2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 9: Tong Meng's Acting Skills Explode

Dramatic tension, to put it simply, is the establishment and disruption of the audience's expectations.

Viewers are only interested in continuing to watch if they have expectations for the characters or plot, or if they have a subversive understanding of them.

This is also where the value of theatrical art lies.

We often say that a good actor's performance has tension. In reality, it's when their performance creates anticipation, or even subverts our preconceived notions.

There's a misconception here: many people think good acting is simply "acting convincingly." Actually, it's not that simple. True good acting is acting in a way that doesn't resemble the character, yet makes you mistakenly believe it does.

The tension in a performance requires talent; it's difficult to achieve through training alone.

As for Tong Meng, to be honest, she is an actress who has the ability to imitate but lacks talent.

It's strange, but she can portray any role with such detachment that it seems as calm as still water.

Moreover, the more she tried to act well, the more she overdid it, which backfired. It went beyond being calm and serene; it became exaggerated.

Given Lu Mingze's almost harsh standards for actors, Tong Meng would have no chance of survival, which is the main reason why she had to do NG (no good) all afternoon on her first day on set.

But
The other timeline that Chu An lived in was, after all, more than twenty years ahead of this era. In terms of industry experience alone, it was incomparable to that of 2001.

The dramatic tension that a character cannot provide can actually be compensated for in other ways.

The plot, character design, and character development arc can all compensate for the lack of dramatic tension in the performance.

Moreover, the dramatic effect of the plot and character settings can, in turn, enhance the actors' performances.

Take, for example, the drama "You Are My Glory" set in another timeline. Regardless of the actors' performances, the plot of a big star falling in love with a science and engineering guy is enough to support a whole show.

As for Tong Meng herself, Chu An saw something in her that he might have overlooked in his previous life. That is, no matter how superficial this circle is, there are still people with genuine feelings.

Chu An was moved by the sincerity Chu An showed towards both her performance and the people around her.

For no other reason than that she could be friends with a nobody like him, Chu An decided to help her.

Let's give her a representative role!
Who says you can't shine even when you're a mom every time?
"They're treating Liu Xia like my mother?"

At this moment, Tong Meng looked puzzled. Apart from finding Chu An's suggestion quite novel, she really couldn't find anything special about it.

"Can it be done?"

Chu An shrugged, "Since I can't get into character anyway, I might as well give it a try."

This is a common technique on set. If an actor is having trouble getting into character, they often try a different approach. Even if that doesn't work, it helps them find the right feeling.

At this moment, Chu An was like a seasoned veteran on set, with even more experience than Tong Meng.

After thinking about it, Tong Meng felt that Chu An's words made sense. She glanced at Director Lu, afraid that she would be scolded again if she didn't follow his requirements.

After much hesitation, I finally made up my mind and did it!
He said fiercely to Chu An, "If I get scolded, it's all your fault!"

Chu An didn't care. "So what if they blame me? They can just deduct ten yuan from my paycheck!"

Tong Meng nodded, "That makes sense!!"

He resolutely stepped into the camera's view, and then...
Then this woman with absolutely no acting skills delivered the most stunning performance since filming began.

The stagehand taps the clapperboard, "Scene 4, Shot 2, 1, 2, 3, Action!"

In front of the camera, Tong Meng stood with her hands on her hips, coldly looking at Liu Xia, played by Xu Shu.

Just one glance was enough to change Lu Mingze's previously nonchalant expression. He instinctively moved closer to the monitor, wishing he could crawl inside and not miss a single detail.

During this time, he briefly looked up and carefully examined Tong Meng, who hadn't yet delivered her lines, trying to confirm if it was indeed Tong Meng.

The reason is that his gaze was different from before.

In the previous NG shots, Tong Meng's eyes were full of anger, as if she were looking at an enemy.

The acting is not wrong, but it's superficial and looks fake.

But now, there was a hint of anger in his eyes, but more so helplessness and exhaustion, and Lu Mingze could even see a trace of caution in them.

Holy crap! Director Lu almost cursed. Is this Tong Meng's acting? She has this kind of expressiveness?!

Even Xu Shu, a veteran actress, was completely outshone by Tong Meng's gaze.

Lu Mingze even looked forward to witnessing a great transformation of an actor.

Little did they know, she was far from undergoing any transformation; Tong Meng was still the same Tong Meng.

However, the person in front of Mengjie was not Xu Shu or Liu Xia, but her unreasonable, childish mother who hadn't passed on her acting skills to her.

The look in her eyes when she argues with her mother is so familiar to the cute girl; it's like she's playing herself.

The next second, Tong Meng started delivering her lines.

As soon as he opened his mouth, not only Lu Mingze, but the entire group felt their scalps tingle.

(Original line: Liu Xia! Can't you understand your mother? She has to support the family and pay for your schooling; it's very hard for her too.)
Tong Meng's lines on set:

"You're my mom! You're my biological mom! Can't you even consider my feelings as your daughter?"

"I provide you with food and drink, and you still expect me to make you angry?"

"Come on! How about we sever our mother-daughter relationship?"

"Please, please let me go."

She delivered a long monologue flawlessly, displaying both acting skill and emotional depth. She even brought out a level of dramatic tension that Tong Meng herself never imagined.

Everyone was stunned. Had Mengjie finally figured it out? Her acting skills exploded!!

Even Xu Shu in the camera lens looked at Tong Meng in astonishment, her eyes filled with shock and even a hint of jealousy.

She bit her lip almost imperceptibly, her lips parting slightly several times, but she didn't utter a single line of her lines.

