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"Hey, Angela, what are you doing here?" A group of girls came over, playfully teasing each other. The one at the front spotted Angela and called out excitedly. She was the tall girl who had initially acted alongside Angela, and her name was Annie.´
"Hey, Annie, and everyone else," Angela greeted them casually. She got along well with these temporary actors, but at the moment, she didn't have much enthusiasm to engage in conversation.
"What's wrong? Do you need any help?" Annie noticed something was off and asked with concern, and the other girls joined in.
"It's nothing, just unsure about my performance," Angela forced a smile.
"Unsure? Oh my god, you're doing amazing," Annie exclaimed, widening her eyes.
"Yeah, Angela, you're fantastic," another girl with glasses chimed in.
"Did the director scold you? Let's go find him!" a smaller girl exclaimed.
Seeing these girls overwhelmingly supportive, Angela found it both amusing and touching. It lightened some of the heaviness in her heart, and she quickly said, "Alright, everyone, please don't worry. I'm just here thinking about how to improve my performance. It's nothing else. Thank you for your concern. If possible, could you give me some quiet time?"
"Okay, no problem. We'll leave you alone. Good luck!" Annie responded.
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The other girls also wished her well and followed Annie, heading towards the cabin. However, before they got too far, Annie hesitantly ran back and whispered to Angela, "Angela, if... if the director really scolded you, please don't take it to heart, okay?"
Although it was strange why she specifically came back to say this, the little girl smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I'm fine. It didn't happen."
Annie nodded and gave her an encouraging smile before running back. Angela watched as Annie and the other girls headed towards the cabin. Although the little incident didn't really solve her troubles or provide any help, at least her mood had improved slightly. Then, an idea popped into her head.
"Maybe I can try this?" she murmured to herself. Following that, she faced the lake, closed her eyes, and let her hands hang down. With slight swaying motions as her body found its own balance, Angela took a deep breath, held it for three to four seconds, and then rhythmically exhaled slowly. After exhaling, she took another deep breath, extending the breath-hold by two seconds, and exhaled in a different rhythm. She repeated this process several times before stopping.
A gentle breeze blew, causing ripples on the lake's surface. The little girl's golden hair floated lightly in the wind and coupled with her modest light gray checkered dress, she seemed somewhat different, exuding a hazy aura.
Angela slowly opened her eyes and looked at the lake, revealing a confident smile. Her two shallow dimples were particularly charming. She turned around and quickly approached Charles and Nancy, smiling as she said, "We can start again, Mr. Sawyer."
Charles, who didn't understand what had happened, exchanged a glance with his wife but didn't say much. He immediately instructed everyone to get moving and resume filming. They quickly noticed the difference in Angela, especially Mr. Buck, who had already acted in a few scenes with the little girl. He couldn't quite pinpoint what was different, but the feeling almost caused him to call for a retake.
However, Charles, sitting in the director's chair, had a different perception. He noticed that the occasional awkwardness that appeared in Angela's performance had been replaced by a different kind of youthfulness, giving her an unusual charm. Surprised, he didn't stop and proceeded to reshoot from all angles before calling it a wrap.
Afterward, Mr. Buck was about to leave. He only had one scene here, and the crew still had to spend at least another week in the forest park to complete all the shots. So he just needed to return when the crew went to the Pálega Hotel for filming.
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Then, Nancy announced that the kids could rest for a while.
"It's 4 o'clock now. We have two more hours until dinner time. We need to shoot the first meal scene for the summer camp and then continue with the night shots after 8 p.m.," Nancy informed Angela about the upcoming schedule.
"Does that mean we'll be shooting the scene with the strawberry allergy later?" the little girl blinked and asked. She no longer had that hazy aura, but she looked even more adorable, although she lacked that indescribable feeling from before.
"That's right, Jessica will make her first appearance then. Although we'll replace her with you in post-production, it doesn't mean she just needs to recite her lines mechanically," Nancy said, turning to look at Jessica.
