novellhall Chapter 6, Scene 1
Chapter 6, Scene 1
Three days after the contract was signed, Chen Nianbei had her first major scene in "Battle of Changsha".
It is a scene where Jin Feng sacrifices herself while assassinating Japanese people, and Xiao Man buries her by herself in the suburbs.
This scene has no dialogue; it's all about emotions.
Before dawn, the film crew set off for a barren hillside on the outskirts of Huairou.
It was already a bit chilly in the outskirts of Beijing. Chen Nianbei sat in the car wrapped in the military overcoat provided by the film crew, her palms sweaty.
It wasn't nervousness, but rather the physiological reaction an actor has before entering an important scene.
In his past life, he later realized that this was actually a good thing—it meant that his body and emotions were ready.
"Xiao Chen, we've arrived," the driver called out.
Chen Nianbei opened her eyes and got out of the car.
The filming location was chosen very well.
A semi-barren earthen slope, a few bare trees, and a hazy gray sky in the distance.
The wind swept by, swirling up the withered leaves on the ground and making a rustling sound.
The props team had already dug a shallow pit, with fresh soil piled up next to it.
Kong Shengzheng was discussing camera positions with the director of photography.
He waved when he saw Chen Nianbei coming over.
"This scene,"
Kong Sheng cut to the chase, "What I want isn't loud wailing, but the kind of pain that can't be cried out. Do you understand?"
Chen Nianbei nodded: "Understood."
"Jin Feng died while assassinating the Japanese to avenge her family. Xiao Man knew she did the right thing, but she couldn't bear to see her die."
Kong Sheng looked into his eyes. "You have to act out this contradiction."
"I'll give it a try."
"It's not about trying."
Kong Sheng patted him on the shoulder, "You are Xiaoman now."
At eight o'clock in the morning, everything was ready.
The area was cleared, leaving only essential staff on site.
Yang Zhi and Huo Jianhua didn't have any scenes to film today, but they both came and stood behind the monitor.
They wanted to see how this newcomer would perform in his first major role.
Chen Nianbei took off his military overcoat, revealing that he was only wearing a thin gray cloth shirt underneath.
A gust of wind blew, and the fabric clung tightly to his body, revealing that he was shivering slightly.
But that's perfect.
At this moment, Xiaoman's heart is colder than her body.
"Scene 47, Shot 1 of 'Battle of Changsha,' begin!"
The clapperboard slammed down.
Chen Nianbei squatted down by the pit.
He didn't touch the straw mat immediately, but stared at it for a long time.
His eyes were vacant, as if he hadn't yet realized what had happened.
Then he stretched out his hand, his fingertips hovering an inch above the straw mat, paused for a moment, and then gently lowered it.
This detail was not in the script.
Behind the monitor, Yang Zhi held her breath.
Chen Nianbei's hands began to tremble.
It wasn't a large tremor, but a subtle, uncontrollable shaking.
He didn't cry, and his expression didn't even change.
His breathing suddenly became shallow and rapid, as if someone was choking him.
Then he loosened the straw mat and began putting it into the pit.
The movements were slow and gentle, as if afraid of waking someone who was asleep.
When the straw mat completely fell to the bottom of the pit, he knelt down, braced his hands on the edge of the pit, and stared down for a full ten seconds.
During those ten seconds, the scene was so quiet you could hear the wind.
Finally, he reached out and grabbed the shovel next to him.
When he gripped the handle, his hand slipped—he missed it the first time.
I gripped it tightly the second time, but the shovel trembled as I shoveled soil into the pit. Only a small portion of the first shovelful of soil was spilled, with most of it falling outside the pit.
He didn't speak, but mechanically repeated: shovel soil, sprinkle it down, shovel soil again, sprinkle it down again.
The soil fell onto the straw mat with a dull thud.
When Chen Nianbei was filming the third shovelful, his movements suddenly stopped.
He stared at the straw mat gradually being covered by mud in the pit, his throat moved as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Then he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were red, but no tears fell.
It's not that I don't want to cry, it's that the pain is so intense that I can't even shed a tear.
He started to speed up, shovel after shovel, as if he wanted to finish it all as soon as possible.
But the more he did this, the more chaotic his movements became, and dirt was scattered everywhere.
One of his shovels even reached right up to his feet, but he didn't even look and kept shoveling.
Grave mounds were gradually built up.
After the last shovelful of soil was applied, Chen Nianbei threw away the shovel and directly patted the surface of the grave mound with his hands.
His hands were dirty, covered in mud, but he didn't care, he just kept slapping them hard, once, twice, three times...
When he was about to take the last shot, his hand suddenly stopped and hovered in mid-air.
Then he froze there.
After a few seconds, he slowly withdrew his hand and looked down at his palm.
It was all mud, and there were small cuts from the gravel from when I used too much force.
He stared at the wound for a long time, then suddenly smiled.
It was very light, very short, and uglier than crying.
Then the smile vanished, leaving only complete blankness.
