001 |Script reading(1)

The adaptation of the novel Same or Not(abo) into a film has sparked controversy online, but the curiosity over who the two male leads in the movie are seems to overshadow the contentious adaptation issues. 

The outline of the conceptual poster outlines the characters imagined by book fans, leading numerous netizens to comb through half of the entertainment industry holding onto the movie's conceptual poster, yet failing to find two actors of suitable age whose image and temperament closely match the original characters. 

The two protagonists hidden in the conceptual poster are truly abstract. However, these factors have had no impact on the film crew.

The creation of the entire film crew of Same or Not took half a year, with the director being Lu Cheng, who had recently won the Best Film of the Year at one of the most influential independent film festivals in Europe and America. The producer is his long-time collaborator Chen Lu, while the production, costume design, and other behind-the-scenes teams consist of an international team of talents. The production and post-production promotion are led by a dozen media companies under the leadership of the S.D. Group.

The science fiction market is like finding a needle in a haystack, high-risk high-return projects resemble an unknown gamble. In the context of the Chinese film market, science fiction, as a new genre, needs more market appeal. Therefore, most science fiction film projects incorporate science fiction as an additional element, cleverly focusing on love and family relationships rather than other themes. 

At the inception of the project, the core members of the production team did not intend to merely treat science fiction as an additional element to explore a few social issues, but rather aimed to deconstruct historical problems from a futuristic perspective. 

Similarly, they also sought to prove one thing - in an industry and market dominated by commercialisation and mass production, the young filmmakers of this generation can focus wholeheartedly and earnestly create a quality piece of work. 

Despite numerous challenges, they remain steadfast in their original intentions. 

Accordingly, the selection of actors by the production team was very rigorous. 

The team gathered male actors with prominent or unknown reputations in the industry, excluding those whose orientation did not meet the requirements, and then eliminating those whose acting skills did not meet the standards, before conducting three rounds of auditions. 

Apart from the confirmation that Zhong Shao would play Yu Yue, the number of people left after multiple rounds of selection was not as many as expected. 

Upon receiving audition invitations, the team strictly outlined their requirements for incoming actors after receiving a "YES" reply. There were four requirements. Firstly, all actors had to join the team in advance and engage in a closed script reading session, during which only one assistant or agent was allowed to accompany the actor; Secondly, the status of all actors was equal, and they were not allowed to drop out or take leave until the end of filming (with exceptions for special circumstances); Thirdly, the entire filming process was recorded live, and if dubbing was needed in post-production, the actors themselves had to perform the dubbing work; Fourthly, the actors and their teams were required to maintain strict confidentiality throughout the project. 

These requirements may be considered basic for the former circle of actors, but for most young actors nowadays, they are regarded as "professionalism." In the current industry environment, only by clearly setting out such rules can most of the industry's common "unwritten rules" be exposed, turning the impossible into possible. 

This is the only way for the production team to select the exact cast and crew they desire.

Another male lead character in the movie, Song Chunuan had already chosen someone in her heart, but she had never revealed it. 

A good actor never disappoints, the acclaimed character, Yu Cheng, chosen by Song Chunuan was no exception. He successfully secured another Alpha role - Ji Chen.

Under the Starry Group, there are several resort hotels, with the most private one announcing two months ago that it was undergoing maintenance renovations and temporarily closed to the public. In reality, it was the filming location and working base for the movie.

Shortly after the project was revealed, the two leading actors - Zhong Shao and Yu Cheng - arrived at the hotel arranged by the crew for check-in according to the contract. 

Zhong Shao, dressed casually in simple attire with just a black mask, received the room key from the reception, nodded in thanks, and then headed towards the elevator with his agent, Tan Ye, each pushing a suitcase, keeping a low profile.

As the elevator doors opened, the person inside saw Zhong Shao, "Zhong ——"

After a brief pause, the young man slightly bent down and greeted Zhong Shao, "Hello, Zhong laoshi (lao shi, there can be literally seen as 'teacher')."."

Zhong Shao glanced at the young man walking out of the elevator, dressed in a plain black tracksuit with no accessories. His clean face highlighted his distinctive eyebrows, looking different from the youthful yet mature face in the movie. 

"Yu Cheng," Zhong Shao accurately called out his name, lowering his voice a bit and said, "Just call me by my name."

Yu Cheng hesitated for a moment and replied, "...Okay."

As they entered the elevator, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Zhong Shao's mouth beneath the mask.

The script reading was held in the top-floor conference room. 

To meet the needs of the production team, the conference room was simply renovated with the removal of the conference table and chairs. Instead, a few sets of simple tables and chairs were placed in the centre by the window on the right side, and the doorplate of the room was changed to "Script Reading Room." 

The attendees included the director, assistant director, screenwriter, director of photography and lighting, along with the main actors, totalling twenty-eight people.

Script reading is one of the most effective ways for the cast and crew to familiarise themselves with each other, although it is not the sole purpose of the exercise. The main purpose of script reading for the production team is to systematically construct the logic of the script and identify any gaps or inconsistencies. 

