Life’s not a bed of roses
If anyone has ever entertained the idea that life as an actor is about the scintillating glitter and glamour under the spot lights, let me dispel this thought. It is anything but a bed of roses. This was reinforced the weekend past, when I went on the trail of Park Sihoo-ssi while he was filming his new drama “Neighborhood Hero” in Macau.
If you think life is a bed of roses, think again when you have to keep odd hours during the filming and production. When a project is on, you will be at the mercy of the producer, director and the crew members responsible for its planning and scheduling. Filming can be at all hours of the day, with no concept of day or night, no such thing as rest or sleep.
Your schedule might only be confirmed daily and possibly the night before and subject to changes. Filming could be so tight, especially when filming overseas and every minute meant money, you would be in for crunch time. It is not unheard that your day starts at 5 am in the morning and ends at mid-night or the next day! So, if you are planning a hot date while you are working on a project, you can kiss it goodbye!
Other than the actual time spent on location, you will need to review, rehearse and know your role and script inside out and be ready for action when the cameras start to roll. Hardworking actors like Park Sihoo-ssi, will spend time reviewing and rehearsing their roles, even after an exhausting day or night of filming,! The Park Sihoo-ssi we know puts his heart and soul into building his characters to perfection, so imagine how much time and effort this would have to take him!
I saw him stumble in to the hotel after a full, taxing day of shoot last Friday after I checked-in to the hotel. He was visibly exhausted, but being who he is, he still smiled and waved in greeting at the lift lobby. My heart really felt for him then!
For the shoot itself, even if you are in tip-top condition, each small segment of the drama, which could be less than a minute long, might take many rounds of director’s cut before he is satisfied. Last Saturday, we saw a scene in “Neighborhood Hero” start shooting at round 8 pm and only got wrapped up around mid-night…it might have been, what? 20 takes? No offence to the actors but that was a difficult scene and to get it perfect, all elements, not just the acting, but the lighting, sound, movements…all the minute details, have to be aligned and balanced. So, tough work!
And of course, as a good actor, you would know you cannot be a prima donna. How successful the drama is, is not just due to you alone. Your co-stars, producers, directors and the rest of the cast and crew all play a part. So your relationships and interactions with them to build strong synergy is crucial. For these relationships to blossom and grow, you will need to work hard at building them and spending time to get to know your fellow cast and crew.
So many things that are important to the success of an actor. There must be much more and as an outsider, I am sure I barely scratched the surface.
I was totally exhausted just standing and hanging around the film set last weekend. For Park Sihoo-ssi, his co-actors and the film and production crew, it must have been much, much, much more exhausting!
Life is definitely not a bed of roses in the supposedly glamorous entertainment industry! It is one that requires hard work, supported by lots of raw energy, deep passion and just a little luck!
演员生活并非称心如意
如果妳任为一位演员生活在华丽高调,金光闪闪的聚光灯下,让我打消这个想法。演员的生活并非称心如意。上周末在澳门,跟随着施厚君拍摄他的新剧“邻家英雄”的踪迹,增强了我的想法。
如果妳觉得生活是称心如意的,在拍摄和制作过程中,当妳需要投入大量和不固定的时间时,妳可能会三思。接下一个项目后,妳的时间就不属于妳的了,时间会在制片人,导演和负责规划和制作的成员的手下遥控。拍摄时间没有固定,可以是任何时候,没有白天,黑夜的概念,没有休息和睡眠。
妳的日程安排可能是在前一天晚上才确认。拍摄可能非常紧张紧密,尤其是当妳在海外拍摄,每分钟就是金钱,所以时间非常关键。妳的一天的开始可能是凌晨5点,结束在午夜或次日!所以,如果妳在进行项目拍摄时,计划了其他的约会,妳可能会失望!
上周五,当我入住澳门酒店时,看见了施厚君刚拍完了一整天的剧,回到酒店。他脸上明显的好疲惫,人都快倒下来了,但在我的欢呼下,他仍然微笑着对我挥手。当时我的心都软了,真的为他心疼!
除了实际拍摄时间,妳还需要复习,排练,完全知道和保握自己的角色和剧本的内容,并准备好开拍。像施厚君那样勤奋的演员,即使已经辛苦了一天的拍摄,回来他还会花时间复习和排练自己的角色和剧情!我们所认识的施厚君经常会全心投入剧中,创造完美的角色来,所以可想象,他投入多少时间,心血和精力!
拍摄本身,即使妳处于最佳状态,电视剧的每个小片段,可能不到一分钟长,还是需要导演的多轮削减才会满意的。就在上周六,我们看到了“邻家英雄”的一个场外景的拍摄。开始拍摄是大约晚上8点,等到结束时,已经是午夜了……可能拍了将近20伦?并非批评演技,因为我相信所有的演员都非常投入,但是这是一个艰难的场景,要完美的拍摄,所有的元素都要到位,演技,灯光,音响,动作……所有微小的细节都必须一致和平衡。因此,艰巨的工作!
当然,当一个优秀的演员,妳会知道妳不可能独占荣耀,戏剧的成功,不只是属于妳一个人的功劳,而是妳和合作演员,制片人,导演和其他剧组工作人员的努力得来的。所以妳和其他演员和剧组的关系和互动,与他们建立紧密的关系是至关重要的。关系从开花到成长,是需要花时间去培养和互相了解的。
一位演员的成功有很多重要的元素,作为一个局外人的我,可能只是在表面上理解而已。
上周末,当路人的我,单单在远方站着观看拍摄,都已经累坏了。施厚君和其他演员和剧组的疲劳,真的不可思议!
演员的生活并非称心如意。这是纯粹的辛勤工作,必须有大量的能量,激情和一点点运气!
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