Reincarnation of a Superstar

Chapter 20: Family of Chinese Medicine

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The matter with Fu Zihan has not yet been resolved, ESE has already arranged for him to act in this year's movie, and has given him several scripts for him to choose. Now Chufeng has become an actor under Pinyou Entertainment, Li Xiao is just playing for tickets, the other two in Legacy, Fujisawa and Wei Yifei, are not good enough in acting, Xie Yi focuses on international, other artists are not as popular and acting as Du Yunxiu.

Looking at it as a whole, Du Yunxiu is the only one in ESE who can be called a rising star, with unlimited potential, and the previous "Xue Zang" also ended with the end of the scene sealing incident, and the company didn't seem to feel sorry for him anymore.

But Du Yunxiu knew in his heart that it was all because of Feng Jing.

Although his nominal manager is not Feng Jing, Feng Jing will have read every contract, event, and endorsement received during this period.

He didn't know the reason at first, until Feng Jing pointed out with a smile: "You are just a newcomer. Even if you don't hide it, you can still use other methods to make you unable to get along in the entertainment industry in the future. Activities related to politics , we must be more cautious and more cautious! How many artists have ruined their contracts. I will check first. If there is really a problem, do you want them to have another fight?"

Feng Jing's words meant something else.

Since the last quarrel with Li Rui, Feng Jing no longer regards himself as an employee of ESE, even if he is sitting in the director's position. If ESE really made things difficult for Yunxiu, he wouldn't be afraid to break the news again and bring up the previous things.

Du Yunxiu also remembered this mention.

There are indeed several celebrities who, because they did not sign a good contract, either had a stalemate with the company and were "snow hidden", or filed a lawsuit with the company and lost several million. In this regard, Feng Jing is really more careful than him.

Compared to being overwhelmed last year, Du Yunxiu has a wider range of choices this year.

Firstly, the box office of "Tang Yunqi", which starred in the film last time, was very good, and the film critics were unanimously optimistic; secondly, it won the Golden Park Award for Best Newcomer, and its acting skills were well recognized, and its popularity gradually stabilized.

Coupled with the scene sealing incident a few days ago, although Du Yunxiu's behavior at that time was called "deliberate hype and scheming" by some media, it made the fans who originally supported Du Yunxiu support him even more. Those in the circle who knew about this matter, even if they did not show appreciation and approval on the stage, secretly lamented his character.

Feng Jing chose several scripts for him, and Du Yunxiu read them one by one, but he was not very satisfied.

In other words, I feel that it is not very suitable for me.

Those scripts are actually not a big problem, after all, they were selected by the cover scene, the characters are still brilliant, the plot is also remarkable, and it is not too commercialized, it is still the same as the first one, in terms of commercialization and literary There is a better balance between them.

It's just... no breakthrough.

Either the gentle but firm image in the past, or the calm and wise character, and he has played all of these, in the ten years before his rebirth, in these "The Legacy", "GIB" (Government Issue) Boys, government agents) and "Tang Yunqi".

When acting has reached his stage, what is needed is not repetition and consolidation, but breakthroughs and challenges.

Du Yunxiu rubbed the tip of his eyebrows, feeling a little sad, especially the memories of the day when he broke up with Fu Zihan came to mind from time to time.

Holding a glass of wine, Feng Jing raised his eyebrows, a little surprised: "What? Didn't you like it?"

"These are good, it's just... I want to try a few more different things."

"You have only been in this industry for more than two years. Although you are very popular, your foundation is not stable. While pursuing your dreams, you should also take into account the actual situation. If this movie fails, next time you take a movie, you will It's not good to contact a more famous director." Feng Jing reminded as someone who had been there.

"Didn't you make me bolder when I took the first movie?"

"One moment and another moment. At that time, you were a rookie. Even if you really screwed up, there was a reason, and you were escorted by ESE. Now that you have the best rookie award in your hand, you should walk more steadily and challenge yourself in a steady state! Otherwise If you take one step too far, you may end up falling."

"Even if you fall...won't it be enough to get up again?" Du Yunxiu smiled at Feng Jing.

