Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 183 Eight Actresses Casting
Choose Huayi, and you will offend Lukuan;
If you choose Xinghui, you will offend Huayi, and Huayi will do something bad, and you may still not get the role;
Select the road width...

This perfect answer has been ruled out by Sissi herself.

In this life, Concubine Liu Yi experienced many things that a sixteen-year-old in later generations would not experience.

She made the decision decisively: "I'll finish the audition for 'Alien Land' tomorrow. The results will be out in a few days. I'll see then."

Liu Yifei felt that she was really working hard according to what Lu Kuan had said.

Love performing, work hard on your skills, and stay on the right path.

Even though she is often criticized by unscrupulous directors for her lack of talent, she can make up for her shortcomings with hard work!

On this side, Liu Xiaoli has happy worries, while on the other side, Huang Shengyi has only worries.

Huang Shengyi's mother is also in Peking. Her daughter usually lives in the Beijing Film Academy dormitory when she is not filming, and lives in her own home when she has notices.

"Shengyi, don't worry, I'll ask your cousin to think of a solution."

Tian Qiwen had called them earlier and asked them to make a quick decision to agree to sign with Star Shine, otherwise there was a risk that their roles would be replaced.

They had already done so, but were shocked to hear the bad news—

Director Zhou Xingchi is very fond of Zhao Linger Liu Yifei and is waiting for her reply.

"Mom, I have an idea."

"Director Zhou is an artist. No matter how high my cousin's social status is, he is not in the same industry as him."

"Could you please ask my cousin to talk to the producer at Huayi and ask them to put some pressure on Director Zhou?"

Mother Huang’s eyes lit up!
My daughter is right! Artists are always ambitious, but entrepreneurs are not. It’s about exchanging resources!

This matter needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, so she quickly called her cousin Wu.

On September 2003, 9, the highly anticipated Wenjie Media officially kicked off the auditions for the female lead in the film "Alien Land".

After an initial screening of all qualified female artists in the domestic entertainment industry, as well as amateurs who registered online and in person, only 8 people were shortlisted.

Fan Bingbing, Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun, Liu Yifei and Yan Zi from the mainland.

Jia Jingwen, Gillian Chung and Zhang Baizhi from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

These three are all related, and there is no need to explain why.

Jia Jingwen and Gillian Chung are two of the "black gloves" of the road boss in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Zhang Baizhi is an artist of Hua Guoxing of the Xiang family. The Xiang family asked Mei Yanfang to say hello to Lu Kuan.

Of course, we only give them three audition opportunities, and whether they can succeed depends on their abilities.

There is a special audition venue for Wenjie.

However, with the addition of two Beijing Film Academy teachers, Xue Xiaolu and Jiang Wei, and the launch of new projects, space became a bit stretched.

Lu Kuan also considered it necessary to purchase property and build a headquarters building before the land price soared to the sky.

At worst, I can rent a few more floors to Blog.com.

"Okay, thank you all for recognizing the industry and myself and for participating in this audition. Now I have a few requests."

"First, all actors must remove their makeup before auditioning."

Some of the actresses present frowned, but none of them whispered to each other.

Everyone has a good base, but some are reluctant to show their bare faces due to their age and skin condition.

"Let me explain. Previously, the industry had been using the Sony F900 for science fiction films, but due to the budget and quality requirements of this film, a lot of repetitive and high-dynamic photography was required."

"So this time we will use Red-One, which has a higher resolution."

“F900的分辨率是1902X1080，Red-One的分辨率是4900X2580，大家应该懂我意思了吧？”

Sony F900 is a popular digital camera nowadays, but with the iterative development of photographic equipment and the continuous improvement of the requirements for shooting science fiction works, this image quality of less than 2K can no longer meet the shooting needs.

Moreover, the F900 has a fatal flaw: the image quality is not as good as film.

90% of directors prefer to use digital cameras when shooting science fiction and action films because they no longer need to make intermediate films and can directly transfer the data to the computer for special effects production.

However, the image quality of F900 is really average. It is not as high as 4K resolution of Red-One. In terms of image quality, it is comparable to 35mm film.

The actresses also understood what the director meant. It seemed that they had to remove the makeup, even if it would expose their skin condition and facial flaws under the high-definition camera.

Because the director wants to see their skin and facial condition without makeup to avoid their faces from collapsing under the high-definition camera during later filming.

