Chapter 22
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Facing the Lens
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The acting wrapped up quickly, and Moon Heesung gave a small round of applause as he spoke.
Was that something you saw on TV just now?
Uung! That's right. My big sis looked so sad in that drama.
It just so happened that the scene from the drama playing on Moon Heesung's living room TV was the one I'd mimicked.
I'd already seen this episode at home, so I knew the story.
The heroine, betrayed by a friend she'd trusted, wept pitifully.
She delivered a heart-wrenching tearful performance as she crossed the park in the dead of night.
Of course, right after that, the hero swooped in like a knight with a dramatic ta-da! to comfort her.
The part I'd acted out was that tearful scene.
When I'd first watched this drama, I'd thought it was truly great acting...
But now, knowing it might not have been a fluke...
It was genuinely shocking.
Wanna take a look?
That thought didn't last long. I scurried over to Moon Heesung at his words.
We sat side by side on the sofa and watched the video he'd just recorded of my performance.
But, huh?
I frowned as I checked out the acting I'd just done.
The emotions I'd wanted to express weren't standing out as much as I'd hoped.
The tears fell at exactly the timing I'd planned.
The speed and angle of my head and hand movements matched what I'd envisioned.
The problem was... it didn't look as sad as I'd thought.
What? What's wrong?
For the first time, watching my acting vividly on screen left me in shock.
It was so different from when I acted in front of a mirror.
Was the reputation I'd earned as the 'Golden Mask' all just an illusion?
Did I not even have the right to judge other people's acting?
As all sorts of thoughts left me confused, Moon Heesung's straightforward comment hit me.
You were conscious of the camera, Siu.
Eung...?
I tilted my head, wondering what he meant.
Even if you think you're doing the exact same acting, having a camera in front makes a huge difference for actors. Didn't something feel off when you started just now?
Ooh... it felt weird. Like... this thing was glaring at me or something...?
I reached out and tapped the camera's lens.
Exactly. Lots of actors go through that. This is the camera's lens. Some actors even get scared of this black, round thing. Even I froze up the first time I stepped in front of one when I moved from theater to film.
Really?
Moon Heesung had frozen up while acting?
It gave me a shock similar to the one from watching my own performance.
Yeah. That's the difference between the acting you've been doing and screen acting. To nail an audition tape, you have to overcome it.
Hee...
I'd only been amazed by this new invention, not expecting any downsides.
I'd never felt this way even under the gaze of hundreds during a performance, so it caught me off guard.
As I poked around the camera curiously, Moon Heesung smiled faintly and added,
Shall we figure out why you felt awkward, Siu? In theater acting, you face the audience directly, so you can communicate right away, right?
Uung! You can see if they like it, hate it, or feel sad.
Yeah, actors can pick up on that to some extent. But what about in front of this?
Oh.
That was it.
I nodded vigorously.
The biggest difference between an audience's eyes and a camera lens was right there.
Dunno.
The camera gives no reaction.
It felt like acting at a cement wall instead of a mirror.
Then why act with a camera at all? No audience, and you have to fake the emotions too.
Maybe because my first time acting for the camera hadn't gone well.
I asked in a voice tinged with irritation.
You know how in stage acting, the audience can interpret what the actor expresses differently every time? Their mood or the stage conditions change daily.
Uung, that's right.
I nodded emphatically, as if it were the most reasonable thing.
That was the charm of live theater, but also its frustrating side.
In the past, masks limited facial expressions, and critics often pointed out inconsistencies in my performances, offering all sorts of interpretations.
On the other hand, a camera minimizes that risk.
Moon Heesung smiled as he slightly lifted the camera.
Only one specific scene airs on TV, so you can deliver exactly the emotion you want to the audience every time. Of course, different viewers might interpret it differently.
...Yeah. That's good.
Theater got varying reactions from audiences too, so I had no counterargument.
And now, let's look at this.
Moon Heesung replayed the video of my acting and paused at one spot.
Why this?
See how a shadow falls on your face here.
Ung, it's a bit dark.
Think of the camera as a single audience member. But one who can't turn their head or shift their gaze even once. Unlike in theater, they can't follow your movements by turning this way and that.
An audience that can't turn their head...
It was a concept I'd never considered before.
So you'd have to consider a lot to make sure that special audience sees everything clearly, right?
Huh, well.
It felt a bit unfair, but he was right.
An actor expresses as they want, but ultimately, good acting is what suits the audience's taste.
The more I listened to Moon Heesung, the more I realized something.
This... isn't easy work.
And one more thing.
Cameras and the footage they capture aren't all bad.
Stage and screen.
They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, for sure.
Nobles have that habit.
Thinking anything they haven't experienced themselves is easy.