"I understand, Mrs. Meyers," Jessica nodded eagerly, her cheeks turning rosy. Angela couldn't help but feel the urge to pinch her adorable little face, but of course, it was just a fleeting thought. Her current focus was on continuing to grasp acting skills. What she did earlier was a trick she learned from her grandmother, who had one-quarter of Chinese heritage. According to her dear grandmother, it was a breathing technique passed down by her mother, the little girl's great-grandmother. As for how her grandmother learned it, that would be something the young girl would need to investigate in the future. In any case, those simple breaths indeed had a calming effect, perhaps even a self-hypnosis effect—this was Angela's speculation. Otherwise, how could she explain the complete blankness in her mind after each performance?
However, it was clear that Angela couldn't and shouldn't rely solely on instinct and empty her mind to act. Perhaps she initially took on this role out of curiosity and a desire to try something new, but that didn't mean she wouldn't take it seriously. Especially after experiencing two major scenes today, ambition and responsibility were two different things. If she hadn't delayed the shooting this afternoon by dragging her scenes, the crew could have completed the sword fight scene as well.
"Let's go, Jessica. Let's rehearse the scene. I hope we can get it right in one take," the little girl pulled Jessica to the side, once again filled with ambitious aspirations.
The crew continued with their orderly filming, while Angela, Jessica, and Jennifer played the roles of camp counselors, engaging in back-and-forth dialogue. However, this situation didn't last long. With the arrival of the private tutors that the parents had arranged, the two little ones had to start their three hours of study time as required by Child Labor Law—of course, not three continuous hours.
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The lady named Alma Brown was probably around fifty years old. Although she seemed kind, her demands were very strict, even a bit old-fashioned. She didn't even allow Angela's request to sit on the floor for teaching. This made the little girl grumble in her heart. She thought that dealing with the familiar but stern Mr. Charles Sawyer was enough for her, and now there was another one. Did they want to provoke her rebellion?
Of course, rebelling was impossible. Although Mrs. Brown had strict requirements, she was witty and engaging in her teaching, which made the little girl, who had never been interested in elementary school curriculum, pay attention and listen carefully for a class or two. However, as a result, the little one secretly kept track of the two NGs from the shooting before dinner. It wasn't because Angela was petty, but mainly because both NGs were her fault, not Jessica's. This frustrated her a bit. While she understood that the director had different expectations for her and Jessica, it didn't stop her from internal self-blame. So, Mrs. Brown had to temporarily become the scapegoat.
The restaurant scene, unlike Annie's introduction scene, didn't solely rely on her to attract attention. So after two NGs, Angela finally caught the feeling from the afternoon shooting and successfully completed the scene, relieving everyone's tension.
"Well, maybe I should have bought a book to read before this. Something like 'An Actor's Self-Cultivation,'" Angela said to Jessica as the crew began dinner at the table.
Jessica didn't understand what book Angela was referring to. Although she could understand it literally, she obviously couldn't travel through time to learn about Stephen Chow's humor and depth. So she blinked curiously at Angela, wanting to hear her explanation. But Angela had lost interest in speaking and focused on playing with the vegetable salad in front of her. Seeing this, Jessica shrugged and put that thought aside, starting to reflect on her own day's experiences.
After nightfall, the crew became busy again. Although Angela knew that night shoots had stricter requirements for lighting, photography, and various effects, and that the crew needed ample preparation, she wondered why they started so early and why the location seemed to be... by the lake? Could it be... could it be...
She was taken aback and suddenly stood up. Oh my, they weren't going to shoot that scene first, were they? At that moment, Mrs. Brown's gentle yet irresistible voice rang in her ears, "Miss Mason, do you have a question?"
The little girl was startled once again. After meeting Mrs. Brown's sharp gaze, she realized that she was still in class. Damn it! She inwardly cursed her situation, quickly glanced at Jessica beside her, and thankfully, although Jessica lowered her head pretending to be diligently reading a book, her fingers were clearly tracing a line of letters on the page—it was Abraham Lincoln! So the little girl immediately raised her head with a smile and said, "Well, Mrs. Brown, we all know that if President Lincoln hadn't faced hardships from an early age, it would have been difficult for him to become a great president. But I think it's precisely because of the president's early struggles that he became overly strong-willed. If his methods of abolishing slavery were gentler and more discreet, maybe there wouldn't have been a Civil War."
