Chapter 00090: Commanding the Crowd (Seeking Subscription)
# Commanding the Crowd (Seeking Subscription)
Chapter 90
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 90: Commanding the Crowd (Seeking Subscription)
Li Lianjie had seen his fair share of the world and was curious to observe how this guy, who was merely three years older than him, would boast.
However, Chen Qi ignored him.
He first wrote a line on the blackboard and addressed everyone, saying, “There are many theoretical aspects to acting, which you don’t need to learn. Our focus is solely on filming, so let’s practice specifically for that. First, remember one thing: what is acting? It is accurately responding to different situations! What does that mean?”
He turned to Li Lianjie and asked, “Can you run over to that end?”
“That end? The one by the filming studio? That's quite far!”
“Ji Chuanhua, you come here!”
“No, no, I’ll do it, I’ll cooperate with you!”
Li Lianjie declared and took off running across the studio.
The space was large, and he dashed to the wall, which was several dozen meters away, and shouted, “What next?”
“Come over here!” Chen Qi said at a normal volume.
“What?”
“Come over!”
“Go over? Alright!”
Li Lianjie ran forward again and stopped about twenty meters away.
Chen Qi said, “Talk to me.”
“What should I say?”
“That’s enough, get a bit closer!”
“Okay, now come back to me!”
Li Lianjie was left puzzled after making a round trip, and the onlookers were equally confused.
Chen Qi said, “Did you see it clearly? When you’re far away, you speak louder; when you’re close, your voice is softer.”
“Well, isn't that normal?” Huang Qiuyan remarked.
“Yes, it’s normal because it’s a natural physiological response. But what about in a movie? For example, if there’s a scene where two people are separated by one hundred meters and shouting while getting closer, how should you act it out?”
“Just like you just did! That’s called an accurate response.”
“Let’s try another example! Can you act out someone who struggles to board a bus while holding many things and arguing with the ticket seller?”
“Sure!”
“Huang Qiuyan, you play the ticket seller. I’ll tell you a few lines!”
Huang Qiuyan shyly stepped forward, and Li Lianjie found it amusing.
Being a bit clever, he fetched two stools.
Seeing Chen Qi's signal, he began what could be called acting.
He hugged the stools, pretended to carry something heavy, and waddled while making "ouch" sounds, struggling to reach Huang Qiuyan.
“Comrade, where are you going?”
“To the Old Summer Palace!”
“Are you stupid? This isn’t the bus to the Old Summer Palace. You’re on the wrong one; hurry up and get off!”
“Hey, how can you talk to me like that?”
Their interaction was awkwardly stiff, and after some time, Chen Qi asked everyone, “How did that feel?”
“Uh…”
Everyone exchanged glances, feeling too shy to speak the truth and hurt anyone’s feelings.
Chen Qi chuckled and said, “Ji Chuanhua, hand him another stool.”
“Okay!”
Ji Chuanhua brought over another stool to Li Lianjie.
Chen Qi then asked, “Is it heavy now?”
“Don’t underestimate me, I’m very strong!”
“Let’s give him one more!”
Ji Chuanhua transformed into a diligent assistant and brought another stool.
“Is it heavy now?”
“It’s alright!”
“Now let’s hang a bag around his neck… that basket goes on his back, the two bags in his left hand, and that one in his right hand!”
At this moment, Li Lianjie’s appearance was quite comical—he hugged four stools, had a basket on his back, a large bag around his neck, two bags in his left hand, and one in his right, making him look overwhelmed and unsteady.
“Listen to my commands!”
“You’re at the bus station now, waiting for the bus. When it arrives, quickly squeeze in… lift your leg, lift your leg. You got on the bus, and now, trying to free one hand to get money for the ticket…”
With all those things hanging off him, could Li Lianjie even free one hand?
He didn’t have to act because that was his real state; he struggled to reach into his pocket, then dropped a bag.
He quickly went to pick it up, only for another bag to drop too.
In a flurry, his movements became chaotic, sweat collecting on his forehead.
Chen Qi walked over, personally assisting the scene, and asked with a straight face, “Where are you going?”
“To the Old Summer Palace!”