To them, commoners' struggles are light, insignificant, worthless.
And as Noah in the past, I always wondered.
How could they declare it so easy without ever experiencing those struggles?
Of course, I didn't know their struggles well either.
You could say it's natural since I hadn't experienced them, but more accurately, I hadn't tried to know.
That's why my three years with the Oscar Theater Troupe were a series of shocks.
I'd thought I'd shattered every prejudice back then...
But there were still more to break.
Now, having acted in front of a camera, I realized.
My prejudice against camera acting fit right into that pattern.
I'd nearly played the haughty noble again.
Dismissing camera acting as fake without even trying it.
Memories flashed of actors I'd considered great in dramas and films.
Those people might be far more impressive than I'd thought.
Let's try again.
But there's nothing I can't do.
I was confident in my acting ability.
I glared at the camera.
Get readythis time, I won't go easy!
After steeling myself, we shot several takes of various improv performances.
No, let's do one more? You drifted from the frame center, so the balance is off.
Twice.
Again the emotion didn't build enough, and it rushed in.
Three times.
That part was good.
Moon Heesung helped with the filming and gave advice without showing any fatigue.
Thanks to him, the results were much better than that first tragic heroine attempt.
Wah. It's good now.
Haha, yeah. The awkwardness from before is mostly gone. But Siu, actually, cameras don't always have a fixed gaze like today.
Uung?
Well... never mind. I think I've said too much already. For now, let's focus on the audition tape? This camera has a fixed gaze.
Yeah!
I answered energetically and dashed back to the sofa with a dododo.
Now that my body was warmed up.
It was time to seriously think about what improv to show for the audition.
Before diving into thoughts, I first picked up the story summary for RUN.
As I pondered deeply while reading the outline, Moon Heesung spoke up.
Siu, have you seen the original for this one?
Nope?
Oh? Then shall we watch it together first?
At my answer, Moon Heesung stood and went over to the large TV.
Then he pushed one side of the wall aside.
The first time I'd come to this house, I'd nearly fainted at that move.
Not only was it amazing that the wall slid away, but the space inside was packed with film tapes and DVDs.
Here it is.
After rummaging for a while, Moon Heesung pulled out a DVD.
He even had RUN, as expected.
Let's watch this first and think it over.
He turned off the lights, prepared cookies and chamomile tea, then hit play.
The big title reading 'RUN' filled the screen, and the movie began.
We spent a good while hugging cushions and watching the animation intently.
Animation as a genre had been familiar since I was about two, so no more strangeness.
Sniff.
It's so touching...
RUN was the story of a grandmother living a second life through her grandson.
The grandmother, who only knew the world inside her home, experiences the modern world she never knew through her grandson, whom she ends up living with alone. She sheds her negative views on old age and rediscovers happinessa warm tale.
Hiiing, it's sad.
Yeah, right? Even rewatching it, it's a well-made piece.
The grandson character in the animation was crystal clear.
A pure, lively kid.
The kind with the energy to make an old woman shed outdated habits and reclaim her youth.
The young grandson in the film nailed that role perfectly.
Hmm.
Seeing the original cleared up what improv I should do.
The tragic heroine was too far from RUN's grandsoneliminated.
Next, Youngsu from People in the Attic House was too miserable and tearyeliminated.
What acting could show pure and bright?
Sniffle.
I wiped my runny nose roughly and picked up the audition script with just specific RUN scenes.
I reread the grandson's lines, imagining what kind of kid he was.
Hmm? But something feels off.
The kid's mom ran off because of dad, and dad never comes home, chasing his music dreams.
In the end, the kid gets left with dad's mom, his grandma.
Would the kid just unconditionally love his grandma?
Probably not.
But instinctively, the kid would have felt it.
That he had to put on a good face for the one person who would take care of him.
The kid must have constantly resented his dad.
Trembled with anxiety, unable to give grandma his full love.
What if grandma abandons me like dad?
What if she throws me out for something bad I do?
Living in that anxiety, he eventually realizes grandma is different from dad and comes to truly love her.
But then it's weird.
The grandson in the film seemed to love grandma right from the start.
Is it a limitation of the animation genre?
Or some directorial intent I'm missing?
Either way, as an actor, I have to show my interpretation.
I thought long and hard with this new take.
Mister.
No matter how I thought, nothing beat this monologue.
Yeah? What is it, Siu?
He'd been waiting patiently for me to organize my thoughts and answered promptly.
Um... can I do an original monologue for the improv?
...O-original monologue?
Moon Heesung, who rarely got flustered, just blinked, with no follow-up.
Can I? Can I not?
It, it should be fine. But it'd be good to confirm.
He only answered after I asked again.
Anyway, it should be possible.
In that case.
Paper... gimme paper and a pencil!