Xiaotangshan, film set.

This was also Zhang Yuan's first time to return to the main scene of "Night Banquet".

Step into the majestic palace, the ancient building with thousands of arches, and walk into the long and narrow corridor.

If you smell it, although the scene looks simple and rustic, there is a smell of new decoration everywhere.

Huayi has put a lot of effort into this film.

We specially invited Hong Kong art tycoon Tim Yip, who won the Oscar for Best Art Design for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

Of course, this person's work is both good and bad.

Because of his long-term cooperation with Zhang Yimou, he was also the art director for the "Eight Minutes of the Imperial Capital" that was criticized in China at that time and the artistic performance directed by Zhang Yimou at the Athens Olympics.

Later, Tang Yan, who became very famous, also participated in this performance.

And the part that they participated in was the one that was criticized the most, which was "Jasmine Flower".

At that time, even Zhang Yimou was scolded for being depressed.

Later, Zhang Yimou didn't dare to attend the selection meeting for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics at first.

Because if I mess this up again, I'll be a sinner for all eternity.

From now on, Chinese history books will have to devote a separate chapter to scolding him.

After being persuaded by a large group of friends, he finally mustered up the courage and made detailed preparations.

Although the audience scolded him, the top management actually knew what was going on. Not only did they approve of him, but they also knew that no one else could take on this important task.

Coincidentally, "The Banquet" was not only released in the same year as Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Moreover, both stories choose the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms as the historical background.

There is no other reason, this historical period was very chaotic.

If the world is in chaos, one can fish in troubled waters and create fictional stories at will without being criticized by the so-called "research party" or "historians".

"but……"

Zhang Yuan walked around the entire scene, then scratched his head with both hands.

"You're shooting a period film, why do you make the scene so dark?"

"And according to the setting, this palace should be in the north."

“But most of the scenes clearly have a Jiangnan feel of ‘four rivers returning to the hall’.”

The so-called four waters returning to the hall is called the wealth-gathering formation in Feng Shui.

Since there is a patio in the middle of the house, once it rains, the brackets on all four sides of the patio will gather the rootless water into the pond or pool in the center of the patio.

It means water gathers in the center of the sky.

Since water represents wealth, wealth will come to you when you encounter water.

The palaces in "The Banquet" are also of this style. In the center of each large scene, there is a large hole in the roof.

Zhang Yuan roughly guessed the purpose of this design.

After all, it is the result that this movie can be adapted into a stage play.

These holes bring in skylight or light, focusing it into a small, specific area.

And the main actors of every drama will perform under this spotlight.

It is equivalent to using this palace structure to imitate the effects of stage and spotlight.

But in this way, there is a sense of stage, but except for this spot where the spotlight is spotted, everywhere else is pitch dark.

The props and costumes in this film are originally dark in color, so the tone is even darker.

Zhang Yuan really wanted to complain, but firstly, it was none of his business and there was actually very little an actor could do.

Secondly, he is actually a beneficiary because in this film, the prince he plays is the only one dressed in white.

It stands out particularly in this dim scene.

Each actor changed into his or her own costume and, at the request of director of photography Zhang Li, posed in various poses and took promotional photos in front of different scenes.

"puff."

"Hehehe..."

"Hey hey hey."

The others are fine, each with their own unique outfits.

When they saw Ge You, who was wearing the imperial costume with a black background and gold patterns, appear, several actors including Zhou Xun and Zhang Ziyi, as well as a group of staff, all smiled softly with their hands covering their mouths.

Teacher Ge You did nothing and his expression was quite serious, but the saying "He doesn't look like a prince even when he puts on a dragon robe" really rings true. The more serious he is, the more funny he looks.

This is also the reason why Zhang Yuan doesn’t want to act in comedies.

Because comedy is not about one person performing a funny scene, but about a funny person performing a scene.

Once the comedy character is established, the actor doesn't have to do anything, just stand there and the audience will laugh.

Zhao Benshan, Zhou Xingchi, and Shen Teng are all like this.

Ge You also has this problem. You always feel that he is going to get rid of the burden in the next second.

"Am I really so funny dressed like this?" Teacher Ge You lifted the twelve-tassel pearl curtain in front of the crown.

In ancient times, only the emperor could wear a crown with twelve tassels.

Teacher Ge You looked in the mirror, opened his mouth to show his big buck teeth, and then he couldn't help laughing.

Zhang Yuan covered his face and shook his head.

"I remember that after the film was released, Director Feng scolded people because the audience laughed for no reason when they saw Ge Da Ye."

“Just like John Woo doesn’t know why people laugh when watching his Red Cliff.”

The largest scene in this play is the palace hall.

It is a full 1.2 square meters, which is larger than a full-size football field.

The veteran artists who came from the Beijing Film Studio to help with the set all lamented that they had never built such a large interior set in their lives.

Because of this, after the scene was set, the Wang brothers cursed when they received the bill.

They were not scolding Feng Xiaogang, but Chen Kaige!
Damn, I spent less than 20 million to build such a large set.

