2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 58 What acting skills do I have?

"Hello, Teacher Chu!"

Ji Yang's gloom was not apparent, but his enthusiasm was radiant.

"I've long heard that Teacher Chu's acting skills are exceptional and that she is highly appreciated by Director Lu."

The moment the words "good acting skills" were uttered, everyone's expressions changed.

Simply put, Chu An and those three words have absolutely nothing to do with each other, okay?

"Ahem!" Shen Jin coughed twice with a strange expression, then stood up awkwardly. "Well, Xiao Chu, you guys chat first, I'm going to the restroom."

As he spoke, Shen Jin dodged away.

Lin Wanxing couldn't help but laugh, so she lowered her head to hide her expression and moved closer to Chu An.

To outsiders, it looks like the two of them are standing side by side, showing off their affection.

Ji Yang was initially quite pleased with himself, as Director Shen had clearly given him some leeway. If things escalated into an awkward situation, he, as the director, wouldn't be able to intervene or ignore it. Frankly, he didn't want to get involved in the actors' disputes.

This gave Ji Yang more confidence.

But seeing Lin Wanxing getting close to Chu An, he couldn't suppress the jealousy in his eyes.

Suppressing his anger, he feigned modesty, "Teacher Chu, you shouldn't be so modest."

Chu An looked at Ji Yang helplessly. No one knew whether he felt embarrassed or resentful.

The atmosphere remained awkward for a while before Chu An finally spoke. But what he said was completely unexpected. With a look of delighted surprise, he grabbed Ji Yang's hand, "Teacher Ji, you think so too?"

"I also think my acting skills are exceptionally good."

Pfft! Lin Wanxing couldn't help but think to herself, this guy is really shameless!
This really stumped Ji Yang. I've seen shameless people before, but I've never seen anyone this shameless!

I couldn't pull my hand back, nor could I hold it any longer.

I'm being sarcastic, can't you tell?

However, since Chu An isn't afraid of losing face, he doesn't care!

With a forced smile, he replied, "Of course, of course."

Chu An, "So, which one is your favorite?"

Ji Yang, "..."

His face flushed slightly as he thought to himself, "This bastard isn't taking this seriously, is he?"
After racking my brains, I realized, "Yes! The opening scene of the entire play, where Teacher Chu comes out singing, was absolutely stunning."

Ji Yang secretly praised himself for being so clever. He hadn't seen it, so how would he know which performance was good and which was bad?
However, he noticed that Shengjing TV's "Entertainment New World" had a special segment of professional commentary specifically on Yu Huai's appearance.

Why should we comment on this scene?

Because the industry unanimously considers that scene the most successful character portrayal of 2001. The image of Yu Huai humming a bad song as he enters is destined to become a classic in drama history.

But it was also the worst acting performance of 2001.

So bad that the acting is nonexistent, relying solely on dialogue and character setting to keep it afloat.

You should know that before that scene, Chu An had only appeared on screen once in two lifetimes, and even then, he always had a deadpan expression. No wonder he couldn't have any acting skills.

There's a reason why Ji Yang brought up Chu An's acting skills.

While filming in Ningyuan, the crew deliberately avoided reading related news reports and online comments in order to isolate themselves from external interference.

But in reality, how could this phenomenal drama, which garnered at least 6700 million views on its premiere, not attract attention?

In fact, the media and the internet have already blown it up.

Overall, the comments and reports were predominantly positive.

Yu Huai's treasure trove of memorable quotes.

Xu Shu and Lin Wanxing shared the stage.

Lu Mingze's breakthrough work.

The phenomenal marketing for the premiere, and so on.

Of course, there were also negative criticisms, mainly focusing on Chu An's acting skills.

There was no other way; the best Chu An could do was use various internet memes and jokes to ensure that the character of Yu Huai wouldn't fall apart because of his acting skills.

No matter how hard he tries, he can't change the fact that his acting skills are still immature.

In the first few weeks after the premiere of "With You", some even believed that if Chu An were replaced, Lu Mingze's drama would be able to surpass itself and reach a new level.

Chu An ruined this show!
So, despite Chu Shikuai's influence in the group, he's actually not very popular with the general public.

Ji Yang seized on this point, wanting to embarrass Chu An.

