Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: OBSTACLE (1)

It was common for a film to have several No Good scenes; a pass on the first try was rare . Even if you were a world-renowned movie star and the winner of several international film awards, there was no guarantee that you would pass on the first try . The best case scenario would be having a satisfactory cut after four to seven tries, the worst case would be trying the same scene for more than ten times and still not obtain the director’s approval . In that situation, whether it were the actors or the director, everyone would slowly start feeling the pressure weighing down on them like a mountain .

“No, not like this . Let’s take it again from the start . ” Wearing a baseball cap and sitting behind the monitors, the director shook his head . “Everyone take a ten-minute break . ”

It was the eighth take of Tang Feng’s first scene . He still hadn’t passed .

Throughout Fiennes Tang’s decades of experience in the film industry, he’d also had moments when he’d needed more than eight takes to pass a scene . However, this was his first scene after his rebirth . Getting stuck in the mud right at the beginning made it difficult for Tang Feng to not feel frustrated and impatient . Not only that, he felt a scene like the one he was filming right now shouldn’t require seven or eight tries to pass .

The content of the scene was simple . At the start of the movie, Tang Feng’s role, the monk Tang, would walk down the streets of China while carrying the urn holding the old priest’s ashes . The skies above him were grey and grim, while the passersby walking around him were cold and indifferent .

No one took notice of the lone monk . Dressed in a black monk habit with the hood covering his face, Tang appeared both restless and miserable .

“Your gaze is missing a genuine feeling of grief . For Tang, the old priest was his father, his friend, and the only existence he could rely on . Now that the old priest has suddenly passed away, Tang has not only lost a family member who had raised and educated him, but also his heart’s defense against the external world . Tang Feng, think of someone precious to you, and try to experience Tang’s feelings . ” Director Li Wei wasn’t angry at Tang Feng . Rather than having an outburst, he took advantage of the break to explain the scene to the young actor .

The director left after his brief advice, giving Tang Feng some time to self-reflect .

A precious person? Genuine grief? Tang Feng sat alone and thought over the director’s words . Could he have completely misunderstood Tang’s character from the very beginning?

As Fiennes, he didn’t have many people whom he cared about . Leroy was one of them, but that old man was always telling him again and again that he had to keep an open mind . No matter the situation, he had to be open-minded and not be obsessively angry or heartbroken .

Adding on his self-cultivation as a result of his heart disease, Tang Feng had developed mild-mannered hobbies such as drinking tea and practicing tai chi . Due to his excessive broad-mindedness and dispassionate attitude, Tang Feng rarely felt excitement .

The monk in Satan’s Alley was a fragile and sensitive man . The old priest’s passing not only caused him grief, but also feelings of loss and indecision . As he walked down the crowded streets, his fear of the future and his helplessness were evident for all to see .

“Okay, let’s go again!” After ten minutes of break, the director called for everyone to continue filming .

Sitting behind the monitors, the director called out, “Three, two, one, action!”

The cameramen took their places behind the cameras . The script supervisor walked to the front with the clapperboard and shut the clapstick with a “clap” to mark the start of filming . “Scene one, take nine . ”

Despite the bright sunshine, Tang Feng had to imagine that he belonged in a past era that was shrouded with a thick, dark fog . He had to walk from one end of the street to the other while carrying an old urn in his arms . It was a long continuous take that would be done with one camera, not giving him a single break in the middle . Even if he had walked the whole stretch of the road, a tiny mistake was enough for him to start all over again .

After shooting a music video in one continuous take for over three minutes in the training class, Tang Feng shouldn’t be having a hard time right now .

He walked forward step by step, mud and dirt underfoot . People parted like an opposing current around him, brushing against his shoulders and body as they walked in the opposite direction . He was the only one walking forward . When someone occasionally bumped into his shoulder, he would hide his face inside his hood like a startled deer and clutch the old priest’s ashes even closer to himself .

The road wasn’t long, but he felt as if he had been walking for decades . Every minute and every second, he could feel countless gazes leaving their marks upon his flesh and soul .

“Cut! Stop!” Halfway through the scene, the director called cut again . Tang Feng was surprised . He’d put his greatest effort into becoming Tang just now, but only a few minutes had passed before the director had called cut again . Was it still not good enough?

Tang Feng walked over to the monitors with the intention of seeing where he’d gone wrong . He could be overlooking his mistakes while acting, but he might find them from behind the camera .

