boyutpedia Chapter 77 filming completed.
Chapter 77 filming completed.
The night breeze from Zhanjiang carried the salty scent of the sea. Luo Jinnian stood by the hotel window and looked out. In the distance, the lights of fishing boats flickered, like some kind of ancient signal.
He recalled saying during the day that he could write a high-quality script in two or three weeks. This was not an exaggeration—writing a script was not difficult for him. What was difficult was rewriting it again and again after finishing it, but he had mature answers in his mind.
But looking back on it that night, I realized how incredibly stupid I was.
My phone vibrated; it was a message from Director Qin: "We're starting work at six tomorrow morning to film the scene where Zhu Chaoyang and his son Zhu Yongping are eating sweet soup. Get some sleep."
Luo Jinnian replied with an "OK", then tossed his phone onto the bedside table and lay back on the bed.
Lao Yan was the most enthusiastic person on set. He would often arrive at the set early in the morning and buy milk tea for everyone, from the actors to the staff. If someone didn't like milk tea, he would give them something else. He was considerate in every way.
He felt that acting in this movie might be the closest he ever came to fame in his life.
The cliff-jumping scene was just the beginning for his character. The true significance of Zhang Dongsheng's role lies in what follows.
Director Qin postponed Zhang Dongsheng's scenes by a few days, focusing instead on filming the parts at Zhu Chaoyang's house. Old Yan didn't have any other commitments during those days, but he came to the set every day, bringing a small stool to sit next to the monitor and watch Gu Yanxi, Luo Jinnian, and a minor lead actor act.
Sometimes, after finishing his scenes, Luo Jinnian would move a stool over and sit down. He noticed that Lao Yan's eyes would become particularly focused whenever he watched Luo Jinnian act.
"Uncle Yan, are you looking at him?" Gu Yanxi asked softly.
Old Yan didn't turn his head; his eyes were still fixed on the monitor. "I have several long scenes with Zhu Chaoyang later on. I need to know how he acts so I can respond accordingly."
Gu Yanxi didn't say anything more. He knew that Lao Yan was referring to the later key scenes—the accidental photograph of the crime scene, Zhang Dongsheng treating the three children to lunch at McDonald's, and the final confrontation in the warehouse.
These scenes are all iconic moments from "The Hidden Corner" that have been repeatedly discussed.
McDonald's is a classic battle between adults and three children. The core of this battle is not Zhu Chaoyang, played by Luo Jinnian, but Pu Pu, played by Gu Yanxi.
This scene was filmed on location at a McDonald's in Zhanjiang.
In the original drama, Zhang Dongsheng ordered a table full of food for his three children at McDonald's. Pu Pu sat next to him and noticed that his finger was burned. She took out a Band-Aid from her pocket and put it on for him. At that moment, Zhang Dongsheng's expression changed very subtly—from surprise to tenderness, and then from tenderness quickly subsided into an indescribable emotion.
Lao Yan arrived at the McDonald's filming location half a day early. He didn't speak to anyone, but sat alone in a corner with a cup of Coke in front of him, staring blankly at the cup.
Director Qin knew his habit—this man would spend a long time alone before filming a major scene, completely immersing himself in the role.
Filming has officially begun.
Gu Yanxi sat next to Lao Yan, holding a band-aid in her hand. Lao Yan's hand was on the table, with a burn mark on his finger made by the props team. Gu Yanxi took his hand, lowered her head, and carefully applied the band-aid, then pressed it with her palm to make it stick better.
Old Yan's reaction was immediate. He looked down at the hand with the bandage on it, and his expression slowly changed from indifference to a barely perceptible bewilderment—like a deserter who hadn't been treated like a human being in a long time and had finally found water.
That moment of shock lasted only two seconds. Then Zhang Dongsheng withdrew his hand, hiding it under the table, and his expression returned to that of a gloomy and calm middle-aged man.
That two-second performance was one of Lao Yan's best in the entire series.
The warehouse standoff is one of the climaxes of the entire series. Zhang Dongsheng has tied up three children, and Pu Pu has an asthma attack. Zhang Dongsheng carries her to the hospital. That is the last shining moment for Zhang Dongsheng's character—his feelings for Pu Pu are the most complex in the whole series. It's not fatherly love, not guilt, you could say it's nothing at all, but there is definitely emotion involved.
It rained in Zhanjiang when that scene was being filmed. The warehouse exterior was built by the props team in the suburbs; it was damp and dark, and the sound of rain on the tin roof was picked up by the microphone.
Old Yan carried Gu Yanxi outside. Gu Yanxi had to act out an asthma attack—gasping for breath, her face turning pale. In a later interview with Luo Jinnian, Gu Yanxi said that she almost fainted during that scene because she had to portray the realism of breathing difficulties. She exhaled forcefully, causing her brain to lack oxygen and her mind to go blank.
Old Yan carried her and ran through two blocks. After finishing the first block, Old Yan was panting heavily; after all, he was over forty years old, and running with a child in his arms was no joke. Director Qin suggested another take, and Old Yan didn't hesitate to go back and run again.
Halfway through the second take, when Lao Yan was about to say, "Pu Pu, don't sleep, don't sleep," his voice suddenly choked, his throat tightening and twitching. Director Qin didn't call cut, letting the take continue until it was finished.
During the replay, Lao Yan watched the monitor footage of himself carrying Gu Yanxi and running frantically. He remained silent for a long time before saying, "At this moment, Zhang Dongsheng wasn't actually trying to save Pu Pu. He was trying to save himself. He had nothing left."
Director Qin nodded.
The filming of "The Hidden Corner" took almost three months, and Lao Yan's scenes were concentrated in the middle section and filmed intensively. On the day of the wrap party, he treated the entire crew to milk tea—there was no Heytea in Zhanjiang, so he had someone drive to Maoming to buy it, filling the entire trunk of the car.
Luo Jinnian was squatting at the entrance of the film set, drinking a cup of milk tea. Lao Yan walked over and squatted down next to him.
"Uncle Yan, filming's wrapped up, aren't you going to leave? What are you doing squatting here?" Luo Jinnian said.
Old Yan took a sip of mineral water, didn't reply, and after a while said, "I've been acting for over ten years, and the role of Zhang Dongsheng is probably the best role I've ever played in my life."
"No," Luo Jinnian said. "There's more to come."
Old Yan turned to look at him, wondering what gave this kid such confidence.
In fact, all he knows so far is that he joined an entertainment company called Early Spring with his agent. He doesn't know the background of the company or the relationship between Luo Jinnian and the company. When acting, he is already fully immersed in the work.
Luo Jinnian didn't explain. He just looked at the production crew dismantling props in the distance.
"The Hidden Corner" will be the first work of their Early Spring Culture Company, and they hope that the offers from various websites will satisfy them.
Director Qin has been negotiating with several domestic streaming media companies day and night, and he won't budge until he gets 3000 million.
Although his quoted price made several companies hesitate, the reality was that the production team didn't actually make that much money, because the actual cost of "The Hidden Corner" was too high.
They barely managed to recoup some of the 3000 million.
Of course, the value of a good work is never just for a moment, and Director Qin still believes that it will gain more from the social impact after it is broadcast.