right now is that I inherently think highly of myself, but my appearance is very plain, creating a strong contradiction, and I worry that I might accidentally portray the character as gloomy."
The key is, Dong Zhimei is not such a person.
Hearing Zhou Yun’s words, Wan Zhiliang’s eyes light up, he nods and says, "The appearance of this contradiction might stem from the original setting of this character being a narcissist, later rewritten as being plain and ordinary, and then both these traits were combined, creating this version. I did consider changing her plain appearance, but doing so would make the character too monotonous, characterized by a single trait, very stereotyped."
"Right," Zhou Yun nods, "Such internal contradictions in a character add depth and nuances, it’s a shame not much can be showcased because of limited screen time."
She smiles wistfully.
Wan Zhiliang gestures and says, "This is actually good, if the film was centered around this character, it would veer towards an art house film. But placing it in a comedy road movie where she’s one of the characters encountered by Brother Shen on the road, brings forth comedy through clashes. Good comedy comes from unexpected delights amid conflicts. There’s no need to dissect why Dong Zhimei is narcissistic, or why she cloaks her narcissistic core with a plain exterior. Instead, through Shen Yao’s perspective, the audience’s impression of Dong Zhimei undergoes two transformations. The contrast before and after each transformation is what creates comedy."
Zhou Yun realizes Wan Zhiliang really does have substantial insights, not just a director without ideas.
A director’s biggest fear is lack of creativity, which only leads to a mediocre production.
Zhou Yun and others rehearse twice based on Wan Zhiliang’s ideas.