After saying goodbye to Deng Chao, Niu Yichen left all the other trivial matters to Fan Qiang and went to the film set with Liu Zifu. Although his role was small, he only had a week to film, so he had to hurry up with the shooting.
Then, Niu Yichen also witnessed what efficiency truly meant.
As soon as he officially reported for duty, a factory worker took him to get his makeup done. While he was getting his makeup done, the worker listed out all the scenes that needed to be filmed that day. There was even someone who read out his lines to him so that he could memorize them as quickly as possible so that he could film smoothly.
I just passed the audition this morning, and filming is starting this afternoon! That's incredible efficiency!
However, according to the production crew, they had all prepared in advance. It was just that Deng Chao was delaying, so they had to wait. For the crew, as long as they stayed still, it was just throwing money away. So, even if it meant letting him gain experience and keep doing retakes, it was much better than just waiting.
All the filming was similar: when conditions allowed, we would concentrate on filming all the scenes in one scene.
What we're filming now is inside the palace! Or rather... all of Emperor Zhengde's scenes are filmed inside the palace, just in slightly different locations.
What we are about to film is the conversation between Emperor Zhengde and Cao Zhengchun after he discovers that his mother has been kidnapped.
Niu Yichen was wearing a yellow ancient-style nightgown and was looking at the script given to him by the production assistant.
The clothes were all ready-made, though they were originally intended for Deng Chao. Niu Yichen was much more muscular and robust, so the clothes were a bit tight, but they perfectly accentuated his physique. Even though they were pajamas, they looked like workout gear, making him appear incredibly energetic!
So after he finished dressing and stood there, Liu Zifu, who was in charge of filming him, immediately nodded and exclaimed, "Not bad! You're starting to look like an emperor! Have you memorized your lines?"
"Remember this!"
"Okay! Let's go!" Liu Zifu led Niu Yichen directly to the filming location.
Since his scenes are mainly indoors, the time of day or night doesn't really matter; all he needs to do is block out the light. So even though it's only afternoon, he's filming nighttime scenes.
Niu Yichen's co-star is Li Jianyi, who plays Cao Zhengchun.
Facing Li Jianyi, Niu Yichen didn't dare to underestimate him even slightly. This was a true actor, a national-level performer! He could convincingly portray any role.
When he played a eunuch in "The World's Finest," his smirking and sarcastic manner made people want to underestimate and dislike him. But when he played Chief Prosecutor Ji Changming in "In the Name of the People," his stern expression immediately made you serious, and you even had to be careful when you spoke.
That's what aura is.
If you've lost your sense of what an actor is because of certain young heartthrobs and actresses, then please take a look at the performances of real actors! It will absolutely cleanse your mind and soul, letting you know what kind of trash you've been watching all these years.
When Niu Yichen saw Li Jianyi, he had already finished his makeup and was practicing his movements in front of the camera.
"Teacher Li!" Niu Yichen walked over and greeted her, saying, "It's our scene later!"
"Hmm! I could tell from your costume!" Li Jianyi's expression was still somewhat serious when he wasn't acting. After seeing Niu Yichen, he said, "You came here at the last minute. Have you memorized all your lines?"
Niu Yichen laughed and said, "I've memorized it! I can recite it backwards!"
"Kids shouldn't brag. Remembering something now is different from remembering it in front of a camera." Li Jianyi's face remained serious as he said, "If you're not confident, you can practice with me first, so you don't embarrass yourself and be looked down upon by your Hong Kong counterparts!"
"Great! I was just thinking of rehearsing with you!" Niu Yichen was overjoyed, because he had made quite a few changes to the performance and was worried that Li Jianyi might not be able to keep up with his performance! Being able to rehearse in advance was of course the best thing!
"The audition went very well!"
But just as they were about to audition, director Liu Zifu walked over and said loudly, "But we don't have that much time. I'll turn on the camera now, and you can start acting right away. If you can pass, you can do it in one take. If you can't, we'll talk about it later!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jianyi looked at Niu Yichen and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"Of course not!"
It seems the scenes are more intense than Niu Yichen imagined.
Niu Yichen added, "However, Teacher Li, my performance may be a little different from what the script requires. Please bear with me!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jianyi smiled slightly and said, "Acting can't be done exactly according to the script. If you get emotional, you can slap me!"
"Thanks!"
Niu Yichen didn't object, but instead took the opportunity to thank him! He was getting carried away with his performance; he might actually slap him.
That's what actors are like; once they're immersed in the role, they might not even be able to control themselves.
After Liu Zifu got ready, sat behind the camera, and shouted "Action!"
Wearing yellow pajamas, Niu Yichen sat up from his dragon bed and said, "You mean the Empress Dowager, my mother, has disappeared in the palace?"
Niu Yichen's tone was unhurried, but his voice was very heavy, instantly making the atmosphere in the room serious. The extras who were just background figures didn't dare to move at all.
