Millennium director

Chapter 8 Remember the light rain of apricot blossoms that year...

For a group of sixth-generation directors like Wang Xiaoshuai, the performance level of actors is not the most important thing in their films.

Their films pay more attention to abstract artistic conception, experimental shooting techniques, and the art of light and shadow brought about by techniques such as lighting, screen, composition, and white space.

Although most of their movies are based on the perspective of small characters, the whole movie shows the big proposition of criticizing a certain social phenomenon.

To put it simply, what their movies sell is the overall story, what they sell is the self-concept reflected in the film, and they are used to export values, social outlook and show off their skills.

It’s not a movie about actors’ acting skills like “The Return,” “The Godfather,” “Joker” and “Shutter Island.”

Therefore, it is generally difficult for their films to praise the acting talents, nor can they praise the best actors and actresses. This is the strength of the fifth generation directors.

Even after watching their movies, the audience rarely remembers the actors, and most of the actors who participated in the films remain unknown after the filming.

Therefore, "Seventeen Years Old Bicycle" found four leading actors who had never studied acting, and it did not delay the filming of the film at all.

Except for Zhou Xun, the main actors only need to act in their true colors and do not need to contribute any advanced acting skills, including Wu Yuan.

But the problem lies in this "acting in true colors"!

Sitting in the small woods next to Houhai, Wu Yuan looked at the lake with a melancholy look on his face, sighed and stretched out his hand to stop.

"Director, give me a few minutes to adjust."

Wang Xiaoshuai, who was sitting behind the monitor, stuck his head out, glanced at Wu Yuan in confusion, and waved his hand impatiently in response.

Wang Xiaoshuai thought that this scene would be the most difficult one between Wu Yuan and Gao Yuanyuan, but he did not expect that the difficulty was that Wu Yuan could not express the youthful feeling of a young boy!

In his opinion, how could it be difficult for Wu Yuan, a junior who entered film school at the age of 16 and had never heard of falling in love, to act in such a scene?

Just show your true colors!

With such a beautiful woman like Gao Yuanyuan kissing him in front of his eyes, how could his heart not speed up, his breathing not become rapid, and his mentality not feel uneasy?

Wang Xiaoshuai was originally worried that Wu Yuan would be too shy and nervous, which would ruin the mutual affection!

There is only one sentence in the script for this scene: "Xiao Jian and Xiao Xiao were sitting by the lake. After a while, Xiao Xiao took the initiative to get up and walk into the woods. Xiao Jian followed and stood side by side with her.

Then, "Nervously and shyly, I approached Xiaoxiao's cheek and wanted to kiss her cheek. The ambiguous atmosphere of youthful first love lingered around the two of them..."

There is only one sentence in the script, but in fact this scene takes more than a minute to film, and the two of them do not have any dialogue throughout the whole process. They rely entirely on their demeanor, expressions, and micro-movements to express the ambiguity lingering between boys and girls. Emotion and atmosphere.

Gao Yuanyuan did it very well. Whether it was the girl's shyness or the courage to close her eyes to suggest that she could kiss, she acted very well, showing the girl's budding love, bold and shy feeling.

Hey, but there was nothing wrong with Wu Yuan's performance. He didn't blush, his heartbeat didn't speed up, and he didn't feel any nervousness at all when he was close to Gao Yuanyuan's cheek.

How does this look like an innocent eighteen-year-old boy?

"He's just a libertine with countless women and a face thicker than the city walls!"

These were the exact words Wang Xiaoshuai scolded him.

Wu Yuan NGed eight times, wasting two boxes of 400-foot film!

If this director doesn't curse, then he's a ghost!

And Wang Xiaoshuai was not wrong at all!

Although Wu Yuan's biological age is 18, his mental age is really not that young.

Although the things experienced in the dream were all a dream, after waking up, they only became a deep memory in the brain.

But Wu Yuan, who has recalled these memories many times in the past two years, has unconsciously matured a lot mentally.

Not to mention anything else, after the coal boss of the dream film industry entered the industry, the blue ocean of the industry opened up. From assistant director to executive director, he had no idea how many actresses knocked on his door.

Although he has never taken the initiative to hide from anyone, he can't stop people from always coming to his door to hide!

Anyone who has been in this circle for 20 years has long been impure!

It’s not that I don’t believe that there is true love in the industry, but I don’t mean that I will get excited and nervous when I see a celebrity.

Even though the person he was filming with was 21-year-old Gao Yuanyuan, who was young and beautiful, Wu Yuan only looked at her with admiration, and it was difficult to have the excitement, nervousness and anticipation of a young boy.

Ask him to act out the emotions of a young boy facing a girl he likes for the first time. He really doesn't know how to act.

Wu Yuan has never learned the most basic liberating nature of an actor!

After asking the director for some adjustment time, Wu Yuan looked at the lake quietly, thinking about how to perform the scene well.

Although he has never studied it, he has watched it a lot, and he also knows that there are method actors and experiential actors.

There is nothing he can do if he is a method sect; he has never learned any method.

But the experience group can have it!

Wu Yuan tried to look through the memories in his dreams, trying to find out the first time he was knocked on the door by a young actor to "discuss the script."

I remember it was the summer of 2005.

It's embarrassing to say that Wu Yuan was still a virgin at that time.

There was no way he could do it. When he was in the film school, because he was the youngest in the school, he entered his freshman year at the age of sixteen or seventeen. Other classmates thought he was too young, so he focused on his studies for four years. Not in love.

