Chapter 1494
Big Name
Wherever there are people, there is a world of its own; this saying is absolutely true.
Especially in the film and television industry, a place where fame and fortune are paramount, the struggle for fame and profit is the norm.
Guan Xiaotong, the little sister, muttered to her for a long time in her Beijing accent.
A lot of nonsense, but to sum it up...
In the few days before he even arrived at the film set, the two female leads had already started fighting.
"Gege" said they were fighting, in a physical sense.
Zhang Yuan didn't quite believe it.
Most of it is an exaggeration.
Spreading gossip is like stacking buffs; the more you stack them, the more supermodel-like you become.
It's not that I trust their character; their character isn't much better, especially the female lead...
Well, the reason the two don't get along is because of who is the female lead.
This point is not so clear in "Painted Skin 1".
The male lead is definitely Wang Sheng, played by Zhang Yuan.
In the second installment, it was still his Huo Xin.
The female lead is in a bit of a problem. In the first season, was the female lead the fairy Xiao Wei or the queen?
According to Pu Songling's original novel, Painted Skin is definitely the "female lead".
When it came to movies, Zhou Xun was even more famous because of his work in the film industry.
The other is an absolute dominant force in the television drama industry.
Therefore, after the film was released, some viewers believed that Zhou Xun was the female lead, after all, she was the one in the film title "Painted Skin", and she had a higher status in the film industry.
Therefore, the seeds of their rivalry were sown after the first film was released.
It had been buried for a long time, and only now, when filming began, did it come to light again.
In a way, it was a long-standing grudge.
Both of them have a lot of fans, and they both have to support their own sister.
But from Zhang Yuan's perspective as an outsider, strictly speaking, Yi Ping is actually the female lead.
First, unless it's an anti-genre film, it's generally believed that the righteous side is the protagonist and the villain is the supporting character.
This aligns with the basic values of the general public.
Even villains, especially protagonists, need a reason or a last resort to do bad things.
Evil people, on the other hand, need no reason and are not bound by morality.
Just like the no-killing principle in most versions of Batman.
Madam Wang is a good person, while Xiao Wei, the imposter, is a bad person, so Madam Wang has a slightly higher priority.
This applies worldwide.
This is also why it's difficult for Chen Zihan to play the female lead; this woman's features don't look like those of a good person, she's a bit bewitching.
It's just that Zhou Xun's eyes are big and bright, making her seem less bad.
But ultimately, he's a villain.
Another important thing is that Zhang Liangying was specially invited to create the theme song "Painting Heart" for "Painted Skin 1".
This song is very famous and has become one of her signature works.
Then why isn't this song called "Painted Skin"?
This theme song was written from the perspective of Madam Wang, also known as Pei Rong.
"You can't see through it; it's your lost soul."
"I can't guess what the color of your pupils is."
……
"What has bewitched your heart?"
The opening lines of the lyrics clearly indicate that Madam Wang is wondering what's wrong with her husband.
The theme songs were all written from Madam Wang's perspective, and the creators actually knew very well who the female lead was.
This is not an isolated case. The same thing happened with "My Fair Princess". The female lead had her own theme song, but the second female lead did not.
The Legend of Sword and Fairy is a typical example of fans fighting for the "billing" of female characters, starting from the game and continuing into the TV series.
But the matter is actually quite clear: Zhao Ling'er is the female lead, and Lin Yueru is the second female lead.
In terms of seniority, Zhao Ling'er is the legal wife, while Lin Yueru is at most a concubine, or you could call her a confidante.
In the TV series, Lin Yueru also has her own theme song, "Always Quiet" sung by A-Sun, which is beautiful and fits the character.
But the actual theme song chosen by Sugarman is "Sha Po Lang".
Although it wasn't specifically created for a TV series, the content is more in line with the story of Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er.
Moreover, in "Painted Skin 2", Jane Zhang was asked to rearrange and re-sing "Painted Heart" again, which was still the theme song with the same content.
However, there was another song called "Painting Love," which was written from the perspective of the fairy Xiaowei.
But the song number is second; the first is still "Painting Heart".
One must speak and act with reason and evidence. Based on this evidence, according to the theory of drama, Zhou Xun is the second female lead.
However, both actors are big names, so they were side by side on set.
Zhang Yuanzai explained it to the girl from the capital city in great detail, leaving her completely dumbfounded.
