Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 791: Chapter 523: This Conflict (2)

So, if Xu Siyao wants to act in ”Stepmother’s Law,” she can’t possibly demand a high salary, at least less than what she would get for ”Half City Rain.”

She wondered if she should lower her demands even further?

If she does not do this, it seems she would have no advantage in front of Wei Ruxue and Su Yan.

Even she knows, if given the choice between Wei Ruxue and Su Yan, almost no producer would choose her.

Of course, she couldn’t imagine that Jing Jingcheng, because of the salary issue, eliminated Wei Ruxue right off the bat.

...

While others were vying for a role, Zhou Yun was busy shooting his own film.

The actors in ”Under the Grand Dress” were truly skilled; everyone on set felt like they were meeting their match.

When the screenplay was written, the scriptwriter had crafted each character meticulously, ensuring each had their moment, rather than being merely props. If actors delved into it, they had something substantial to portray.

And when not in their scenes, they generally waited on set.

Since it was a studio shoot, the rest area was just nearby; idle and free, they might as well watch the others perform.

Especially the scenes between Zhou Yun and Zeng Lili, everyone found them endlessly fascinating.

Seeing actors perform on screen and watching them live are two wholly different experiences, one is two-dimensional, the other places you within that three-dimensional space.

Being actors themselves, realizing who could act and who could not, the set itself was the real test; otherwise, why would there be a saying that theatre holds superiority over film and television.

Zhou Yun and Zeng Lili had already collaborated before, were well past the warming-up period, knew each other’s habits well, and had roles that were occasionally at odds on screen, sparking visible friction.

”I think you need to be angrier,” Zeng Lili said candidly after a scene, ”Just now, it was still a bit too restrained.”

”Yes, I missed the moment to explode,” Zhou Yun acknowledged his flaw after performing.

Anger is easy to act for many, a furious scene might be convincingly done without any formal training, but to capture that instant right before the mood ignites, to burst out, capturing the audience’s attention, requires great intuition and what is known as a sense of rhythm.

A pause, a modulation, a second early, a second late, the effects were distinctly different.

At first, many did not understand what they were discussing, but after seeing the balance between shots they approved of and those they didn’t, they gradually grasped it.

It was a kind of ease, a stretchable precision.

What is usually a complaint about being a bit too early or a bit too late, Zhou Yun portrayed it as always being the right moment to burst forth.

The fellow actors were astounded.

Zhou Yun was still so young; usually, this kind of nuanced performance was only seen in seasoned actors.

Those who once envied Zhou Yun fully acknowledged his skill after seeing him perform live with Zeng Lili, his presence during the group acts completely differed from everyone else’s.

During group scenes, Zhou Yun was always comparatively calm, matching the character in the script—reserved and stable, a top contender for many as the next Editor-in-Chief.

While ”Under the Grand Dress” was in full swing, the casting for ”Deep Sea” was also heatedly underway.

Because Xu Jinbo had earlier hinted at Zhou Yun’s participation, the supporting roles in this film were fiercely contested, especially among unknown artists who hadn’t made a name yet.

For them, a supporting role in ”Deep Sea” could change their acting careers.

At this time, it was when Xu Jinbo himself needed to settle a lot of social debts and owe many favors. As a producer, and a well-known one at that, he was always involved in numerous social interactions, not only in the entertainment industry but also in other sectors. These people might not pursue acting themselves, but they definitely had many artists in their circles.

Among them, the third female lead and the primary male lead were secured by Yuehai—keeping opportunities within his own field; such roles naturally stayed within his company, ideally cultivating another Gu Huaichun. Besides these two roles, two senior actors who had worked with him in multiple films recommended their younger relatives for auditions, and he had to give them a chance. There were also other insiders. Xu Jinbo’s pile of resumes grew, all recommended by someone, overflowing his capacity. He had no choice but to hold auditions, weeding out those who were performing too poorly or who didn’t have strong enough connections.