He needs to wake Lin Wanxing up and teach her a lesson about what it means to compare people.
I, Ji Yang, have both acting skills and good looks. I can also sing and dance, and I have countless fans. How can Chu An compare to me?
Of course, humiliating Chu An so that he would never be able to come to the film set again was also one of Ji Yang's goals.

He and Lin Wanxing played the male and female leads, and had countless scenes together, including many intimate scenes. I don't believe we can't break through this wall.

Bringing up that scene is tantamount to telling Chu An outright, "Don't be shameless, don't you know how badly you acted?"
No idea...

Chu An had no idea, as if reminiscing, "That scene... it stumped me for a long time."

Ji Yang, "..."

I can’t talk any more!
I had this urge to just give up and not bother arguing with a fool.

But it was just a thought; a smile played on his lips. "Teacher Chu is so modest."

"Perfect timing, it's a rare opportunity to meet you today, I must ask Teacher Chu for some guidance."

He solemnly stepped between Chu An and Lin Wanxing, finding their close proximity awkward.

Holding the script, I said, "I just couldn't get into character for that scene, and I couldn't quite grasp the character's inner world. Could you please take a look and tell me how I should act it?"

She thought that by holding Chu An hostage and relentlessly pointing out his weaknesses, even if Chu An was too dense to see through it, Lin Wanxing would have to stand up for her "boyfriend," right?

I've already thought of what to say.

Unexpectedly, Lin Wanxing not only didn't step forward, but calmly took a step back, leaving him the stage.

Even the rest of the crew pretended not to see it. The assistant director and others, with coffee in their left hand and a cigarette in their right, looked up at the sky, thinking to themselves: "The sun is so bright, it's probably going to rain soon."

As for Chu An, he picked up the script while smiling and glancing at Lin Wanxing.

His eyes seemed to say, "You can't even handle this kind of trash?"

Lin Wanxing gave him a look, "Don't hold back, go all out and wreak havoc!"

"All right!
Chu An watched the scene with an air of nonchalance, "This play..."

As if immersed in thought, he said, "You can't possibly act well." "Huh?" This made Ji Yang pause in surprise. You really dare to say that.

Chu An: "This whole thing is over."

"It's an ensemble piece, and neither the male nor female lead stands out."

Chu An was referring to the scene that was being filmed when he first came in.

The gist of the story is: Lin Wanxing, playing a refined and progressive young woman from a well-to-do family, invites her classmates to her home for a poetry gathering. Ji Yang, a friend of Wanxing's classmate, arrives uninvited, and the two meet for the first time. Their paths cross again at the poetry gathering because of a poem they co-wrote.

The plot is intended so that the two of them can flirt secretly with each other at a poetry gathering, without being discovered by others, a little love story that belongs only to the male and female protagonists.

The idea is good, but it's misplaced. If this were an entertainment-oriented fashion drama, for example, with Lin Wanxing playing a big star and Ji Xing being an ordinary male lead, then the effect would be great, and the audience would be looking forward to the two secretly flirting.

But this is a drama set in the Republican era, so there's no sense of immersion.

She looked up at Ji Yang and said, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

Ji Yang: "??????"

Chu An: "They're all brilliant, but none of them are brilliant!"

"Excessive complexity leads to mediocrity, while excessive simplicity leads to extravagance!"

"If I were to design it, I would greatly downplay the roles of the other actors, making them just background props, and only highlight the male and female leads."

Ji Yang, "..."

A little confused, she said sarcastically, "Teacher Chu is really amazing. I was just asking you how to act, how did you... how did you also do the director's job?"

He sneered, "Do you intend to direct for Director Shen?"

Although Shen Jin is not a tyrant on set, he will never allow anyone to challenge his position on set.

Chu An curled her lip in disdain. "That's why I said you don't understand. The director is responsible for the visual atmosphere. I'm talking about the screenwriter's job."

Ji Yang: "Editing..."

Before he could even finish speaking, Shen Jin, who had been hiding for half a day, suddenly appeared, casually shoving Ji Yang aside. "Xiao Chu! What did I tell you? You're just being modest with me. You should have given your feedback earlier!" He ignored Ji Yang completely. "Come on, I've been filming this scene all day, but it just doesn't feel right!"