It cost you 100 million to build the Qin Palace in "The Emperor and the Assassin", so that's fine.

After all, this part of the money was paid by the investors and Hengdian Group together.

But you quoted me a bill of more than 15 million for the interior design.

That was more than 98 million in . How much profit did you make from it?

That’s why it’s said that money laundering is easy when making movies. Costumes, props, sets, special effects, all these things cost money without counting, and they can be reimbursed at will. After the filming is finished, they are dismantled and there is no evidence.

When "The Emperor and the Assassin" was completed, it had an investment of 70 million yuan and a box office of 10 million yuan, causing China Film and Huayi to suffer heavy losses.

But poet Chen made a fortune by receiving ticket dividends every year thanks to his shares in the Qin Palace.

The Wang brothers were very angry. After comparing the situation now, they realized that they had been cheated.

Moreover, you cheated people back then, and now that your "The Promise" has come out, it has made it difficult for our film to sell, which means we have been cheated again.

In addition to the actors, the music production team this time is also very big.

Both the theme song and the ending song were written by master Tan Dun.

There will be two versions of the theme song "Song of the Yue People".

One version is Zhou Xun's solo in the film.

The other version was sung by Mr. Tengger, who has a big beard on his face.

The ending song was given to Zhang Liangying, a popular singer who was just signed by the Huayi brothers.

The three were also invited to visit the set to feel the majesty of the film's environment and to inspire inspiration for their future work.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang Yuan."

Zhang Yuan was sorting out his clothes with the help of a costume designer when a thin figure came up to him and whispered.

He glanced sideways, then replied with a smile.

"Hello Jingying, it's our first meeting. Please take care of me."

"I should be the one thanking you for your care." Zhang Jingying bowed politely: "Modu TV has contacted me."

"It was you who recommended me to be the music mentor for 'Go! Good Man'."

“Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.”

[Received thanks from Zhang Jingying, singing skills +1, vocal talent +1! ]

You are quite knowledgeable about the ways of the world. I came here specially to thank you.

Born in Sichuan Province, Chengdu, she lost her father when she was in middle school and her mother was laid off. She could only find a job in a hot pot restaurant or a bar and started her singing career. What high emotional intelligence is? It is the result of many losses in society.

Because life was difficult in the past, even though things have been going smoothly recently and he suddenly became popular, he did not become arrogant.

Not only did he sign a contract with Huayi, he also established his own label, appeared on CCTV's musical, and even, with Huayi's help, received an invitation to perform on Broadway.

But she was still very grateful to Zhang Yuan for introducing her to the reality show work on Shanghai TV, and she came in person to thank him.

It can be said that it was done very well.

"You're welcome. I heard that you are going to release an EP album. Remember to give me one. I'm afraid it will sell too well and I won't be able to get one." Zhang Yuan said while holding it.

"Hehehe...I will definitely deliver it to you personally." After laughing, Zhang Jingying replied very seriously.

"Actually, I think you sang better than the first and second place winners on that show." Zhang Yuan whispered in her ear.

Student Zhang smiled but said nothing.

[Received thanks from Zhang Jingying, +1 for singing skills! ]

But seeing the attributes she sent, I should think so too.

It is impossible to say that Zhang Jingying is completely convinced that she came in third.

"I think Guanglin's voice is indeed the best and most standard in our entire factory..." When Zhang Yuan saw him, the lines from "Hello, Li Huanying" suddenly emerged in his mind.

The champion and runner-up had some advantages in terms of appearance and stage presence.

In terms of voice alone, she is at least one level better than the other two.

So she felt very comfortable when she heard Zhang Yuan say this.

In addition, she was introduced to participate in a program on Shanghai TV.

She participated in "Super Girl" and won the third place after being eliminated from "My Style My Show".

Now that Shanghai TV has invited her, she feels like the "return of the king".

So adding the two factors together, she had a good impression of Zhang Yuan as soon as she came into contact with him.

It's not the kind of relationship that you would have with a lover, but the kind of relationship that would allow you to become friends.

She didn't expect that Zhang Yuan, who has been quite popular recently, is so friendly and speaks so nicely.

"You are successful in your career but unsuccessful in love. Your personal relationship must be going badly recently." After the two of them had a lively chat, Zhang Yuan mentioned it casually.

"Brother Yuan, no." Zhang Jingying also addressed him in a more friendly way: "My love life is also very good. I just got a new boyfriend who treats me very well."

"That's fine, that's fine..."

Zhang Yuan felt helpless. It seemed that this woman didn't understand the hidden meaning in his words.

Her so-called new boyfriend should be the married man Feng Ke, who later did crazy PUA and cheated her of all her property.

Since we just met, we can’t talk too deeply, so Zhang Yuan held back and didn’t say anything more.

Zhang Liangying and Tengger are better off, they only need to be responsible for singing.

Composer Tan Dun was also instigated by Feng Xiaogang to play a small cameo role in the film.

He was the musician who replaced the prince played by Zhang Yuan in the Bamboo Grove Music Hall and was stabbed to death by the Yulin Guards.