If it was before, he might have followed the company's arrangement.

But now, it seems that after Feng Jing "taught" him time and time again—"before becoming a powerful artist, first become a popular idol star, and learn to use the influence of being a popular idol"—Du Yunxiu felt that he was better than before. Gradually a little more self-confidence.

Although it doesn't show on the outside, he has a vague feeling, which route is more suitable for him, how to deal with the relationship with his assistant and other artists.

It's just that these are all in business affairs, in terms of personal feelings... He still can't handle it well.

Seeing that Yunxiu had his own opinion, Feng Jing was inconvenient to impose his will on the other party, so he just shook his head lightly and walked away. A few days later, Du Yunxiu chose one of the other scripts, and came to Feng Jing's office with a look of surprise on his face: "I want to play this!"

"Huh?" Seeing that the other party was so happy, Feng Jing was also very curious about what script he chose.

"This—"A Family of Chinese Medicine"!" Du Yunxiu was emotionally excited, he hadn't seen such a script for a long time!

It is different from the current love and hatred, or special effects action blockbusters.

"A Family of Traditional Chinese Medicine" focuses on the various encounters of Chinese medicine in the changing times. From the high morality and prestige in the late Qing Dynasty, to the hanging pot to help the world when the war was raging; to the exclusion of Chinese medicine by Western medicine, and was even considered unscientific and had no medical basis, and fell into a huge controversy between survival and abolition; and finally it was accepted by the world again. , Become a unique oriental traditional medicine!

And all of this is expressed through the ups and downs of a generation of famous doctor Yin Guanqi.

The whole movie starts from Yin Guanqi's birth, and tells about his childhood, youth, middle age, and old age. There are four representative stages in total. Almost every stage is the beginning or annihilation of an era, and the time span is very large.

When he was eleven or twelve years old, Yin Guanqi's family belonged to a family of traditional Chinese medicine, and there was an endless stream of patients outside the charity hall who came to see the doctor every day. This kind of situation made the young Yin Guanqi feel a little rebellious, fighting outside all day long, not seeking to make progress, let alone studying medicine. When his father checked his homework, Yin Guanqi couldn't even identify the meridians and acupoints...

However, the happy time is always short-lived.

The young Yin Guanqi thought that he would spend his whole life happily with his family. My father and grandfather see people in the charity hall, and my virtuous mother takes good care of the family and cooks three meals a day. The family is harmonious and happy. However, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded, and the grandfather was killed for no reason. The family left their hometown with their father to avoid the flames of war. Numerous deaths and injuries along the way, the parents of the doctors, even though the father was exhausted, still dragged his tired body to see the doctor...

At that time, the sixteen-year-old Yin Guanqi began to hate himself.

Why didn't I study medicine hard at the beginning, why can't I help my father now, can't treat other suffering people, after I am a famous doctor, I obviously have a room full of medical books at home...

"You decided to play this?" Feng Jing was really surprised.

"Hmm!" Du Yunxiu actually prefers this kind of script with cultural connotations to the martial arts drama he is not good at.

Maybe when I entered this circle at the beginning, I just simply liked acting, loved acting, and wanted to try any role, but gradually, after staying for so many years, I would have other ideas, and I would start to develop a... sense of social responsibility.

Through such a role, what do you want to convey to everyone

What kind of spirit does a film like this want to express? Even simple father-son love and brotherhood may be better than being handsome and cool.

"Except for the little actors in childhood, this one has to act from at least sixteen to fifty or sixty years old. Such a span..." It's not that Feng Jing doubts Yunxiu's strength, it's just that anyone looks at this from a normal level Everything will hesitate. How does a young man in his twenties, who has just entered the show business circle for more than two years, manage such a large age span and accurately present such a big change of mind! That is a drama that only veteran actors who have accumulated a lot of life experience can take over!

"I'm very interested in this role. I think I can play it well." Seemingly understanding Feng Jing's hesitation, Du Yunxiu smiled slightly, but there was a kind of confidence in "I have this acting skill" in his tone.

Feng Jing was slightly taken aback.