After graduation, his grades were not good enough that the school asked him to stay in school, and his job assignments were long gone. He was not willing to join a studio within the system, so he could only look for work in Beijing, Hengdian, and Xiangshan, starting from the lowest level. Become a professional photography assistant.

It was not until 2005 that he became the assistant cameraman of the "Legend of Heaven and Earth" crew.

It was a light rainy night with apricot blossoms. Wu Yuan was about to take a rest after reviewing the shooting process for the next day, when there was a gentle knock on the door.

At that time, he didn't realize what was happening until he opened the door in a daze and saw an actress wrapped in a bath towel with dripping hair.

"Teacher Wu, the shower in the bathroom in my room is broken for some reason, and there is no water in the middle of washing. Can I borrow your bathroom?"

What was his reaction?

"Shy, flustered, nervous, uneasy, mixed with a little bit of fear..."

Recalling his youthful and fearful self at that time, Wu Yuan finally found the feeling.

The rest of the shooting went smoothly.

"Okay, I feel it this time!"

"But, junior brother, who told you to kiss me?"

Wang Xiaoshuai's words woke Wu Yuan and brought him back from the memory in his dream.

When he came to his senses again, he realized that his lips had been lightly pressed on Gao Yuanyuan's left cheek.

"I've already said it, it's like a kiss. Even if it's like a kiss, in fact it's still not a kiss!"

Wang Xiaoshuai winked and teased: "But I can understand that it is normal for young people of your age to be so close and unable to control you."

"Come on, let's do it again. This is the last time!"

Only then did Wu Yuan notice that Gao Yuanyuan's face in front of him was already as red as fire.

"Why didn't she hide?" A question arose in Wu Yuan's mind, but he extinguished it in an instant.

"Sister Yuanyuan, I'm really sorry. I have no experience in acting. I was too involved just now. I'm really sorry." Wu Yuan apologized decisively.

Gao Yuanyuan lowered her head, bit her lips with silver teeth, and said softly: "It doesn't matter, it's all for filming."

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her head and took deep breaths to adjust her mood and state.

Wu Yuan didn't know what to say and looked awkwardly at the swallows flying over the lake in the distance.

After this scene was hailed by Wang Xiaoshuai as the most difficult to shoot, the filming of Wu Yuan and Gao Yuanyuan's scenes was put on the fast track.

Within a few days, all the scenes between the two were filmed, and Cui Lin also joined the filming.

The rivalry scenes between Wu Yuan and Cui Lin were not easy to shoot. They were not about romance, but various chasing and fighting scenes.

Not only fighting him, but also fighting punks and second-rate men!

During the last few days of filming "Seventeen Years Old Bicycle", the two filmed various teenage chase scenes and ran for several days!

They really had to run just after eating, and they also ran at three o'clock in the middle of the night. They vomited and then continued running. In other words, both of them are only 18 years old. Their physical fitness is really strong, otherwise it would not be enough for Wang Xiaoshuai. .

Moreover, the other teenagers who were filming the beating scene were inexperienced, and they were too heavy-handed in order to be realistic. Wu Yuan and Cui Lin were inevitably beaten for real. Wang Xiaoshuai didn't take it seriously, and thought it was more realistic this way!

After several days of back and forth shooting, both of them were scarred.

In Wu Yuan's words, this man has never been beaten like this in his life and half of his life in his dream!

Fortunately, after all these scenes were filmed, "Seventeen Years Old Bicycle" was finally completed.

A total of 14 days of shooting was completed one day earlier than Wang Xiaoshuai expected!

When filming was wrapping up, Zhou Xun was no longer on the crew, and only Wu Yuan, Gao Yuanyuan and Cui Lin, as well as other actors Wang Xiaoshuai recruited from Beijing Film Studio to play supporting roles, attended the wrapping banquet.

"The work that belongs to the actors is considered complete."

During the dinner, Wang Xiaoshuai frequently raised his glass to drink with Wu Yuan, patted his shoulder vigorously, and said encouragingly: "This movie, both by me and the investors, is going to the three major European film festivals."

"If nothing unexpected happens, this film should be included in next year's Berlin Film Festival!"

"If we're lucky, you and Cui Lin will be nominated for Best Newcomer."

"In February next year, senior brother will take you to Berlin!"

Wu Yuan grinned: "Okay, let's wait for the good news from senior brother!"

"Seventeen Years Old Bicycle", others don't know, but he knows it very well!

This is the film that won the Jury Prize at the 51st Berlin International Film Festival!

Wu Yuan believes that although his acting skills are not very good, his performance in this movie is no worse than that of the original actor Li Bin!

Who told Wang Xiaoshuai to meet Wu Yuan first this time and fall in love with him again?

Li Bin is also a layman with no academic qualifications. He doesn’t understand acting at all, and his acting skills are not as good as his!

Since Li Bin can win the [New Talent Actor Award] at the Berlin Film Festival with Cui Lin, then he can too!

Speaking of which, this actor who was lucky enough to be chosen by Wang Xiaoshuai in his life is not the most widely known work in the literary films he has shot, but Lu Xiaoqian in "Magic Phone"!

While Wu Yuan was sipping his wine, he was thinking that in a few years when Wang Xiaoshuai would be filming "Green Red", he would have to find an opportunity to dig out Li Bin and introduce him to Wang Xiaoshuai.

Li Bin's performance in "Green Red" is remarkable.

I believe Wang Xiaoshuai can train him!