Li Jianyi, who plays Cao Zhengchun, kneels there with his head down, not daring to speak. This line was added by Niu Yichen himself; it wasn't actually in the original script.
Fortunately, Niu Yichen didn't keep him waiting long. After getting up, he walked over, squatted down in a military posture, almost at the same height as Li Jianyi, looked him in the eyes, and said, "Do you still want your head?"
That expression made it seem as if he could behead someone in the next moment.
Li Jianyi immediately hunched his head and body down again, kowtowing repeatedly and saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This servant deserves to die! Deserves to die!"
After kowtowing, he put his head on the ground and didn't dare to lift it up at all.
Although it was a bit of a surprise at first, Niu Yichen still managed to perfectly take over the role.
Niu Yichen took a deep breath, stood up and stepped back a few paces, and continued in a solemn tone: "How could the Empress Dowager have disappeared?"
Li Jianyi cautiously glanced at Niu Yichen, then slightly raised his body and said, "This servant heard the guard's signal in the middle of the night, knowing that assassins had broken into the palace, so I rushed out. Unexpectedly, I fell into a trap. Although this servant killed seven assassins, five other experts still broke into Cining Palace and killed eunuchs and palace maids. By the time this servant arrived, the Empress Dowager was no longer in the palace!"
Niu Yichen continued, "Did you capture them alive?"
Li Jianyi slammed his head down on the ground with a thud. "We captured three assassins, but they all died after biting through the poison sacs in their mouths!"
"So there are no survivors?!"
Li Jianyi immediately bowed his body as low as possible and said, "Your Majesty, please grant me the death penalty!"
Niu Yichen sat on the bed and roared, "Hmph! Death? You make it sound so easy! If I kill you, who will bring my mother back?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!" Li Jianyi raised his head from the ground with a joyful expression, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, looking as if he had just escaped a disaster.
Niu Yichen showed a hint of urgency and said, "Immediately gather troops and search the entire city, house to house!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down and listen to what this servant has to say!" At this moment, although Li Jianyi was still kneeling, he had straightened up and spoke with much more confidence.
"explain!"
Li Jianyi bowed and said, "The other party kidnapped the Empress Dowager, not to assassinate her. They must have some ulterior motive. If we seal off the city and search it, we will be forcing the Empress Dowager to take drastic measures. I am afraid that the Empress Dowager's precious life will be harmed. If word gets out, people will say that Your Majesty has failed in your filial duty!"
Niu Yichen said with a probing tone, "Are we just going to let them take the Empress Dowager away?"
Li Jianyi said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the city will definitely be sealed off. Only entry is allowed, no exit. This servant will order the Eastern Depot to conduct a secret search. The only thing we're afraid of is alerting the enemy!"
Niu Yichen took a deep breath, took out a waist token from his waist, handed it to a eunuch beside him, and said, "Take this imperial dragon protection token and summon the Iron-Blooded Marquis to the palace immediately!"
"Your Majesty!" Li Jianyi hurriedly said in a panic, "The affairs within the palace are the responsibility of the Eastern Depot. In my humble opinion, there is no need to trouble Lord Shenhou with this!"
Upon hearing Li Jianyi's words, the little eunuch who was about to leave immediately stopped and stood there at a loss.
Niu Yichen narrowed his eyes, looking in Li Jianyi's direction, but his pupils were unfocused. He said meaningfully, "The Divine Marquis is my imperial uncle. How can I not tell him about this? Besides, the Dragon Guard Manor was created by the late emperor as a 'secret organization' to protect the loyal ministers of the royal family!"
When Niu Yichen mentioned the words "secret organization," a mocking look suddenly appeared on his face, which he quickly concealed. He then said to Li Jianyi with a look of disdain, "I believe their experts will not fall for any more diversionary tactics!"
"Your Majesty..." Li Jianyi seemed embarrassed and shrank his neck slightly.
Niu Yichen added, "This time, I need you all to work together to rescue the Empress Dowager as soon as possible!"
Li Jianyi said in a low voice, somewhat unsure of himself, "This servant is afraid that our different styles of doing things might cause friction!"
"Then let's all do our own thing!" Niu Yichen said to the little eunuch who was still standing there without thinking, "Let's summon the Divine Marquis after the morning court tomorrow!"
"Your Majesty..." Li Jianyi hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
Niu Yichen immediately said, "No need to say anything more! My mind is made up! You may all leave!"
"Your servant obeys!" Li Jianyi kowtowed to Niu Yichen again, then walked backwards for a distance before turning around and leaving with his men.
After Li Jianyi left, director Liu Zifu was about to yell "Cut!" when he suddenly saw Niu Yichen's expression in the shot and quickly swallowed the word.
Niu Yichen looked at the little eunuch holding his waist token and said with a smile, "Give me back the Dragon Guard Token!"