The current Yunxiu seems to have a lot more things than when he was in the first interview. There is a kind of... aura between the eyebrows that cannot be ignored

Yes, the other party has indeed formed his own aura.

Although it is not strong enough to be felt at a glance, it is no longer an artist without personality—it is a star who gradually has its own unique aura!

Feng Jing narrowed his long and narrow eyes.

He suddenly had a strange idea in his mind, even if he was Yunxiu's manager now, or ordered him as a director, the other party might not change his mind.

The current Yunxiu is no longer able to be controlled by his agent, and he will no longer act according to other people's faces.

"This script is not bad. I didn't find it for you at the beginning. One is the issue of age span. I just talked about it..." Feng Jing held his chin with two fingers, his eyes changed, "The other one, I want to remind you first—this The director is Director He, he has a lot of fame and status, and he holds a lot of weight in the industry, but in the past few years, the production of his works has decreased year by year, and although his fame is still there, the box office may not be better than that of some new directors."

A bad box office is a serious thing, and it could mean a lot…

Du Yunxiu lowered his head and pondered for a while, then raised his head and looked into Feng Jing's eyes, which were clear and clean: "I still want to play this - I like this script."

A qualified director is indeed very different.

Du Yunxiu had only joined the crew for a few days, and he felt it immediately. When filming "Tang Yunqi" before, Director Lian paid more attention to the beauty of the picture during shooting, as well as the special effects and music in post-production. But this time Director He gave him three or four thick medical books when Du Yunxiu came in.

"Look carefully first, and get to know our national quintessence. The process and knowledge of Chinese medicine must be mastered!" Director He, whose hair was already shining with silver threads, looked very serious when he stopped smiling, "Xiao Li will take you there again in a few days In the home of an old Chinese doctor, carefully observe how he treats people, and if there is something you don’t understand, ask the old Chinese doctor for advice!”

The preparation in the early stage is the beginning of character shaping in a movie.

And the shaping of a character is inseparable from the three processes of "understanding the character, experiencing the character, and embodying the character". Only when the "three unities" of actor and role, art and life, and experience and expression are truly achieved, can it be possible to fully portray a character.

When playing "Tang Yunqi", all the background information was empty.

Du Yunxiu also couldn't "experience" what a real general feels like and what kind of life he leads, so he can only understand this character first. For example, whether the relationship between Tang Yunqi and other characters is hatred or mutual understanding. Also, the environment in which the character lives and the background in which he grew up.

Because he has no actual life experience, Du Yunxiu gave full play to the "three qualities" of an actor, namely understanding, imagination and expressiveness. Through the artistic understanding of fictional characters, it is transformed into real characters with artistic charm. Among them, it relied on Du Yunxiu's unique imagination.

However, in these virtual imaginations, Du Yunxiu did other homework by himself, and read many ancient books on humanities, customs, and etiquette. On the existing relevant records, carry out secondary imagination, the feeling created in this way is more real than imagined out of thin air!

Although the company director at the time did not ask them to do this.

Director He and Director Lian are obviously different.

First of all, Director He is stricter with actors. Because many young actors do not like to "embody the role" by "experiencing the role", but read the lines of the role according to the unchanging and procedural form. This behavior is called "craftsmanship" in the circle.

So Director He simply ordered you to do your homework, send someone to contact a good place, and take you to experience the actual life and observe the prototype!

The second is in shape.

The modeling of the film is mainly completed through three parts: photography modeling, art modeling and actor modeling. Among them, photographic modeling refers to framing, light, color, etc.; art modeling refers to sets, costumes, props, etc. In "Tang Yunqi", which is an overhead history, the costumes and props are fabricated without any textual research, but in "A Family of Chinese Medicine", every object and decoration is extremely careful, which is typical of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period style of.

While Du Yunxiu secretly admired Director He's rigor in his heart, Director He also observed the leading role this time.

After staying in the circle for so long, Director He has a deep feeling that the newcomers in this circle are inferior to each other.

The old actors in the past have honed their acting skills for many years. They are full of drama and versatile. These talents influence each other and interact with each other. Now the young juniors, who have not experienced big storms, are quickly popularized by the company, and their acting skills are "floating".

