Casting and Filming Begins

On May 18, after extensive discussions, invitations, and auditions, the principal cast of Painted Skin was finally settled.

Wang Sheng would be played by Chen Kun; Xiao Wei by Zhou Xun; Peirong by Zeng Li; the demon hunter by Donnie Yen; and the Lizard Spirit by Huang Bai.

In the end, they secured Donnie Yen for the role of the demon hunter. President Han of China Film Group felt that some Hong Kong elements were still needed. After all, if handled well, Hong Kong's box office ceiling of several tens of millions was a market of no small size.

As it happened, Donnie Yen had been riding high these past two years. He had appeared in Old Mouzi's Hero in 2002, followed by Love on the Rocks and The Twins Effect II in 2004. This year he had several more films coming out, including Old Freak Tsui's Seven Swords in July and SPL: Sha Po Lang in November.

Donnie Yen also had a martial arts background, which would allow for more spectacular fight scenes.

With that in mind, Wei Jin readily agreed. President Han rarely offered an opinion, so Wei Jin had to respect it. Otherwise, did he really think Zuo Shandiao was a vegetarian?

As for their fees, Chen Kun received two million, Zhou Xun appeared for half price and took only 1.5 million, Zeng Li received one million, Donnie Yen three million, and Huang Bai 500,000. Although it was a supporting role, Huang Bai was, after all, the king of heartbroken love songs and had a fan base.

The principal actors alone took eight million in fees. With the supporting cast included, the film's acting fees reached ten million.

Wei Jin himself secured a fee of eight million as screenwriter and director. However, Painted Skin had a great many special effects shots that required piles of money. If Wei Jin took his fee, the production funds would be a little tight, so he converted it into an investment.

At present, most actors and directors in China did not command particularly high fees, and producers could generally afford to pay them.

But international superstars like Big Brother Cheng and Jet Li commanded more than ten million US dollars. Fees like that were simply beyond the means of domestic producers.

So when these international superstars appeared in domestic films, they generally reduced their fees. Even then, their starting price was still several tens of millions of yuan, so converting their fees into investment stakes and receiving a share of the box office became a compromise.

The calculations involved were complicated, far more so than paying a fee outright. Sometimes the producers lost out, and sometimes the actors did.

On May 20, the Wei Jin Fengliu Film and Television Company officially announced the cast of Painted Skin.

A week of speculation of every kind had finally come to an end, only for an even bigger commotion to begin...

Previously, media outlets had reported extensively on potential cast members, and the fans of quite a few stars had thought their idols had victory in the bag. Now that the dust had settled, an uproar broke out online.

Zhou Xun's fans were naturally on top of the world, celebrating so wildly they were practically ready to set off firecrackers.

The fans of several other popular leading actresses were not so happy. Some thought the casting was unfair, some spoke out to boycott the film, and others stormed Zhou Xun's and Zeng Li's Tieba forums.

That was right, Sister Li had a Tieba forum of her own now. The young fan who had run into her last time went back and posted their photo together and her autograph on Tieba, attracting a crowd of onlookers. Everyone praised how beautiful Zeng Li looked even in casual clothes, and the forum became a gathering place for her fans.

The male cast caused little stir, though Huang Bai's appearance drew a round of laughter from his fans. It was another role in which he gave of himself in silence, with a touch of the simp about him. There was no turning back now on his road as the king of heartbroken love songs.

Ignoring the commotion outside, Wei Jin brought the principal creative team to Hengdian on May 23. The film's many scenes set inside the city would be shot in Hengdian, while the production would move to Ningxia at the end for location shooting. That was also within Western Film Group's sphere of influence.

The crew had arrived a week earlier to prepare the sets, and by the time Wei Jin and the principal creative team arrived, a small city had already been put together and looked the part.

Wei Jin felt a script read-through was necessary before filming. On one hand, it would give the actors a chance to become more familiar with one another and build rapport; on the other, it would help them better understand the script and carry out the performances the director wanted.

After Wei Jin briefly explained the background to his writing of the script and each character's personality, the principal cast gained a deeper understanding of their roles.

After the read-through, Wei Jin arranged for the principal actors to put on their makeup and shoot a few test scenes, which could also serve as behind-the-scenes footage.

Wei Jin planned to release a little spoiler-free behind-the-scenes footage online every few days, from the start of filming to the wrap, to keep the film in the public eye.

There was no helping it. A man's word was like a nail driven in with a spit for each stroke. He had said he would break the record, so he had to pull out every trick in the book.

That night, everyone had a simple meal together to get acquainted. After all, they would be spending their days and nights together for two months.

The next day, Wei Jin held a simple, low-key opening ceremony, and filming officially began on Painted Skin.

Wei Jin's version of Painted Skin was not set in any particular dynasty. Instead, it took place in a fictional frontier city. Wang Sheng, played by Chen Kun, was the general defending the city. One day, he rode out to wipe out a band of brigands and unexpectedly rescued a beautiful woman: Xiao Wei, played by Zhou Xun, a fox demon wearing human skin.

Seeing how heroic and martial Wang Sheng was, Xiao Wei took a liking to him. She claimed that her whole family had been killed, that brigands had abducted her and brought her there, and that she had nowhere to go.

Out of sympathy and pity, mingled with a few feelings he could not put into words, Wang Sheng took Xiao Wei home.

Wang Sheng's wife, Peirong, treated Xiao Wei very well after hearing about her past, though she also felt a faint worry that her husband might have other intentions. Because of her virtuous nature and her guilt over having borne no children, she could hardly stand in the way and could only wrestle with it in her heart.

Wang Sheng was just as conflicted. He did have some feelings for Xiao Wei, but he also loved his wife dearly and could not bring himself to make a decision.

Things were simpler for Xiao Wei. She had set her sights on Wang Sheng and wanted to replace Pei Rong, but she had not found a suitable opportunity, so she could only lie low and wait.

The three of them were caught in this constant tug-of-war. Meanwhile, because Xiao Wei liked eating human hearts, she sent her subordinate, the Lizard Spirit, to dig them out. The whole city was gripped by fear, and rumors that a demon was in the city began to spread.

Hearing that there was a demon here, the demon hunter hurried over, and the curtain officially rose on this tragic love triangle between humans and a demon.

"Cut! Brother Kun, your eyes need to show more conflict. Don't rely on your facial expression alone. Again."

A week had passed since filming officially began. During that week, Wei Jin had shot some relatively simple scenes, most of them involving a single actor.

After a few days of working together, everyone's understanding of their roles had grown deeper, and the actors had gradually developed a rapport.

Today, Wei Jin began filming the emotional scenes. Fortunately, the actors were all fairly professional, and most scenes passed after just a few takes.

The scene being filmed at that moment showed Wang Sheng faced with Xiao Wei's seduction, his body responding honestly while his heart was torn.

"Cut! The emotion's wrong. Say, are you and Zhou Xun too familiar with each other? Her seduction isn't having any effect!"

After spending a few days together, Zhou Xun's easygoing, straightforward personality had won Wei Jin's favor, so he gave her the nickname she had borne in his previous life.

Zhou Xun was very pleased when she heard it, and from then on, everyone on set called her Zhou Xun.

"Kun'er, do you really have no feelings for me?"

Zhou Xun teased him from the side.

"Ahem, Director, let me get into character again. Give me five minutes."

The days of filming passed one by one. Wei Jin filmed during the day and went to Sister Li's room to ride a horse at night. Though life was dull and monotonous, seeing Sister Li in her costume, dressed from head to toe in period attire, made Wei Jin feel that making movies really was a joy.