He knelt there before the grave, motionless, as if he had become another grave.
"Card!"
Kong Sheng's voice broke the silence.
Chen Nianbei remained kneeling there, motionless.
The assistant director wanted to go and call him, but Kong Sheng raised his hand to stop him.
"Let him come out on his own," Kong Sheng said.
Half a minute later, Chen Nianbei slowly raised her head.
He blinked, his eyes gradually clearing from their blank state, and then he stood up, supporting himself on his knees.
"How is it?" He walked up to the monitor, his voice a little hoarse.
No one spoke.
Kong Sheng replayed the footage from earlier.
On the monitor screen, every subtle expression, every tremor, and every pause in breathing of the boy kneeling before the grave was clearly captured by the camera.
After finishing, Kong Sheng looked at the director of photography: "What do you think?"
"Absolutely amazing."
The director of photography exhaled a smoke ring, "Especially that last laugh, it gave me goosebumps."
Yang Zhi whispered from the side, "Nianbei, your acting was... amazing."
She spoke very sincerely, her tone full of approval.
Wallace Huo nodded in agreement: "The emotional layers are very rich. The most difficult part is these kinds of scenes without dialogue, relying entirely on the eyes and body language."
Chen Nianbei breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
He knew the act was over.
Sure enough, Kong Sheng said, "This one is safe. We just need to add two more close-up shots."
It was much easier when shooting close-ups.
Chen Nianbei has found her rhythm and only needs to repeat a few key movements.
The trembling hands as he shoveled soil, the force with which he patted the grave mound, and that final smile.
The entire shoot was completed at 10 a.m., a full two hours earlier than expected.
"knock off!"
Kong Sheng announced, "We were originally scheduled to film Huo Jianhua's scenes this afternoon. Everyone, take a break and meet at one o'clock."
The crew immediately became lively.
The props team began tidying up the set, and the makeup artist came over with a box to remove Chen Nianbei's makeup.
While removing her makeup, Chen Nianbei suddenly remembered something and walked over to Kong Sheng: "Uncle Kong, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"explain."
"I have a classmate who is also from Beijing Film Academy. He heard that I'm filming here and wanted to come visit the set."
Chen Nianbei said it casually, "I'll just stay for a little while, it won't affect the filming."
Kong Sheng was looking at the storyboard from the afternoon session, and without looking up, asked, "Male or female student?"
"...Female classmate."
Kong Sheng raised his head, a teasing smile on his face, and said, "Girls are okay, but boys aren't."
Chen Nianbei was taken aback.
"Just kidding."
Kong Sheng laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder.
"Visiting the set is allowed, but you must abide by the crew's rules. You cannot take photos or disturb the filming."
Tell her to inform your Uncle Zhang before she comes and arrange a time.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle Kong."
"What are you thanking me for?"
Kong Sheng's smile faded, but his eyes softened. "You performed well in today's scene. Keep it up."
"clear."
At lunchtime, Chen Nianbei sat in a makeshift shed, holding his lunchbox and taking out his phone.
Naza sent a message this morning: "Filming a major scene today? Good luck!"
He replied, "Filming is finished, it's done. I just asked the director, and it's okay to visit the set. When would you like to come?"
The phone rang immediately after the message was sent.
"Feed?" Chen Nianbei answered, still chewing rice in her mouth.
"Director Kong agreed?" Naza's voice was both surprised and delighted.
"Okay, I agree. But you have to let me know in advance, and you can't take pictures."
"Of course! I know the rules!"
Na Zha paused for a moment, then said, "Let me check my schedule... I'm free the day after tomorrow afternoon, is that alright?"
"I need to ask the production crew about their arrangements."
Chen Nianbei said, "I'll let you know when I've confirmed it."
"Okay! By the way, what kind of movie were you filming just now?"
"A play about burying your lover."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then Naza whispered:
"That sounds like a difficult role to play... How did you do?"
"His acting was alright."
"Not bad is good!"
Naza laughed, "Chen Nianbei, you're really amazing now. I almost don't recognize you."
He said it half-jokingly, but Chen Nianbei could detect a hint of seriousness in his voice.
Na Zha paused for a moment, then said, "I'll free up my time the afternoon after tomorrow. Let me know when you're sure."
"OK."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Nianbei continued eating.
The braised pork with potatoes in the boxed lunch was a little cold, but he ate it with great relish.
Not far away, Yang Zhi and Huo Jianhua sat at another table rehearsing their lines.
Seeing him looking over, Yang Zhi smiled and raised her water glass to him.
Chen Nianbei also raised his glass in a gesture of respect.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the shed, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
In late autumn in Huairou, on a desolate earthen slope, a scene of burial unfolds.
This is his first official role in this life.
He completed the role, and performed it quite well.
After finishing the last bite of rice, Chen Nianbei threw the lunchbox into the trash can.
The wind blew by, carrying the smell of earth and withered grass.
He took a deep breath and thought the scent was better than any perfume.