NABC Chapter 80 Theme Song
Chapter 80 Theme Song
Although Lu Ran spoke calmly, his attitude was neither humble nor arrogant. His suggestion was a way to give Chen Ke a way out.
Director Chen Ke stared at Lu Ran for a few seconds, then said with some disdain:
"Okay, let's shoot one like you said. But I'm telling you upfront, if the result isn't good and it delays the schedule, don't interfere with the shooting anymore."
"No problem." Lu Ran nodded.
If even this requirement cannot be met, Lu Ran feels that the drama will not be of a high standard, and he will have to consider whether to hand over any other scripts to the company.
As per Lu Ran's request, the adjustments were completed quickly.
Lin Wei, who plays Huang Rong, and Zhang Fan, who plays Guo Jing, had bright eyes after listening to Lu Ran's individual acting instructions, as if they had gained a new understanding of their roles.
"Scene 1, Shot 3, Second Move, Action!"
In front of the camera, Lin Wei, who plays Huang Rong, ordered a table full of expensive dishes. After seeing Guo Jing agree without hesitation and take out the money, the smugness and cunning on her face suddenly froze for a moment.
The camera gave a close-up of this frozen movement.
Lin Wei handled it very well, perfectly presenting the effect that Lu Ran wanted.
She subconsciously lowered her head, picked up her chopsticks, and quickly shoveled a mouthful of white rice into her mouth, her chewing motion somewhat mechanical.
This action of looking down to eat lasted for about three seconds.
The camera lingered on her slightly trembling eyelashes and tightly pursed lips.
This single shot, through Lin Wei's subtle performance, also brought to life Huang Rong's emotional changes.
The scene shifts, and Lin Wei looks up, a smile returning to her face, her eyes curving into crescents. In an exaggerated tone, she says, "You're so silly, aren't you afraid I'll lie to you?"
But beneath Lin Wei's smile in this shot, there was clearly a subtle hint of emotion.
"Cut!"
As the segment ended, director Chen Ke stared intently at the monitor, remaining silent for a long time.
Chen Ke was indeed stunned by what he had just witnessed. Following Lu Ran's advice, the two actors perfectly captured the effect Lu Ran wanted.
Director Chen Ke put the two versions of the clips together and compared them repeatedly.
The first point is fast-paced, highly entertaining, and effectively establishes the relationships between the characters.
The second scene, though slightly slower-paced, subtly conveys a wealth of information through details like Huang Rong's head-down eating and the changes in her eyes.
After watching the comparison for a few minutes, director Chen Ke had to admit that the second version had a better artistic conception.
Finally, Director Chen Ke waved his hand: "Use the second take. Minister Lu, come here for a moment."
Seeing that Director Chen Ke had called him aside, Lu Ran knew that he had something to ask him.
Looking at this young man in front of him, Director Chen Ke really wanted to exclaim, "Young people are truly young!"
To have such a high level of directorial awareness at such a young age.
"How did you come up with all that? Have you watched a lot of movies? Have you studied directing?" The two walked to a corner of the venue, and Chen Ke asked directly.
"I haven't studied it specifically," Lu Ran said honestly. "When I'm writing a script, the images just naturally come to mind."
Lu Ran wasn't lying; when he was writing the script, he did indeed review several versions of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" from his previous life several times.
That's why he felt that the scene directed by Chen Ke just now was somewhat lacking in meaning.
Director Chen Ke nodded slowly, his displeasure gone, replaced by excitement: "It seems you're not just good at writing scripts, but also have a talent for directing. Are you interested in this line of work? You can direct the next film, and I'll keep an eye on things for you."
Chen Ke truly admired talent; many film school graduates might not have Lu Ran's unique vision.
"I'm sorry, Director Chen, I have no intention of becoming a director." Lu Ran refused directly.
Are you kidding me? I'm busy enough already, okay?
He would never do something so strenuous.
After a few days of overseeing the project, he already realized how busy a director is when making a TV series.
They barely have time to eat anymore.
This is completely contrary to the job Lu Ran wanted.
Director Chen Ke was somewhat disappointed to see Lu Ran refuse, but it was also within his expectations.
After this little incident, Director Chen Ke's attitude towards Lu Ran clearly changed.
Although he still had control over the filming, he would proactively seek Lu Ran's opinion on how to handle certain key plot points.
The two still had occasional disagreements, but more often they engaged in discussions, which actually made the atmosphere more harmonious.
Lu Ran also noticed that after half a month of intensive training, Tan Yu and the others had undergone a complete transformation.
Tan Yu's Yang Kang embodies both nobility and wickedness. His portrayal of the complex emotions, struggles, and deep affection he experiences when facing Mu Nianci is remarkably nuanced.
Zhao Dapeng's portrayal of Zhou Botong's naiveté and childlike nature is spot-on.
Sun Tianyu's portrayal of Ouyang Ke is suave yet ruthless, and he also captures Huang Rong's obsessive possessiveness quite well.
Liu Jun's portrayal of Yin Zhiping is also alright.
Overall, the progress of the group is quite remarkable. Tan Yu, in particular, has completely lost his playboy demeanor when he's not acting.
It can be said that the identity switch was extremely natural.
Lu Ran was quite pleased. These kids had really put in a lot of hard work and found the knack for it.
As filming wrapped up for the day, director Chen Ke called Lu Ran to his temporary office.
"Minister Lu, please sit down." Director Chen Ke's attitude was much more polite. He handed Lu Ran a cup of tea, and his expression seemed more serious than usual. "As for filming, I'm basically not worried anymore. The actors are in better and better condition, and the quality of the footage is very high."
Chen Ke first exchanged a few polite words: "However, there is one thing that has not yet been settled."
"What is it? Please tell me."
Theme song!
Director Chen Ke tapped the table. "The soul of a drama, besides the story and the performances, also depends heavily on the music. A martial arts epic like 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' must have a theme song that can command the stage. The melody should have a martial arts feel, the lyrics should have a chivalrous spirit, and ideally, it should also fit the plot."
"But unfortunately, I contacted several producers, but I wasn't very satisfied with their work."
Then, he looked at Lu Ran with expectant eyes: "I've heard you're very good at songwriting. I've listened to Liu Siqi's songs, and your own version of 'Rice Fragrance,' they're really impressive. Since you wrote the lyrics for this drama, you understand its soul best. Could you handle the theme song?"
Director Chen Ke looked at Lu Ran with anticipation.
Lu Ran had actually been thinking about this for a while, and immediately nodded: "Okay, I'll give it a try."
"Great!" Director Chen Ke slapped his thigh. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Just let me know what kind of support you need. Ideally, we should have a sample ready within two weeks."
"It won't take that long," Lu Ran said, getting up to leave. "I'll bring you a sample tomorrow."
If it weren't for the fear of scaring Director Chen, Lu Ran could have written the song for him on the spot. The main problem now is, who will sing it?
It can't be myself, can it?
...