Chapter 510: Chapter 390: Unruly Youth
(The anti-theft notice, to be replaced before 5:00 PM)
The plot of the scene to be filmed later starts as Shen Yao walks into this hair salon.
He gets off the motorcycle, looking very handsome, and Zhou Yun and the other girls must show that they are interested in this man.
Wan Zhiliang instructed: "Yuqian, be cuter, you can express your facial expressions and emotions a bit more, as if you’ve seen a really handsome guy that you like a lot."
Liu Yuqian laughed and said, "Don’t worry, director, I will definitely act naturally. Brother Shen is indeed the handsome guy I really like!"
Shen Yao joked about himself with a laugh: "Calling me a handsome guy? I’m already an old hand."
Wan Zhiliang looked towards Meng Ran and said, "Meng Ran, you need to keep some of your aloofness, but not restrained, you should convey a clear message, but not take the initiative."
Meng Ran nodded and said, "Okay."
Finally, Wan Zhiliang looked towards Zhou Yun, smiled, and said, "Teacher Zhou, do you have any thoughts?"
Zhou Yun, flattered, hurriedly shook her hand and said, "Don’t call me ’teacher,’ Director. Zhenxi and Brother Shen are the real teachers here, I’m nowhere close, you scared me."
Wan Zhiliang said: "Your acting is good, it’s well-known."
Zhou Yun: "No, no, don’t say that. I haven’t been acting for long; I still need a lot of guidance from you all, Director. Do you have any suggestions?"
Wan Zhiliang looked at her in surprise and asked, "Do you still need me to give you advice?"
"Oh, Director, it’s my first time playing such a role. I’m not sure about it," Zhou Yun repeatedly expressed her attitude.
Wan Zhiliang then said: "The woman you’re playing, named Dong Zhimei, comes from the countryside and is somewhat flamboyant. She doesn’t get along with others in the hair salon either, but she isn’t a gloomy person. Even if she doesn’t mesh well with others, she doesn’t see it as her problem. She is someone who believes she can turn heads one day. So when you see Shen Yao, although you are also very moved and think this man is handsome, there’s a bit of reserve in you, a reserve that is different from Meng Ran’s passiveness. Meng Ran’s role is passive because she is confident in her beauty, waiting for Shen Yao to approach her. Your reserve and passive attitude come from your belief that it doesn’t matter, Shen Yao is handsome, but he isn’t someone you must obtain."
Zhou Yun listened to Wan Zhiliang’s explanation, and found that his views coincided with hers.
"I understand now, then when I see Brother Shen, what should I do? The difficulty I feel now is that I usually think highly of myself, but my appearance is very plain, which creates a strong sense of conflict. I’m worried I might accidentally portray a gloomy personality."
The key point was that Dong Zhimei wasn’t that kind of person.
Hearing Zhou Yun’s words, Wan Zhiliang’s eyes lit up, he nodded and said, "The reason for this contradiction is because the initial setting of this character was a narcissist, then it was written as an ordinary and plain character, and finally combined into this version. I initially thought about changing her plain appearance, but doing so would make this character very monotone—marked by only one trait, very stereotypical."
"Hmm," Zhou Yun nodded, "The contradiction in this character adds depth, adding more implications, it’s a pity that there isn’t much screen time to show that."
She smiled helplessly.
Wan Zhiliang waved his hand and said, "Actually, it’s good this way. If we really made such a character the protagonist for a film, it could only be shot as an art film. But in a comedy road movie, when she becomes one of the characters Brother Shen encounters on the road, it generates comedic elements. Good comedies are unexpected joys amidst conflicts. We don’t have to analyze why Dong Zhimei is so narcissistic in the film, or why she wraps that narcissistic heart in a plain appearance, but through Shen Yao’s eyes, let the audience’s impression of Dong Zhimei shift twice. Each shift, with its before and after contrast, forms the comedy."
Zhou Yun realized Wan Zhiliang indeed had solid ideas, not one of those uninspired directors.
A director’s worst fear is lacking ideas, only able to produce a bland qualifying work.
Zhou Yun and the others rehearsed twice according to Wan Zhiliang’s ideas.