"Brother, you're so smart!"
"That makes perfect sense."
"I'll go and tell someone right away."
Zhang Yuan: ...
I'm telling you this so you can spread rumors?
"Focus on filming and stop talking nonsense."
"I'm telling you this so you can know how to choose roles and read scripts when filming."
"To avoid being taken advantage of or cheated."
"Oh, I see. You're so experienced."
"That's right!" Zhang Yuan said, striking a pose of a magnanimous senior under the girl's admiring gaze.
"Hey... when you say I have experience, are you still saying I'm old?"
He asked again.
It's like a mental illness.
In the battles for star power and billing order, the young heartthrobs and pretty girls of later generations are utterly insignificant compared to today's leading actresses.
Later generations of people will still need the company, staff, and fans to tear them apart.
These days, the large flowers are all torn by hand, right in front of everyone.
In later award ceremonies, these senior figures probably chuckled to themselves when they saw their juniors pulling some dirty tricks.
childish.
"You stay put and don't run around or talk nonsense."
"To avoid causing trouble."
"Hey." The one made a well-behaved gesture.
After he finished his makeup, he went out for a stroll and greeted all the crew members.
"You're here! Please have a seat." When Yiping saw him, she quickly got up and offered him her seat.
They were incredibly polite.
"No need, I brought my own chair."
The other person knew he couldn't sit, but he made a very good show of it.
"With you here, our crew has a backbone."
"What are you saying? Aren't you two the backbone of our crew?"
"I'm just a supporting character," Zhang Yuan said modestly with a smile.
"Even if we come, we'll still be praising you two leading ladies."
Upon hearing the words "female lead," the corner of this person's mouth twitched.
This person is very quick-witted; he sensed the hidden meaning in his words.
"Alright, I'm going to check on my sister Xun."
He turned and walked to the other side.
The two filmed together, and their rest areas were located at opposite ends of the set.
Hiss... Zhang Yuan took a deep breath.
They're back, they're all back.
Back in the day, on the set of "The Forbidden Kingdom," the two older brothers were like that too.
However, the two big shots should be more respectable than these two.
This is called the composure of the older generation.
Because Lao Li and Chen Long truly experienced the era of gangsters wiping people on film sets in Hong Kong.
Only through experience can one develop a stronger moral compass and understand the limits of what can be achieved.
Besides, those two are real older brothers, while these two are not real older sisters.
She might think of herself as the eldest sister, but in reality, she still depends on men.
"Sister Xun, you look beautiful." Zhang Yuan walked around behind Zhou Xun.
At this moment, she had long, silver-gray hair.
Her face was painted white, her lips were cherry-shaped, and she had a touch of blush.
"I just want to kiss it," Zhang Yuan said after squatting down.
"We have a kissing scene, so you can kiss me however you want." My older sister didn't care at all.
"Work is work, I was talking about personal feelings, not praising you."
"Oh, it has to be Director Zhang, right?"
He deliberately raised his voice and spoke.
Because 523 is also nearby.
how?
According to 523's aesthetic, Zhou Xun's look in the film was completely based on Japanese makeup.
Two round eyebrows, face painted snow-white, a little red on the lips, and two red dots drawn next to them.
Why don't you come up with "Royal Teeth Black" too?
The Japanese novel *The Tale of Genji* records that "after plucking out his eyebrows and blackening his teeth, he appeared even more handsome and charming."
This is a description of the female protagonist, Ruo Zi, also known as Zi Ji.
Can you imagine how good it would look?
Like a ghost.
Watching the makeup of women in old Japanese movies always gives me a strange and scary feeling, because that's how aesthetics were back then.
Before the Meiji Restoration, blackened teeth were a symbol used by the Japanese to distinguish women's social class; they would deliberately blacken their teeth with tea or iron filings.
This guy, 523, likes Japanese style, Korean style, Western style, Mongolian style, he likes them all.
They are the only ones who do not have any connection to the Han culture.
But after Zhang Yuan brought in Zhang Yimou as producer and artistic director, the direction of things was no longer up to him.
Even Pang Hong had to listen to Lao Zhangzi.
You can say that some of Zhang Yimou's films are not very good, but you can't question his aesthetic sense.
Zhang Yimou's artistic taste, especially his appreciation for ethnic styles, is a level above that of Chen Kaige plus three Lu Chuan (referring to the character 523).