That was pure nonsense, but Angela didn't have time to think much as she needed to divert Mrs. Brown's attention. She had to make something up on the spot. Sure enough, Mrs. Brown was stunned, and at the same time, Nancy approached, "Mrs. Brown, may I borrow Angela for a moment?"
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"Please go ahead." Mrs. Brown didn't say much and made a gesture of permission, allowing the little girl to finally escape.
However, Angela didn't feel happy about it. After sighing, she looked at Nancy with a pitiful expression and asked, "Do I have to take off all my clothes and jump into the lake later?"
"Don't worry, dear. We will clear the area, and everyone unrelated will leave," Nancy replied with a smile, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Of course, you won't be completely naked. We'll only film your head and legs in close-ups, and the distant shots will be backlit."
The little girl sighed once again. Was this her own doing? If only she had changed this scene. But how could she have known back then that she would be playing this role? Angela felt the pain. Just wearing a dress made her uncomfortable for a long time, let alone undressing in front of so many people. It's worth noting that apart from her mother and Jennifer, even her father hadn't seen her naked since she was 2 years old.
But what could she do now? Should she talk to Nancy about modifying the script? Or should she just quit the role altogether? That would be foolish! So after hesitating for a long time, once the area was cleared, she shivered as she stepped out of the changing room wearing a tight-fitting outfit that exposed her shoulders and legs. The wardrobe assistant had done a great job with the clothes, and it wasn't apparent from the backlit perspective.
Enduring the awkwardness and discomfort, Angela walked to the wooden pier by the lake. A gust of wind blew, causing her to shiver involuntarily. It was still a bit chilly on this early summer night.
I swear I will never, ever film a scene like this again! Standing upright, the little girl gritted her teeth and, with the director's cue, plunged into the lake with a sudden burst of energy!
[Note: I've decided to release a bunch of chapters in two days to give you guys a better preview of the novel. From hereon I plan to update daily, with ideally 2 chapters. However, I can't promise it since life might get in the way from time to time. Thanks for your understanding, I am looking forward to your comments on the story, have a great day!]
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"Hey, Angela, what are you doing here?" A group of girls came over, playfully teasing each other. The one at the front spotted Angela and called out excitedly. She was the tall girl who had initially acted alongside Angela, and her name was Annie.´
"Hey, Annie, and everyone else," Angela greeted them casually. She got along well with these temporary actors, but at the moment, she didn't have much enthusiasm to engage in conversation.
"What's wrong? Do you need any help?" Annie noticed something was off and asked with concern, and the other girls joined in.
"It's nothing, just unsure about my performance," Angela forced a smile.
"Unsure? Oh my god, you're doing amazing," Annie exclaimed, widening her eyes.
"Yeah, Angela, you're fantastic," another girl with glasses chimed in.
"Did the director scold you? Let's go find him!" a smaller girl exclaimed.
Seeing these girls overwhelmingly supportive, Angela found it both amusing and touching. It lightened some of the heaviness in her heart, and she quickly said, "Alright, everyone, please don't worry. I'm just here thinking about how to improve my performance. It's nothing else. Thank you for your concern. If possible, could you give me some quiet time?"
"Okay, no problem. We'll leave you alone. Good luck!" Annie responded.
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The other girls also wished her well and followed Annie, heading towards the cabin. However, before they got too far, Annie hesitantly ran back and whispered to Angela, "Angela, if... if the director really scolded you, please don't take it to heart, okay?"
Although it was strange why she specifically came back to say this, the little girl smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I'm fine. It didn't happen."
Annie nodded and gave her an encouraging smile before running back. Angela watched as Annie and the other girls headed towards the cabin. Although the little incident didn't really solve her troubles or provide any help, at least her mood had improved slightly. Then, an idea popped into her head.
"Maybe I can try this?" she murmured to herself. Following that, she faced the lake, closed her eyes, and let her hands hang down. With slight swaying motions as her body found its own balance, Angela took a deep breath, held it for three to four seconds, and then rhythmically exhaled slowly. After exhaling, she took another deep breath, extending the breath-hold by two seconds, and exhaled in a different rhythm. She repeated this process several times before stopping.