Liu Yifei looked indifferent. This girl posted the photo of herself without makeup on the blog. How could she have such a burden?

What's more, this 16-year-old collagen is a dimensionality reduction attack on other actresses in their twenties.

"Secondly, this audition process lasts three and a half days."

"The first day of the audition was about lines and understanding of the character, including English proficiency. This time, the crew plans to use the original voice first and not consider dubbing for the time being!"

With the development of technology, it became a common technique to open your mouth and count 12345 and then recite the lines.

However, the sound synthesis and embedding technology in 2003 was limited. Instead of spending time on dubbing later, it was better to use the original sound in one go.

Just a little repair later.

Using the original soundtrack is also conducive to outputting the best sound quality and conveying the inner thoughts of the characters. It is undoubtedly a much better choice for the entire film than post-dubbing.

However, there were too many unqualified actors in later generations, and dubbing became the norm in the industry.

"So everyone should be mentally prepared. We've already explained in the audition notice that spoken English is a required test and carries a significant weight!"

He did not say anything definite. If the most suitable English language chosen in the end is not good, then there is only one way to choose the lesser of two evils.

"On the second day, the physical movements, including some simple martial arts moves and wirework scenes, will be inspected on site. We will invite Director Yuen Heping's team to participate."

"The final part is the performance with makeup, which is expected to take a long time, about a day and a half."

"The crew has prepared new costumes that fit everyone. I or someone else will assist you in the performance."

Lu Kuan looked at the eight actresses with different expressions, and finally notified the audition team of the list.

"There are three judges for this audition: me, Director Yuan Heping, and Taylor, the Hollywood casting director."

"Okay, everyone, please get ready for a moment. Wenjie's assistant will help you remove your makeup. We'll officially begin in an hour!"

The actresses filed into the dressing room, which was a space specially cleared for this casting and had ten dressing tables inside.

Zhou Xun and Liu Yifei sat together and let the staff of Wenjie spruce up their faces.

"Sissi, how did you finish unloading so quickly?"

Everyone turned around when they heard the noise. Liu Yifei stuck out her tongue awkwardly. She had just hydrated and used some lotion before leaving.

Zhang Ziyi wasn't very familiar with the others, and only chatted with Zhao Yanzi next to her.

"Young kids are good, their faces are so tender."

Yanzi looked at herself in the mirror without the filter and sighed softly.

"Who says it isn't?"

She is 27 years old this year. If she hadn't pestered Han Shanping and Dong Shuangqiang to plead for her, she probably wouldn't even be able to make the final list.

Zhang Ziyi smiled and said nothing more. She just glanced at Liu Yifei and ignored her.

She didn't think anyone in the room was her competitor. Based on her strength alone, the role belonged to her.

Fan Bingbing didn't talk to anyone, but silently recalled the heroine's role and biography.

Suddenly she recalled what Wang Dajun had told her before she came.

"There are some minor conflicts between Wenjie and Huayi, but you don't have to worry about it. Do your best to get this role and develop a good relationship with Lu Kuan. This is very important to you!"

Later, Wang Jinhua also talked to her.

In short, the implication is that you refused to cooperate with Hong Jinbao before, and now there is a young, rich and talented Lu Kuan. It would be inappropriate to refuse him, right?

Wang Xiaolei offered her another long-term contract, but the treatment, film remuneration, and commission for portrait rights were also higher, almost approaching Li Binbin's.

To put it bluntly, Huayi was also afraid that she would really climb up to the top and become a phoenix. Wouldn't that be a loss of both the wife and the army?

Bingbing was smart and did not comment on the spot. He planned to discuss the contract with Lu Kuan later.

It seems that she has decided to be a fake double agent. I guess Lu Kuan would laugh out loud when he heard the news?

That pair of Crouching Dragon and Phoenix actually delivered themselves to the door.

Jia Jingwen didn't communicate with anyone and went out after taking off her makeup.

She wanted to get close to Boss Lu before the audition started.

These past few nights she had been looking for an opportunity to take advantage of his golden hoop, but Wu Dun was always by her side and she had no time to care about anything else.

Gillian Chung and Peter Cheung in the corner seemed to be trying to keep each other warm.

Zhang Baizhi was a little uncomfortable with today's atmosphere.

