Chapter 3 Smoke

"I gave you a chance but you didn't use it!"

"Cut!" Director Gao Qunshu ordered, "It's done, call it a day!"

The crew worked until dawn and then called it a day.

The actors thanked the crew members tiredly, and Sun Honglei specifically mentioned Zhang Yuan.

"Today, I am grateful to Zhang Yuan for helping Director Gao revise the play."

"Yes, or we won't be able to finish the work for another two hours."

"A small man with great abilities, our crew has added a new talent."

These people not only talked but also provided Zhang Yuan with a lot of skill points. The benefits of this night were more substantial than those during the day.

Everyone was extremely tired and walked in groups towards the hotel where they were staying.

Director Gao Qunshu pulled Zhang Yuan over.

"Boy, I will arrange a double room for you in the hotel starting tomorrow. Our budget is limited, so you can live with the actors who will come later."

"Thank you, Director Gao!" Zhang Yuan was extremely happy. The director arranged accommodation for him, which meant that he had become a permanent actor in the crew and had completely escaped the category of extras.

"For tonight, you can just stay with me. I just happen to have some script issues and would like to get your opinion."

Zhang Yuan didn't expect that he would have the privilege of "going to the director's room to discuss the script" as soon as he arrived at the crew.

It’s a pity that she’s not a female director…

Even if you have to work overtime until 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, you still have to go on stage on time at 9 o'clock in the morning.

Even if he didn't have a role to play, Zhang Yuan still arrived on the set on time like everyone else. His professionalism was praised by many of his colleagues on the crew.

During lunch break, Zhang Yuan heard someone calling his name. Turning around, he saw it was his roommate Zhao Jin.

He came to the crew again today as an extra and was holding his lunch box and preparing to eat.

"Yuan, you must have made a lot of money last night." He said this with a sour tone.

"good."

When we finished work last night, Director Gao told him to stay with the team and would pay him 100 yuan a day.

This is much more than the 30 a day for extras, and it is much more stable.

"Come on, I see you've been hanging around doing nothing all morning. Do you really think those directors and actors will look down on us little extras?" Zhao Jin's old problem came back again.

"We are destined to be extras. With our abilities, we can't take the opportunity even if the director gives us one."

"Here, give up your fantasies and eat lunch with me." After saying that, the other party handed over two boxes of food.

Zhang Yuan felt helpless. Zhao Jin was not a bad person, but he was a bit rude and narrow-minded.

"Zhang Yuan, what are you doing here?" Just as he was about to finish his lunch box, director Gao Qunshu called him.

"I'm just getting ready to eat."

"Why are you eating this crap?" Director Gao waved his hand and said, "Let's go to the hotel's private room."

"It just so happens that Jiang Shan will be joining the crew this afternoon, so let's welcome her. You can come too."

"Thank you, Director Gao!" Zhang Yuan quickly agreed after hearing what the other party said and trotted to the hotel.

Zhao Jin, who was standing by, was holding a lunch box with a dull look in his eyes.

"Having dinner with Jiang Shan..."

In those days, Jiang Shan was a big sister figure in the TV drama industry and had a great reputation.

Zhao Jin would be so happy for a long time just to get the other party's autograph, let alone eating.

Thinking that Zhang Yuan, who had eaten the same box lunch as him a few days ago, was going to have dinner with his idol, Zhao Jin felt more sour in his heart than eating vinegar soaked in lemon!
With a look of disbelief in his eyes, he, who had lost his appetite, found a corner to hide, and began to regret not following Zhang Yuan's example and giving water to the crew members to establish a bond with them.

On the other side, Zhang Yuan came to the private room of the hotel. Sun Honglei and Jiang Shan sat on both sides of the main seat, one on the left and one on the right.

As a newcomer, Zhang Yuan could only sit near the door.

In addition to Jiang Shan, also joining the crew in the afternoon were Ma Xiaoming who played Song Lao Hu, and Li Jingxiang who played Jin Bao.

While eating, drinking and chatting, Zhang Yuan realized that the actor who played Song Lao Hu was a gangster. The director chose him because he knew the prototype of Song Lao Hu, the gangster boss "Ma Laodun" Ma Zhenqi, and they had dinner together.

Not to mention Li Jingxiang. Although he is not good-looking, Zhang Yuan knows that next year he will star in the movie "Blind Shaft" with Wang Shuangbao, one of the "graduate school entrance examination duo", which changed the life of grassroots actor Wang Baoqiang.

Not only that, a few years later, she would develop a relationship with Zeng Li, one of the four golden flowers of Class 96, which lasted for many years. It really shows that one cannot judge a book by its cover.

Zhang Yuan took advantage of everyone being present to pour wine and toast everyone, and also collected another round of skill points.

However, this time half of them had "alcohol tolerance +1", especially the one who played Song Lao Hu. Zhang Yuan got "alcohol tolerance +2" from him. He was probably a drunkard.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, director Gao Qunshu's cheeks turned slightly red.

