novellhall Chapter 299 The Wandering Earth
Chapter 299 The Wandering Earth
Chapter 298 The Wandering Earth
Xin Zhilei looked at Chen Xun, and her eyes welled up with tears again.
She thought Chen Xun would advise her to rest, and might even suggest to the director that a stand-in be used to reshoot the scenes.
But he didn't.
He saw her stubbornness, respected her persistence, and quietly helped her resolve all her worries.
From the start of filming until now, Chen Xun has never looked down on her in the slightest because she was an unknown newcomer.
If she didn't act well, he would teach her line by line, helping her adjust her state with every glance.
She was afraid she would hold the crew back, so he told her that she had captured Anlu's soul and that she was the most suitable person for the role.
Now that she's injured, he doesn't condescendingly advise her to give up. Instead, he stands in her shoes and paves the way for her.
She called out "Teacher Chen" willingly, and with increasing certainty.
The next three days.
Xin Zhilei insisted on filming all the static scenes in the cabin while sitting in a wheelchair and supporting herself on one leg.
The wound on the sole of her foot ached with every movement, but as soon as the camera was pointed at her, she immediately forgot the pain, her eyes and body filled with An Lu's image.
What shocked the entire crew even more was that after the scene of jumping into the river, Xin Zhilei's performance seemed to have suddenly become intuitive.
Previously, Chen Xun had to painstakingly sift through the lines, but now she can deliver them effortlessly, with perfectly accurate and nuanced emotions.
He used to struggle with nuanced expressions, but now, with just a glance, he perfectly captures Anlu's gentleness, stubbornness, madness, and sense of destiny.
The most classic scene is when Anlu and Gaochun are in the cabin, reading the poems from the book "Crosscurrent" by the light of a kerosene lamp.
In the script, Anlu is the embodiment of the Yangtze River. The poems she read and the docks she visited all fit perfectly with the poetry collection in Gao Chun's hands.
This scene didn't involve any intense conflict or long dialogues; it was just two people sitting across a small wooden table, reciting poetry line by line.
To portray that sense of destiny that transcends time and space, two lonely souls finally find a kindred spirit on the river.
Before filming began, Xin Zhilei sat in a wheelchair, flipping through the script with her brows furrowed.
She always felt something was missing. No matter how smoothly she delivered her lines or how well she conveyed her emotions, she still lacked the relaxed feeling of Anlu and the Yangtze River blending together.
After hesitating for a long time, she pushed her wheelchair and found Chen Xun, who was talking to the director of photography about the shot.
"Teacher Chen."
She called out softly, a little embarrassed, "Could I trouble you for a few minutes? I'd like to ask you about this poetry recitation scene. I feel like I haven't quite captured Anlu's state of mind."
.
Chen Xun immediately stopped his conversation with the director of photography, pulled up a small stool and sat opposite her, taking the script from her hand: "What do you think is lacking?"
"I always felt like I was just acting out Anlu reciting poetry, without fully immersing myself in the character."
Xin Zhilei bit her lip and poured out her confusion: "She is the embodiment of the Yangtze River, and her life is tied to this river. But when I was acting, I always felt there was a layer between us. I couldn't let go, and I couldn't immerse myself in the role."
Chen Xun looked at her, not giving a direct answer, but instead asking, "Who do you think Anlu was reciting the poem to?"
Xin Zhilei paused for a moment, then subconsciously said, "Read it to Gao Chun, and read it to herself too."
"wrong!"
Chen Xun shook his head, pointed to the line on the script that the cities on both sides of the strait had gone dark, looked into her eyes, and said, word by word, "She wasn't reading it to Gaochun, nor was she reading it to herself; she was reading it to the Yangtze River."
"She spent her whole life speaking to the Yangtze River; Gao Chun was just someone who happened to understand her."
"So you don't need to be tense, you don't need to think about how I'm going to act out a sense of destiny. Just treat this poem as a casual conversation with the Yangtze River."
"Just like when you greet an old boatman on the riverbank, relaxed, natural, with a familiarity ingrained in your bones."
"You must remember, Anlu is not a guest of the Yangtze River, she is a part of the Yangtze River."
One sentence instantly enlightened Xin Zhilei.
She stood there, stunned, as if a light had exploded in her mind.
All the things that were previously confusing and incomprehensible suddenly became clear!
She had always wanted to portray Anlu's divinity and sense of destiny, but she ended up limiting herself and forgetting that Anlu's roots were in the Yangtze River.
"Teacher Chen, I understand!"
Xin Zhilei's eyes lit up instantly, her hand gripping the script trembled, and her tone was full of excitement and sudden enlightenment.
Half an hour later, the scene officially began to be filmed.
The warm light of the kerosene lamp spilled into the cramped cabin, and the waves on the river gently rocked the boat.
In the scene, Xin Zhilei sits at the table, looking at Chen Xun across from her. Her fingertips gently trace the pages of the poetry collection as she slowly opens her mouth and recites the first line of a poem.
Her voice was very soft, without any deliberate intonation or designed emotional fluctuations, as if she were talking to the river.
Gentle, relaxed, yet carrying a deep-seated sense of destiny.
Her eyes were on Chen Xun, but her gaze seemed to pass through him, looking towards the ever-flowing Yangtze River outside the cabin.
At that moment, she was not Xin Zhilei, but An Lu.
That woman who was born and raised by the river, and who dedicated her entire life to the Yangtze River.
Chen Xun, who was sitting opposite her, immediately caught up with her emotions.
