novellhall Chapter 281 Sebastian brought the character to life.
Chapter 281 Sebastian brought the character to life.
Chapter 280 Sebastian's performance was brilliant (Happy New Year)
Cha Zelei was worried that Chen Xun's condition might be fleeting.
The restaurant started to get busy.
The lights were adjusted, the tracks were laid out, and the extras took their seats.
Chen Xun sat in front of the piano, waiting.
An old man walked over and sat down next to him.
He was an extra, wearing an old gray suit, reading glasses, and holding a newspaper.
He looked at Chen Xun and smiled.
Are you nervous?
Chen Xun shook his head.
"Just don't be nervous."
The old man unfolded the newspaper: "I've been acting for decades, and what I fear most is filming piano scenes with actors who can't play the piano. Their hand gestures look so fake, the audience can tell at a glance."
Chen Xun remained silent.
The old man continued, "But you're different. I could tell from the notes you played just now—you were really good!"
Chen Xun glanced at him.
"Who are you----"
"I used to play piano in an orchestra, and I performed in New York for fifty years."
Chen Xun was stunned for a moment.
The old man put down the newspaper and stretched out his hands.
Those hands were covered in wrinkles, with large knuckles and very short nails.
But Chen Xun could tell that they were hands that had played the zither their whole lives.
"When we're filming later, just pretend I don't exist."
The old man, quite experienced, instructed Chen Xun: "I'm sitting here to be your background player; you just play your instrument."
Chen Xun nodded.
Chazelle's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "All departments, prepare—"
Action!
""
The clapperboard snapped.
Chen Xun's fingers landed on the piano keys.
He played "City of Stars".
This is a piece that Sebastian can play himself.
As soon as the first note fell, the entire restaurant fell silent.
It wasn't part of the plot; I was simply stunned by Chen Xun's piano playing.
The extras who were pretending to drink coffee, who were holding their cups with feigned seriousness, now have their cups suspended in mid-air, completely still.
The old man pretended to be reading a newspaper, holding it up, but his eyes were looking over his reading glasses, staring at Chen Xun's hand.
The waiter standing at the door held an empty plate in his hand, just standing there, forgetting what he was supposed to be doing.
Chen Xun didn't look at them.
He closed his eyes.
The fingers moved slowly and lightly across the piano keys, as if afraid of disturbing something.
Every note was clear, clean, and carried an indescribable emotion.
It's that feeling of walking into an empty bar at dusk, turning on that out-of-tune piano, knowing no one will listen, but still wanting to play.
I met someone, knowing we might part ways, but I still wanted to love them once.
Many years later, I suddenly remembered at some turning point that that person was once so important, but it can only be the past.
Chen Xun's playing conveyed Sebastian's emotions.
Chazelle stood behind the monitor, motionless.
The photographer carried the equipment, pointing the lens at Chen Xun, but he himself forgot to breathe.
The lighting technician's hands were shaking because he forgot to steady the lights, but that didn't matter anymore, because the light was perfect now, shining directly on Chen Xun's face and his slightly trembling eyelashes.
The song ended.
Chen Xun's fingers stopped on the piano keys.
The last note still lingered in the air.
The restaurant was quiet again.
I don't know who started clapping first.
The applause rang out, growing louder and more frequent.
The extras, the staff, and even the strangers who had just been pretending to drink coffee all stood there, clapping enthusiastically.
Chazelle walked out from behind the monitor, stood in front of the piano, and looked at Chen Xun.
His eyes reddened.
At that moment, he felt as if the character he had painstakingly created over the years had come to life in Chen Xun.
Sebastian now has life!
Just as Chen Xun was about to speak, he suddenly saw a panel pop up in front of him:
Project Name: La La Land
Current filming progress: 10%
[Performance Rating: C]
Director's satisfaction rating: B+
Team Collaboration: D+
[Audience Expectations: E]
Overall Rating: C—
[Reward: The progress of "Ten Thousand People Drawing the Streets" increases by 1%]
After several days of filming, the project classification levels have all begun to improve.