A gentle breeze blew, causing ripples on the lake's surface. The little girl's golden hair floated lightly in the wind and coupled with her modest light gray checkered dress, she seemed somewhat different, exuding a hazy aura.
Angela slowly opened her eyes and looked at the lake, revealing a confident smile. Her two shallow dimples were particularly charming. She turned around and quickly approached Charles and Nancy, smiling as she said, "We can start again, Mr. Sawyer."
Charles, who didn't understand what had happened, exchanged a glance with his wife but didn't say much. He immediately instructed everyone to get moving and resume filming. They quickly noticed the difference in Angela, especially Mr. Buck, who had already acted in a few scenes with the little girl. He couldn't quite pinpoint what was different, but the feeling almost caused him to call for a retake.
However, Charles, sitting in the director's chair, had a different perception. He noticed that the occasional awkwardness that appeared in Angela's performance had been replaced by a different kind of youthfulness, giving her an unusual charm. Surprised, he didn't stop and proceeded to reshoot from all angles before calling it a wrap.
Afterward, Mr. Buck was about to leave. He only had one scene here, and the crew still had to spend at least another week in the forest park to complete all the shots. So he just needed to return when the crew went to the Pálega Hotel for filming.
Sponsored Content
Then, Nancy announced that the kids could rest for a while.
"It's 4 o'clock now. We have two more hours until dinner time. We need to shoot the first meal scene for the summer camp and then continue with the night shots after 8 p.m.," Nancy informed Angela about the upcoming schedule.
"Does that mean we'll be shooting the scene with the strawberry allergy later?" the little girl blinked and asked. She no longer had that hazy aura, but she looked even more adorable, although she lacked that indescribable feeling from before.
"That's right, Jessica will make her first appearance then. Although we'll replace her with you in post-production, it doesn't mean she just needs to recite her lines mechanically," Nancy said, turning to look at Jessica.
"I understand, Mrs. Meyers," Jessica nodded eagerly, her cheeks turning rosy. Angela couldn't help but feel the urge to pinch her adorable little face, but of course, it was just a fleeting thought. Her current focus was on continuing to grasp acting skills. What she did earlier was a trick she learned from her grandmother, who had one-quarter of Chinese heritage. According to her dear grandmother, it was a breathing technique passed down by her mother, the little girl's great-grandmother. As for how her grandmother learned it, that would be something the young girl would need to investigate in the future. In any case, those simple breaths indeed had a calming effect, perhaps even a self-hypnosis effect—this was Angela's speculation. Otherwise, how could she explain the complete blankness in her mind after each performance?
However, it was clear that Angela couldn't and shouldn't rely solely on instinct and empty her mind to act. Perhaps she initially took on this role out of curiosity and a desire to try something new, but that didn't mean she wouldn't take it seriously. Especially after experiencing two major scenes today, ambition and responsibility were two different things. If she hadn't delayed the shooting this afternoon by dragging her scenes, the crew could have completed the sword fight scene as well.
"Let's go, Jessica. Let's rehearse the scene. I hope we can get it right in one take," the little girl pulled Jessica to the side, once again filled with ambitious aspirations.
The crew continued with their orderly filming, while Angela, Jessica, and Jennifer played the roles of camp counselors, engaging in back-and-forth dialogue. However, this situation didn't last long. With the arrival of the private tutors that the parents had arranged, the two little ones had to start their three hours of study time as required by Child Labor Law—of course, not three continuous hours.
Sponsored Content
The lady named Alma Brown was probably around fifty years old. Although she seemed kind, her demands were very strict, even a bit old-fashioned. She didn't even allow Angela's request to sit on the floor for teaching. This made the little girl grumble in her heart. She thought that dealing with the familiar but stern Mr. Charles Sawyer was enough for her, and now there was another one. Did they want to provoke her rebellion?
Of course, rebelling was impossible. Although Mrs. Brown had strict requirements, she was witty and engaging in her teaching, which made the little girl, who had never been interested in elementary school curriculum, pay attention and listen carefully for a class or two. However, as a result, the little one secretly kept track of the two NGs from the shooting before dinner. It wasn't because Angela was petty, but mainly because both NGs were her fault, not Jessica's. This frustrated her a bit. While she understood that the director had different expectations for her and Jessica, it didn't stop her from internal self-blame. So, Mrs. Brown had to temporarily become the scapegoat.