Originally they wanted him to play the role of a minister, but he didn't want to show his face, so they replaced him with a masked musician.

These people came with the mentality of since they were already here, and when the crew was ready and about to start filming the first scene, they were still watching from the side.

When filming, the crew rarely follows the order of the film.

The same is true for "The Banquet".

After offering pig heads, burning yellow paper, hanging banners, setting off fireworks, burning incense and shouting "Good luck for the start of filming", the first scene began, which was also the filming of the last shot of the entire film.

In the last shot, Wan, played by Zhang Ziyi, was stabbed to death in the back.

We chose to shoot the ending first because this scene is a one-man show by Zhang Ziyi, and there are fewer people involved, so it is less likely to cause any trouble.

Besides, Zhang Ziyi is the most valuable person in the crew, so her scenes have to be filmed first.

"Wan'er."

In front of the camera, Zhang Ziyi was dressed in gorgeous clothes, with her face made up, and her eyebrows were drawn into the short shape typical of women in the Tang Dynasty.

This is called eyebrow.

There are two such sentences in "Ji Ling Tai·Part Two" written by Zhang Hu in the Tang Dynasty.

"But I think that makeup will stain my complexion, so I just brush my eyebrows to greet the Supreme."

This poem describes the visit of Lady Guoguo to Emperor Minghuang of Tang.

Lady Guoguo was Yang Guifei's third sister.

It can be seen that in the Tang Dynasty, eyebrow makeup was not only popular, but also the mainstream makeup.

Later in "Detective Dee: The Mystery of the Phantom Flame", Wu Zetian, played by Liu Jialing, also did eyebrow makeup, but was still said to be ugly by the audience.

Now Zhang Ziyi also wears similar eyebrow makeup.

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms followed the Tang Dynasty, so it is reasonable that the makeup is similar.

However, just from the point of view of makeup, Zhang Yuan admires Zhang Ziyi very much.

For the sake of the role, he took the initiative to shave off his eyebrows as soon as he joined the crew to make it easier for the crew to put on makeup.

The professionalism is quite good.

"I forgot since when."

"It should be the day your father married me."

"You left."

"No one calls me that anymore."

This is Empress Wan's monologue, but actually it was spoken to the deceased prince, the character played by Zhang Yuan.

As the lines progressed, his expression kept changing and tears slowly began to fill his eyes.

A bright light appeared in his eyes.

This kind of body control ability is really not something that ordinary people can have.

You know, the reason why Liu Xuehua was chosen by Qiong Yao was because she had a talent for crying.

Teacher Liu's tears are bigger than those of ordinary people, and she starts crying the moment the camera is turned on.

Xiao Qiang, once the most beautiful woman in Taiwan, was able to control the timing of her tears to a certain word in a certain line.

If she wanted the fifth word of the third line to be about tears falling, she could do it accurately.

These old actors have become "perverted" to this extent.

Zhang Ziyi was not bad either. With every line she spoke, the tears in her eyes grew, gradually increasing along with her emotions.

"There must be some reason why they can earn so much money." Zhang Yuan was convinced after seeing this.

Moreover, after finishing one segment, the assistant would wipe it with a piece of paper, and Zhang Ziyi would be able to completely reset her emotions and seamlessly move on to the next segment, letting her tears slowly fill up again.

No eye drops needed, all emotion, no technique.

While Zhang Yuan admired the other party, Zhang Ziyi also gave Zhang Yuan a look of approval.

As I said before, this is a one-man show.

But because the person being narrated was the prince, Zhang Yuan did not remove his makeup or change his clothes after taking the promotional photos. Instead, he came outside the camera to act with her and provide an emotional anchor.

Because he remembered that Jiang Wenli once said that she visited the set of "Floating World Men and Women" when Gu Changwei was the photographer in 98.

The film stars Sean Penn and Kevin Spacey.

There was a scene where Sean Penn’s character jumps into a swimming pool in a suit and comes out soaking wet.

The camera captured a little girl speaking to a soaked Sean Penn. The camera was facing the little girl the entire time, and Penn did not need to leave the scene.

But this two-time Oscar winner, two-time Venice Film Festival winner and Cannes Film Festival winner, when acting with an unknown little girl, took the initiative to wear a suit and use a hose to soak his whole body in the sub-zero temperature, and stood opposite the little actor as the plot set, acting with her for several hours in the cold winter, without any complaints, because he felt that this is how acting should be.

Even if they don't need to appear on camera, they will do their best to achieve the required effect based on their professionalism, and will not treat them differently based on the status of their co-stars.

They will never let others act to the air or to a stand-in.

Why does he always win the Best Actor award?

Zhang Yuan felt that he had to learn from Sean Penn. After all, he had slept with Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson... slurp (spitting sound).

Seeing that he was always by her side, Zhang Ziyi felt more at ease.

The two of them inadvertently reached a mutual appreciation.

As expected, experts will only be attracted to experts.

Therefore, her performance in this scene was also perfect, which set a good start for the crew.

But in the next scene, she encountered a little trouble... (End of this chapter)