Chapter 123 – One Take, NG Crazy (40.1)
[T/N: The title is referring to filming terms. One take means they filmed the scene well on the first try. NG means no good, needs to be filmed again.]
In early August, the filming for “The Rise and Fall of the World” officially began.
For the past few days, there were no scenes for Qiu Jin to shoot, but in order to integrate into the crew sooner, he went to the set early and often stayed there for the whole day.
Three days later, it was finally his turn to film Ji Yao’s scene.
The scene they were going to film that day was also the highlight of the show: Ji Yao runs away in the dead of night. The most beautiful woman in the world was also a legend. She died as soon as she appeared on stage. Her character didn’t survive past a single episode.
When Qiu Jin arrived on set, the crew was still filming the dispute scene between the third son Ji Mingwu and the second son Ji Tongguang.
A little rabbit raised by an unknown person in the palace had run out. Ji Mingwu happened to see it by chance, so he ordered someone to bring him a bow and arrows to shoot the rabbit with. But he didn’t put the rabbit to death. Every arrow fell near the rabbit, scaring the rabbit without hurting it.
“Your highness is so amazing!”
All the eunuchs and maids in the area applauded, and the atmosphere was joyous.
Ji Mingwu played around for a while and then seemed to get bored. He notched an arrow and aimed it at the little white rabbit. While doing so, he asked, “What is the best way to eat it? Roasted or stir-fried?”
He pulled back the string on the bow. The string tightened and squeaked—
“Never mind, baking it would be best. It’ll be the most fragrant that way.”
With a sharp sound the bowstring vibrated violently and let loose the arrow. It shot towards the little white rabbit.
At the same time, the little white rabbit in the grass raised its body and looked around vigilantly. Finally, it perceived the thing flying towards it, and its eyes widened in fright.
The arrow got closer and closer…
Just before the arrow was about to pierce its eyes, there was another sharp snapping sound in the air and a second arrow came flying in from the side. It knocked Ji Mingwu’s arrow out of the air.
There was silence all around, and the eunuchs and maids looked at each other in disbelief at the scene in front of them.
Angry and surprised, Ji Mingwu turned his head and saw Ji Tongguang holding a bow and arrow.
“It’s you again-”
Just three words implied that it was not the first time they have had a dispute.
The director did not directly introduce what kind of person the protagonist was, but revealed the contrasting personalities of the two brothers through a small conflict event. At the same time, this scene highlighted Ji Tongguang’s ability in a cool light.
It was quite difficult to shoot this scene. The characters did not have any major movements, but controlling animals and archery skills were not easy. They had to shoot this scene a few times to get it done.
Qiu Jin stood behind Yi Congqing and watched the replay on the monitor. He didn’t expect that Xiang Xi’s sense of drama would be pretty good.
At this point, the male protagonist, who had not experienced any great upheavals in his life, was kind and idealistic, and he was still a mischievous and arrogant young boy. Xiang Xi usually had an aloof face, but once he got into character his expressions were flexible and lively, creating the image of an unbridled youth.
After they finished filming this scene, it would be the night scene next, but it was still too early for that, so Qiu Jin seized the opportunity to rehearse twice more.
Qiu Jin ate a boxed lunch and then returned to the public dressing room. At this time Xiang Xi came out with a cold face.
Qiu Jin nodded at the other party, but Xiang Xi just held his head high and didn’t even look at him, but the manager behind him said hello to Qiu Jin.
Liu Wei defended Qiu Jin: “Why is this happening again? We didn’t offend him.”
Qiu Jin smiled wryly. To a certain extent, he really had offended Xiang Xi, so it was normal for the other party to ignore him.
By the time he finished putting on his makeup and came out, the sky had already darkened.
Qiu Jin’s costume was in coordinating shades of red and white. The production team really wasn’t afraid to spend money. The color coordination was top notch. The fabric material and tailoring were also impeccable.
Ji Yao’s character was quite famous, but she didn’t have many scenes. She was largely brought up in other people’s conversations.
In the first scene, she showed her face just to reveal how good-looking she was.
In the second scene, her paramour sneakily asks her for a date and also brought her news that her father intended to marry her off to Dongwu.
In the third scene, Ji Yao went to her father to probe for the truth of the matter. When she learned that this was the truth, she blatantly tried to disobey. After a big fight, the ruler put her into confinement.
In the fourth scene, her lover came to find her and they both escaped into the night.
The scene that Qiu Jin needed to film right now was the fleeing scene.
The actor playing opposite in this scene was called Zou Ming. He debuted as a child star and has been walking the path of an actor ever since. He might not be as popular as some celebrities but his public reputation was quite good and his personality was warm and humble.
At the end of this scene, Zou Ming’s character would push and hold Ji Yao in the water with the intent to kill her, so before the filming started, Zou Ming smiled at him embarrassedly and said, “If I’m hurting you later, you must tell me. I’m afraid I can’t judge my strength well.”
Qiu Jin smiled, “It’s okay. It’s necessary for filming.”
The crew took their positions, and filming officially began.
Night has settled and the sound of nocturnal animals and insects rang.
Ji Yao carefully walked through the promenade along the lake, avoiding the maids and guards, and finally arrived at the agreed place between her and her lover Jiang Cao.
This was a continuous shot, showing off the cinematography. The camera chased Ji Yao from behind all the way to the appointed place.
At this moment, a hand came from outside the camera’s frame and pulled Ji Yao.
The screen went black.