The scene was stunned for a good ten seconds.
Click! !

Lu Mingze roared furiously, "What's going on?!"

I wasn't there for Tong Meng, but for Xu Shu. "What a waste of such a great shot!! Where are your lines!? Move on! Are you stupid!?"

Xu Shu: "."

With a furrowed brow and a calm expression, he waited until Lu Mingze had finished venting before casually saying, "Director, her lines are wrong, and mine don't match."

"you!!"

Lu Mingze didn't choke. If it doesn't match, why don't you improvise? Why are you so stubborn?!
You know, it's such a rare thing for Tong Meng to have such a great performance, and it's such a waste of a set of shots.

That Xu Shu, she's really something else.
To be honest, Lu Mingze wanted to curse.

Looking at Tong Meng, I wanted to ask her if she could still feel the same way if we did it again?
But she had already stepped out of the frame and was grabbing Chu Shikuai's shoulders, shaking him vigorously. "It really works! Little Brother Chu, you're amazing!"

Tong Meng has been acting for so many years, and this is the first time a director has ever yelled at her because of her. That feeling of satisfaction was even more refreshing than having her boyfriend wait on her hand and foot.

Seeing Director Lu looking over, Tong Meng still couldn't hide her excitement and pointed at Chu An, "Director, I can act now! Little Brother Chu taught me!"

Lu Mingze paused, not expecting Chu An to be involved. He suddenly remembered the scene from that morning, where Chu An had also changed the lyrics, and changed them very well.

I thought to myself, this kid is quite talented?
Suddenly in a great mood, he pointed at Chu An and blurted out, "I'll give you an extra ten yuan!"

Amidst a burst of laughter from the crowd, Chu An retorted eccentrically, "When can I withdraw the money?!"

Lu Mingze laughed, a rare, warm laugh, "You brat, do you think I'd renege on my debt?!"

The atmosphere immediately eased.

Although Xu Shu ruined a scene, Tong Meng didn't care. Instead, she spoke up for Xu Shu, saying, "Director, it's my fault. I lost control and changed the lines."

"Next note!"

Lu Mingze carefully considered the matter and realized that he had been too excited and hadn't thought things through.

He said, "Xiao Meng, keep your emotions in check, especially your eyes. Make sure you express it."

"The dialogue. The dialogue remains the same as before."

Tong Meng, not understanding, nodded in agreement. Anyway, she figured it out; the original lines were the original lines.

No one noticed that Chu An, sitting in the corner, shook his head and smiled knowingly when he heard Director Lu use the original lines.

Once you've eaten bran, you won't be able to swallow rotten vegetable leaves!
He said he would give Tong Meng a representative role, and he wasn't just saying it casually.

In the next take, Tong Meng maintained her composure, delivering a stunningly complex look. The entire scene essentially met Lu Mingze's expectations.

However, when he read the original lines, Lu Mingze felt so awkward!
His intuition told him that it would be even better if he could portray the mother-son role reversal scene with Tong Meng.

Actually, it's not surprising that Lu Mingze had this feeling.

The role reversal between mother and daughter creates a visual tension on screen that is far superior to a normal argument scene, and the viewing experience it provides is on a completely different level.

That can't be made up for by an actor's superb acting skills.

Therefore, the difference between the two scenes must be enormous. This is the effect of using plot tension to replace performance tension.

Moreover, there is another deeper meaning behind this.

That is, Chu An had Tong Meng play the role of the daughter as the mother, which changed more than just the effect of a play.

The original character of Liu Xia's mother was a stereotypical one. She moved because of work and had constant conflicts with her rebellious daughter.

That's it.

Now, he's a ruthless woman who, when she gets really angry, calls her own daughter "Mom," and her character is immediately established.

This is the benefit of character tension.

If Lu Mingze were even slightly conscious, he would have been able to react.

After pondering for a long time, Lu Mingze indeed changed his mind.

He called out to everyone, "Come on, let's do another take. This time, Xiaomeng, you just follow the revised lines."

"Xiao Shu, please cooperate."

Xu Shu is not likable, but her skills are still up to par, and her performance on the spot is not a problem at all.

Although Xu Shu was unwilling, she had no choice but to listen to the director.

However, no one expected that the production manager, Mr. Jia, who had been standing behind everyone and seemed to be doing nothing, would cough twice, drawing everyone's attention.

Grandpa Jia had a gentle smile on his face, and his two large earlobes made him look like Maitreya Buddha.

"Mingze, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"The contract stipulates that the script cannot be significantly altered."

"You've broken the rules, so this puts me in a difficult position."

Lu Mingze paused, then, contrary to his usual self, put on a fawning smile, even appearing somewhat humble, "Old Jia, you've seen it too, this revision is indeed better than the original script!!"

Grandpa Jia still smiled, "I know, it's really good. But," he changed the subject, "don't make things difficult for me."

After saying that, he didn't give Lu Mingze a chance to speak again and turned to leave the set.

Lu Mingze's face was ashen; he was clearly furious.

Surprisingly, he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he calmed himself down for a while and managed to say with difficulty, "This take is good, next round!"

Chu An saw all of this and frowned slightly.

It wasn't that Chu An was unhappy because he had simply rejected the character design he had created for Tong Meng, but rather... this scene was just too bizarre!

He thought to himself, "The production manager isn't one of Lu Mingze's men? Then what the hell is the point of making this movie?"

It was only at this moment that Chu An realized that the situation in this film crew might be even more complicated than he had imagined.

.

(End of this chapter)