Chapter 56: Filming the Piano Scene
Liu Man and Tang Tu sat on the same piano stool, one on the right and one on the left. Four pale and slender hands were on the keyboard at the same time, and then they started playing.
The duo, who had never practiced together before, were not cooperating well at all, as expected.
Xue Feiyun stopped them amid their playing, “The tempo’s not in sync. Liu Man, you are one beat faster than Tang Tu. Aren’t you in the piano major? Why are you rushing?”
This was disguised criticism, and Liu Man blushed, “Sorry.”
“Don’t be nervous,” Tang Tu comforted her, “Take baby steps. If you have any problems, tell me, and I will help you solve it.”
Tang Tu was much more experienced than Liu Man at performing. He could bear performances with big crowds, and he also had this kind of aura himself. Maybe this was the leadership temperament a musician carried, and Liu Man gradually pacified.
“So, let’s continue,” Tang Tu said.
“Okay.”
The two continued to practice, and when they got to the fourth or fifth time, they were finally in sync. It wasn’t perfect, but at least they were on the same beat and were in unison. In the ears of an amateur, this was already good enough.
A few staff members even picked up their phones to record them.
“I keep thinking that we’re missing something,” Xue Feiyun touched his beard as he pondered for a while, but he couldn’t think of what they were missing, “Forget it, I can’t think of it. It’s getting late now, so practice one more time and you can leave. Tomorrow when you film, play exactly like this.”
The next day came. The actual filming was taking place at the music hall in Shanghai Advanced Experimental Middle School.
A grand piano was put onto the center of the stage, and several cameras were aimed at the stage. The actors and crew members pretending to be audiences filled the first ten rows.
Director Ye waved his hand and the shooting began:
The host stepped onto the stage, “Next, students from 10th-grade class 1, Duan Nanfeng and Ji Ning, will perform the piano duet, “The Sound of Wind.”
The lights dimmed.
Liu Man followed Tang Tu onto the stage. Even though this was just filming, and not a real concert, the casting of the scene seemed very real.
Especially when the duo stood still and the spotlights shone onto them. The lights flared in Liu Man’s eyes, and she couldn’t resist but lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the light.
The deputy director frowned and wanted to call a cut, but Ye Zian stopped him, “No, it’s more natural this way.”
Both Liu Man and Tang Tu wore proper performance gowns. Liu Man was wearing a light blue fishtail evening gown, while Tang Tu wore a white tuxedo. The makeup artist didn’t give them heavy makeup, or they would seem too mature.
Tang Tu wore no makeup, but with his slick black hair, he looked even more handsome than usual.
Liu Man had on a layer of light makeup. She looked pale and beautiful, with curvy brows and bright eyes.
The two were both from the music university and carried an artistic temperament in addition to their good looks. Even the fake audiences were looking forward to the performance.
Tang Tu gestured for Liu Man to sit, and Liu Man sat on the piano stool first. Tang Tu only sat down next to her after she sat down. These details were all rehearsed by them during the previous night, and now it all looked very natural.
The pair looked at each other, then both looked at the music sheets tacitly.
Ye Zian told the videographer to give a close-up of their slender hands.
To Liu Man and Tang Tu, the tune was already very familiar to them. The melody, once again, arose from the keyboard under their hands — The sound of the wind, just like the wind, penetrated the entire music hall from all around them, into the ears of all the audiences.
Everyone felt as if they were right inside the script:
Ji Ning was pretty and decorous, but there was also a hint of deep sadness hidden in her.
In this completely new environment, she was all alone, with no one caring for her. She was like a breeze, blowing toward the sky, going somewhere far away. A wind that was best blown to the heavens — to her mother.
Duan Nanfeng, who was usually good at solo, cooperated with Ji Ning without any other thoughts.
As the piece entered the epilogue, the white light above them shone down onto Ji Ning’s peaceful face, casting down a shadow that looked just like the silhouette of an ancient lady.
Tang Tu couldn’t resist but turn his head to look at her with deep love. Just because of that one look, he accidentally played one note wrong.
This was not included in the scripts; Tang Tu had forgotten himself.
Credits: Sydney, Isabella, Puppxteer, Michelle
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