novellhall Chapter 316 Audition Ayesha
Chapter 316 Audition Ayesha
Chapter 315 Audition Ayesha
Work ended in the evening.
The team behind "The Wandering Earth" reluctantly emerged from their respective studios.
Everyone's notebooks were filled to the brim, their cameras held thousands of photos, and their faces were beaming with the joy of their accomplishment, showing no signs of fatigue.
On the way back.
The main cast members in the car were still discussing what they had seen during the day.
We talked about everything from setting up physical sets to virtual shooting, from special effects processes to production management. The more we talked, the more excited we became, and the more confident we felt.
That evening, Chen Xun treated the team to dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.
This is considered a welcome dinner.
After a few rounds of drinks, Guo Fan, holding his wine glass, stood up and bowed deeply to Chen Xun, his eyes red-rimmed: "Teacher Chen Xun, on behalf of the entire crew of 'The Wandering Earth,' I bow to you."
"Today has been like a revelation for us."
"Before, we were like frogs in a well in China, completely unaware of what the real science fiction film industry was like. The opportunity you gave us not only allowed us to learn the technology, but also showed us the right path."
"Don't worry, when we get back, we will definitely put everything we've learned to use and do everything we can to make 'The Wandering Earth' a success. We will never let you down and we will never bring shame to Chinese science fiction!"
The entire production team behind him stood up, raised their glasses, and shouted in unison to Chen Xun, "Thank you, Teacher Chen Xun!"
Chen Xun quickly stood up to help Guo Fan, took the wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, and looked at the group of filmmakers whose eyes were shining: "You don't need to thank me, everyone. You walked your own path, and you have to make your own films."
"Hollywood's industrial system wasn't built innately; China's film industry also needs to be built up little by little by ourselves."
"I believe that when 'The Wandering Earth' is released, it will definitely surprise everyone."
The photography studio was bustling with activity.
Sitting in front of the monitor, watching the art team complete the set construction of the palace on Sovereign three days ahead of schedule, Gunn couldn't help but slap his thigh hard, his tone filled with unbelievable surprise: "Chen, I have to tell you, Director Guo and his team you brought are simply my saviors!"
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Pointing to the newly completed palace set, he exclaimed with admiration, "Our art team and engineering team were arguing every day before. The construction plan was revised eight times because of problems with the load-bearing capacity or camera errors. The original one-week construction period was delayed for half a month and it still hadn't been completed."
"When Director Guo arrived, he and his art director and producer worked through the night to revise the structural plan!"
"They explained the mechanical calculations, camera avoidance techniques, and the entire setup process to us clearly, and we finished building it in just three days, saving nearly a third of the material costs!"
That's absolutely true.
After Guo Fan and his team arrived, they didn't treat themselves as outsiders at all.
This group of creators, who have been deeply involved in the domestic film and television industry for many years, possess the pragmatism and tenacity of science and engineering men at heart.
During the day, I followed various departments of Marvel, going through processes and learning technologies.
That evening, they gathered at the hotel to review and organize their findings, listing out the problems they had identified and the details that could be optimized. They then took the optimization plan to Gunn's team.
From large-scale optimizations to set construction and adjustments to shooting flow, to small-scale material substitutions for props and parameter calibrations for green screen lighting.
They not only learned Hollywood's industrial logic, but also used their years of on-set experience to help the Marvel team fill in many loopholes in the process.
The original motion data restoration in the motion capture studio would take two working days to complete.
The special effects team leader of "The Wandering Earth" spent two days learning from them and discovered a parameter bug in their software. After adjusting it, the entire repair work could be completed in half a day.
The production team's previously chaotic material loss statistics were standardized by the production manager from China, who created a standardized table that made daily losses, inventory, and demand clear at a glance, and there were no more instances of material shortages during filming.
Not to mention Guo Fan himself.
I spend every day in the prop workshop and on-site construction.
His notebook was filled with dense writing. He not only studied technology, but also rolled up his sleeves and went to lend a hand wherever there was a shortage of manpower. He did everything from moving boards and adjusting lights to checking storyboards.
In less than half a month, he had become one with all departments of Marvel.
Even the production crew on set knew that this director from China was not only knowledgeable but also extremely reliable.
"The entire production team's preparation efficiency is now at least 30% faster than before!"
Gunn grinned from ear to ear, patting Chen Xun on the shoulder and teasing, "I'd like to ask you if, after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is finished filming, could you lend me Director Guo to be the producer of my next film?"
"With him around, I could lose half my hair!"
