Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 456 - 457: Shortlisted for Berlin

Chapter 456: Chapter 457: Shortlisted for Berlin

The key scenes were incredibly challenging to shoot, as they needed to showcase the cunning intelligence of each thief, with solo performances lasting one or two minutes that relied solely on the actors’ skills.

The director decided to film Sheng Yan and He Jinxia’s scenes first, allowing Qin Siqin and Yu Yanyu to get a feel for it later on.

When Luo You came to the set with exciting news, he saw He Jinxia swinging a long whip around, creating a crisp "snap" as it struck the ground.

She was filming a fight scene, blending dialogue with action.

He Jinxia held the whip, snapping it towards a designated spot, then quickly retracted it, glaring fiercely at those blocking her path and said, "Get out of my way!"

A major villain, clad all in black, stepped forward and, waving both hands, commanded, "Charge!"

Five men in black immediately sprinted towards He Jinxia.

Of course, though it was called sprinting, their speed was deliberately slow.

This scene had already been done twice, with He Jinxia looking for the right rhythm in the previous takes. This time, there were no issues.

The men in black, one after another, charged at her. He Jinxia first kicked one over by the legs, then spun around to strike another in the chest before snapping her whip once more.

The whip struck elsewhere, creating a noise that made the men in black, upon hearing it, fall back in terror.

With two still standing, He Jinxia spun her body and swung the whip horizontally at them.

Although the whip was far from the two men, they still performed a backward flying motion, and the encirclement was broken.

The director seized the moment while He Jinxia was still in high spirits and swiftly called Yu Yanyu over.

Yu Yanyu was dressed in a silver work suit, sporting a green monocle over his right eye, giving off a distinct spy-like vibe.

He ran swiftly from the entrance, then paused abruptly, looking over the chaotic scene with a grave expression and, in surprise, turned to He Jinxia and said, "Did you do all this?"

He Jinxia, dressed in brown leather with a matching brown bodysuit and her hair pulled back, standing with the Long Whip in hand, resembled a forest hunter.

She glanced casually at Yu Yanyu. "Just warming up. A dozen more like these, and I could still take them on," she remarked nonchalantly.

Yu Yanyu smiled but began backing away, "Heh, you really are impressive. Since you’ve already taken this area, I’ll just find another spot..."

Yu Yanyu hadn’t finished speaking when He Jinxia’s eyes sharpened, and she lashed her whip out towards him.

In post-production, this scene would be given special effects treatment, with the whip winding around Yu Yanyu’s waist like a nimble snake.

But at this moment, the crew simply tied a green ribbon around Yu Yanyu’s waist to represent the whip.

Yu Yanyu was also rigged with wires, and when the director yelled "Action," Yu Yanyu’s body was lifted slightly by the tension, and he had to act as if his entire body was swinging.

He Jinxia was no longer needed at this point and could take a break.

Yu Yanyu, due to his over-exaggerated expressions and body language, had to reshoot the scene upon the director’s request, focusing on his dangling in mid-air after being caught by the whip.

This sequence was quite difficult because it wasn’t a real whip, and the effect of being bound and pulled by the whip had to come from Yu Yanyu’s imagination.

Based on previous NG takes, this scene wouldn’t be wrapped up in less than half an hour.

After three days of shooting together, He Jinxia had come to understand that Qin Siqin and Yu Yanyu were stars who were overly concerned with their image, unable to let go.

Although they possessed exceptional on-screen beauty, they were too fond of chasing the camera, constantly remaining vigilant in front of the lens, never forgetting to showcase their beauty every minute and every second.

For stars who don’t act, such vigilance is good, but when it comes to acting, this instinct becomes an obstacle, as they will deliberately pursue their beauty in the camera and neglect other aspects of their performance.

In front of the camera, such a stance gives off a feeling of being tied up, a sense that one is not able to let go.

Most of the difficulty in shooting came from this.

He Jinxia stood in place watching for a while but didn’t continue; instead, she went to look for Cheng Xiaohua.

Upon closer inspection, she discovered Cheng Xiaohua standing next to the assistant director, talking about something, and beside her was Luo You!

A look of surprise crossed He Jinxia’s face. Why did Brother Luo have time to come to the set today? Was he here to visit her on set?

Just as she was about to walk over, suddenly, she saw another person joining in the group, it was Zhang Ming!

Odd, how come Sheng Yan’s agent was also here? What kind of wind was blowing today that had blown all their agents over here?

Luo You, while chatting, caught a glimpse of He Jinxia from the corner of his eye and hurriedly waved at her.

With a puzzled face, He Jinxia walked over and asked, "Brother Luo, Brother Zhang Ming, why have you both come together today? Is there some good news?"

Luo You’s lips curled into a wide smile, clearly delighted but still trying to maintain some reserve and said, "There is some good news to tell you."

He Jinxia looked at him, then at Zhang Ming who was also sporting a triumphant smile, and felt their smiles merge into one at that moment, which seemed rather sinister.

Just as He Jinxia was about to ask what the good news was, Cheng Xiaohua couldn’t wait and grabbed her hand, excitedly exclaiming:

"Jinxia, you have been shortlisted for the Berlin New Generation special exhibition unit! Your work has been shortlisted for the Berlin Film Festival, you have to fly to Berlin for the festival, aaaah!"

The Berlin Film Festival, one of the world’s four major film festivals, holds a lofty and supreme status in the hearts of many filmmakers.

He Jinxia still remembered that the first Movie King trophy Sheng Yan held in his hands was Berlin’s Golden Bear Award!

Her mind went blank for a moment, Berlin’s special exhibition unit shortlisting, Golden Bear Award, Sheng Yan, Movie Queen... these words kept swirling in her mind and refused to dissipate.

Cheng Xiaohua’s excited voice continued: "Jinxia, I didn’t expect you to be shortlisted, it’s a great opportunity, even if you don’t win any award, just being shortlisted is enough to prove your acting skills, I want to see who would dare say your acting is not good..."

Zhang Ming also said with a restrained smile, "Sheng Yan has also been shortlisted for this award and will be competing for the Movie King prize."

Luo You: "Sheng Yan has a high chance of winning this time, as everyone has seen his acting skills."

Zhang Ming shook his head:"Hard to say, in ’World,’ his role is good, but the room for performance is limited, and you can’t see him pushing the limits."

...

In the midst of their conversation, suddenly, at a certain moment, He Jinxia’s heart skipped a beat, and she slowly came back to her senses, exhaling a long breath and said:

"The special exhibition unit selects works and not actors, doesn’t it? Seeing how excited you all are, I thought I was competing for Movie Queen, you scared me to death."