Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 37 Start Filming

Chapter 37: Chapter 37 Start Filming

The manager could actually understand sign language?

He Jinxia’s eyes lit up, finally feeling that her study of sign language had not been in vain.

She had learned sign language back in ancient times, and after arriving in the modern era, when the director asked her to pretend to be mute, He Jinxia took the opportunity to learn modern sign language.

She didn’t realize until she saw it that the meanings represented by the sign language were almost the same; only a few gestures were slightly modified. Thus, she started using sign language.

He Jinxia was making gestures, struggling to translate, while the manager watched with a half-understanding.

In the end, the manager sighed and said, "Jinhe, this won’t work!"

"I know you’re frustrated, but if it hadn’t been for me this time, such behavior would have gotten you fired anywhere else. You also know you have a physical deficiency, and leaders don’t like employees with disabilities."

Is medical insurance just for show?

Of course not.

When an employee suddenly encounters problems while working at the company, the company generally has to pay compensation. That’s why companies are reluctant to hire disabled people, because such individuals are physically weaker and more prone to accidents than others!

"You’ve just arrived, and it’s normal to be bullied and ostracized by aging employees. After working for a month or two, they will gradually back down. Every new employee has to learn to endure the pressure from aging employees."

This is a simple industry rule that might not exist in some companies, but it is definitely not uncommon.

"I have a nephew who became mute due to throat damage from smoke inhalation during a house fire. Despite his damaged vocal cords preventing him from speaking, he still became a corporate elite as he grew up. You, my dear, still have a long way to go!"

It was hard to imagine that the "aging auntie" criticized by company employees would talk to her in such a friendly and pleasant manner.

He Jinxia nodded firmly. Even if she might never enter the workplace again, she would remember the well-intended advice.

"Alright, I will also give those two aging clerks a talking to, and tell them not to go overboard. You can leave now."

He Jinxia turned and walked towards the door, but suddenly, as if struck by a thought, she stopped, turned around, and hurried back to the manager, handing him a letter.

The manager looked down, somewhat bewildered—it was a resignation letter.

Looking up, he met He Jinxia’s eyes, which were curved in a smile, accompanied by a clear, pleasing female voice: "Thank you!"

***

"Scene one, take one, Action!" As the clapperboard was used, the camera caught He Jinxia springing into action.

She looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation at the glittering design company before her—a place she would strive for in the future!

"Ding-a-ling-ling..." Suddenly, a ringtone sounded, and He Jinxia fumbled to answer the call.

The call was indeed from someone, and someone else was reciting lines, but the voice that would appear in the film was a clear, pleasing female voice—that of Chen Xiaohui’s close friend in the movie, whose name was "Feng Xiaoxiao."

Listening to the phone, a hint of panic crossed He Jinxia’s face: "Ah, what, 8:30!"

She quickly looked down at her watch and her eyes widened: "It’s already 8:15, and you’re only telling me now that the real interview time is 8:30, not 9?!"

The person on the other end said something more, and He Jinxia silently counted the seconds in her head. Once the time was up, she hurriedly turned off her phone and started running madly in her high heels.

The high heels were truly cumbersome and made it hard to run. After a few steps, He Jinxia simply took off her shoes, carrying them in her hand as she ran.

Compared to her confident and spirited beginning, she now looked like a madwoman.

"Cut! Good! Passed!" Director Dong Qiin shouted through a megaphone, and He Jinxia immediately stopped her frantic running.

Today was the first day of shooting, and Dong Qiin chose a relatively simple scene as a good start.

He Jinxia lived up to expectations, passing the scene in one take, which slightly relaxed the tightly wound crew.

The movie was divided into two major parts: before weight loss and after weight loss. He Jinxia had to finish shooting the scenes before the weight loss as quickly as possible and then fully immerse herself in the weight loss process.

The weight loss process would also be filmed.

He Jinxia walked over to Director Dong Qiin and, wearing 3D glasses, checked her performance on screen.

Dong Qiin’s voice came through beside her ear, "Just now your control of emotion was spot on, but the expression on your face was a bit too forceful. Be mindful of that next time."

He Jinxia nodded and said, "Okay."

The reason Dong Qiin didn’t call for a retake was that each performance by an actor, even in the same scene, could be different. Worried that He Jinxia might overdo it again and necessitate another retake, Dong Qiin decided to pass the scene as it was.

A minor flaw doesn’t obscure the splendor of the jade; getting through in such a scene was fine as exaggerated contrast was desired.

Without delay, He Jinxia started a new round of shooting in the same setting.

One second ago, she was a workplace newbie, and the next second, she had transformed into a down-and-out employee being bullied, walking out of the company’s main gate with red eyes, biting her lip, her face filled with suppressed grievances.

"Cut! Passed!"

Dong Qiin couldn’t stop smiling now; the smooth start to the shooting was a good omen. Even if it might be just psychological comfort, it was still pleasant.

He Jinxia continued to reshoot another scene, then it was time for the male lead to make his appearance.

The role of the male lead, Sun Zhiying, was played by Wu Daxi, whom He Jinxia had only met yesterday. She was not familiar with him, knowing only that he had previously been a wildly popular male lead in ancient costume TV dramas.

Wu Daxi, with his handsome and striking features, had always been active in ancient costume dramas. He wanted to transition to modern dramas to broaden his scope.

His first venture into a modern play was this movie, where he played the lead role. Although it was a lead with painfully little significance, at least he had the status of a protagonist. Wu Daxi was satisfied and put his whole heart into the filming.

"Scene three, take one, action!"

Wu Daxi appeared solemn, sitting in a car with the window slightly open, revealing half of his crisply angular side profile and one sharp, steady eye.

As the camera moved closer, more detailed lighting effects would be added in post-production to accentuate the aura befitting a high-ranking corporate executive.

When Sun Zhiying saw Chen Xiaohui, his eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion and puzzlement; he subconsciously picked up his phone to call the female lead, asking, "Where are you?"

Shortly after, he looked up again at Chen Xiaohui standing in the distance and said with a subdued voice, "You say you’re at the office?"

Sun Zhiying’s brows knit together, and he said sternly, "Chen Xiaohui, one of the rules here is: no deceiving a superior. Tell me, where exactly are you now?"

"Good! Cut! That’s a wrap!" Dong Qiin’s voice came through, filled with excitement.

She felt that maybe the movie had been too difficult to get off the ground, that perhaps even the heavens couldn’t stand it anymore, so at long last when they could start filming, they were blessed with a smooth beginning.

"Keep going, keep going! While we’re in good form, let’s try to shoot all the scenes happening at the company’s entrance over these few days!"