Chapter 616: Chapter 616
He Jinxia parted ways with Qiu Zhenze, and they each found a spot to sit down and read the script.
It was normal for He Jinxia to read the script; she was accustomed to studying it whenever she wanted.
But Qiu Zhenze was different; he felt that as long as he memorized the essence of the script, there was no need to constantly hold onto it, lest it made him too tense and affected his performance. His decision to go through it this time was entirely sparked by He Jinxia’s influence.
He was competing with He Jinxia in acting!
As an actor of the younger generation with remarkable acting skills, he really wanted to understand the gap between him and He Jinxia. He wondered whether his lack of notable scripts was due to bad luck, or if there were other reasons.
Previously, their acting mainly involved dialogue, with not much head-to-head confrontation. He only felt that He Jinxia’s acting was decent—good enough to stand on equal footing with him.
On the first day of filming, everyone was full of energy, exuberant, and eager to push the schedule forward without much rest. They quickly proceeded to shoot the next scene.
This scene followed from the previous one. Since the backgrounds were to be produced with special effects later, the entire area had been wrapped in a green screen, so it didn’t matter where they filmed.
There were at least seven of these large and small green screens around the set. Moreover, there were six unevenly sized pit holes around the outskirts of the set. The excavators were still at the set and hadn’t left since the scenery construction required them.
During filming, actors could hear a rumble in the background—not overly loud, but definitely not quiet.
After this shoot was finished, they would do voiceovers in post-production, so a noisy scene didn’t matter as long as the actors weren’t affected.
He Jinxia and Qiu Zhenze got into position, staring at the greenery in front of them, imagining it to be a lake with a lush green hue, where they could see their reflections.
The character Yujing discovered the changes in her appearance in this lake.
Both were in position, waiting to shoot.
With the sound of the clapperboard, Bai Ze, portrayed by Qiu Zhenze, walked and turned his head to look at her, smiling as he said,
"When I was in the Lower Realm, I often heard the mortals say that people become less adorable as they grow older. The former Yujing was naive and endearing. You agreed with everything I said, but now that Yujing has grown into a young lady, you feel embarrassed as well."
Yujing replied softly with her head lowered, "Compared to the aging you, how can I be considered a young lady? I’m just a child, as small as can be, aren’t I?"
Bai Ze commented noncommittally, "Time can change many aspects of a person, such as appearance, strength, body, but it cannot change one’s mind.
"Some people, despite experiencing the vicissitudes of life, can maintain a pure heart, while others may fall into depravity over a single emotional wound. Some spend thousands of years failing to understand a principle, while others attain enlightenment and ascend to bliss in an instant.
"If you see through the deception, then you preserve the truth. If you can’t, you might never be able to see through it at all."
Still somewhat puzzled, Yujing asked, "How can one see through it?"
Bai Ze chuckled lightly, looking at her intently as he said, "If you look with your heart, you can see through it."
Yujing was still a bit confused. She thought to herself, is this perhaps the way powerful immortals often speak?
The more powerful the immortal, the more incomprehensible their words seem.
Without doubt, Bai Ze once again heard the voice in her heart and shook his head, "It’s not that I won’t tell you, but even if I did, you wouldn’t understand.
Sometimes, not understanding can be a good thing. The more you know, the greater the risk. Knowing nothing and being an ordinary leaf spirit is more carefree and at ease."
Yujing covered her face with both hands, lamenting, "But a leaf spirit also has many worries! We mustn’t let bugs eat our bodies, we can’t get too wet in the rain for fear of rotting, and we definitely can’t be scorched by the sun into dried leaves... ah, life is indeed tough!"
Bai Ze laughed at her words, "You’re just an ordinary little elf, and yet you’ve come to understand the hardships of the world?" For origınal chapters go to Nove1Fire.net
Jade nodded, "I understand, why wouldn’t I? Beneath my vines, I’ve witnessed many a person’s joys and sorrows, life and death, partings and reunions.
Isn’t there a saying in the Mortal World, ’Once you’ve known vast oceans, lesser waters will not suffice; once you’ve seen Mount Wu, other clouds seem commonplace,’ speaking precisely of the bittersweet separations in human life."
Bai Ze, with a helpless hand to his forehead, said, "As expected of a newly awakened little elf, even the meaning of a sentence eludes you. Now I finally understand why you’re so curious to go study, you really should go and study. If you don’t, your intellect will never mature."
Jade felt the sun beating down harshly, sweat gathered on her forehead. Just as she was lifting her hand to wipe the sweat, she heard this and tensed up immediately.
"Immaturity of intellect is what kind of spell? Is it very powerful? Is there any hope for me?"
Suddenly, Jade furrowed her brows, reached out to touch her face, and thought to herself: Huh, why is there something hard... hard... on my face, what is it?
Jade touched the two whiskers that were stuck below her nose, pulled one out, and carefully examined it in the palm of her hand.
Muttering to herself, she said, "Why would something grow on my face?"
The more she felt her face, the more she found it strange, and she quickly walked to the edge of the lake and looked down into the water.
Director Liu called out. There were some details that were problematic in the previous take, but they didn’t detract from the overall quality. Both actors had performed well, so the scene was considered a pass.
Without delay, everyone hurried to prepare for the next scene.
The following scene was a direct continuation of the previous one. The setting would shift to Jade looking down at the lake, getting startled by her own reflection as she grew a beard and her chest became flatter, realizing she had turned into a man!
What followed was a series of unfortunate and humorous events.
Three minutes later, the filming of this scene officially began.
Since Jade’s expressions in this scene were quite rich, He Jinxia practiced several times on the spot, communicating face-to-face with the director, who felt it was good, no problem, before they started filming.
Therefore, this scene also went smoothly with a single take.
However, the director broke up this scene into many different shots: Jade being frightened by her reflection in the lake and stepping back, then touching her face in shock was one shot; Bai Ze speaking to her was another.
After Bai Ze finished speaking, Jade couldn’t help but grab his hand and ask what to do, which was yet another shot.
Besides these, there were several more scenes, all completed around the lake setting, though they varied from the ones shot earlier. They were part of the script’s later content, such as the scene right before they were about to use the Reincarnation Mirror to leave.
The cast’s two main actors were very dedicated, showcasing their professional acting ethics. Even though the rapid transition between scenes left them mentally fatigued, not one of them suggested taking an extra break.
There was, in fact, a reason for their determination: today was the first day of filming and also the day most susceptible to setbacks.
Many held the superstitious belief that if today’s progress wasn’t good, it would only get worse in the future.
Thus, they aimed to strike while the iron was hot, to instill confidence in the crew about their leading actors, to unite the crew’s strength, and to ensure every member approached their work with dedication.
Overall, diligent filming on the first day was very beneficial for the production.
He Jinxia and Qiu Zhenze had been pulled aside privately by Director Liu, who had made this request, which explained why they were expending energy to shoot non-stop.