Hong Kong actors of this era are treated with respect wherever they go. This was the first time she had encountered such equal treatment in sharing a dressing room, where everyone could remove their makeup and go on camera without distinction.

However, she was deeply impressed by the gloomy look of her boyfriend Tingfeng before he left, probably because of the previous disagreement between him and director Lu Kuan.

Zhang Baizhi doesn't care about all this. This is a $7500 million Hollywood movie, a movie he can't even hope for.

"Ah Jiao, you are so beautiful even without makeup. I'm so envious!"

Gillian Chung gave her a sweet smile in return, and after the makeup artist had tied her hair into a bun, she nodded at Liu Yifei who was chatting with Zhou Xun.

"Have you seen Miss Liu Yifei? You should envy her."

Then he leaned over and whispered, "By the way, I heard she has a good relationship with Director Lu, so just a friendly reminder."

Everyone removed their makeup and entered the audition room.

Lu Kuan, Yuan Heping and Taylor sat in the audition judges' seat, with a stage in the middle and more than ten chairs neatly arranged.

"Just to be clear, the three-day audition is completely open and transparent, so everyone will be performing in one venue."

"We have eight actors, and in order not to waste everyone's time, we will announce the audition results directly after the afternoon of the third day to avoid affecting your subsequent work arrangements."

The actresses immediately started whispering to each other, and those who had taken exams all thought of the college entrance examination.

This is even more cruel than the college entrance examination, the scores will be announced on the spot!
The key is to perform in front of everyone. Some people who think they are lacking in acting skills or other aspects are already worried about being exposed.

The main reason why Lu Kuan set up such a unique audition method is to prioritize efficiency.

The biggest feature of Hollywood crews is that they have a long preparation time and a short shooting time.

This is completely different from domestic crews, which often rush into production without hesitation, making numerous mistakes along the way and ultimately running out of budget.

What's more, there are people with absolute strength like Zhang Ziyi, and "connected people" like Yan Zi and three actresses from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

All aspects have to be taken into consideration. Originally, he chose the actors based on the film itself, and whoever was suitable would be the one.

In the end, everyone was satisfied with the result, and those with connections no longer had to go back and beg the financiers to plead for mercy.

The first audition began with the actors explaining their understanding of the roles and performing their English lines.

The English script had been sent to their agents earlier, giving them ample time to prepare.

"We won't bother you any more. Let's just go from left to right according to your current seating order. Jia Jingwen, you go first."

"Yes, director."

The "sweet girl" from Taiwan Province spoke in a coquettish voice. She had just taken the initiative to meet with several casting directors.

"The heroine Lan Yue is a Chinese girl full of wisdom and courage, carrying the hopes of her father Lan Jiangshui..."

The understanding of the characters is standard and the English level is average.

Judging from her appearance, there is still a difference between her with and without makeup. After all, she is the oldest actress present today, at 30 years old.

It's no problem for an actress who's 25 or 26 to put on makeup and play someone in her early 20s, but it doesn't matter. Let her go through the process and audition to repay Wu Dun's favor.

Next comes the presentation of lines, with Lu Kuan coordinating.

"Thank you. Next up, Zhang Baizhi."

"Lan Yue is a typical girl with oriental characteristics. She inherited the mantle from her scientist father..."

Lu Kuan, Taylor, and the others exchanged glances. "Isn't that voice a bit piercing?" Just like Zhou Xun.

But my English level is pretty good, after all, I have been living with my mother in Melbourne since I was 13 years old.

Next is Gillian Chung.

Similar to Zhang Baizhi, the two are the leading female artists trained by Eagle King and Hua Guoxing respectively, and both received Hong Kong-style actor training.

The most typical example is the TVB Artist Training Class, because their own dramas have a high turnover rate and large output, with one drama produced every few months. The same actor plays the emperor in the morning and a beggar in the afternoon.

However, they can all be trained in different roles in a short period of time, and those who are insightful will gradually hone their acting skills. It is a kind of cramming-style teaching for actors to quickly learn.

However, the subsequent fates of these two people were similar, and they both became ghosts captured by Teacher Chen's camera.

The first person who made Taylor and Yuan Heping nod slightly was Zhou Xun. Apart from his special voice, his dialogue, emotions and rhythm were much better than the previous ones.

It can be seen that I have worked hard on English during this period.

