Chapter 649: Chapter 649

Director Liu had a bit of a connection with the actress, and since the role of the Peony Fairy wasn’t too difficult to play, he invited her over to take on the part.

Soon, the wire-flying scene was over.

The female singer had also been suspended midair during concerts, so she was quite familiar with wire rigs. She got the hang of it quickly, and it took only two takes to get it right.

He Jinxia watched the other actors perform on the set as if she were enjoying a stage play, completely engrossed.

The Peony Fairy quickly made her way to Fairy Yuan Miao’s Opportunity Palace, where Yuan Miao was busy with alchemy. She had been trying to learn something new recently, hoping to spark some inspiration through a bit of lateral thinking.

As soon as the Peony Fairy appeared, she rushed over and dragged her away, "Hey Miao Miao, stop with the alchemy and come with me to the Qingmu Emperor Palace. I’ve caused a huge mess!"

The actress playing Fairy Yuan Miao wasn’t a newcomer but an experienced, aging actress. Even through the heavy makeup, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were faintly visible.

But where lies the magic of post-production?

It’s in the fact that even an old lady can be Photoshopped to look like a fresh young girl!

So, age isn’t an issue, nor is appearance a barrier; as long as you’re skilled with tools like Meitu, you too can stand at the pinnacle and look down on all!

On set, there seemed to be quite an age difference between the actresses playing the Peony Fairy and Fairy Yuan Miao, but He Jinxia believed the wonders of post-production could make up for it all.

Director Liu had invited an experienced, aging actress for the part, thinking that her presence would smooth the filming process. Moreover, Fairy Yuan Miao and the Peony Fairy had many scenes together, and with the Peony Fairy portrayed by a complete newcomer, Director Liu also intended for the veteran actress to mentor the new one.

As He Jinxia contemplated, the two actresses were nearing the end of their performance on the field.

The shot where the Peony Fairy dragged away Fairy Yuan Miao was taken three times before Director Liu was satisfied enough to approve it.

With nothing better to do, He Jinxia glanced at the staff and, by reading lips, learned a bit of gossip from Sister Xiao Hua, who seemed to be informed about everything. Although she gathered her news from eavesdropping, the information was highly accurate.

A lighting technician said to a colleague, "I thought Director Liu had changed his ways, with lower demands for this film.

But now, seeing other actors perform, I realize it’s not that Director Liu has lowered his standards but that the lead actors have reached it, leaving no room for Director Liu to find faults, so they passed in one go."

The colleague quickly nodded, "Exactly, these past few days of filming have been like a spring breeze, a warm change from the previous nightmares, but now it’s clear the nightmare was always there."

Upon hearing this, another crew member chimed in, "But we don’t have to worry too much. There’s a lot of interaction between the lead actors in ’Xiao Xiangyu’s Many Sorrows.’ As long as they keep up this performance, most of us here in the crew will basically be living in springtime."

One crew member, recalling the miserable old days, shivered and quickly added, "I do not want to go back to how it was before, where we would eat a meal and immediately get back to work with no breaks!

Sleeping was just a brief respite between work, and that terrifying cycle of exhaustion was a torment to both body and soul."

The other crew members nodded empathetically, expressing, "Actually, we aren’t the ones who have it the hardest. Director Liu’s strictness is mostly directed at the actors’ performances; all we do is assist by setting up the lights and handling props and such.

Those actors are under a lot of pressure – if they perform poorly, they must do it all over again, while also bearing the brunt of our frustrations."

Suddenly, a crew member expressed, "I think we should be nicer to our lead actors."

"I hope they can last a bit longer, so I can enjoy a few more days of happiness and joy."

The others looked at each other and said in unison, "Makes sense!"

He Jinxia couldn’t help but let out a "pfft" of laughter, amused by what the staff were discussing.

Upon reflection, her on-screen chemistry with Qiu Zhenze was quite good, and the scenes they shot together weren’t difficult, so they passed the take quickly.

He Jinxia flipped through the script, and after exiting the Mirror World, the plot would gradually deepen, the world of the Heavenly Palace would slowly unfold, and the character of Yu Yun would grow and develop, no longer as naive and sweet as when she first arrived at the Heavenly Palace, her emotions becoming more diverse.

But when that time came, acting wouldn’t be as smooth sailing as it was now.

After all, shooting emotional outburst scenes in a drama is quite challenging and can exhaust the actors, who need ample rest afterward. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet

If Director Liu continues filming at the current pace by then, both she and Qiu Zhenze would find it hard to keep up.

Once an actor’s mental state declines, the quality of the footage shot will suffer greatly, leading to more frequent reshoots than before and trapping them in a vicious cycle. The situation the crew mentioned could arise—

The film crew would be under high pressure, and everyone would feel a great deal of stress, especially the actors.

He Jinxia lowered her gaze and pinched a corner of the script, knowing all she could do was adjust her mental state and strive to be energetic and not too weary.

"Cut, good! Change of location, let’s shoot the scene in Qingmu Palace, move to Studio Two!"

Director Liu’s voice reached her ears, and He Jinxia came back to reality, following the large group to Studio Two.

She followed along, partly to watch others shoot and partly because she had nothing else to do, which was boring alone.

Inside Qingmu Emperor Palace, the filming began not with Peony Fairy or Fairy Yuan Miao but with Princess Yu Yun!

The role of Princess Yu Yun was played by He Xirui.

He Jinxia was quite curious about her, wanting to see just how good this actress was, whom Sister Xiao Hua had claimed to be very competent.

In the grand hall hung with sylph-like wisps of white mist rising from the floor, even just a glimpse of the setting was enough to hint at the grandeur and solemnity of Qingmu Emperor Palace.

In this scene, He Xirui acted opposite several lesser-known actors.

Princess Yu Yun appeared in the Qingmu Imperial Palace, just as a few immortal maids carrying items passed by. Seeing Princess Yu Yun, they hurriedly bowed their heads and bent down in a respectful salutation.

Director Liu called out "Speak," and the immortal maids said in unison, "We greet Princess Yu Yun, may the princess be forever peaceful."

Princess Yu Yun nodded at them and let out a gentle "Mhm," then looked at them and asked, "Have any of you seen Brother Bai Ze?"

Upon hearing that line, He Jinxia’s gaze sharpened, impressed by such solid line delivery skills!

He Xirui’s voice wasn’t loud, just a normal speaking voice, but the way she controlled her breath and enunciated words revealed a profound foundation in line reading, which would be powerful during post-production dubbing.

A TV series needs to be judged not only based on the quality of its visuals and the performances of the actors but also on dubbing.