Chen Xun couldn't help but laugh, glancing at Guo Fan, who was gesturing something to the project leader not far away.
The other party was scribbling on the drawings with a pen, speaking in broken English, and gesturing wildly as they explained their optimization ideas.
The engineer on the other end nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of approval.
"He doesn't have time to stay here; he has a sci-fi blockbuster to shoot himself."
Chen Xun smiled and looked away: "They can help you optimize the process because they learn quickly, it's just a mutual benefit."
Just then, Marvel's casting director walked over with a worried look on his face.
He placed a stack of actor audition materials in front of Gunn, shook his head with a bitter face, and said, "Director, it's still not good enough!"
"For the role of Ayesha, we auditioned twelve actresses. Some were too stiff, like female fighters in action movies, lacking the nobility of a Sovereign high priestess. Others were just beautiful but couldn't carry the arrogance and aloofness in their bones, and their eyes were completely empty."
"Mr. Kevin Feige has come to urge us for the third time. If we can't make a decision soon, it will affect the start of filming."
Gunn's face instantly fell. He scratched his hair in frustration, tossed the stack of audition materials aside, and said with a headache, "Fuck, I knew this would happen."
"Ayesha of the Sovereign race is the noblest and most perfect racial leader in the entire universe. Her arrogance is not feigned; it is ingrained in her very being. She believes that everyone in the universe except for her race is an inferior being, and she also possesses a neurotic perfectionism. These actors simply cannot portray this feeling!"
He scoured Hollywood for eligible actresses.
Either they have enough popularity but their temperament doesn't match, or they have a similar temperament but their acting skills can't support the role.
After trying for almost two months, they still couldn't find a suitable candidate, and even Marvel executives started putting pressure on them.
The casting director sighed: "We even contacted art-house actresses in Europe, but most of them weren't interested in superhero movies, or their schedules just didn't match."
Gunn irritably gulped down a mouthful of iced cola, about to utter a curse, when Chen Xun suddenly spoke up beside him: "James, I do have someone in mind, someone who would be perfect for the role of Ayesha."
Gu En's eyes lit up instantly, and he turned sharply to look at Chen Xun, his voice urgent: "Chen, tell me quickly! The person you recommended is absolutely fine!"
He trusted Chen Xun's judgment too much.
From the portrayal of Star-Lord to strongly recommending Jackie Chan to play Ego, and then to countless adjustments to the script.
Chen Xun's judgments were frighteningly accurate every time.
The people he recommends are definitely not bad.
"A Chinese actress named Xin Zhilei."
In Chen Xun's mind, the image of the girl standing at the bow of a ship on the Yangtze River, with a stubborn and aloof look in her eyes, instantly came to mind when filming "Crosscurrent".
During the three months of filming "Crosscurrent", he witnessed firsthand Xin Zhilei's ever-growing acting skills.
The character Anlu is half worldly and mundane, and half divine and intertwined with the Yangtze River.
The aloofness and pride in her bones, along with the resilience hidden in her eyes, are qualities that many actors cannot portray.
The high priestess of the Sovereign tribe, Ayesha, needed precisely this kind of innate nobility and aloofness.
All living beings are but ants, only I am perfect!
Xin Zhilei could completely handle this arrogance.
"I worked with her on an art film; she was the female lead."
Chen Xun added: "Her temperament is very special. She has a natural aloofness that keeps strangers at bay. Her eyes are expressive. She can portray the arrogance of the high priest, as well as the character's obsession and neuroticism."
"Moreover, her on-screen presence is extremely strong, making her perfectly suited for the big screen. She can completely pull off the extremely gorgeous costume of the Sovetlin tribe."
Gunn's eyes lit up as he listened, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately decided, "Great! Let her audition!"
"Chen, you tell her personally that as long as she's willing to come, we'll cover all her airfare and hotel expenses, and provide the highest level of audition service, whether it's a remote audition or a live audition in Atlanta!"
"If her audition performance meets your description, the role is hers!"
He didn't care at all whether Xin Zhilei was famous in Hollywood or whether she was a newcomer in China.
In Marvel, Chen Xun's vision is the best passport.
Chen Xun smiled and nodded.
He took out his phone, found Xin Zhilei's number, and dialed it.
It was 3 a.m. in Beijing at that time.
In a small film crew's guesthouse in the suburbs.
Xin Zhilei had just finished filming a night scene, removed her makeup, and was still tired on her face, curled up on her hard bed reading "Crosscurrent".
script.
Filming for "Crosscurrent" has wrapped up for several months, but the release date is still pending, and she remains a nobody in the entertainment industry.