Like driftwood, it can only float on the water, but it cannot sink.

Two days before the filming started, Director He specially asked Du Yunxiu to "talk about the play". On the one hand, he told the other party his intention of making this movie, and on the other hand, he wanted to see how much Du Yunxiu, a young man, understood the role. As a result, Director He was stunned after listening to it—the other party really put in a lot of hard work! Not only have I read all the relevant books and materials I gave, but I also learned well from that old Chinese medicine doctor. I really feel a bit advanced and famous doctor when I put on the posture of Chinese medicine. No wonder Xiao Li returned to the film crew last time and said with a smile: "Yunxiu is there now so that the fake ones can be confused with the real ones. Many patients of that old Chinese doctor, seeing Yunxiu's posture, almost thought that the other party was also a famous doctor!"

But Director He didn't show his satisfaction with Du Yunxiu on his face.

Because he knows better in his heart - the most difficult part of this drama is not the resemblance of traditional Chinese medicine, but the "instantaneous performance of one-time recording"!

Momentary performances recorded in one shot.

To put it simply, in the same scene, all the scenes that take place in this background are filmed at one time, so as to avoid the manpower and material resources caused by the crew's re-shooting, as well as the waste of funds.

For example, in the big environment of the Charity Hall, although the era is different, the grandfather and father in Du Yunxiu's play all have a role in seeing patients here, so after the scene notes are recorded, they can start cutting and shooting non-sequentially. shoot.

Under Director He's continuous improvement, the prop team is very particular about each setting.

This charity hall alone is specially restored according to the photos of the late Qing Dynasty. Some of the chairs and cabinets are too new now, so I spent money to buy, rent, or make them old from other places. The effect presented is also very old. feel. There is a golden lacquered official script horizontal plaque of "Charity Hall" hanging in the antique Chinese medicine shop. Outside the door is a couplet with the characters "Ginseng and antler" and "Refined medicine".

Stepping into the pharmacy, landscape paintings are hung in the main hall, and rosewood tables and chairs are placed for patients to rest. On the left side against the wall, there is an altar of the medicine king Shennong. In addition to the usual worship, the apprentice's apprenticeship ceremony is also held here. Choose an auspicious day, pray with three animals, and then Yin Guanqi's grandfather will send a red envelope, which is considered a complete gift.

The grading of Chinese medicine stores is very strict.

Apprentices are the lowest level, and the top ones are: handyman, tail cabinet, second cabinet, and head cabinet. When Yin Guanqi was young, the family was very prosperous, and there were only a few apprentices doing odd jobs in the Charity Hall.

The first cabinet and the second cabinet are mainly responsible for buying and selling medicinal materials. There are abacus, divider, medicine cup, guillotine and other tools on the counter, and behind it stands a Baizi cabinet about 1.2 meters high. As the name suggests, this kind of wooden medicine cabinet has about one hundred drawers, which are filled with various herbs. Small signs are written on the outside of the small drawers in lower case with a brush. Peony root, Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos and licorice.

At the beginning of the camera, the scene of apprentices busy in the faint atmosphere of traditional Chinese medicine...

The young Yin Guanqi was very naughty.

Every time his father asked him to study medicine hard, he would wash, bake, dry, chop and plan the herbs, and finally Yin Guanqi could always grind the herbs into slag.

The camera flickered.

The young Yin Guanqi became a teenager during the grinding process, but he still didn't care about Chinese medicine skills...

But this scene is only a few seconds, because what follows is the plot of the flames of war, and the matter of Yin Guanqi becoming an adult a few years later and owning his own pharmacy.

Director He shouted "Cut (stop)!"

The scene recorder immediately recorded, picked up the digital camera, and took pictures of the actors. In the past, it was necessary to record the actors' costumes and accessories every time in order to prevent subsequent scenes from being worn out. Now that you have a camera, you can directly take pictures and save pictures. When the next consecutive scene starts shooting, the stylist can dress up according to the photos in this archive.

Du Yunxiu also took the opportunity to brew up his emotions.