Lu Kuan took the pen and the first three were 70, 75 and 78 respectively. After careful consideration, he gave Zhou Xun a score of 85.

The heroine of a commercial film must be different from the hero in terms of image and temperament, because the box office is mainly carried by Hollywood male stars. The heroine is just a supporting actress and must serve the role image of the hero.

Zhou Xun's biggest disadvantage is that the costume she wears for the female federal team is a bit androgynous, which makes her unrecognizable in commercial films and will cause the audience to confuse the image of the male and female protagonists.

Liu Yifei was memorizing her lines while the first four people were auditioning, and her palms were sweaty from nervousness!

She occasionally looked up at Lu Kuan, but he just closed his eyes and listened to the auditioner's lines with a calm expression, without making much eye contact with her.

This scene is very familiar. The first time I was scolded and cried while filming a movie was in such an atmosphere.

The little girl didn't expect to be selected, she just hoped that he could see her progress and hard work.

This is like a high school student who gets admitted to a good university and excitedly returns to school to tell the good news to his close class teacher, hoping to get his approval.

It is still an explanation of her understanding of the heroine, but she cleverly also uses English to narrate it.

Still a little clever.

This is followed by a presentation of lines.

Liu: "Number 2, follow me, don't fall behind!"

Lu: "Don't be nervous, my oriental beauty, I promise it will be safe here, it's just a farm."

Liu: "Listen, watch out for the muddy ground beneath your feet. It could become a trap that could cost you your life at any moment!"

"Stop! What are you talking about?"

Everyone was stunned, and the actresses in the audience had different expressions, which was very exciting.

Taylor and Yuan Heping looked at each other. The previous ones were not much better, so why did this little girl Lu Kuan find fault with them on the spot?

Boss Lu never missed any opportunity to teach a lesson: "Liu Yifei, tell me a few elements of the lines."

Ning Hao was on set as an assistant today. He quietly explained to Taylor and the others, "Director Lu has taught this little girl how to act, and he's observing her."

Everyone was convinced.

“Breath, rhythm, artistry, and subtext.”

"This is a pyramid from bottom to top. At which step do you think you went wrong?"

Concubine Liu Yi wrung her hands, pondered for a few seconds, and then gave her answer: "Artistic processing."

"Finally, you're not too stupid. How should I put this sentence?"

She did her homework carefully.

"The hero acts nonchalant in the face of danger, but the heroine, knowing the truth from her father, is very worried about the danger that the protagonists might encounter."

"So after the male protagonist says this sentence, the female protagonist's logical emphasis should be on the first two words, and these two words should be treated with strong disease."

"The subsequent explanation of the muddy and life-threatening situation should be handled calmly and slowly, as she needs to fully inform the male protagonist of the dire reality of the situation."

This speech was spoken in Chinese, but Taylor nodded repeatedly after hearing the translation.

Jia Jingwen in the audience had a strange look on her face. As an experienced person, she could tell that Lu Kuan treated this little girl differently from others.

Gillian Chung and Zhang Baizhi were even more surprised. Is there live teaching?

It is true that directors need to understand acting, but they don’t see many such professional directors. Some actors even have to bring their dialogue teachers with them when they go on stage.

Lu Kuan narrowed his eyes and didn't give her a good look.

"It sounds reasonable when you talk about it, but it's different when you do it."

"Liu Yifei, it's time for the audition, don't tell me you're still hiding your abilities?"

The first thing Lu Kuan taught her was lines, because this was the most obvious shortcoming on her face.

Now, through breathing methods and exercises on limbs and facial muscles, my breath and vocalization methods have improved, but other problems have reappeared.

Concubine Liu Yi opened her mouth to explain, but the words were stuck on the tip of her tongue.

What could she say? Because she wanted to prove herself too much, to show off too much?
"I'm sorry, Director. I'll be more careful next time."

Lu Kuan lowered his head and gave her a score of 70: "No next time, next one."

Concubine Liu Yi pursed her lips and felt a burning pain on her face, not because she was embarrassed in front of so many people, but because she was disappointed with her poor performance.

She felt that she had worked so hard for so long, and had even been rehearsing the last day's scenes with Yang Siwei, but she didn't expect to fail on the lines that she thought she had got right.

It is equivalent to studying the final question all night before the college entrance examination.

When I opened the test paper the next day, I found that I didn’t know the answer to the first question.

(End of this chapter)