"Zhang Yuan, you have a scene this afternoon, do your best." After saying that, he turned around and said to Jiang Shan, "Shan, this is a newcomer to our crew, you can give her more guidance when you have the chance."

"Don't underestimate him because he is young. He is very capable."

"Not only can I act, I can also change the play..."

Director Gao continued to talk under the influence of alcohol and exaggerated what happened last night.

The old actors all smiled and nodded, but the newcomers didn't really believe it. After all, he was too young. Judging from his appearance, he was probably less than 20 years old. They had to continue filming and couldn't drink too much, so the banquet soon ended.

Coincidentally, Zhang Yuan’s show was in the afternoon.

The content of this scene is that Gao Erlin, played by him, was arrested and interrogated by the police. He confessed the past and entanglements with two gangsters, Feng Biao and Liu Huaqiang.

The police chief is played by Shi Zhaoqi, who will act opposite Zhang Yuan.

When watching TV series in his previous life, Zhang Yuan once misunderstood and thought that there would be a shocking reversal at the end of the movie that "the police chief is the big boss behind the scenes."

The reason is that the director played by Shi Zhaoqi is too fierce!
His viciousness is no less than that of Liu Huaqiang. Zhang Yuan even feels that there would be no sense of incongruity if Shi Zhaoqi and Sun Honglei swapped roles.

"Conquest, Scene 23, First Shot, First Time, ACTION!"

The script supervisor hits the cue and filming officially begins.

Xu Guoqing, played by Shi Zhaoqi, slowly walked in from outside the interrogation room, staring at Zhang Yuan on the interrogation chair with his sharp eyes, as if he wanted to see through him from inside out.

There is no need to act at all. Most new actors will break out in a cold sweat just by being looked at by him.

At this moment, Zhang Yuan met the other person's gaze.

The two looked at each other...

At the beginning, Zhang Yuan had a firm look in his eyes and acted like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water.

But as time went on, his breathing became faster, his throat moved, and he kept swallowing saliva.

The muscles on his cheeks couldn't help but tremble slightly, perfectly showing his mentality gradually collapsing under extreme pressure.

More than ten seconds passed, Zhang Yuan's eyes flickered, and he subconsciously turned his head away to avoid Shi Zhaoqi's sharp gaze.

At the same time, a drop of cold sweat slid down his cheek.

"Cut!" Gao Qunshu called a halt: "Very good, passed in one go."

Jiang Shan, who was standing by, raised her lips and said, "Sure, Lao Gao, you have found a treasure."

"It's quite good to be able to act like this at this age."

"Not only is the reaction correct, but it's not superficial, and the look in his eyes is also dramatic."

“No worse than students from professional colleges.”

"I can still act with Lao Shi without losing out. I believe half of what you said."

"What half?" Gao Qunshu asked puzzledly.

"You said he has good acting skills and can change the play. I believe his acting skills, but I doubt the other half."

The two were chatting when Zhang Yuan came to the director with his chin raised.

"Director Gao, I have a little idea."

"Speak." Gao Qunshu and Jiang Shan both looked at him.

"I found that both the police and the gangsters in the crew kept smoking in front of the camera."

"What's the problem?" Director Gao was puzzled.

In those days, unlike later times, there were not so many strict prohibitions on smoking in TV dramas and movies.

In the movie "Conquest", almost all the male actors were smoked from beginning to end, and half of the close-ups were surrounded by smoke.

This TV show is so damn expensive!

“Smoking is fine, but everyone smokes the same kind of cigarettes.”

Cigarettes were provided by the crew, the brand is Xin Shijiazhuang, and they cost 25 yuan a pack.

There are several reasons why I chose this brand of cigarettes.

Firstly, the prototype of the story of "Conquer" takes place in Guoji Village, and the filming location is also the same, so it uses local materials and has local characteristics.

Secondly...it’s not that I’m poor, these cigarettes are cheap.

"Policemen don't earn much, so it's normal for them to smoke 2 yuan cigarettes. But for those gang-related entrepreneurs and gang bosses to smoke such cheap cigarettes, isn't it inappropriate for them to be in the same position?"

Gao Qunshu was stunned: "Hey, don't say that..."

The director then realized that although this detail was small, it was indeed a flaw.

"I think those entrepreneurs involved in organized crime should smoke expensive cigarettes like soft Zhonghua."

"But gangsters like Liu Huaqiang or their underworld followers should smoke mid-range cigarettes like 555 and Hongtashan."

"Why these two brands?" Director Gao asked puzzledly.

"These two brands are strong and smoky, which fits the fierce and aggressive character of desperadoes like Liu Huaqiang."

Using different brands of cigarettes to reflect the personalities of different characters... Jiang Shan, who was standing by, was also dumbfounded, but after thinking about it for a while, she found this detail very interesting.

How did this guy come up with this idea?
This observation ability is obviously far beyond that of ordinary people.

"Lao Gao, I believe everything you said now."

After Jiang Shan finished speaking, she examined the young man in front of her from head to toe.

(End of this chapter)