The Best Actor Insists On Living With Me!-Chapter 1538 - 1529: Untitled (Part 3)
Two scenes, two separations.
On one hand, there’s the growing distance in friendship, and on the other, the choices and sacrifices in love. In the original "Sunrise", the relationship between the two characters is somewhat Platonic. They are each other’s first love and have deep feelings for one another, but with the passage of time and changes in their circumstances, it’s no longer easy for them to be together.
Although Bo Yan made some adaptations, such as slightly modifying Li Yiru’s character to make it more focused and accentuate the inner conflicts. The romantic feelings between the male and female protagonists were also beautified to cater to the audience’s emotions. For example, the female protagonist’s patron, the banker Pan Yueting, is just a shadow here. His scenes were reduced, just enough to know there’s such a background. The ambiguous emotions between the protagonists can be amplified a bit, and there can even be some subtle hints in the scenes that they once had a past together.
However, when the story unfolds, he needs to ensure that the entire plot flows smoothly. There shouldn’t be any obvious romantic scenes in the footage, but the eye contact, small designs of finger movements, must be captured perfectly to convey this intangible tension through the language of the camera.
Even at this final moment of separation, he wants to capture this unspeakable, helpless yet entwined emotion. Shooting and directing are two entirely different concepts. Initially, when the project was launched, he felt somewhat at a loss and had no clear vision of the work in his mind. But now, he is fully immersed in the role of the director.
But he is also an actor, and when a scene projects in his mind before he acts it out, he considers many more aspects. When rehearsing with Xia Siyu, he doesn’t just look at her, but also at the objects behind her, her clothing, and the entire surrounding environment.
But as soon as Xia Siyu speaks or moves, his gaze is involuntarily drawn to her, and he becomes immersed.
Rehearsals, as he mentioned in the morning, require only fifty percent involvement, giving him room to think about her costume, the environment, and other objects. Yet, Xia Siyu is fully committed, and the sense of being led by her is overwhelming. Even though, according to the character setup, no matter how intense her emotions swing, she shouldn’t be shouting or making unnecessary movements, she should appear calm and serene. But Bo Yan just feels his emotions inexplicably infected by her, naturally integrating into the plot, only realizing this after the entire rehearsal ends.
But as soon as the director says "OK", Xia Siyu immediately starts to sway delicately. Because this scene is quite important, her makeup, the headpiece, and the cheongsam mustn’t get messy, as any movement would cause creases. She can’t move her head too much either, since the hairstyle is difficult to make, and there are ornaments on her head, if they fall, the troupe is poor, and she’d have to compensate them herself. So she rotates her wrists within the limited conditions, expressing poses with nimble fingers.
But once "action" is called, her entire demeanor instantly retracts as if a school bell rings, no matter how lively she was during break, she becomes as composed as a statue once in class.
They rehearsed several times in total, and with each repetition, Bo Yan felt the most direct connection when acting opposite her. Though she always gives her all, she makes subtle adjustments in the details. Maybe she doesn’t articulate it, but every time she acts, onlookers just feel: Yes, this is exactly how it should be, the character must be portrayed this way!
