Chapter 155 - 147: No Body Double
It’s often said that one benchmark of a great actor is their ability to play two distinct roles.
A skilled actor becomes whoever they portray. In the same production, even without changes to makeup or styling, they can project a completely different aura, allowing the audience to instantly recognize which character they are.
A poor actor, on the other hand, seems to be merely cosplaying. Even in different productions with entirely different looks, when the audience sees a promotional still, the name that comes to mind is the actor’s, not the character’s.
In *Demon Suppression Tower*, Ni Bingyan was tasked with playing two such roles.
The first was Lu Lingling, before she was imprisoned. The second was Lu Sha, who escapes from the Demon Suppression Tower to seek revenge.
The two characters were filmed in different locations with different makeup and styling, so the challenge wasn’t overwhelming. Ni Bingyan had prepared thoroughly and was very confident.
The crew was scheduled to shoot for about a week in the Northeast. The location was near a log yard managed by a local forestry farm, where they would primarily film the story of the Little Deer Demon right after she takes human form and has a chance encounter with the Demon Hunter, Mo Li.
Since the set was deep in the mountains, the crew didn’t actually begin filming immediately after the opening ceremony held in the city the previous day.
The next day, with the festive New Year’s atmosphere still lingering in the city, the crew departed for the pre-arranged log yard to set up camp.
The mountain roads were treacherous and the journey was long. It was already one-thirty in the afternoon by the time they reached their destination. Ni Bingyan, groggy from the bumpy ride, was still in a daze as she carried her luggage into a toasty room filled with the fragrant aroma of a hot meal.
Thanks to Sang Yuan, the production had ample funding and had generously hired several cooks.
The cooks had come up the mountain the day before with the supply trucks, so when the main group arrived today, they were able to immediately sit down to a hot meal and settle into rooms with heated brick beds.
It got dark early in these parts. After eating, resting for a while, and putting her things away, she leaned on the windowsill and gazed outside. Snowflakes were drifting down, and smoke was curling from a chimney on the building opposite.
The sky was already pitch-black.
That night, Ni Bingyan shared a room with a few other women from the crew, sleeping on a large, heated brick bed that spanned the room. Since it got dark so early and there was little to do for entertainment in the mountains, they all gathered to chat and play cards.
Ni Bingyan was an excellent card player and kept winning, but she had such a good-natured personality that by the end of the evening, everyone had taken a real liking to her.
The next day, Ni Bingyan was up a little after four in the morning for makeup. Since the makeup artist and costume designer were staying in the same room, they were able to get her ready without disturbing anyone else, quietly completing her transformation.
Once her makeup was done and they had eaten breakfast, the crew shouldered the equipment, found a nearby Korean pine forest, and began to set up.
The log yard workers had all gone down the mountain for the New Year, so the area was completely deserted. A fresh blanket of snow had fallen the night before, turning every view into a picturesque scene.
Luo Guangkun took a quick stroll around the area. First, he used a megaphone to warn everyone not to wander about and ruin the pristine snow. Then, he called Ni Bingyan over to talk her through the scene.
"We just walked through the blocking, so you should have a feel for it. You’ll walk over from there in a moment. Your steps need to be light, your movements fluid and graceful. Have you ever seen a sika deer? You need to mimic its mannerisms, to have a child-like innocence in your eyes. The overall effect needs to be ethereal! Beautiful! And full of spirit! Got it?"
Luo Guangkun was bundled in a long, black down jacket, his gray wool hat dusted with fine snow. As he described the effect he was aiming for, a light seemed to gleam in his eyes.
Today’s first scene was a solo performance, all on her.
Ni Bingyan had already envisioned this scene a thousand times. Hearing the director’s instructions, she immediately nodded in understanding.
But— "The snow is really deep over there," she pointed out. "I’ll probably sink right in. I’m afraid the effect won’t be very good."
’I’m only human, not an actual demon,’ she thought. ’How am I supposed to float on snow? They’re not going to use wires, are they?’
These scenes didn’t involve any stunts, and she hadn’t seen the crew bring any wire-rigging equipment up the mountain.
"Don’t worry. The props department prepared it last night. There’s only a thin layer of snow on top; we’ve laid down hard wooden planks underneath. You won’t sink in."
With that, Ni Bingyan had no more questions. She nodded, signaling that she was ready.
The camera crew was still adjusting their equipment. Seeing her bundled up, hugging her sleeves and tucking her neck into her collar, Luo Guangkun couldn’t help but ask with a smile, "Cold?"
Knowing they still had a little time, Ni Bingyan wasn’t in a rush. She let out a puff of white breath and cracked a joke.
"In this weather? Who’d dare say they’re not cold? A wolf in its fur coat would be cold, and I bet even the frozen pork in a deep freezer would say it’s cold!"
"HA HA HA!"
Her joke made everyone roar with laughter. Beside her, Huang Ge rubbed his face and stomped his feet.
"It’s cold, but what can you do! That’s just life in our line of work. We shoot in the heat, we shoot in the cold. Take my movie last year—if I knew how to fly a plane, I’m pretty sure they would’ve made me do that, too!"
This sent everyone into another fit of laughter.
People always talk about how much actors earn, but they certainly have their share of suffering. What he said was true.
Seeing that the equipment was nearly ready, and knowing the low temperature would shorten the cameras’ battery life even with protective measures, Luo Guangkun got straight to the point with Ni Bingyan. "We’ll be shooting a close-up, so we can’t use a body double. You’re going to have to make a little sacrifice for the sake of art."
"Don’t worry, I understand. I’ll do my best to nail it on the first take."
Ni Bingyan had barely started to unzip her jacket when an involuntary shiver ran through her.
"Don’t worry, we’ve set up multiple cameras. If you give a great performance, we’ll make sure one good take is all you need. After this, your costumes will all be much thicker."
As the Deer Demon Lu Lingling, she had just taken human form and didn’t yet understand human concepts of modesty. Her clothes were manifested from her own fur, providing just enough coverage to pass the censors. One could only imagine how cold she must be.
Ni Bingyan could only count herself lucky that the sun was shining brightly and there was no wind.
Having given his actress the pep talk, Luo Guangkun signaled for all departments to get ready to film.
Ni Bingyan quickly shed her thick coat and warm shoes and socks. The moment her bare feet touched the snow, she was instantly wide awake!
The shock of the cold air sent goosebumps erupting across her skin, and she couldn’t stop herself from shivering violently.
’Holy cow! My legs are really knocking together!’
"I-I... I can’t control my body’s natural reaction..."
’Under these conditions, he still wants ethereal and spirited? He might as well ask me to fly!’
"Just take a moment to acclimate. Trust your body; it’ll adjust quickly. Grit your teeth and hang in there, it’ll be over before you know it! Here, put a mouthful of snow in your mouth. Otherwise, every time you open it, a cloud of white vapor will come out, and it’ll be unusable on camera."
’That cruel director! Just piling on the misery!’
’Oh, what the hell,’ she thought. ’I’ve come this far, what’s one last shiver?’ Ni Bingyan pinched a clump of snow from a branch and put it in her mouth.
As her mouth cooled, she was surprised to find she didn’t feel as cold anymore. She could even suddenly feel the warmth of the heat packs stuck beneath her costume.
"All departments, attention! Places, everyone!"
"Scene one, take one! Action!"
The slate clapped. Ni Bingyan followed her mark, peeking out from behind a tall Korean pine.
She had long, snow-white hair and large, clear, coffee-colored eyes. Her pale face looked as if it were sculpted from ice. As she moved, silver markings on her cheeks caught the light, giving her a beauty that was not of this world.