Literary Master: Starting with Refusing to Be a Child Star

Chapter 74 The film crew is rushing to finish production.

The filming process of "The Hidden Corner" was, as Xin Shuang described in his previous life, an "extreme sport that lasted nearly two years"—from top-notch actors to "genius" child actors found through a nationwide casting call that took more than a year, to the pacing controlled by the screenwriter of "House of Cards," almost every detail revealed the team's obsession with "realism."

They completed it in two years. This generation can build on the achievements of their predecessors and finish it faster, but it will still take at least a year.

Luo Jinnian produced this script with the intention of seeing results during the elementary school to junior high school transition period.

There are many other good child actor roles, but Luo Jinnian's age in elementary school is still very limited. For example, he was too young to act in "In the Heat of the Sun" or "Life of Pi".

On her way back to her rented apartment after get off work, Luo Jinnian saw an unexpected person next to Uncle Qin: Han Han, who had just come from a racing competition.

Before the Lunar New Year, Han Han had a big argument with the director because his film was poorly made. At that time, he said he wanted to make a film.

Although racing is still his biggest concern right now, movies are also a major interest of his. He has recently read a lot of scripts and has also tried writing quite a few himself.

"There's no such thing as a satisfactory script."

Han Han was pouring out his troubles, and Director Qin listened attentively. He had also written screenplays himself before, so he deeply understood the difficulties this young author faced.

"It's really hard to find good scripts these days, and I'm not satisfied with the ones I write myself. Luckily, I have a good brother..."

Director Qin boasted about the mysterious "Early Spring Tea" in the industry, saying that many directors were looking for him, but it seemed that only Director Qin could contact this great author.

Han Han was taken aback. This guy was really talking without any real experience. Even as a fellow creator, he was ashamed of his own writing skills for "Early Spring Tea".

In the past, some people compared him to Guo Jingming. He didn't say anything publicly but kept cursing him behind his back. He thought that the androgynous guy who only knew how to exploit the difference between domestic and foreign entertainment information to plagiarize works was not worthy of being compared to him.

But things are different now. The tea tycoon from early spring has arrived. I thought the younger generation of writers would be a battle of titans, but the gap in strength is so huge that all comparisons have become a joke.

"Brother Qin, you know Early Spring Tea, I'd like you to introduce me to him. I really want to know how he created those works."

Director Qin glanced at the child beside him, and seeing him shake his head, he simply said perfunctorily, "Early spring tea prefers quiet. Actually, I don't see him every day, so I'm sorry."

Han Han sighed. Sure enough, he had anticipated this before he came. He knew that Director Qin was going to cross over into directing a TV series, and the script was written by Zaochun Tea. He didn't know how many people had inquired about it but had been rejected.

After Han Han left, Luo Jinnian came out and patted Uncle Qin on the shoulder, "Let's continue."

After this scene was filmed, the next scene was when Zhu Chaoyang's mother suddenly returned home.

In the original drama, when the protagonist Zhu Chaoyang's mother, Zhou Chunhong, pushes open the door and sees two unfamiliar children in the house, her subtle emotions of vigilance and effort to maintain appearances are the highlight of this scene. Veteran actors are indeed veterans; the actress playing Zhou Chunhong doesn't portray the shock of "discovering children hiding," but rather the instinctive defensiveness of a single mother towards any "uncontrollable factor."

"Everyone to your positions," Director Qin shouted.

Liu Lin, carrying a shopping basket, pushed open the door and paused when she saw Yan Liang and Pu Pu sitting on the sofa. She glanced at Yan Liang first—the older boy with a slightly wild look in his eyes; then her gaze fell on Pu Pu. Pu Pu sat at the far corner of the sofa, her hands neatly placed on her knees. She looked up and timidly greeted her with a look that seemed to be looking up at someone, "Hello, Auntie."

Liu Lin didn't answer immediately. She switched the shopping basket in her other hand, her expression slowly shifting from a dazed look to a smile that wasn't exactly enthusiastic: "Are you Chaoyang's classmates?"

This scene was filmed several times, but Director Qin ultimately chose the first one.

Pu Pu has almost no lines in this scene, but Gu Yanxi's subtle nuances are consistently excellent. When Zhou Chunhong turns to go to the kitchen, Pu Pu's gaze remains fixed on her, only slowly turning away after Zhou Chunhong enters the kitchen.

The next scene we filmed was the three children's first "gang crime"—going to the Children's Palace to find Zhu Jingjing.

The scene in the original series was short, but packed with information. Pu Pu volunteered to "teach Zhu Jingjing a lesson," Yan Liang hesitated, and Zhu Chaoyang objected. When filming this scene, the outdoor location in Zhanjiang was as hot as a sauna, and the ground temperature on the street in front of the Children's Palace exceeded forty degrees Celsius.

Yan Liangxian, another important young lead actor in the play, recited his line: "Maybe... let's just forget about it, she's just a little girl."

Pu Pu turned around, her face flushed from the sun, but her eyes were firm. She looked at Yan Liang, her tone not harsh, but every word carried a certain "you wouldn't understand" certainty: "She bullied Brother Chaoyang, I can't just ignore it."

This was the first time Pu Pu revealed the "dangerous" side of her personality in the drama. When Gu Yanxi acted out this scene, there was no smile in her eyes. Director Qin later reviewed this footage in front of the monitor, specifically zooming in to examine her eyes closely, and said, "How can a child her age give such accurate expressions?"

Zhu Chaoyang stood behind, his face full of conflict. He didn't make any extra movements, just stood there, but his shoulders were slightly tucked in, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed the strap of his backpack. This was Luo Jinnian's own way of handling things—Zhu Chaoyang didn't want to go, but he knew he couldn't stop Pu Pu, so that feeling of being "passively coerced" was all hidden in those subtle body language.

"Cut!" Director Qin called out.

The next scene was an indoor scene—the three children were in Zhu Chaoyang's room discussing how to "teach" Zhu Jingjing a lesson. The staging of this scene was minimal, but the rhythm of the dialogue required extremely high precision.

Pu Pu said, "Tomorrow after her vocal lesson, we'll ambush her from behind. I'll tell her, 'If you bully Chaoyang again, I'll tell your teacher all the bad things you've done.'"

Yan Liang asked, "What if she doesn't listen?"

Pupu thought for a moment and said, "Then let's scare her a little. I won't really hit her."

When Gu Yanxi delivered these lines, she spoke slowly, leaving a short pause after each sentence. This was her interpretation of Pu Pu's way of thinking—she wasn't a meticulous planner; her "badness" was impromptu, something she thought about as she acted. This "thinking as she spoke" rhythm made Pu Pu's lines sound particularly real.

Luo Jinnian had almost no lines in this scene; he simply sat at his desk doing his homework, occasionally glancing back at them. But Director Qin gave him several close-ups—when he listened to Pu Pu speak, his pen paused for a moment, then he continued writing.

On the surface, Zhu Chaoyang is a kind lamb, but he is actually the most naturally bad among the children. Luo Jinnian needs to portray that kind of intelligence.

After filming the scene, Director Qin called the three child actors to the monitor to watch the playback and pointed out a few areas that needed adjustment. After watching his performance, Wang Shengdi asked, "Director, was my last line, 'I'm not really going to hit her,' too harsh?"

Director Qin thought for a moment and said, "Try to say the word 'really' more softly, as if you're confirming it with yourself, rather than explaining it to Yan Liang."

I added another one, and it turned out to be correct.