Chapter Ninety-Eight: He Bing

The importance of visual effects as one of the indispensable elements of future filmmaking is a fact universally acknowledged. Their contribution to the continued growth of cinema is obvious to all.

The reason is simple. The stories and the creatures and settings that appear in films are sometimes entirely imaginary, things that do not exist in reality: monsters, distant planets, and so on. Since they do not exist, yet still need to be shown on screen, specialists are required to create and solve these problems.

There are also things that can exist in reality, but cannot be achieved with a particular effect. Those, too, require visual effects. For example, if someone jumps from the thirtieth floor, no actor can actually do that in real life, so computer synthesis is needed. Then there are effects that could be done in reality, but are too costly or do not work well enough, so special effects must be used instead, such as the airplane explosions so common in war films.

In other words, in the future filmmaking process, the mindset of visual effects will already be present from the storyboard stage. As a result, visual effects will transform the traditional methods and workflow of filmmaking; images once limited by shooting technology can be brought to life, and creators will be freed to use their imagination to the fullest.

If Liu Qingshan were to master such high technology in the near future, what lofty status would he occupy in the entertainment world then?

Because he understood all this, He Bing held Liu Qingshan in exceptionally high regard. But he was only an ordinary actor, and could only deepen their friendship step by step through their interactions.

There were many people like him. Liu Qingshan knew perfectly well what was in their hearts, yet he continued to be sincere in cultivating these relationships.

In truth, He Bing was highly capable, the sort of figure who would, in time, become a veteran master actor. Beyond his own formidable acting skills, his standing in the capital’s arts circle also meant he had a strong network of connections.

Moreover, at such a young age, being a national first-class actor, his ability was beyond doubt.

“Miss Jin told me that Teacher He has helped her a great deal. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for her to gain a foothold in a Chinese period drama!”

Liu Qingshan was extremely courteous toward the man before him.

“Miss Jin is the queen of Korea. I have little to teach her. I only gave her some guidance in the language. She is a foreigner, so those lines with a touch of classical Chinese can be rather difficult to use.”

“Clear understanding of the lines is what allows for emotional expression and character building. Teacher He really has helped me a lot,” Jin Xishan explained from the side.

Liu Qingshan agreed wholeheartedly. “Understanding lines is a basic quality of stage language. If one has not grasped the essence of Chinese, it would be impossible to bring the role to life smoothly. Sister Xishan is very driven and insists on dubbing her own lines, so please continue to look after her language practice in the future, Teacher He.”

He Bing smiled and replied, “Leave it to me. With Sun Chun’s regard on the line, I’ll do everything I can for Miss Jin.”

“Oh? Teacher He also knows Chun Ge?”

“Sun Chun is Director Kan’s brother, a very solid kind of brother at that. I’ve known Director Kan for over twenty years now, so we’re all old friends. I heard Director Zhang call you Shanzi, so don’t keep saying teacher this and teacher that. From now on, just call me Brother Bing.”

“All right, then I’ll call you Brother Bing. The Great Song Forensic Official is also a major production from National Television. What do you think its ratings will be in the future?”

“That depends on your other drama, The Detective Di Renjie. That was the test run that pioneered the historical courtroom-investigation genre. It should be airing next month, shouldn’t it?”

“I only played a small supporting role in it. It starts airing at the beginning of next month. But I read the script for The Great Song Forensic Official, and I keep feeling that Song Ci comes across as a little too tragic.”

Liu Qingshan would not mention these things without reason. His real intention was to remind He Bing that the character Yinggu, played by Jin Xishan, was not especially likable.

But it was not easy to bring the subject up skillfully. It was like him, as a bystander to another drama, directly raising a similar matter with Director Kan Weiting; if he did not handle the boundaries well, he could be criticized for it.

Still, the topic stirred He Bing’s great interest. “Oh my, I didn’t expect you to notice that as well. It seems you really did read the script.”

After that, he carefully analyzed the overall tone of the drama for Liu Qingshan, laying everything out in clear and orderly fashion.

The protagonist, Song Ci, was exceptionally skilled at deduction, but he lacked a certain subtlety. Partly because he was young and inexperienced. Partly because of his convictions: he was a firm believer in rule of law, and so he felt that statutes must not make room for personal feeling. No matter how many hidden reasons lay behind a case, if someone deserved to die, then die they must.

And the era of Judge Song was precisely the eve of the humiliating collapse at the hands of the Great Yuan. The Song state itself had long been a time that was weak in foreign wars, adept only at infighting, and eager to tear itself apart. Add to that the atmosphere of a doomed dynasty on the brink of ruin, where corruption was rampant, bribery pervasive, and intrigue the norm. Almost no one in the court was not a criminal, while Judge Song himself seemed more like a single glimmer struggling to save the boundless night.

He Bing had also seen much of the main content of The Detective Di Renjie, and when Liu Qingshan mentioned it, he offered his own understanding as well.

Di Renjie lived in the flourishing heights of the Great Tang Empire, when national power was strong and the granaries were full. Naturally, this was accompanied by relative political clarity overall.

Though corrupt officials could not be entirely avoided, they were after all only a minority. The criminals that Magistrate Di had to face could only be regarded as a patch of darkness within the light.

This comparison made the two dramas’ utterly different historical backdrops immediately apparent, and thus determined that they would give viewers very different experiences.

One was the power of an empire confronting a patch of darkness within the light; the other was one man’s effort to save a single point of brightness from an endless night.

This determined the overall tone and ending of the two dramas, and therefore the audience’s mood throughout the viewing experience.

So when watching Di Renjie, the audience would be happy, marvel at the methods, admire the wisdom, revere the breadth of spirit, and even grin along with the characters at a clever little trick.

But when watching the Forensic Official, they would only feel tension, frustration, and a constant swing between hope and disappointment. The audience would not fully step into the story, but instead would watch from a third person’s perspective, sharing in the character’s joys and sorrows.

As he spoke, it was inevitable that He Bing would mention the character Yinggu, and Liu Qingshan smoothly interjected, “Yinggu isn’t very likable in your drama!”

He Bing was startled. At once he remembered that the role was played by Jin Xishan.

What sort of person was he? A master actor among the younger generation, one whose specialty was penetrating to the true meaning behind every role. How could such a man be oblivious to the realities of life?

On the contrary, in daily life he was shrewd and quick, and immediately understood what Liu Qingshan meant between the lines.

So he laughed. “I say, Shanzi, after going such a long way around, you were really speaking up for Miss Jin—no, for Yinggu! Don’t worry. Director Kan has also been considering this over the past two days, wondering whether the script should be slightly revised to better highlight Yinggu’s importance in the story.”

Liu Qingshan glanced at Jin Xishan in a way no one else could notice.

The latter immediately understood the meaning in that glance and promptly said, “I also feel that the character of Yinggu is a little too unlikable.”