“Are you stupid? This bus doesn’t go to that location. Hurry up and tidy yourself up; get off at the next stop!”
“Didn’t you see how I look?!” Li Lianjie was genuinely angered by his tone.
“That’s your own doing, who are you blaming? Hurry and tidy up—don’t hold up the passengers! Where did this bumpkin come from?”
“You!”
Li Lianjie shot up angrily.
“What are you talking about? I’m telling you to hurry up!”
“How can you talk like that?”
“That’s how I talk! What’s it to you, want to challenge me?”
Chen Qi pushed him back a bit, and Li Lianjie glared, getting even more furious.
The atmosphere grew tense, and everyone felt a bit lost as this felt almost too real.
Just when Yu Hai wanted to step in to break up the argument, Chen Qi suddenly stepped back and called out, “Alright, stop!”
He turned to the group and asked, “Which part of the last scene was better? The second one, right? What was good about it? Who can share?”
“Uh, I just felt it was very natural!”
“Especially real!”
“I truly thought you two would start fighting. I didn’t even dare to speak.”
Everyone began to chime in, their interest piqued.
“Why was it real and natural? Because it was accurate. When a person is heavily burdened, struggling to squeeze onto a bus, they should act that way. You accepted that scene, which is why it feels real. So what do you think acting is? Do you think it’s very profound? That’s true; acting theory is quite complex, but we don’t need that. Just remember the definition from earlier: make an accurate response! What I’m teaching you is based on the play 'Tai Chi', how to make accurate reactions!”
Chen Qi knocked on the blackboard. “This is called acting!”
“Wow!”
The crowd echoed, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
Yu Hai and Yu Chenghui were no exceptions.
They were skilled in martial arts but mostly novices when it came to acting.
Chen Qi’s approach was especially enticing for beginners.
Gong Xue sat at the bottom, diligently taking notes.
Watching everyone’s reaction, she felt a sense of pride welling up in her heart.
What Li Lianjie had just gone through felt like he had been schooled by a trickster—neither here nor there.
Now, reflecting on this, he looked at Chen Qi with newfound appreciation; this person indeed had some talent—among martial arts stars, his acting was akin to that of Jackie Chan, though he had fewer opportunities to showcase it.
…
Zhang Xinyan initially had a few words to exchange with Li Wenhua, but now he sat in silence.
After observing for quite a while, he sighed at the end and quietly exited the studio.
Chen Qi simplified the lessons into two sections: expression training and physicality training.
In simple terms, based on the play 'Tai Chi', it was about how to express the right emotions and make the correct physical movements.
While some might say it was a shortcut to learning, it must be admitted that it was practical! Effective!
More importantly, learning went by at an astonishing speed.
Zhang Xinyan thought to himself, if he were to train for 'Shaolin Temple', he wouldn’t finish in a mere couple of months.
“To both of you elderly and respectable coaches, would you be willing to make silly faces for some laughter? And as for Ge Chunyan and Huang Qiuyan, let’s have you act as courtesans, like this…”
Suddenly, Chen Qi struck a pose, leaning against a wall, swaying his hips and shifting his waist, pinching his fingers as if holding a handkerchief, playfully calling out, “Dear sir, come play~”
Ewww!
A shiver ran through the crowd, and the two ladies shook their heads rapidly, insisting they wouldn’t do anything so suggestive or lewd.
Gong Xue covered her mouth, suppressing laughter.
She had already experienced this once in Lushan.
“To deliver a good performance, one must first overcome psychological barriers and put aside their dignity to do things that might usually be embarrassing. So today, I’m giving you some homework! Strengthen your expression practice, and when you go home, practice in front of a mirror. Each person needs to choose five expressions, plus a mandated one: ‘laughing heartily,’ making a total of six. Tomorrow, each of you will present one by one, and we’ll collectively judge. For any performances that fail to meet the mark, singing and dancing are acceptable, but no martial arts!”
Chen Qi waved his hand grandly, “Class dismissed!”
(The word count has surpassed 20,000! The fifth installment is complete.
There will be one more chapter added later, but it might take a little time.)
(End of Chapter)