FWF Chapter 150 Fundamentals of Performance
Chapter 150 Fundamentals of Performance
In the early morning, sunlight streamed through the windows and fell on the desks in the lecture hall.
After two weeks of grueling military training, the freshmen finally began their real university life – attending classes.
Although the body is free, the mind is clearly still jet-lagged.
Jiang Bai sat in the back row of the classroom by the window, holding a thick book titled "Fundamentals of Acting".
Next to me were three resentful roommates who were still in a state of post-excitement euphoria.
Su Ze was still secretly browsing forums looking at Jiang Baizhi's photos, Gu Dapeng was holding a meat bun in his hand, reluctant to eat it, while Lin Le was frantically typing code on his laptop, supposedly to develop a special app for his goddess.
On the podium.
The professor in charge of "Fundamentals of Acting" was an elderly man with gray hair but a sprightly spirit, surnamed Wang.
Professor Wang adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping over the group of still-developing greenhorns in the audience, and tapped the blackboard:
"Put your phones away! Put the steamed buns down too!"
"Now that you've entered the Shanghai Theatre Academy, you have to know the rules."
"For our first lesson today, we'll talk about the core of acting."
The whole class immediately fell silent; everyone still respected the old professor.
Professor Wang turned around and wrote several large characters on the blackboard:
【Sense of faith】
"What is acting? It's not about making faces or acting crazy."
"At its core lies understanding and belief."
"That is, what Stanislavski's system emphasizes—truly listening, truly seeing, and truly feeling."
"You have to believe you are the character for the audience to believe you."
Professor Wang spoke eloquently and explained complex concepts in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Then he wrote a few more words on the other side:
[Physical Form], [Voice], [Facial Expression]
"These are external skills, the framework that supports your beliefs."
At this point, Professor Wang suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed intently on the audience:
"So here's the question."
"Besides these, what is there that is so crucial for an actor?"
Whispers began to circulate among the audience.
"Looks?" Su Ze muttered to himself, "You have to be good-looking to get food."
"Traffic?" Lin Le analyzed. "In the era of big data, traffic is justice."
"I think it's strength!" Gu Dapeng raised his hand. "How can you be suspended by wires if you don't have strength?"
Other students also answered:
"It's emotion!"
"It's explosive power!"
"It's about connections!"
Professor Wang listened to these varied answers and shook his head with a smile.
He turned around and wrote two words heavily in the center of the blackboard—
[Dialogue]
"It's a line from a script."
Professor Wang said seriously:
"Voice, posture, and acting skills, especially diction, are half an actor's lifeline!"
How do you say "I love you"? Is it heart-wrenching or as calm as still water? Different delivery of lines defines the soul of the character!
The voice just fell.
Suddenly, a thick arm was raised from the back corner.
"Teacher! I object!"
The whole class turned around in a flash.
Gu Dapeng stood up with a simple and earnest expression and said loudly:
"What if he/she is mute?"
"And that... Charlie Chaplin!"
"Silent performance! Mime!"
"Aren't they masters even without speaking? So lines aren't necessary!"
"puff--"
The whole class burst into laughter instantly.
Su Ze covered his face, wishing he could crawl under the table: "I don't know him, I don't know this idiot."
Professor Wang was amused and pointed at Gu Dapeng:
"This student, your approach is... quite unique."
"That's right, mime is art."
"But are you planning to play a mute for the rest of your life? Or do you think you can become the next Chaplin?"
"Sit down! From now on, stop arguing and read more!"
Gu Dapeng scratched his head and sat down, looking aggrieved: "I was just discussing academic matters..."
Jokes are jokes.
Professor Wang continued seriously:
"Dialogue is the flesh and blood of the script, the soul of the character."
"Good lines can make a character stand out; bad lines can turn an award-winning actor into a clown."
"but......."
Professor Wang then changed the subject, his tone becoming more relaxed:
"Strictly speaking, writing lines and studying script structure are the core courses that the drama and directing departments next door have to learn."
"For you performing arts students, your task is to create something anew."
"All you need to do is express the lines given to you by the screenwriter and director with the most accurate emotions, and act them out well, that's enough."
"As for how to write a classic script... that's too difficult, we won't force it."
The students below the stage nodded in agreement, feeling that what the teacher said made sense.
After all, everyone has their own area of expertise.
Good scripts are rarer than pandas these days; that's the screenwriter's problem.
As long as an actor is handsome and can act convincingly, that's enough.
however.
Jiang Bai, who was sitting in the corner, brightened slightly when he heard this.
"Studied directing?"
"Is writing screenplays too difficult?"
Jiang Bai stroked his chin, his consciousness sinking into his mind, and glanced at the [Script Section] in the system store.
There lie quietly countless scripts that have never appeared in this world, but were revered as masterpieces in their previous lives.
The Shawshank Redemption.
Farewell My Concubine.
Infernal Affairs.
"Dying to Survive".
Marvel series such as The Avengers and Iron Man.
There are also classic TV dramas such as "In the Name of the People", "Empresses in the Palace", and "My Own Swordsman".
And some horror films, such as Sadako, Final Destination, and Coming Soon.
.......
Each name represents a legend, billions or even tens of billions of yuan in box office revenue, and the glory of leaving a mark on film history.
"If it were someone else, they would indeed only need to act well."
"But I......."
A barely perceptible smile appeared on Jiang Bai's lips.
"I possess the entire world's cultural and entertainment treasure trove!"
"If you're just an actor who listens to the director, even if you become a movie star, you're still just a high-level wage earner."
"These classic screenplays would be a complete waste if they weren't made into films and let the world experience what a masterpiece is!"
"and......."
Jiang Bai thought of his goal of becoming an all-around movie star.
"Who says actors can't be directors?"
"Who says actors can't write scripts?"
"I not only want to act, I also want to direct, and I also want to write!"
"I want to create something that is truly my own, and even innovate upon that!"
"Directing major?"
"Looks like I'll have to audit some classes in the next department if I get the chance, or just buy the [Director Mastery] skill in the system and play around with it."
On the podium, Professor Wang was still lecturing on performance theory.
After finishing the lecture, the classroom's large screen was turned on, and a clip from a classic film or television drama was played.
It's a scene from a similar family drama.
In the video, a kind mother is knitting and nagging, a serious father is reading a newspaper while wearing glasses, and a rebellious son slams the door and shouts that he wants to buy a guitar.
Professor Wang tapped the blackboard:
"Imitation is the first step in performance."
"Observe the person's posture, tone of voice, and expression."
"Now, form your own teams and perform on stage in twenty minutes. Your performance will count towards your participation points!"
The classroom immediately descended into chaos, with everyone forming cliques and factions.
In room 404, the four people stared at each other blankly.
"that......."
Jiang Bai glanced at the configuration in the video:
"There are only three people in this clip, but there are four of us. What if there's an extra person?"
"Isn't that simple?"
Su Ze said confidently:
"The teacher only said to form teams ourselves, but didn't specify a maximum number of participants!"
"Why can't we be in groups of four? We in 404 are a unit; we can't do without even one person!"
Jiang Bai was speechless: "Then tell me, what's that extra thing doing? Is it playing the role of thin air?"
Just then.
Gu Dapeng, who had been silent until now, suddenly pointed sharply at the big screen:
"I understand!"
"I'll play that role!"
Follow his thick fingers.
In the video, next to the floor-to-ceiling window, there is a lush green, motionless money tree.