Especially after Chen Xun's performance, the director's satisfaction rating and the performance level were raised by a whole new level!
The rewards on the panel have also appeared, no longer blank as before.
"I want that part you just described included in the final cut, not a single frame cut!"
Chazelle's tone was agitated.
He then patted Chen Xun on the shoulder and turned to watch the playback.
Chen Xun sat in front of the piano, looking at the keys, his fingers still resting on them, still feeling the lingering warmth from his previous playing.
-
Filming continued in the afternoon.
The restaurant scene doesn't just feature Chen Xun alone; there are several supporting characters to film as well.
Emma's scenes are later in the film, and she hasn't arrived on set yet.
Chen Xun sat in the corner, holding a bottle of water, and slowly drank it.
A young female stagehand walked over, holding a notebook in her hand, looking a little nervous.
"Could you... could you sign your name for me?"
Chen Xun looked up at her.
Without hesitation, he took the notebook, opened it, signed his name, and handed it back.
Upon seeing the script, the female stagehand blushed and whispered, "Thank you for bringing Sebastian to life!"
Chen Xun didn't know what to say.
The female stagehand smiled, turned around, and ran away.
Chen Xun watched her retreating figure and continued drinking water.
Then he heard someone talking next to him.
"The girl is right."
He turned his head and saw the piano tuner, who had somehow gotten into the chair next to him.
The piano tuner held a cup of coffee in his hand, his eyes fixed on the piano.
"I've been tuning the piano for thirty years and heard countless people play, but I've never seen a genius like you before."
Chen Xun remained silent.
"Some people play the piano with their hands, but you play with your heart, or rather, your soul!"
Chen Xun suddenly remembered what 1900 had said.
"The piano keys have a beginning and an end. You know there are 88 keys. There are no infinite factors. You are the master of the infinite."
He looked at the piano keys.
He can play an infinite number of things on these 88 keys.
Now there are three souls living in his head.
Fletcher's obsession, 1900's purity, and Sebastian's loneliness.
When Emma arrived, Chen Xun's performance had just ended.
She pushed open the door to the restaurant, and a blast of cool air hit her, mixed with the bitterness of coffee and the old smell of wood.
The stagehand at the door nodded to her, holding a walkie-talkie and speaking in a low voice.
Emma took a few steps inside and noticed that something was off.
Several stagehands squatted in a corner, whispering among themselves, glancing up at the black grand piano every now and then.
The lighting technician sat on his lightbox, holding a cigarette, but the ash was quite long, and he forgot to flick it off.
The piano tuner was still there, standing by the window, staring blankly at the piano.
Emma finds Chazelle, the director, who is sitting behind the monitor, watching the playback over and over again.
He was wearing headphones and didn't notice her coming in.
Emma walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
Chazelle was startled, took off his headphones, and looked a little dazed when he saw it was her.
"You've arrived."
Traffic jam.
Emma pointed around: "What's going on? Why do you all look like you've lost your souls?"
Chazelle looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.
Then he handed her the earphones.
See for yourself!
Emma took the headphones, put them on, and stared at the monitor screen.
In the scene, Chen Xun is sitting at the piano, wearing Sebastian's old gray suit.
The light shone obliquely through the window, illuminating his profile and highlighting his slightly trembling eyelashes.
Then he started playing.
Emma saw his hands move slowly and lightly across the piano keys.
She saw the notes flowing from her fingertips, as if something was being awakened.
She noticed the expressions on the faces of the extras around her, her hand holding the coffee cup froze in mid-air, and her eyes stared straight at him.
She saw the old man put down his newspaper, take off his glasses, and his eyes redden.
She saw Chen Xun with his eyes closed, completely immersed in the music, as if only he and the 88 piano keys remained in the world.
The screen ends.