The extra looked around in bewilderment, and seeing that no one said anything, he still took small steps over and presented the Dragon Protection Token with both hands.
As he walked over, Niu Yichen suddenly pushed him in the chest with a palm, sending him flying more than four meters away, where he crashed into the wall and fell to the ground.
The extra lay on the ground, looking completely bewildered, not knowing what to do.
Niu Yichen stretched out his right hand and caught the Dragon Guard Token with a "snap!"
Just as the extra was sent flying, the Dragon Guard Token in his hand was knocked into the air and landed right in Niu Yichen's hand.
Niu Yichen rubbed his thumb against his Dragon Guard Token, sighed, and said, "The weather is getting worse and worse!"
After saying that, he put away the Dragon Guardian Token and returned to his bed.
"Cut!" Liu Zifu shouted, meaning the take was complete! Niu Yichen quickly got up from the bed, helped the extra he had pushed up, and said apologetically, "Brother! Are you alright? I just suddenly had an inspiration!"
"It's alright, it's alright!" the extra said, flattered. "It didn't hurt at all. I was just wondering how you could push me so far!"
It really doesn't hurt. Niu Yichen used the Big Dipper Body Technique and the Entangling Silk Palm just now. Although he was very strong, it was all pushing force. The fall at the end might have hurt more.
"That's impressive skill!" Liu Zifu exclaimed, standing up from his seat and patting Niu Yichen on the shoulder. "You're really something! If we had known you had this ability, we would have replaced Deng Chao long ago!"
Niu Yichen quickly replied modestly, "Don't say that! It was all just a coincidence!"
"No! No! That's real skill! Just this one move alone reveals so much information that I have to say, 'Brilliant!'"
Li Jianyi walked over to Niu Yichen, gave him a thumbs up, and laughed, "If you can get every take like this from now on, your scenes will probably be finished in just three days!"
"We won't wrap up filming!" Liu Zifu laughed loudly. "I'll just add more scenes for him! Hahaha!"
The atmosphere on set was cheerful. There was no other reason than that the acting was excellent—that alone is enough to justify it in a movie. And the logic behind it was very clear.
Cao Zhengchun was an official under the Zhengde Emperor, so he had to be treated with respect and fear.
The Zhengde Emperor's expression when mentioning the Hulong Mountain Villa proves that he was always wary of it.
Finally, killing that little eunuch was quite simple. As the emperor's personal eunuch, you didn't dare to relay Cao Zhengchun's orders after hearing them. Did you listen to the emperor or Cao Zhengchun? Your death was entirely deserved.
There's just one thing...
Liu Zifu also asked Niu Yichen, "The last move you made yourself seemed a bit inappropriate. In the TV series, Emperor Zhengde should not have any martial arts skills."
Niu Yichen laughed and said, "It doesn't matter! This is a world of high martial arts. After cultivating the secret manuals, anyone can move freely. The emperor, as the person with the most power in name, is already in a bad situation because he doesn't have experts like the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi to protect him. It would be strange if he didn't have some skills himself. Otherwise, why didn't Iron-Blooded Marquis just kill the emperor directly, but instead kidnapped the Empress Dowager? Besides, for the emperor, it's not particularly difficult to acquire martial arts skills!"
Li Jianyi also said, "That's possible. With my ambition, Cao Zhengchun, I would never submit to someone I can easily crush!"
"That makes sense!" Liu Zifu nodded and said, "As long as you can make your own explanation, you can arrange it as you see fit!"
There's only one reason why Liu Zifu is so easy to talk to: he's a good actor! He's even won him over! Ultimately, acting is the actor's job. The director will only tell you the result he wants; as long as you can complete the task and don't look out of place, you'll definitely get through smoothly.
Therefore, what a director can determine is the lower limit of an actor's acting skills. Only the actor themselves can determine the upper limit! If an actor has high standards for themselves, they should never simply act according to the director's instructions.
Because directors' requirements are often the bare minimum! If an actor's acting skills are truly awful, the director's requirements will become even lower!
Remember, every director is commercial; there is no such thing as an 'art director' in this world. Those who play with art are not directors!
In business, there's only one requirement: finish quickly, sell, and make money! So, a director's requirements are actually quite low. But if you exceed his requirements, he'll be pleasantly surprised. If you go a little out of line, it's not a big deal.
After this scene, the next scene to be filmed is the conversation between Emperor Zhengde and Cao Zhengchun before Emperor Zhengde 'favors' Princess Lixiu.
Having already weathered the major events, this small scene is naturally a piece of cake.
...
By the time we ate our boxed lunches in the afternoon, we had already finished filming all the scenes that were originally scheduled for that evening.
However, Niu Yichen still didn't have a single chance to relax.
Liu Zifu went to find someone to adjust the schedule again and added more scenes at the last minute. Tonight, there is absolutely no way he can rest before midnight.