Xia Zhiyi that she had been unwittingly cast as a great beauty. She followed Xu Zixu's team and traveled by car to the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, where the production team had already temporarily set up a tent.
After the group arrived, the director chatted briefly with Xia Zhiyi, then gave him an unsharpened sword and gestured for him to try it out. Xia Zhiyi immediately performed a sword dance for him, and the director's eyes lit up instantly.
The rest of the work went smoothly.
Xu Zixu filmed several singing scenes close to the camera, while Xia Zhiyi filmed a scene of a young swordsman Jianghu in this forest, which also included many fight scenes.
The script the director initially gave Xia Zhiyi was rather restrained, mainly focusing on filming scenes of Xia Zhiyi leaping through the forest. After all, this was one of the reasons why Xu Zixu initially wanted Xia Zhiyi to be the lead in the music video.
But now...
Add more fight scenes! Add more! Keep adding more!
Xia Zhiyi: "..."
Xu Zixu didn't film many scenes. He was already sitting in the shed, holding a teacup, watching Xia Zhiyi fighting back and forth with a group of men in black in the woods. It looked quite lively.
Xu Zixu: "That's really impressive."
Assistant: "That's amazing!"
Xu Zixu didn't turn around, but asked his assistant, "Which scene are we shooting now? It seems like Director Li is getting a bit carried away. Do we really need this many shots for our music video?"
Assistant: "... I don't know, I guess a lot will have to be cut in the end."
Xu Zixu: "Alas, what a pity."
The assistant lowered her voice. " Sister Zixu, it seems like Director Li has already forgotten we're filming a music video."
The filming went smoothly.
Everything went very smoothly.
Aside from the initial awkward silences and slight mishaps, after that, Director Li would give a brief explanation, Xia Zhiyi would perform the scene accordingly, and then Director Li would say, "Cut!"
Then Director Li arranged another scene for us.
The key lies in...
Assistant: " Director Li and the screenwriter are discussing again, are we... able to finish filming today?"
Xu Zixu: "..."
Xu Zixu: "I think Director Li is filming a short film."
Assistant: "... What should we do then?"
Xu Zixu rubbed his forehead, thought for a moment, put down his teacup, and stood up. "I'll go tell Director Li."
It's not that we can't film it, it's just... that's not how it's written in the contract. If Director Li really wants to film a short film with Xia Zhiyi, he has to follow the rules.
You can't pay someone for one job but make them do two.
Director Li was in high spirits when Xu Zixu arrived. They had just finished filming a scene, and Director Li pulled Xia Zhiyi aside to explain the scene, "... Next, you'll do it like this, and then I'll have someone come in from the west..."
Xu Zixu cleared his throat; " Director Li."
Director Li was somewhat displeased at being interrupted. He turned around and saw Xu Zixu, paused for a moment, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Before Xu Zixu could speak again, Director Li seemed to remember something, waved his hand, and said, "Oh, your scenes are finished. You can leave anytime you want. I'll have someone send the sample footage to your agent later."
Xu Zixu: "... No, Director Li, our original script wasn't this long."
The initial script consisted of several scenes filmed by the protagonist, Xia Zhiyi, and then these scenes were combined with Xu Zixu's song to create a story about a young swordsman.
It's really simple.
Because the music video follows the length of the song.
Even if we wanted to shoot more footage, it seems like we've already exceeded the available material.
Because Xia Zhiyi basically nailed it in one take, no one expected that Xia Zhiyi, an ordinary person who didn't study acting, would have such good acting skills.
They arrived at around 10:30, and it's already 5:00 PM by now. It will be dark in about an hour, which is way beyond the expected duration.
The others were hesitant to disturb Director Li's filming, but Xu Zixu had to come over and remind him.
Xu Zixu looked at Xia Zhiyi and found that even though Xia Zhiyi had been dragged around taking pictures all afternoon, she didn't look tired at all, and her expression didn't change much. She didn't show any impatience at all, and stood there gently, looking very good-tempered.
Xu Zixu: "..."
That's impressive.
In every respect, they are quite impressive.
She originally wanted to tell Director Li that he wasn't tired, and that the actors, having filmed for so long with barely any rest, should be exhausted too, but...
Xu Zixu turned his head again and looked at the scattered extras who had each found a place to rest.
Let's take a look at Xia Zhiyi.
Xu Zixu: The contrast is so obvious.
Is this the difference between someone who has learned martial arts and Ordinary Person?
That's too strong.
Thinking this, Xu Zixu smiled and said to Director Li, who seemed a little hesitant, " Director Li, I just wanted to remind you that our Teacher Xia, is still a student. He has classes tomorrow, and it's already getting late."
Upon hearing this, Director Li seemed to only then realize the passage of time. He patted around his body before finding his phone and checking the time.
He sighed, "Why is it already evening?"
Xu Zixu smiled and looked at Xia Zhiyi.
Then, she said to Director Li Director Li, "If you still want to continue filming, you could consider asking Teacher Xia to direct a short film."
Upon Xia Zhiyi paused slightly, then smiled and said, "Ah, that might be a bit troublesome. Actually, I've already signed with an agency and have taken on a TV series and a movie. Although I really want to officially collaborate with Director Li, I might not be able to schedule it."
As she spoke, Xia Zhiyi scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed, and said to Director Li, "After all, I think it's still very necessary to get a degree from University A."
When Xia Zhiyi first met Director Li, Xu Zixu had already mentioned that he was actually a top student in a tone of an older sister showing off her younger brother. At the time, Xu Zixu did this so that Xia Zhiyi wouldn't be looked down upon. Now, it has become an excuse for Xia Zhiyi to politely decline Director Li's offer.
He definitely won't let his studies be delayed by his current part-time job; his attitude is very clear.
Clearly, Xia Zhiyi's reasoning was very convincing.
Director Li: "Ah, right, you're still a student at University A. You really need to focus on your studies. Sigh, I still have so many ideas. I just finished rewriting a script with Screenwriter Wang and wanted to give it a try. What a pity."
Xia Zhiyi smiled and said, "I'm sorry, but if I have enough time, I'd be happy to cooperate with you."
Director Li stroked his chin and asked, "I won't ask about the movie, but the TV series script... I remember you and Fu Yunyi seemed to have a good relationship?"
"I just heard that there was a bit of an accident on the set of Fu Yunyi's film crew a while ago. You weren't pulled in to fill in, were you?"
Xia Zhiyi: "... You're so smart."
That's right.