Just as everyone was in a daze, the sound of a camera flash startled them awake.
Director Gao snapped out of his daze and saw the photographer taking pictures of Chu Meibo with a feverish expression.
After the costume fitting photos were taken, Chu Meibo went to change her clothes, but the set was still reeling from the shock she had caused. It wasn't until Chu Meibo was almost gone with Shen Huai that the assistant director remembered to give them the shooting schedule.
Kui Ji's scenes weren't many, and filming would be completed in about half a month. Just as filming was finished, Chu Mei Bo was about to go to school.
Shen Huai and Chu Meibo were both quite satisfied.
Director Gao was also very satisfied. Chu Meibo's performance was better than he expected. She almost perfectly embodied the character of Kui Ji in his mind.
Finally, he decided that the promotional photos for Aoi-hime would show her back to back in profile with her two identities side by side, one with her head down looking pitiful, and the other with her head slightly raised looking arrogant.
She wasn't looking at the camera, yet everyone who saw this still couldn't help but be drawn to her.
However, before Director Gao could admire the promotional photos for long, the publicity officer came over with a computer and a pained expression: "Director Gao, this won't do!"
Director Gao frowned and looked over.
In "The Secret", apart from the main actors whose costume photos were specially released, the other supporting characters were all in a nine-grid photo. However, when the promotional photos were released, Director Gao was speechless.
They all wore the same outfits and had the same photography, but when the other people's photos were placed next to Chu Meibo's, they seemed to instantly look a step down.
It's not that they're bad, but Chu Meibo is just too good.
Her photograph... feels so alive, so vibrant, that even a still image can convey that feeling.
In comparison, the others seemed rather stiff.
The publicity officer said helplessly, "Director Gao, what should we do now?"
What else can we do? We can only change to a less outstanding one, otherwise, if we show this nine-square grid, people might think that the production team is showing favoritism.
However, Director Gao was reluctant to change it. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "No need to change the photo, let's change it to a silhouette."
The spokesperson's eyes lit up: "This is a good idea."
Aoi Hime is a highly controversial character in the original work. There are just as many people who like her as those who hate her. If she hadn't appeared so little, she could be considered a popular villain. It's understandable that she's a bit mysterious.
-
The production team of "The Secret" quickly released promotional photos.
With a large fanbase for the original work, the number of reposts and comments quickly increased.
When the supporting actors were featured in the nine-square grid, the publicity team carefully tagged all the actors. Chu Meibo, under Shen Huai's guidance, also reposted the Weibo post. Not knowing what to write, she simply posted a smiling emoji.
【Ahhhhh! This is my ideal junior sister! Junior sister is the best!】
Holy crap! This is Fei Zhe, and he's so ugly!
Why does everyone else have photos, but only Aoi-hime is a silhouette?!
[I heard that Aoi Ji is played by Liu Qingqing?]
Ahhh, Liu Qingqing! My childhood goddess (revealing my age)
[How could it be Liu Qingqing? This shadow clearly doesn't resemble a human...]
[Found her! It's @楚眉波. She just posted one Weibo post and seems like a newcomer! Did the production team just randomly pick someone to play Kui Ji?]
[Not just anyone can play Kui Ji; you're going to get criticized for this, @ChuMeiBo]
Chapter 44
Just as the promotional photos were generating a lot of buzz, Chu Meibo had already arrived at Shanyang Film and Television City with the film crew. This is the largest film and television base in the entire country, with more than a dozen shooting areas and two super-large modern studios.
Chu Meibo was stunned when she saw it. She stared at everything in front of her, the ancient city gate, the tall and majestic buildings, the magnificent city that once existed in history, and the beautiful palace that was destroyed by war, all completely restored in this small town.
After a long while, she slowly came to her senses: "How magnificent."
Shen Huai could understand her feelings at the moment, so he softened his voice and said, "This is just one of the filming locations. There are also palaces from other dynasties and a street with a Republican-era style. I can go with you to see them after filming is over."
Chu Meibo sighed, "When I first saw Hollywood, I thought that was the pinnacle of what I could imagine. I never imagined that one day, our own country would build such a film and television city."
Back when Gu Mei was at the height of her fame, she was invited to film in the United States, where she co-starred with top Hollywood stars. This caused a sensation throughout China at the time. After all, China was poor and weak then, and its people were treated as second-class citizens even on their own soil.
However, when Gu Mei went to Hollywood, even though she couldn't speak the language and faced discrimination, she was not timid at all. She exuded a powerful aura, like a burning flame, and held her own against the movie stars.
She conquered Hollywood with her own strength and gave people all over China a boost of confidence.
Shen Huai also thought of this period of history, and he seemed to be moved as well. He couldn't help but say, "China has more than just this one film and television city. We have others, and you will see them when you film in the future."
“Yes!” Chu Meibo laughed. “This country is getting better and better.”
Her gaze lingered on the scene, finally settling into a soft sigh: "That way... I'll feel that what I did back then was worthwhile."
-
The crew of "The Secret" held a ceremony to mark the start of filming. From the director to all the actors, they offered incense in turn. Then they filmed the first scene of the series, which was the first encounter between the male and female leads.
This part isn't difficult; you can get through it in one take.
The scenes on the first day were not heavy, and most of the time it was just the crew members getting to know each other. Because Director Gao likes to use newcomers, most of the actors in "The Secret" are also newcomers.
Chu Meibo was originally a bit cold, and her looks weren't top-tier in the entertainment industry where handsome men and beautiful women were plentiful, so not many people came to chat her up.
She didn't seem to care; she was just looking at the script.