Monday came, and according to the schedule, Yang Xiao should have classes today.
But because Yang Xiaoxiu had top scores in her major, and since Wen Lan’s film collaborated with Celestial Sea Drama Academy, the academy gave special permission for Xiaoxiu to spend half a day at the film set each day, a unique perk for top students.
However, to watch Li Jing act live, Yang Xiao took the other half-day off.
At the moment, they were driving Li Jing’s Maserati to the suburban film set.
Today was Li Jing’s first scene. As scheduled, he arrived an hour early to prepare his look and change his outfit in the dressing room.
Li Jing’s styling was relatively simple, completed in less than an hour.
According to Yang Xiaoxiu, the makeup artist and stylist were more meticulous with his makeup and styling than for the other supporting roles.
Li Jing was a bit surprised, but then he thought it might be because he got along well with the crew and had treated them several times, so they were more attentive to his matters.
After getting ready, Li Jing saw Wen Lan and the assistant director busy nearby and followed the staff’s instructions to wait on the side.
During this time, Yang Xiaoxiu continued to help Li Jing familiarize himself with the lines and plot, emphasizing some details.
"You seem pretty familiar with the script?"
At this moment, Wen Lan, dressed in a dark coat, walked over and glanced at Yang Xiaoxiu, who was speaking with Li Jing.
Seeing Wen Lan, Yang Xiaoxiu was startled and quickly explained in a restrained manner: "Director Wen, I was just discussing the plot with Brother Jing."
Li Jing, seeing Wen Lan, directly asked: "Are we starting soon?"
"Not so fast, first I’ll explain the choreography and movement routes to you. If you wander around the set, there’s no way we can shoot this scene."
Knowing this was Li Jing’s first acting experience, Wen Lan personally came to explain: "Come with me, I’ll tell you the basics of the choreography, make sure to remember the positioning."
Since Yang Xiaoxiu had mentioned choreography earlier, Li Jing was mentally prepared, nodding and following her into the filming site.
Wen Lan then turned to Yang Xiaoxiu and said: "By the way, you’re from the props team, right? Remember to tell Old Wen that the flower pot is broken, and we need a new one urgently."
"Oh... okay, I’ll do it right away."
Yang Xiaoxiu was taken aback at first, but rather than explaining, she nodded and quickly left.
Li Jing slightly frowned, realizing Yang Xiaoxiu’s presence was really low-key, coming every day without making an impression on Wen Lan, who just assumed she worked in the props team.
This might also be because the props team often asked Yang Xiaoxiu for help.
So Li Jing explained to Wen Lan: "That girl is Yang Xiaoxiu, she’s not from the props team, she’s a student at Celestial Sea Drama Academy, playing a supporting role here."
Wen Lan was somewhat surprised and nodded: "No wonder, I was wondering why I hadn’t seen this girl in the props team before. Thought she was just brought in for this shoot."
Hearing her response, Li Jing realized Wen Lan didn’t really pay attention to his explanation. It seemed such matters were common for Wen Lan, making it unnecessary for her to focus on a student interning here.
As a director, she had too many things to handle daily, leaving her without the energy to manage the circumstances of a student gaining practical experience.
Seeing Wen Lan’s demeanor unchanged, as if confusing Yang Xiaoxiu for a props team member didn’t matter, Li Jing realized that it was indeed difficult for a newcomer without resources to stand out in a film crew, as nobody cares.
Previously, he heard Yang Xiaoxiu had tried reaching out to Wen Lan and other assistant directors but mostly got ignored, so she could only accumulate experience by helping out the script supervisor and props team, trying to raise her visibility within the crew.
Even though the results were minimal, not comparable to a newcomer with resources whose backing could effortlessly send Wen Lan a phone call.
Yet apart from this approach, Yang Xiaoxiu had no other options.
"Alright, start here from this position later."
At this point, Wen Lan had reached the set-up in the state-run factory and explained to Li Jing seriously: "Then according to your lines and plot, you move here from there, and you need to pay attention to the other actor’s position at all times."
Given Li Jing’s inexperience, Wen Lan was especially meticulous during her explanation, an opportunity other actors definitely wouldn’t receive.
And because of this, having prepared beforehand, Li Jing soon comprehended her intentions under Wen Lan’s detailed explanation and practiced several times.
Seeing Li Jing’s decent ability to grasp the concepts, Wen Lan relaxed herself slightly, nodding, and said: "Consider this first time a trial. Although your role is supporting, it’s very important. I have planned to shoot these two scenes with you today, aiming to finish them today."
"Just these two scenes today?"
Li Jing was a bit surprised: "These two scenes should be done in a little over an hour, right?"
"An hour?" Wen Lan chuckled lightly: "President Li, were you thinking of passing in just one or two takes? You’ve been familiarizing yourself with the set for quite some time. Do you think you’re confident enough for a one-take pass?"
Seeing her lack of confidence in him, Li Jing initially thought to explain but decided against it.
After all, acting speaks far louder than words.
With Li Jing staying silent, Wen Lan thought her words might have been too harsh and softened her tone a bit, providing encouragement: "Don’t be too pressured. Even those professional actors need multiple takes with me. I have high demands for camera work and acting. You have the whole day, don’t worry, take it slow."
Watching Wen Lan turn and walk away, Li Jing felt somewhat speechless, realizing he truly wasn’t trusted.
At this moment, a girl acting opposite Li Jing came forward with a reassuring smile: "Brother Jing, it’s fine. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. We can cooperate; I’m sure we can finish it within the day."
Looking at a girl a few years older than Yang Xiaoxiu, Li Jing didn’t explain further, merely nodding: "Okay, I’ll do my best."
Meanwhile, Wen Lan had entered the monitoring tent.
Inside the tent stood a middle-aged man, curious about Wen Lan’s return, he asked: "Wen Lan, is that your investor who likes to act? Seems pretty young."
"Yes, we specifically arranged this role for him, hoping he can perform it well."
Wen Lan sighed helplessly: "Teacher Liu, you know how hard it is for new directors like us to attract investments, especially for artistic films, which aren’t favored."
The middle-aged man had neatly combed hair with some gray at his temples, his facial features bold with thick brows and big eyes.
Though appearing over fifty, his eyes were deep and lively, even with a gentle expression, they remained highly focused as if trained.
Liu Shou wore a simple sweater, sighing: "Indeed, investors now look at commercial value, few consider a film’s content and artistic value. This floods the market with commercial films, with bad money driving out the good."
Reflecting on this, he shook his head and glanced at Li Jing in the set, slightly frowning: "Moreover, these investors think acting is simple, always wanting to spend money to appear on screen, unaware of how their lack of professionalism affects a film’s overall experience. I heard President Li’s role isn’t an ordinary supporting one, is it?"
Seeing Wen Lan nod, Liu Shou sighed: "Ah, Wen Lan, of all my students, you are currently the most promising and diligent. I really have high hopes for your film. If only I had the financial means, I’d certainly help you secure investments."
"It’s alright, Teacher Liu. Getting the film rolling this year exceeded my expectations."
Saying this, Wen Lan looked at Li Jing’s silhouette in the scene, her tone complex: "As long as President Li’s performance can reach a sixty percent level, post-production and editing shouldn’t pose major problems."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shou held his warm cup, glancing at Li Jing and others in the scene: "Getting sixty percent with you isn’t easy."