The last three also like the Japanese style.
With his addition, the artistic style changed dramatically, and things immediately stabilized.
The original Japanese style was changed to a more Tang Dynasty style.
This is called tracing back to the source. The Japanese style originally came from the Tang style. It was they who messed it up and turned it into that awful thing.
Women of the Tang Dynasty were so magnanimous.
In particular, Zhang Yuan specifically instructed that the big boss's Voldemort-like bald head hairstyle must be changed!
What the hell is this?!
Fei Xiang was handsome for most of his life, but he ended up with a terrible look thanks to 523.
The villainous Tianlang Kingdom was given a Chinese shaman-style design.
In modern times, the Manchu people are the representative ethnic group of shamanism.
How glorious it is for the brave warriors of our Great Tang Dynasty to fight against the shaman!
"Come."
Zhou Xun, sporting a Tang Dynasty-style makeup, pulled out a pack of Marlboros from his pocket and offered them to him, but he couldn't quite resist.
It's still mint-flavored popping boba...
"Thanks." Zhang Yuan took it and tucked it behind his ear.
"I'll rely on you, the leading lady, to support me in the future filming."
"No problem," Xun Ge readily agreed.
I can't fix it for him anymore. I'm being sarcastic, can't you tell?
Scratching his head, Zhou Xun thought to himself that compared to that wicked woman Yi Ping, his brain was somewhat underdeveloped, and his cerebellum was completely underdeveloped.
He took a few more steps and lit the cigarette from his ear for 523 next to him.
The man's expression stiffened upon seeing him.
First, they brought in Zhang Yimou and directly "seized power" from him.
You couldn't fight back at all. What level are they in? What level are you in?
When the producer Pang Hong initially brought him in, he said he would work together to suppress Zhang Yuan, the unruly male lead, but later he stopped mentioning it altogether.
The older brother suddenly felt a bit lonely, isolated, and cold.
"Director, is it too much trouble to adjust the shooting schedule these next few days?"
"trouble……"
"Ok?"
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."
"That's good," Zhang Yuan replied with a smile.
523: ...
"I heard something, those two got into a fight?" he asked again.
"Who?"
"Don't play dumb."
523 pushed up his glasses, thinking to himself that this guy was too direct.
"What exactly happened?"
"Hey... first day here."
After glancing in Zhou Xun's direction, he began to speak in detail.
"The two were fine at first, chatting and laughing."
"Not long after, just as we were filming in the afternoon, Zhou Xun said that she needed to rest because the wait for her scenes had been too long."
"Let the stunt double and another person film."
"That person wasn't happy either, so they had a stand-in take over."
"We also filmed a few long shots of the figures from behind."
523 frowned.
"The next day will be troublesome."
"Their RVs were parked next to the film set."
"But when it was time to start filming, the stand-ins had all moved from their positions, but no one came down."
"Okay, whoever comes down first is number two." Zhang Yuan held up two fingers.
523 nodded.
Just like walking the red carpet, the big stars are always the last to appear.
So sometimes this happens on set: big stars arrive last so they get more rest time.
But this kind of thing quickly gets backwards, turning cause into effect, and becomes a competition of who arrives later.
But people are different. Zhou Runfa is particular about this kind of thing, but Andy Lau is always punctual.
In short, once war breaks out, things will get complicated.
Next came the meal, a competition to see who could have the biggest lavish affair.
They all demanded that meal standards be raised.
They even have to compete to see who can leave work first; being late or leaving early is the only way to prove you're important.
Zhang Yuan listened without finding it strange at all.
Just as he thought, the fight between Lao Li and Chen Long was limited.
The premise is that the work will be completed well.
These two are different.
Women are more emotional.
It's like someone who's completely clueless gets upset and insists on finding a winner.
The phrase "get to work" is just an adjective.
The two of them each requested that the production crew provide seven or eight assistants.
Zhang Yuan didn't know why they needed so many; did they have someone specifically for wiping their butts after they pooped?
Anyway, this is quite a show; it's not uncommon for goods to have 2 or 30 assistants.
Zhou Runfa had a whole bunch of assistants, and the entire crew paid for everything.
The two women's assistants got into a fight over a parasol.
The assistants almost got into a fight, but the crew members pulled them apart.
"Oh, your assistants got into a fight?"