Therefore, there are two main objectives for the actors after the script reading. Firstly, actors are required to not only thoroughly understand the script and their own characters but also delve into the psychological activities and states of all characters involved in the events, in order to understand the significance of dialogues and actions. Secondly, actors are expected to collaborate with the cinematography and lighting team during the script-reading period. The production team will adjust the established camera shots and lighting based on the actors' on-the-spot performances to create the most reasonable visual aesthetics.

Additionally, due to the theatrical elements and fight scenes in the film, all actors are scheduled for a specific daily routine to ensure their optimal condition during filming. This includes physical training sessions at the gym from 8:30 AM to 11 AM, 1:30 PM to 4 PM, and 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Both male leads are required to undergo special training for fight scenes in a training room located 12 kilometres away, in addition to their regular physical training. The director, screenwriter, director of photography, and lighting team will optimize the script and shot compositions based on the actors' script reading performance each day.

The next morning at 8:20 AM, participants began to arrive at the script reading room. As per the director's instructions, the actors sat cross-legged on the floor, while the lighting and photography team sat behind the director and screenwriter. Simultaneously, Song Chunuan updated her Weibo with a dynamic post:

@-Nuan: Pre-action, Day 1.

Accompanying this post was a picture of the nameplate of the script reading room.

Upon entering, Zhong Shao immediately attracted all the attention in the room.

"Is there something on my face?" Zhong Shao's expressionless face seemed to embrace a warm emotion as he met everyone's gaze. "All looking at me like this?"

"No, no, no," the young actors stood up one after another, wanting to shout "Hello, Teacher Zhong," but Zhong Shao's hand holding the script stopped them.

The circular seating arrangement seemed to have been meticulously calculated, leaving a seat next to Yu Cheng.

As Zhong Shao walked towards Yu Cheng, director Lu Cheng called out to stop him in his tracks.

"Shao, sit opposite Yu Cheng, don't sit next to anyone. You two are playing opposite each other, how can you understand each other's expressions if you sit together?"

With the guidance, the orderly circle began to shift, and Zhong Shao sat down along the diagonal from Yu Cheng's position.

Song Chunuan sat next to Lu Cheng, watching the two lead actors she personally selected, giving herself a thumbs up in her mind, praising her high aesthetic taste.

The phone on the table rang, Lu Cheng pressed to silence it.

It was his designated alarm for 8:30, indicating the official start of the script reading session for the movie Same or Not. 

Lu Cheng cleared his throat and said, "Hello, everyone, I am Lu Cheng, the director of the movie 'Same or Not, and this is Song Chunuan, the original author of Same or Not, also the screenwriter of the movie. You are all familiar with the script reading and filming requirements, so I won't go into detail here. In this project, there is no distinction in status, no special treatment, everyone is equal."

Tapping the script on the table with a pen, Lu Cheng unexpectedly lightened the serious atmosphere, saying, "I believe most of you are meeting for the first time, so before we start the reading, let's introduce ourselves and get acquainted."

"Yu Cheng, let's start with you."

Yu Cheng placed the script at his feet and stood up, "Hello, everyone, I am actor Yu Cheng, playing the role of Ji Chen."

Even after ten years in the industry, the newcomer actor politely bowed after his introduction.

Following Yu Cheng was the veteran actor Ji De. With thirty years of experience and memorable supporting roles, Ji De had left a deep impression on many.

The self-introductions continued clockwise, including a mix of newcomers, lesser-known actors who played many minor roles, and established talents like Zhong Shao with both talent and popularity.

Zhong Shao held the script and stood up, his warm voice tinged with a low tone, "I am Zhong Shao. You can just call me by my name or Bro Shao, there is no need to add the word 'teacher' at the end."

Upon hearing this, Yu Cheng was momentarily stunned, remembering when he had called Zhong Shao "Zhong lao shi" the day before.

Honestly, as an actor, from winning Best Supporting Actor to twice being awarded Best Actor, and then clinching the title of Best Actor in a TV Series twice, Zhong Shao's repertoire continues to evolve. However, what most audiences remember is not the classic characters he portrayed but the man himself.

Achieving such success in his thirties, it is not an exaggeration to address Zhong Shao as "lao shi." However, Zhong Shao detests this term and particularly dislikes being called "Zhong lao shi" because it does not command the respect and awe from younger actors that he desires.

During the cast and crew's self-introductions, Lu Cheng and Song Chu observed the actors holding the script in their hands or placed in front of their knees. 

A week prior, all actors received the complete script.

According to the project agreement, before the first script reading session, actors were required to read the original novel and go through the script on their own.

The scripts were in their hands or laid out in front of them. Although it was impossible to know if they made annotations, at a glance, everyone had sticky notes and markings on the outer edges of their scripts.

This should have been considered a basic professional ethic for actors, but in the past seven to eight years, an increasing number of unqualified individuals have entered the industry just to get a piece of the pie. This has made the industry more chaotic, with numerous production teams succumbing to the influence of capital and actors' popularity, inevitably disrupting the proper procedures of script projects. Although S.D Entertainment is just a subsidiary under the S.D Group, as long as a production is under S.D Entertainment, the production team must adhere to the orthodox filming process.