After King of Heaven Liu finished listening, he imagined it in his mind and re-planned his performance style.
A dozen minutes later, King of Heaven Liu was completely ready and the shooting started again.
This time, the effect was significantly better, as King of Heaven Liu now looked like a farmer who had been through many hardships, rather than the glamorous King of Heaven Liu.
Yang Chen had said that as long as there were no issues on King of Heaven Liu’s side, he could ensure passing on the first take without needing to reshoot.
He did as he said, truly completing the shot in one go, from the tunnel to the breakfast shop.
Because many people had gathered around the breakfast shop waiting to see King of Heaven Liu, the crew had to quickly go up and communicate with the crowd, hoping they would disperse and not affect the filming.
However, the crowd was too enthusiastic, and no one was willing to leave. In the end, it had to be King of Heaven Liu who personally went forward to disperse them.
Yang Chen transformed into the on-set director and props master, arranging nearby tables and chairs according to his memory, and organizing the diners’ seating and so on.
Before officially starting to shoot, Yang Chen emphasized to King of Heaven Liu Uncle Zhang’s expressions, demeanor, and psychological activities at the time.
Yang Chen: "Uncle Zhang’s stomach was growling with hunger, but he was embarrassed to eat the breakfast I treated him to, so at first, he declined. Later, I said that I ordered too much and couldn’t finish it, and Hai City is a big city where people are quite particular. If we returned it, the owner wouldn’t be able to sell it, as no one wants buns returned by others, so he ate a little. You need to show the change from restraint to fully releasing nature, do you understand what I mean?"
King of Heaven Liu: "I think I get what you mean. Let’s go through it once and see the effect, and you can remind me if anything’s off. Okay?"
Yang Chen nodded and rehearsed with King of Heaven Liu.
The crew members acting as diners began whispering among themselves.
"President Yang is really amazing, daring to teach King of Heaven Liu how to act."
"Don’t underestimate that it’s President Yang’s first time acting, but he’s very natural at it."
"That’s true, if King of Heaven Liu wasn’t sitting next to him, you wouldn’t even be able to tell he was acting."
"If this movie is done well, President Yang might win the Best Supporting Actor award. After all, he’s been helping the protagonist search for his son from beginning to end, and his role is very important, with lots of room to play."
"That’s for later. I just admire the way President Yang talks about acting; it’s always to the point, and even King of Heaven Liu nods in agreement."
...
Acting, you see, really requires talent.
Some good actors can act in any role and be convincing, which is talent.
Some actors, no matter the role, just stare blankly and shout, which is no talent.
So, what exactly is talent in acting?
It’s being good at imagination, sensation, and expression. That’s what talent is.
Fortunately, Yang Chen is strong in all three areas, so naturally, he shows a good form.
Soon, under Yang Chen’s careful explanation, King of Heaven Liu fully captured the nuances of Uncle Zhang’s mindset and expressions during that scene.
The director gave the command to start filming.
It was another first-take success, with no need for retakes.
Peng Zhenzhen: "Cut! Good! Haha... President Yang, Mr. Liu, your cooperation is truly amazing. It’s the first time I’ve encountered such a smoothly shooting team!"
King of Heaven Liu laughed heartily and said, "Director, let me tell you! This is also the first time I’ve met such a cooperating partner! I feel more comfortable now than when acting with Wei Zai and Qingyun. A good actor can really infect their counterpart, and I definitely felt it."
Yang Chen: "With King of Heaven Liu speaking so highly, we must collaborate on another commercial blockbuster! Later, you can find a script; preferably something like ’Infernal Affairs’ or ’A Better Tomorrow.’ I’ll play the bad guy, you play the good guy."
King of Heaven Liu: "Haha... Sure! Let’s say it’s settled then. Once I finish my current tasks, I’ll find someone to write the script. A dual-protagonist type, you know. But, I want to play a bad guy this time, and you play the good guy. I want to challenge myself since I don’t have much time left to act, so I wish to leave some more distinctly characterized roles for everyone."
Yang Chen: "No problem! Let’s settle it like that. I’ll be waiting for your invitation."
King of Heaven Liu: "No problem! Hahaha..."
If the other actors knew about this, they’d be green with envy.
Others can only dream of acting alongside King of Heaven Liu but are unable to achieve it.
Yet Yang Chen arranged the next role with just a few words, truly making one envious.
The scene originally planned for a day’s shooting was completed in a morning.
The director promptly ordered to proceed with shooting the next scene, which was the very important ride-hailing scene of searching the city for the child.
This was a major scene, requiring Yang Chen to once again call in the ride-hailing brothers, hang posters of King of Heaven Liu and the child on the cars, and drive through the streets and alleys of Hai City, with the crew shooting the scenes in different places.
Since this movie was what Yang Chen wanted to make, he naturally put in all his effort.
He immediately posted a message in the ride-hailing driver group, hoping that those who could help would come over to lend a hand.
When the drivers saw they could meet King of Heaven Liu, they rushed over in droves.
More than three hours later, the ride-hailing cars with posters of King of Heaven Liu and the child were distributed throughout different parts of Hai City.
In this era of everyone using TikTok, it was a great means of promotion.
Indeed, many of Hai City’s citizens recorded videos and posted them on TikTok.
"Wow, the story about searching for a missing child throughout the city has been made into a movie, and the lead is King of Heaven Liu."
"Which company made such a big splash, able to invite King of Heaven Liu to shoot this type of movie, truly impressive!"
"Any product from King of Heaven Liu is bound to be top-notch, I definitely have to go see this movie in theaters."
"But the outcome in reality was too tragic. I hope the movie’s ending is better, with the child reunited with the father in good condition. Things that can’t be achieved in reality, hopefully, can be fulfilled in movies."
"I feel this movie could earn a high box office and definitely win many awards. When I saw the news, I really couldn’t help but cry. I believe there are many viewers like me, and I also believe there are many judges like me."
...
Wow, the movie just started filming and it has already gone viral online.
This heat can’t go to waste.
Yang Chen ordered the crew to register Weibo and TikTok accounts, update them daily with some behind-the-scenes anecdotes and so on, and start promoting the movie now, to whet the audience’s appetite. When it premieres, at least they can capture the first batch of audiences going to the cinema. As for how it performs later, that depends on the movie’s quality.