The scene just now was only shot for a minute or two, and it mainly showed Yin Guanqi as a carefree and slightly cunning young man. The entire brows and eyes are relaxed and flying, and they have not experienced any vicissitudes.

Time presents him with vitality and beauty like the rising sun.

This is not the same as Du Yunxiu's quieter personality, but Du Yunxiu's acting is very natural. As an actor, in addition to trying to figure out the personalities of different characters, it is also important to think more and observe more.

For example, Du Yunxiu referred to the characters of Fujisawa and Wei Yifei in the mental state of the shooting just now.

Young, energetic and playful.

On weekdays, I observe how people with different personalities react in different situations. Through combination, absorption, and thinking, on the basis of similar types of characters, I then integrate my own understanding of the play, figure out the plot with the character's personality, and perform it again. Fill in the details and create a character with your own characteristics…

The next scene that will be skipped is the plot of Yin Guanqi in the Chinese medicine shop he opened.

At that time, his family was in decline, his grandfather was killed, and his father died of exhaustion. Before he died, he tightly held Yin Guanqi's hand and wrote the words "hanging pot to help the world" on his palm...

In the final edit, Director He inserted nearly seven or eight seconds of war scenes here as a link to the film jump.

A large number of explosions, countless casualties, ruined buildings, billowing smoke...

Du Yunxiu looked up, the sky was a vast expanse of gray, only the flames of war with black smoke continued, with no end in sight, like a road without hope.

The surroundings should be full of noise and background noise.

But Director He asked the editor to mute all the sound—leaving only Du Yunxiu's narration.

Under the tragic flames of war, everything is silent.

"At that time... I realized. The carefree days in the past are really gone forever. Although I never want to believe it in my heart. The ignorance and arrogance of the past turned into regrets in life. I can't see the present In a country with no hope. But... still have to go on. As a doctor, go on.”

Du Yunxiu's voice was not as penetrating as Pei Qing's.

However, the excellent line skills, combined with deep emotions, form a powerful rendering power. Especially between words and words, between words and words, that kind of control, that kind of connection, that kind of grasp of priority. Even the picky Director He commented in front of the media in the future: "I never thought that young actors could complete such a crucial line in one go. But Yunxiu did it! Not only did he do it, but he also surprised everyone in the editing room at that time." Everyone was moved by it.”

After the shot of the boy was finished, the props team hurriedly reset the scene and re-lit the lighting according to the director's instructions.

The Charity Hall, which was prosperous before, has become deserted, lonely and dilapidated after the decoration of the props group. There is only an old Baizi cabinet left, a few broken wooden chairs, and a bleak scene after the war.

Director He sat behind the monitor, looked through the window, nodded slightly when he was satisfied, and called out: "Action!"

Du Yunxiu here was wearing a blue-gray long gown, and in front of the counter, he weighed two renminbi of herbal medicine with a splitter. Before the family declined, this kind of thing was done by the tail cabinet, but now the world is depressed, even if the charity hall barely reopens, there are only him and a little dumb apprentice, this ten-year-old kid, who was picked up by Yin Guanqi from the battlefield back.

The light is dim.

Compared with the bright warm colors before, Director He has now changed the tone of the film to cool colors.

At this time, a middle-aged man in his thirties and forties peeped in from the door. He was dressed in shabby clothes with holes all over them, which had been mended many times. He looked like a poor and poor people.

He cowered, his eyes showed a kind of longing, and the inferiority complex of years of embarrassing life.

The little mute saw the other party, but didn't want to tell Yin Guanqi. This doctor always treats some people who have no money to see a doctor, and all the money he saves is used to exchange for herbal medicine, so it is difficult to maintain his own life.

The other party walked into the charity hall cautiously, but still alarmed Yin Guanqi who was wrapping herbs.

At this time, the camera gave a close-up.

Du Yunxiu gradually raised his head, looked away from the clasp in his hand, and glanced outside the door.

The dim light hit his face, making his nose straight like a mountain peak. At this time, Du Yunxiu's complexion became slightly darker after the makeup of the stylist, but his eyes were very energetic, low-key, thin, and quiet, giving birth to an indescribable specialness.