The restaurant scene, unlike Annie's introduction scene, didn't solely rely on her to attract attention. So after two NGs, Angela finally caught the feeling from the afternoon shooting and successfully completed the scene, relieving everyone's tension.
"Well, maybe I should have bought a book to read before this. Something like 'An Actor's Self-Cultivation,'" Angela said to Jessica as the crew began dinner at the table.
Jessica didn't understand what book Angela was referring to. Although she could understand it literally, she obviously couldn't travel through time to learn about Stephen Chow's humor and depth. So she blinked curiously at Angela, wanting to hear her explanation. But Angela had lost interest in speaking and focused on playing with the vegetable salad in front of her. Seeing this, Jessica shrugged and put that thought aside, starting to reflect on her own day's experiences.
After nightfall, the crew became busy again. Although Angela knew that night shoots had stricter requirements for lighting, photography, and various effects, and that the crew needed ample preparation, she wondered why they started so early and why the location seemed to be... by the lake? Could it be... could it be...
She was taken aback and suddenly stood up. Oh my, they weren't going to shoot that scene first, were they? At that moment, Mrs. Brown's gentle yet irresistible voice rang in her ears, "Miss Mason, do you have a question?"
The little girl was startled once again. After meeting Mrs. Brown's sharp gaze, she realized that she was still in class. Damn it! She inwardly cursed her situation, quickly glanced at Jessica beside her, and thankfully, although Jessica lowered her head pretending to be diligently reading a book, her fingers were clearly tracing a line of letters on the page—it was Abraham Lincoln! So the little girl immediately raised her head with a smile and said, "Well, Mrs. Brown, we all know that if President Lincoln hadn't faced hardships from an early age, it would have been difficult for him to become a great president. But I think it's precisely because of the president's early struggles that he became overly strong-willed. If his methods of abolishing slavery were gentler and more discreet, maybe there wouldn't have been a Civil War."
That was pure nonsense, but Angela didn't have time to think much as she needed to divert Mrs. Brown's attention. She had to make something up on the spot. Sure enough, Mrs. Brown was stunned, and at the same time, Nancy approached, "Mrs. Brown, may I borrow Angela for a moment?"
Sponsored Content
"Please go ahead." Mrs. Brown didn't say much and made a gesture of permission, allowing the little girl to finally escape.
However, Angela didn't feel happy about it. After sighing, she looked at Nancy with a pitiful expression and asked, "Do I have to take off all my clothes and jump into the lake later?"
"Don't worry, dear. We will clear the area, and everyone unrelated will leave," Nancy replied with a smile, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Of course, you won't be completely naked. We'll only film your head and legs in close-ups, and the distant shots will be backlit."
The little girl sighed once again. Was this her own doing? If only she had changed this scene. But how could she have known back then that she would be playing this role? Angela felt the pain. Just wearing a dress made her uncomfortable for a long time, let alone undressing in front of so many people. It's worth noting that apart from her mother and Jennifer, even her father hadn't seen her naked since she was 2 years old.
But what could she do now? Should she talk to Nancy about modifying the script? Or should she just quit the role altogether? That would be foolish! So after hesitating for a long time, once the area was cleared, she shivered as she stepped out of the changing room wearing a tight-fitting outfit that exposed her shoulders and legs. The wardrobe assistant had done a great job with the clothes, and it wasn't apparent from the backlit perspective.
Enduring the awkwardness and discomfort, Angela walked to the wooden pier by the lake. A gust of wind blew, causing her to shiver involuntarily. It was still a bit chilly on this early summer night.
I swear I will never, ever film a scene like this again! Standing upright, the little girl gritted her teeth and, with the director's cue, plunged into the lake with a sudden burst of energy!
[Note: I've decided to release a bunch of chapters in two days to give you guys a better preview of the novel. From hereon I plan to update daily, with ideally 2 chapters. However, I can't promise it since life might get in the way from time to time. Thanks for your understanding, I am looking forward to your comments on the story, have a great day!]