The assistant director stopped looking up at the sky and, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a cup of hot tea and brought it over. "Screenwriter Chu, this script is by Old Master Ruan. Who would have thought that the old man would fall ill right after filming started and wouldn't be able to come to the set? We've discovered problems on set, but we don't know who to turn to!"

"You've come! You've solved a huge problem!"

Ji Yang stood there blankly, not understanding what was going on.

Screenwriter? He's a screenwriter?
Just then, Zhang Jian scurried over, saying cheekily, "Hey, don't you read the whole news? He's an actor, but he's also a screenwriter!"

Ji Yang, “???”

Chu An didn't even glance at him anymore, and smiled at Shen Jin, saying, "Old Ruan is a senior screenwriter, how can I revise his script? You're putting me in a difficult position."

Shen Jin said, "It's alright! Old Ruan isn't a petty person." He then glanced at Ji Yang.

Ji Yang now understood everything. Shen Jin wasn't making room for him at all; he was making room for Chu An!

No wonder Shen Jin was unusually enthusiastic when Chu An arrived.

I wish I could disappear into a crack in the ground. I've been rambling on and on for ages, and not a single word of it is relevant.

As for Chu An, Ji Yang, right? You'll have to wait a bit!
Chu An initially didn't want to get involved in Shen Jin's request. Shen Jin had just expressed his desire for Chu An to help review the script, but Chu An had been dodging the question.

He was telling the truth; it's inappropriate for him to revise someone else's script.

But now...

"Alright," Chu An reluctantly agreed, "but!" He added a condition, "Director Shen, could you call Old Master Ruan? There are some things that are better said in front of him."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jin didn't understand what Chu An was going to do, but he still took out his phone and dialed Ruan Wenlin's number.

After the call connected, the three exchanged pleasantries.

Chu An didn't mince words. "I have some personal insights about period dramas set in the Republican era. Mr. Ruan, could you please correct me?"

Ruan Wenlin was a pure scholar with the demeanor of an elder. "Xiao Chu, you speak, let's discuss it together."

Chu An said, "The reason why Republican-era dramas have been able to form their own genre and have always had a considerable audience is that their characteristics are actually very distinct. The viewing experience that the audience can gain from them is also quite unique."

Ruan Wenlin immediately became serious. He was good at writing plays set in the Republican era and produced many excellent dramas, but he had never summarized these experiences.

On the other end of the phone, someone said, "I'm all ears!"

Upon hearing this, not only did Shen Jin and Lin Wanxing become serious, but Ji Yang and Zhang Jian also secretly gasped in surprise.

Because it was on speakerphone, everyone in the crew who heard the old man say this was stunned.

Old Master Ruan even said he was all ears!

The way they looked at Chu An had changed.

Chu An said, "In my opinion, the uniqueness of Republican-era dramas mainly lies in two aspects."

"First, there is the dual tension within the context of the times."

"For example, the visual contrast between the cheongsam and the Zhongshan suit and the Western suit is a unique visual symbol under the collision of the old and the new era."

"For example, the inherent opposition in the ideological battlefield, the collision and strangulation between new ideas, old ideas, and various ideologies."

"Secondly, its narrative aesthetics are different from other themes."

"For example, the rise and fall of an era where family and country are intertwined, the espionage and suspense in the struggle between the internal and external, and the romantic tragedy under the torrent of history are all difficult to portray in other types of dramas."

"So!" Chu An took a deep breath. Although it was to embarrass Ji Yang, he was still very serious now that the topic had come up.

"Although I am too young and lack the experience to create historical dramas set in the Republican era, I personally believe that such dramas cannot deviate from the two core points mentioned above. Otherwise, no matter how well-made they are, the audience will lose interest. What do you think?"

There was silence on both ends of the phone.

After a long while, Ruan Wenlin's voice came from the other end of the phone, "A few words, yet they perfectly capture the charm of the Republic of China era!"

"Director Shen!"

Shen Jin snapped out of his daze, "Old Ruan, I'm here!"

"You can let Xiao Chu change this notebook as much as she wants; I have no objections!"

Upon hearing this, Chu An grinned and looked up at Ji Yang, "Teacher Ji? Where did you go hiding?"

"Come, come, I heard you have a lot of experience in literary creation. Let's discuss it together and make this drama even better!"

Ji Yang wanted to curse. "Is this son of a bitch shameless?! When did I ever have any insights into literature?!"
.

(End of this chapter)