“Tang Feng, come over here . ” The director came over and took his arm, pulling him under the eaves of a nearby building . Tang Feng hadn’t even had a chance to analyze his own performance on film .

“Director, I apologize . ” He’d been caught in a difficult situation on the first day of work . Not only did Tang Feng feel pressured to figure out his character, he also felt pressured from self-doubt and the trouble he was creating for the entire film crew .

If he couldn’t pass the first scene, then they couldn’t move onto the next step . Starting from the morning, three hours had already passed . Three hours of continuous filming, with an occasional ten or five-minute break . Again . No good . Continue . Still no good . Tang Feng wasn’t the only one who felt pressured; since his performance had yet to gain the director’s approval, the film crew had to work nonstop, yet progress was at a standstill .

However, Tang Feng was still the one carrying the brunt of the pressure .

“Did you know? Only two or three Asian actors have truly made it in Hollywood . And among those two or three, only Fiennes Tang was able to compete on the same level as celebrities from Europe and America . Originally, we had been set on Fiennes as the lead for this film, but his sudden passing had put us on a major setback . ” Standing in front of Tang Feng, the director sighed . He took off his baseball cap and patted down his short white hair .

A moment earlier, the director had been encouraging Tang Feng, now his intentions were completely different .

Tang Feng didn’t know how to respond . He was Fiennes, but he also wasn’t Fiennes anymore . He didn’t understand why the director had called cut time after time again . If he were still Fiennes, would he be in the same circumstances?

“The investors had been planning to use another famous Chinese celebrity, but I chose you in the end . Do you know why?” The director furrowed his brows . He looked sincerely at Tang Feng, who was still clad in the black monk habit .

With makeup highlighting his features, Tang Feng’s appearance was dazzling . The monk habit paired well with his classical features and couldn’t help but lead the mind astray . While worshipping him, one couldn’t help but also harbor dirty, impure thoughts against him .

Once ideas of the obscene emerge, it was like the opening of the floodgates . The key conflict of the entire film extended from the identity and status of the characters . A member of the clergy was to be respected, but now they were also targets of desecration .

Monks were servants of God, but while believing in God, they also had to ward off the temptations of the heart .

It wasn’t the time to joke around, but Tang Feng wanted to ask whether the director had chosen him because an investor named Charles had greatly recommended him . He shook his head at the thought .

“The reason I chose you isn’t only because the investors were willing to take a risk and support you, but also because you possess the ability to captivate your audience . The world doesn’t lack a supply of good actors, but what is good acting, and how do we measure it? So far we still don’t have a clear answer . ”

Tang Feng knew what the director truly wanted to say to him was coming up, so he earnestly continued to listen .

He knew he was no longer Fiennes, who had long established his name in the field . He was only Tang Feng, a new actor just starting out . Once a person had developed a famous reputation, it would be difficult for them to find anyone willing to give them honest criticism . Constrained by public pressure, most directors and movie critics would rarely voice out their real opinions . All they would do was pamper and shower him with praise . It really was easy to be spoiled rotten in that kind of environment . Right now, he shouldn’t be reminiscing about his golden past . He should take people’s suggestions seriously and strive to climb up another level, working to improve his acting and…charisma .

“Your acting is very good, but a little too good . I don’t know if you’ve understood my meaning . Let me give you an example . There are bar singers who can never record a single or sell an album, despite having wonderful voices . It’s because they are missing that special and real quality that can only be found in themselves . I’m not saying that you’re laying it on too thick, but that your acting is too solid . It doesn’t have any cracks . It’s missing the freshness of new actors, and the fragility that belongs to Tang . A kind of fragility that makes the audience, and Chris, want to protect you and draw closer to you . ” Patting Tang Feng’s shoulders firmly, the director continued, “Tang Feng, you have to make the audience hurt for you . ”

“All right, why don’t you go back and think about what I’ve said . We’ll continue in the afternoon . ” The director turned to the crew and announced that they were taking a two-hour lunch break .

Tang Feng thought of the director’s words as he went back alone to rest in the trailer provided by his agency .

A feeling of fragility?

“Tang Feng, are you okay? Respected directors always make high demands . Don’t be too hard on yourself . ” Xiao Yu quickly followed after him .

“No, I’m fine . It’s nothing . ” Tang Feng sat down on the couch and shook his head . “Xiao Yu, can you let me stay alone for a while?”

“Then I’ll bring you some food . ”

“No, that’s fine . I want to sit quietly for a while . Thank you . ”

Note : Please download the sponsor's game to support us!