When she filmed "Crosscurrent," she thought she could become famous through this art film.
The reality is that the film is being shelved and not released, so she can only play minor roles in various small film crews, playing the third or fourth female lead, and earning meager pay.
Watching those around her become famous one by one, only she knows the sense of loss and anxiety she feels.
Fortunately, director Yang Chao called her. Thanks to Chen Xun's help, she had successfully passed the review and was ready for the awards.
It will be released after the awards are given.
Her first film as the leading actress will be seen by the audience.
My phone suddenly rang.
A string of unfamiliar overseas numbers was flashing on the screen.
She paused for a moment, hesitated, and then answered, her voice hoarse from just finishing a sleepless night: "Hello?"
"It's me, Chen Xun!"
A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.
Xin Zhilei sat up straight instantly.
He froze completely.
I thought I was just hallucinating.
He asked incredulously, "Teacher Chen—Chen Xun? Is it really you?"
Her interaction with Chen Xun was limited to the three months or so spent filming "Crosscurrent".
Although she kept calling him "Master" on set.
This Oscar-winning actor was incredibly down-to-earth. On set, he patiently guided her through her lines, helping her understand the character's emotions. Even when she had to do a dozen takes for a single scene, he never showed the slightest impatience.
He fulfilled his duties as a master to the fullest extent.
After filming wrapped on "Crosscurrent", she never contacted Chen Xun again. She knew that the gap between the two was vast and she didn't dare to bother him.
She never imagined that Chen Xun would personally make an overseas call to her.
"It's me!"
Chen Xun's voice was tinged with laughter: "Zhilei, there's something I want to tell you."
"There's a character in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ayesha, the high priestess of the Sovereigns. She's a supporting female character with a lot of screen time. I think your temperament and acting skills are very suitable, so I recommended you to the director."
"The director has agreed and would like to invite you to audition. Are you willing?"
On the other end of the phone, Xin Zhilei's hand holding the phone instantly began to tremble uncontrollably.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2!
She suspected she was dreaming and even pinched herself hard.
hiss~
Only when a sharp pain shot through her did she realize that this was not a hallucination.
She was a nobody who hadn't even appeared in many domestic theatrical films, an actress who was still working as an extra on film sets, yet she managed to get an audition opportunity for a top Hollywood superhero movie.
Or was it Chen Xun who personally recommended him?
Overwhelmed by the unexpected joy, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
She bit her lip, not wanting Chen Xun on the other end of the phone to hear her sobbing, but she couldn't hide her choked voice.
The voice trailed off: "Teacher Chen Xun—I—I'm willing! Of course I'm willing! Thank you—thank you so much—"
She knew all too well what this opportunity meant.
This is no small fry in China.
It is the big screen that billions of viewers around the world will see.
Even an audition was an opportunity she, an unknown actress, would never have dared to dream of.
"You're welcome. Opportunity favors the prepared mind!"
Chen Xun's voice remained gentle: "I'll send you excerpts from the script and character descriptions for the role in a bit. Get ready."
"You can record the audition remotely first. If there are no problems, we will arrange for you to fly to Atlanta for an on-site audition."
"Don't be nervous, just be yourself. I believe you can handle this role."
"Yes! Yes! I understand, Teacher Chen Xun! I will definitely prepare well and will not let you down!"
Xin Zhilei nodded vigorously, her tears falling even more fiercely.
After hanging up the phone, Xin Zhilei could no longer hold back. She hugged her knees, squatted on the ground, and cried her heart out.
There was grievance, excitement, and above all, a sense of relief at escaping a desperate situation.
After years of toiling away in this shady industry, she finally got her own opportunity.
In the corridor of the guesthouse, actors from the same film crew passed by the door and heard crying coming from inside, all looking puzzled.
No one knew that this usually quiet and reserved actress had just received a phone call that would change her life forever.
"So, Chen, is she willing to come?"
Chen Xun hung up the phone and turned around, only to see Gu En leaning over, looking at him expectantly.
"They're already preparing for the audition!"
Chen Xun nodded with a smile.
Guo Fan immediately chimed in, "Director Gu En, don't worry, Xin Zhilei's acting skills are absolutely fine!"
"I've seen the entire footage of 'Crosscurrent,' and the way she plays Anlu—that aloof and proud air—is exactly the same as the Ayesha you're looking for! You definitely won't be disappointed!"
Gunn laughed heartily and clapped his hands: "Great! Then I'll wait and see her audition! Now that Igor is decided and Ayesha has been chosen, all the roles are finally complete! Let's get ready to start filming!"
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