Teenagers are not the same as young adults.

The juvenile has not grown yet, so the lines are soft, looking a bit green. And when he is young, his outline will become much tougher, and the feeling of flexibility will turn into a maturity that reveals the vicissitudes of life. That transformation is like a young foal turning into a tall horse.

To grasp the characteristics of this different age groups, it all depends on the skills of the stylist.

The stylist this time is also a top-notch veteran. In just one hour of scene change, he dressed the ignorant and arrogant young man as a young man who had witnessed war casualties and became thin and dull because of it. The skin color has been adjusted even more meticulously, from the fairness of staying in the mansion all day, to the yellowish color after being exposed to the sun and rain, which is exactly the appearance change of the character when he escaped from the war and left his hometown.

Disasters and setbacks are always the fastest way to grow.

After Du Yunxiu saw the man, he paused for a while, and then quickly asked the little mute to invite the patient in. The shabby middle-aged man was a little flattered, with a little trepidation in his expression of surprise.

The middle-aged man is a secondary character. The actors selected by the assistant still have certain skills, but the camera sense is not very strong. From the few steps into the Chinese medicine shop, the camera behind him has been following him closely, but the man didn't realize that he had to cooperate with the photographer's pace except for paying attention to his performance state. This can easily lead to technical violations in shooting.

Usually when shooting on location, pay special attention to the following points: lighting, camera movement range, and movement speed. Once you are out of the camera, the monitor on the director's side can't see your figure, or it destroys the scene design originally conceived by the director, then you have to shoot again.

Because he didn't notice the surrounding equipment, the middle-aged man went to the counter and blocked most of Du Yunxiu's light source, and even blocked Du Yunxiu's lens!

Lao Xigu is very sensitive to the lens and lighting, and knows what angle and light source to shoot himself with the best effect. Therefore, some veterans who like to bully newcomers, when playing against newcomers, in addition to making changes in their lines, they will also "hands and feet" on the camera, using props to block each other, so that their own shots appear in front of the audience as much as possible . Commonly known as "grabbing the show".

Although the audience may not be aware of it, in general, regardless of the importance and shaping of the character, the longer it appears in the camera and the longer it stays, the deeper the audience's subconscious will remember this character.

Although the actor in front of him didn't intend to steal the show. But Director He behind the monitor had already frowned slightly. The assistant director saw that Director He's expression was wrong, and was about to raise the board to remind the scene recorder, but Du Yunxiu himself had already moved first!

—I saw him beckoning, asking the little mute to bring the acupuncture pack.

This is something that is not on the script.

The child was obviously taken aback. After all, he was only in his teens. Seeing Du Yunxiu say a line that was not in the script, he didn't know how to react for a while.

It's just a few seconds. Du Yunxiu had already changed his position, and stood at the most suitable place for the camera and light source again, skillfully resolving the inconvenience caused by the middle-aged man. This is just a small detail, but it made the assistant heave a sigh of relief, and vaguely felt that this idol actor is very flexible.

The kid who played the little mute still didn't react, he was stunned for a moment, and then looked at Director He with puzzled eyes.

The assistant director knew Director He's character and temper very well. Seeing that Director He was still looking at the monitor without raising his eyelids, he quickly waved his hand and said, "It's okay, continue acting"—because the camera was always on Du Yunxiu, and he didn't do anything. By switching actions, it doesn't matter if other people's performances are out of touch.

This thought flashed by, and the assistant suddenly glanced at Yunxiu in surprise.

Could it be because of this reason... That's why Yunxiu, who played the leading role, knew that the young actor might not be able to respond in time, so he added such lines and presented a plot that was not in the script...

Such a move is indeed a trivial matter.

But the other party took all possible situations into consideration in an instant - camera, lighting, plot, and the situation of other actors! It's not just performing with your brain, but also performing with your heart.

If it is said that the director is the helm of a movie, controlling everything. Then the actor in front of him not only has superb control of the camera, but also has a very clear understanding of the director's intentions and mentality, so he dares to be so sure-even if the young actor is at a loss when adding that line, the director will not Shout "Cut".