418: Chapter 418 Acting for Free

...

After confirming his role in "the mission", Lin Chuyan started to ponder his character over the past two days.

Director Du Qiyu had already told him everything that needed to be said.

A mid-level gangster, doing quite well, with a boss above him and underlings below him, who seemingly fought to the death in the end to protect this underling of his.

So...

How should this character be played?

I get to decide the character design myself, right? And I get to write the Lines myself too, right?

Lin Chuyan got excited.

As always, he took out paper and pen and began to write.

But this time was different from before.

Ever since he acquired a director's mindset, many ideas that previously lacked structure began to become organized.

Yanzi had truly learned something real.

He first wrote down the words "Background Setting".

The background here didn't refer to the era or family background; "the mission" clearly didn't cover these.

What he wrote was educational background.

Being able to reach a mid-level position in a gang at such a young age, what did that signify? It meant he had started living on the streets early; he definitely hadn't studied much, but... his abilities must be outstanding, and his personality must be very distinct, otherwise his subordinates wouldn't be convinced, and he wouldn't be able to lead the team well.

Based on this, what should Ah Lai's way of speaking and acting be like?

Lin Chuyan picked up his pen and wrote the second point: Personality Traits.

He kept writing, and the character's personality gradually took shape under his pen.

Ah Lai had to be daring and aggressive, charging to the front when things happened, and he also had to have brains, otherwise he wouldn't have made it at this age.

Ah Lai was loyal and a qualified big brother, otherwise he wouldn't have risked his life to protect his underling.

Ah Lai might also be a bit rash and impulsive, accustomed to solving problems with violence; this was determined by his upbringing. He could design some hand gestures for him, like throwing things, to reinforce this point.

Very good, this way the character's core personality and daily habits were all fleshed out.

Lin Chuyan continued to write the third point: Language Expression.

Ah Lai should be a person full of profanity; this was determined by his educational background.

But he could also be funny, which to a certain extent could flesh out the character and make him more brilliant—not intentionally funny, but acting out a sense of "unexpectedness".

For example: that famous line "Eat shit, you" from brother Jacky Cheung in his previous life.

He could perhaps design the specific Lines now; he would definitely be able to use them, no need to wait until joining the crew.

In addition, Ah Lai should usually speak with a loud voice.

Why? Because Director Du Qiyu said Ah Lai was a bar owner. In such occasions, it was often necessary to speak loudly, and over time, it became a habit.

Fourth point: External Image.

Lin Chuyan did not hesitate on this point, and could even say it was very clear: he must distinguish it from the characters he had played before.

As a bodyguard, he would definitely have to wear a suit in "the mission".

Gao Qisheng in "the knockout" dressed too well, wearing glasses, looking like a refined scumbag.

Then Ah Lai could be more "grounded" and a bit "dirtier".

For example, wearing a shirt with a brighter color under the suit? Adding an exaggerated, heavy-looking necklace?

Ear studs could also be included, but he couldn't have a head of white hair like in "the hovering blade"; that temperament wasn't right.

Lin Chuyan twirled his pen while thinking: He had many looks for his screen image, from long ancient hair to a slicked-back style, how about this time... go with a buzz cut?

Hmm, no rush, he would also need to touch base with Director Du Qiyu on this. But in all likelihood, he could convince him, after all, he was taking the initiative to break through his image.

Writing it all down like this, the character of Ah Lai finally had some depth.

Buzz cut, ear studs, exaggerated necklace, and a suit.

The temperament must be more roguish and dirtier, nothing to do with "refined".

Loud voice, loves to use profanity, very loyal, and also has brains.

...

Getting these done was actually about enough.

After all, what Director Du Qiyu gave him was still too little; things like the character's motivation and goals, psychological state, growth, and changes... all these would have to wait until joining the crew.

Thinking about it, the biggest challenge should still be improvisation.

Fortunately, back in "the knockout" crew, he had been trained a lot in this aspect by his senior.

Like the "Yes, And" principle his senior taught him back then: accept the information provided by the other party and expand on it based on that.

This was the core principle of improvisation.

For example, if his senior said "Ah Sheng, it looks like it's going to rain later", he could immediately reply "I just took a look, the umbrella at home seems to be broken, are you going out, brother?"

And on this basis, body language and expressions also had to keep up, otherwise it would appear thin.

Of course, the point he remembered most clearly was still the sentence his senior had said to him, which still influenced him to this day—

"Don't be afraid of making mistakes, improvisation has no right or wrong, only exploration and discovery."

Thinking this way, his whole body relaxed.

Bring it on, "the mission", right? Then let's have some real fun!

...

Having finished the preparatory homework before joining the crew, Wu Yue came to his office to find him.

"I've finished talking with Director Du Qiyu."

"Director Du Qiyu doesn't think this film will have very good box office returns, mainly because of the content of the film itself, he lacks confidence. After all, there isn't even a script, I can understand that."

"I summarized his words: this is a niche experimental work, and the cost is also very low."

"And he is not considering the mainland market either. He has thought it through very clearly: if he finds you to act, there will be no screenings in the mainland; if he doesn't find you to act, presumably no one would be willing to watch it anyway."

"So I gave him a suggestion. We can perform with zero salary, and we don't want box office revenue sharing either, with only one condition: if there are too few screenings in the mainland, or even no screenings at all, then "the mission" will simply go directly to streaming media platforms."

Holy crap, why does this operation sound so familiar? Lin Chuyan recalled his previous life.

Lin Chuyan hesitated a bit: "Is that okay? It breaks industry rules."

"Under normal circumstances, yes." Wu Yue asked him back, "But what if someone else makes the first move?"

—I want to release it, and it can be released, but you won't give me screenings!

Lin Chuyan was stunned for a moment, then understood in a second.

"la la land" was different, not to mention breaking industry rules, even if he sold the rights directly, he wouldn't break even. It needed global box office, it still had to take the proper path.

But a small-budget film like "the mission"...

"What did Director Du Qiyu say?"

"He couldn't stop laughing, calling me devious." Wu Yue also laughed, "He was too happy to stop, Director Du Qiyu knows your popularity."

Wu Yue continued: "Now it just depends on the quality of the final film. If the quality is poor, we'll take the loss; if the quality is high, then I'll go sell it with Director Du Qiyu, and it will definitely fetch a good price. As for how much we get, I'll discuss that with him slowly, preferably setting it up as a tiered model, for example, if it sells 100 million, how much you get; if it sells 500 million, how much more you can get..."

Wu Yue was radiating a dazzling light at this moment.

Lin Chuyan stood up: "Brother Yue, thirsty? Let me pour you a glass of water."