Zhang Yuan glanced at his assistant.
In other words, my assistant didn't participate, otherwise the fight wouldn't have happened.
It's over in an instant, what's the point of fighting?
Those who act as accomplices to evil often outdo their masters.
Moreover, if something goes wrong and the master adds fuel to the fire, the anger will only intensify.
It was 523 who set up two rest areas to separate people.
To avoid causing trouble on set.
"So that means they're acting like divas?"
"Mm." 523 nodded.
"Understood." Zhang Yuan asked, then turned and left.
The director was a little confused about what he was trying to do.
I asked, but they didn't say a word.
Oh... you can't afford to mess with this either?
Although I am an investor, I am afraid that these two will cause trouble and affect the work.
Ha, it seems you're not omnipotent after all.
Seeing that he had no way out, 523 felt much better after being suppressed.
But the pleasure won't last long.
Not long after, Zhang Yuan changed into armor and costume and filmed a scene of entering the palace to pay homage to the emperor.
The two women filmed their scenes together separately.
The director was in charge on their end, while the assistant director was watching on their end.
It's easy to handle things on his end; he can get things done quickly with direct orders.
After filming, without even removing her makeup or taking off her nails, she walked briskly to the set where the two women were.
The two of them were standing to the side, and then their stunt doubles were filming their scenes together.
Each of them had three or four stunt doubles.
Zhang Yuan glanced at them and guessed that unless it was a close-up or the most important scene, they would use body doubles.
"Director Wu."
Before filming started, while they were rehearsing their scenes, he came up to 523.
"Are you done with your work over there?"
"Yes, check later if there's anything else that needs to be replenished."
"it is good."
"There's something I need to say," Zhang Yuan suddenly raised his voice and said loudly.
"What?" The other person was startled.
Why are you yelling so loudly?
"Regarding what you told me before, that someone in the crew was acting like a diva!" Zhang Yuan spoke clearly and loudly, his voice full of energy.
523: ...
Sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.
What the hell!
You, you, you...
Just a moment ago I thought Zhang Yuan had no way to escape, but now he's suddenly saying it to my face.
Those two are both here!
The director glanced at the two people, both of whom were staring intently at him.
Who's acting like a diva?
It does not matter.
The important thing is who the big shot is and who won the game.
That's what they think.
"Don't talk nonsense, I never said that."
"Why didn't you say that? Right before filming started, you said that someone in the crew was acting like a diva."
“I really believe it,” Zhang Yuan emphasized repeatedly.
"I do not have……"
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Zhang Yuan didn’t give you a chance to maneuver.
How could you say such a thing?
"We are a very harmonious film crew."
“All the artists are quite professional.”
"It's impossible for someone to act like a big shot."
Zhang Yuan said it with absolute certainty.
523 seems to understand a little better now.
Is our male protagonist twisting a rope?
Playing peacemaker?
The director and the female lead weren't the only ones present; Yang Mi and others were also there.
Guan Xiaotong was also there, and upon hearing him speak, she couldn't help but want to pull out some sunflower seeds.
My brother brought up the matter of him acting like a diva, and he said it in front of both of them.
interesting!
They were peeking around, having a great time.
He looked like he was doing something good.
Even after 523 thought he understood, he was still depressed.
You twist the rope and push me out...
He felt like he was just there to be mistreated on set.
How come everyone can step on me, yet I can't afford to offend anyone?
The three lead actors are all more famous than me.
I have to take care of these three big shots for several months. How am I going to survive?
Actually, 523 was wrong.
Zhang Yuan had no intention of twisting the rope.
With Li Lianjie and Chen Long around, I could tolerate twisting the rope; those two are the older brothers.
What level are these two?
Moreover, he had no intention of pushing 523 out.
pat!
He lit a cigarette and started smoking.
He exhaled a light smoke ring.
"We'll see."
"It's impossible for someone to act like a big shot."
He glanced at the two women and spoke in a calm, almost matter-of-fact tone.
"I haven't been to the film set for the past few days."
"Where do you get big names from the film crew?"
Huff... He took another puff.
The entire room fell silent.
Acting like a diva?
He glanced at 523, then looked at Zhou Xun and Yi Ping.
Just like there's only one Ho-Nam in Causeway Bay.
The entire cast and crew of "Painted Skin" only had one big star.
I am the sole ruler of all ages. (End of Chapter)