He looked at her, his eyes shifting from initial astonishment to gradual understanding, and finally to an unconcealable tenderness.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table, following her rhythm, and he continued with the next line of poetry.
Two actors, a small wooden table, and a kerosene lamp.
Every glance and every line of dialogue in the shot is full of tension.
The performance perfectly captured the encounter and resonance between two lonely souls.
Yang Chao, watching from the monitor, held his breath from the moment filming began.
Only after the two finished reciting the last line of the poem, exchanged a smile, did he suddenly snap out of his daze and yell into the walkie-talkie, "Cut! Perfect! One take! It was fucking perfect!"
The entire cabin erupted in enthusiastic applause.
The director of photography put down the monitor and couldn't help but exclaim to the person next to him, "Xin Zhilei has undergone a complete transformation since filming began!"
"This acting is so natural and captivating!"
"Of course! With an Oscar-caliber teacher like Chen Xun guiding you step by step, how could you not improve quickly?"
The production assistant chuckled and chimed in, "Look at her performance now! There's not a trace of a newcomer's awkwardness. She holds her own against Chen Xun in every scene!"
Xin Zhilei's eyes reddened again as she listened to the applause around her.
She turned to look at Chen Xun, her eyes filled with gratitude, and bowed deeply to him: "Teacher Chen, thank you."
Xin Zhilei's favorability +4, current favorability: 89
Chen Xun smiled and waved his hand, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
It's like watching a seed you planted yourself finally sprout and bloom.
He knew Xin Zhilei's potential and how high she could go in the future.
And now he has given her a push, allowing her to see that wider world ahead of time.
The positive feedback generated by this kind of development is irreplaceable by any box office success or awards.
That night, Chen Xun was too excited to sleep.
Today is Sunday, and after midnight it will be time for the weekly intelligence update.
Besides, I was in talks for a voice acting job for "Big Fish & Begonia" during the first week.
The information that appeared in the following two weeks was all useless.
Now it needs to be refreshed again.
I wonder what kind of information will emerge this time?
Although Chen Xun was a time traveler, he had only watched some movies and entertainment gossip in his previous life, and he couldn't remember the specific content and years at all.
Now that the intelligence function exists, it gives him the opportunity to verify each other's information.
Just past midnight!
Subtitles appeared before Chen Xun's eyes:
[Capital Trends]
Bona Film Group officially initiated its privatization and delisting process from Nasdaq in June 2015, planning to return to the A-share market. The final privatization consortium list is currently being finalized.
In addition to Alibaba Pictures and Sequoia Capital, which have already confirmed their involvement, Tencent Pictures and Fosun Group are in the final stages of negotiations. Founder Yu Dong is opening up his personal strategic investment quota, with an entry threshold of 5000 million RMB and a lock-up period of 3 years.
Following this privatization, Bona Film Group will fully focus on the mainstream commercial film market, with "Operation Mekong" already in development.
Several major projects, including "Operation Red Sea" and the sequel to "The Taking of Tiger Mountain," are expected to complete their delisting process in the first quarter of 2016.
Upon seeing the first one, Chen Xun's eyes lit up instantly!
This news coincides with the earlier prediction that Alibaba would invest in Bona Film Group.
Memories of a past life surfaced.
After returning to the A-share market, Bona Film Group has firmly established itself as a leading private Chinese film company by focusing on mainstream commercial films.
"Operation Mekong" grossed over 11 billion yuan, while "Operation Red Sea" grossed 36 billion yuan, becoming the benchmark for Chinese mainstream commercial films.
More importantly, this is an excellent opportunity for him to enter the core capital circle of Chinese-language films.
Now that he's back in China, Chen Xun certainly can't be content with simply being an actor.
Because the domestic cultural and entertainment industry is basically controlled by capital.
If he wants good resources, he definitely needs to have a certain amount of capital in order to have a voice.
Otherwise, they are just toys for capital.
Although Chen Xunzhi is not here, this is still an inevitable path for any actor.
The 5000 million RMB entry threshold is not too difficult for him now.
He currently has $2273 million in liquid assets on his books.
That's equivalent to over 150 million RMB!
Moreover, the three-year lock-up period coincided perfectly with Bona's explosive growth period after its return.
This investment is a sure thing!
It can also be linked to Bona's mainstream music scene, paving the way for him to establish himself in the Chinese music market.
He continued reading, and the second piece of information made his heart leap.
[Industry Insider]
China Film Group Corporation officially launched the project for the domestic hard science fiction film "The Wandering Earth" in 2015. It is adapted from Liu Cixin's science fiction novel of the same name and will be directed by young director Guo Fan. The first draft of the script has been completed and the production team is currently being prepared.
[Due to the widespread prejudice within the industry that China cannot produce qualified hard science fiction films, the initial financing rounds were lukewarm, with three investors withdrawing their funding at the last minute, leaving the project with a funding gap of 60 million yuan and on the verge of stalling.]
The production team has yet to finalize the lead actors. Filming was planned to begin in the first half of 2016, but if funding issues cannot be resolved, the project will be indefinitely postponed.
[Additional Note: This project is a milestone in Chinese science fiction films. The original IP enjoys extremely high national recognition, and the film grossed over $7 million worldwide, breaking the box office ceiling for domestic science fiction films.]
The Wandering Earth!
How could he not know this movie in his past life?
A pioneering work of Chinese hard science fiction!
It ushered in the first year of Chinese science fiction films, and after its release, it swept the Spring Festival box office, becoming a nationwide phenomenon.
Along with the original author Liu Cixin and Chinese science fiction, it has completely broken out of its niche and reached the world.
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