sinovels Chapter 104 It's an honor
Chapter 104 It's an honor
The staging of the new scene was very complicated. Director Qin wanted to shoot it in a special way: the camera would first shoot at the river and then slowly pan in, from Bai Yu's back to his side, then to his front, and finally stop at a close-up of his eyes.
The whole process takes about two minutes. The camera position cannot move, the actors cannot make mistakes, and the light must remain at the same horizontal level.
It was filmed four times.
If it weren't for Bai Yu's unusually determined gaze, which didn't seem like that of someone with nowhere else to turn.
If Tan Zhuo's lines hadn't been a beat slower, the tension in the dialogue would have been lost.
On the fourth take, when the camera panned to him, Bai Yu was genuinely trying to hold back his tears. After Tan Zhuo said, "Then don't look back," he paused for two seconds, then said, "Li Jing, do you know what the only right thing I've ever done in my life is?"
"What is it?"
"It was you who came to find me back then."
When Director Qin yelled "Cut!", Tan Zhuo stood there staring at Bai Yu for a long time. Bai Yu looked away from the river and noticed her watching him, asking, "What's wrong?"
"The relationship is good."
Bai Yu was stunned for a moment. "Isn't that right? I feel that Jiang Yang has done so many righteous things in his life, but the person he cares about most is still Li Jing."
"So you did a good job," Tan Zhuo said. "It's rare to find a good actress among the new generation."
Bai Yu turned to look at Director Qin, who was writing something on a tablet. After finishing, Director Qin looked up at them and said, "Okay, okay, let's move on to the next scene."
In early December, filming entered its second half.
The most crucial scene is Jiang Yang's final act. He gathers all his evidence, packs it into a suitcase, and then completes his plan in the basement, using his life as the final bargaining chip to bring the truth to light.
Bai Yu's performance was very quiet.
Without any dramatic physical actions or emotional outbursts, a person sits at a table, neatly stacking stacks of documents, packing them into boxes, and zipping them up.
Then he stood up, walked to the mirror, and looked at himself in the mirror. He was fully prepared.
The camera followed his back for a few steps, then he stopped and looked back at the empty table.
That place was once filled with case files, evidence, and hope.
It's all empty now.
Bai Yu stood there, his lips moving slightly. There was no sound, but judging from his lip movements, he said two words: "I'm leaving." Then he pushed open the iron door to the basement and stepped into the light outside the camera's view.
After Director Qin yelled "Cut!", the set remained silent for a long time. No one spoke, no one applauded, and even the production assistants stood motionless in the corner. Then someone sniffed; it sounded like the sound engineer. Luo Jinnian stood up from behind the monitor and walked to Bai Yu's side. Bai Yu was still standing there, his back to everyone, his shoulders twitching slightly.
Luo Jinnian stood beside him, neither touching him nor speaking. After a while, Bai Yu turned around, his eyes still red.
Luo Jinnian laughed heartily.
Now that he's a seasoned veteran on set, he finds it refreshing to see the emotional investment of his "juniors."
In mid-December, filming for "The Silent Truth" wrapped up.
The final scene is Zhu Wei offering a toast at Jiang Yang's grave. Lao Yan stands in front of a prop tombstone, holding a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), pours three glasses of liquor and places them in front of the tombstone, then drinks one himself.
There were no lines in the script, but Lao Yan asked Luo Jinnian before filming began, "Can I say something?"
Luo Jinnian said yes.
After filming began, Lao Yan held his wine glass and remained silent for a long time. So long that Director Qin was about to yell "Cut!" Then Lao Yan spoke, his voice very soft, as if afraid of waking something: "Jiang Yang, our case is closed. You can rest over there now."
He poured the rest of the wine onto the soil in front of the grave, stood there for a while, then turned and left.
Director Qin called "Cut!" but not "Cut!" He kept the camera focused on the wine glass, filming for over ten seconds an empty shot of the wine seeping into the soil, so slowly that it was almost imperceptible.
The wrap-up photo was taken amidst a commotion. Everyone stood together, Bai Yu in the middle holding a bouquet of flowers, Lao Yan beside him, and Tan Zhuo on the other side. Director Qin stood at the very edge, holding a sign that read "Congratulations on Wrapping Up Filming." Luo Jinnian stood outside the crowd, not squeezing in.
He watched those people laugh, hug, take photos, and smear cake on each other's faces.
Bai Yu handed the flowers to a stagehand next to him. Lao Yan was gesturing to the photographer which pose looked cool. Tan Zhuo was surrounded by a group of people taking pictures and was laughing happily.
Director Qin walked over, holding a glass of water. "Filming's finished. How did it go?"
Luo Jinnian thought for a moment, "It's like watching someone live their life right before your eyes, and then watching them leave."
Director Qin paused for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go eat."
We had dinner at a roadside food stall by the river.
Bai Yu sat next to Luo Jinnian and suddenly said, "Do you think Jiang Yang found out later? Did he find out what his death really brought him?"
What do you think?
"I think he knew," Bai Yu said. "The kind of person he is thinks about the consequences before he does anything. When he put himself into that game as a pawn, he must have considered everything."
Luo Jinnian picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks but didn't reply.
Someone called Bai Yu over for a drink. He stood up and walked away, but after a few steps, he turned back and looked at Luo Jinnian with a serious expression, as if he were saying something important: "Next time you have a good script, don't ask anyone else."
Luo Jinnian nodded.
A breeze blew across the river, carrying the smells of fish and beer.
A ship sailed by in the distance, its whistle sounding long and drawn out like a drawn-out sigh.
Luo Jinnian sat there and finished the drink he hadn't finished.
Across the table, Director Qin was discussing the editing plans with Lao Yan, Tan Zhuo was gesturing with the cinematographer about the best angle to shoot the river view, and the production crew were already planning how late they would sleep in the next day. Luo Jinnian sat among them, listening to these voices, feeling like a point outside the frame, both present and absent.
"The Silent Truth" is a drama about a person's life, watching that person go from being full of vigor to being exhausted and then calmly facing death.
That person's name was Jiang Yang, a fictional character who only existed in the script. But standing on the wrap party, watching that figure slowly walking away with an umbrella in the rain, he knew that Jiang Yang had lived.
He lived, at least in the play.
Luo Jinnian put down the cup, stood up and walked to the riverbank, looking at the lights in the distance.
"The Silent Truth" has finished filming. It will be released online in a few months, and many people will watch it, many people will cry, and many people will remember the name Jiang Yang.
The sweat and stories shed on set, the true feelings and tears, will remain hidden behind every shot, unseen by the audience.