Chapter 10: Movie Wrap-up

The war scenes involving thousands, or even tens of thousands of people, were filmed remarkably smoothly under Cheng Sheng’s direction.

This left Zhang Yang and the others who had accompanied Cheng Sheng completely stunned.

This was Cheng Sheng’s first time as a director, yet his ability to control the set was terrifying!

One had to realize that even if the "National Master" Zhang himself had come to direct such scenes, he might not have done better than Cheng Sheng.

Coupled with the previous few days, Cheng Sheng’s ability to direct dramatic scenes had truly amazed everyone. Whether it was the crew members or the students from the Central Academy of Drama interning on set, everyone held Cheng Sheng in absolute awe.

With directing skills like these, it was no wonder he dared to secure a hundred-million-yuan investment to make a movie.

If they had Cheng Sheng’s talent, they would dare to do the same.

People with real ability command respect wherever they go.

The onlookers were not only shocked by Cheng Sheng’s capability but also by the performance of the actors in front of the lens.

Some students, whom they considered to be newcomers, were performing no worse than actors who had spent years working on film sets.

Yang Chao even whispered to Cheng Sheng in private: "Cheng Sheng, are these really our students from the Central Academy of Drama? Although I’m not a teacher in the acting department, these students’ acting skills are already good enough to graduate."

"And that Zheng Guolin—I’ve seen his work before! His acting wasn't this good. And Zeng Li, she had some talent, but it never reached this level. If she had performed like this in the dramas she starred in before, she would have won Best Actress long ago."

It was no wonder Yang Chao felt this way; if someone who knew these people inside and out had come to see this, they would have been even more shocked.

Improvement in acting doesn't happen overnight.

The better one knew them, the more incredible it felt.

In fact, it wasn't just outsiders who were shocked; the performers themselves felt it was surreal.

After finishing a scene, Zeng Li watched the playback, returned to the dressing room, and stared at herself in the mirror, completely dazed.

Was this really her?

Why hadn't she realized her acting had improved so much?

It felt as if there were no traces of performance at all; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was Empress Xiao herself.

Moreover, she always felt that once she stepped onto the set, she transformed into the character.

It wasn't just Zeng Li who felt this way; Fu Dalong, Zheng Guolin, Su Chang, Zhang Xinyi, and Bai Baihe, who played Pingyang Zhao, all felt the same.

They felt there was no difficulty in acting at all. In a dreamlike state, the performance would be completed without a single "cut" being called.

NGs (No-Gos) are the norm in filmmaking!

To have zero NGs felt somewhat magical.

Cheng Sheng didn't care about their shock or their thoughts; he was focused on finishing the movie as quickly as possible.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

Cheng Sheng kept the set closed, and under his frantic demands, the entire crew spent every waking moment on set.

Inside the palace.

Fu Dalong, wallowing in debauchery, held a wine pot in one hand and waved his sleeve with the other, shouting: "A fine head, who shall come to take it?"

Fu Dalong’s face was full of decadence, and the look in his eyes revealed...

Cheng Sheng reminded the cameraman: "Close-up on his face."

The cameraman quickly pushed the lens in, filming a ten-second close-up, capturing Fu Dalong’s expression on camera.

Wei Zongwan, playing Yuwen Huaji, walked in with soldiers and forced the abdication: "Yang Guang, you tyrant..."

Yang Guang, usually arrogant and overbearing, did not beg for mercy. He seemed to have anticipated that this day would come sooner or later; it was just a matter of time.

Because of this, Yang Guang did not change his haughty demeanor, shouting: "An Emperor should have an Emperor’s way of dying! Do not use swords or blades—bring the poisoned wine!"

Yuwen Huaji, who had already secured victory, spoke to Yang Guang with the attitude of a winner: "You’re at death’s door, do you still have so many demands?"

Knowing there was no turning back, Yang Guang held a three-foot-long white silk sash and walked slowly to the dragon throne. He pointed above the imperial desk and said sorrowfully: "This place is perfect. Hang me here. Those who enter from the door or peek from the window will, at a single glance, feel the grandeur of the heavens!"

At the moment Yang Guang’s life was about to end, his face was filled with helplessness, unwillingness, and disappointment—a sense of dying with his ambitions unfulfilled.

He stood on the imperial desk, slowly placed his head into the white silk, and looked into the distance with deep, hollow eyes, murmuring his final poem: "The setting sun is about to fall, one glance is enough to shatter the soul."

The tyrannical and licentious Yang Guang had made his final exit, but the ministers in the court had varied expressions—some felt the joy of the tyrant’s passing, while others worried about their future.

Fu Dalong’s portrayal of Yang Guang was truly excellent.

Every word, every expression, and the majesty of an Emperor.

Until Yang Guang died, everyone looked at Cheng Sheng, including the cameraman.

"Cut."

"Roar..."

"That was amazing."

"Teacher Fu Dalong, you are simply my idol."

"Wei Zongwan, you brought Yuwen Huaji to life."

The surrounding crowd couldn't help but shout. They were so excited at this moment; this was textbook acting.

The acting was so damn good that it pulled everyone into the scene.

If this movie went to awards ceremonies and Fu Dalong didn't win Best Actor, those film festivals should just shut down.

"Finally finished."

Fu Dalong let out a breath. This scene had shaken his soul; for a moment, he felt as if he had truly died.

All the scenes in Hengdian were finished, and the war scenes were over. The rest were mostly indoor shots that could be filmed back in Beijing.

Cheng Sheng called out to everyone: "Clean up the set. We’ll have a group dinner tonight, and we’ll all head back tomorrow."

"Alright..."

After more than three months, the filming had finally wrapped, and everyone cheered.

"Now that we're back at school, we’ll have plenty to brag about."

"Yeah! No one in the entire crew dragged us down. Basically, everything was done in one take; there were so few retakes. This whole thing is just magical."

"You know, you don't even see this on other sets."

"Everyone’s acting was on point! Especially Teacher Fu Dalong, Zheng Guolin, Zeng Li, and the other main actors—their acting was god-tier."

"Filming for Director Cheng Sheng is definitely a miraculous experience."

That night.

The crew had a dinner, which served as the wrap party.

All the staff were there.

Unfortunately, the military personnel had already returned.

After the war scenes were finished, the soldiers didn't linger for a second; they were taken back to their base by their commanding officer.

It would have been nice if they could have attended the wrap party.

Of course, that was just Cheng Sheng’s wishful thinking.

If they had actually attended, no single hotel could have hosted the party.

Feeding thousands of people at once—that’s something you’d only see in the military.

Cheng Sheng was quite happy that night, toasting with Fu Dalong and the other main actors, and he drank a bit too much.

Originally, teachers Zhang Yang and Yang Chao were there too, but they needed to teach classes at school, so after staying for over a week, they had already returned to the Central Academy of Drama.

After the meal, Cheng Sheng was helped back to his room by Zheng Guolin.

Knock, knock!

Not long after Zheng Guolin left, the groggy Cheng Sheng heard a knock at the door.