fringe artist

Chapter 2 2. Real acting is never on camera

Most artists seem dissatisfied with the world.

There is always an anger and disappointment in my heart that others don't understand, and I want to fight and criticize this society and the world.

In the movie Extremely Cold, the hero Qi Lei is such a person, a very paranoid painter and performance artist.

In the movie, Qi Lei and his teacher made an experimental art together, simulating burial on the beginning of autumn, simulating drowning on the winter solstice, symbolic cremation on the beginning of spring, and melting a huge piece of ice on the summer solstice to simulate ice burial. Death, I want to use this to see what impact the death of an artist will have on society and his works.

It's a pity that this was a scam from beginning to end. The real performance art began after Qi Lei pretended to be dead. He hid in the dark and observed the world, observing the impact of his death on the world.

Qi Lei, who completed the simulated death, found that his death did not have any impact on the world. His paintings were not endowed with meaning, nor did all boats rise because of the sacrifice of his life. His life ended meaninglessly.

In desperation, Qi Lei decided to complete his final performance art and ended his life on the day of the autumn solstice.

This is adapted from real events. The current artistic atmosphere and artists have always been vigorous and brave, far less elegant than later.

What kind of form should art exist? It seems that every era has different manifestations, and it is impossible to say which is better.

More than 20 years later, some people said that the current art is too formal and superficial, seemingly elegant but has lost the tension to touch the soul.

Chen Li'an neither agrees nor denies this statement. The background of the times and the social environment are the decisive existences that determine the form of art.

The extremely cold audition location is in the West Village, which is also very "artistic", a kind of "poverty art" with the characteristics of the times.

Walking in the alleys of the West Village, Chen Li'an felt a kind of kindness from the bottom of his heart.

The audition place was very rudimentary, there was no place to sit, the white putty on the wall was all peeled off, and the green color at the base of the wall seemed to be covered with a layer of white ash, and the brightness was much higher.

At this time, Wang Xiaoshuai was very poor and confused. Maybe it was this kind of poverty and confusion that made him write the script of extreme cold.

When people are in adversity, they always think a lot, and they also have a lot of exploration and thinking.

If you are poor, think about change, it is very suitable here.

Before seeing Wang Xiaoshuai again, Chen Li'an first met Jia Hongsheng, who had long hair, was very thin and melancholy, and had a strong sense of melancholy and depression on his body.

Chen Li'an looked at Jia Hongsheng leaning against the wall wearing earphones, he seemed not very interested in everything, just immersed in his own world, the music in the earphones was very loud, but he couldn't hear what song was playing inside.

Jia Hongsheng also noticed Chen Li'an, and seemed to feel "the same kind of breath" from Chen Li'an.

Chen Li'an glanced at him and didn't go up to talk to him. He needs to immerse himself in the characters now, which is his habit of acting in dramas in his previous life.

Not many people came to audition today. After all, Wang Xiaoshuai was still banned, so that when the film was finished, Wang Xiaoshuai even wrote "No Name" in the line of director.

Such an independent film or an underground film will not attract too many people's interest.

In the entertainment industry, 90.00% of people are after fame and wealth, but Extreme Cold does not have these two things.

But here is what Chen Lian wants.

Chen Li'an's movies directed by the fifth generation are out of reach, and the current TV series will only choose famous actors.

Only the sixth-generation directors who have just begun to emerge are suitable for a newcomer like Chen Li'an.

The audition process was not smooth, and the few who went in before came out quickly, without performances or lines, and seemed to be determined at a glance.

Wang Xiaoshuai was a little stumped. The actors who auditioned today were all dissatisfied. They were either inexperienced group performers, or they were too famous and wanted to brush up their resumes.

There is no one who really has the strength to fit the character image.

After seeing more than ten people, Wang Xiaoshuai came out of the room, wanting to smoke a cigarette to relax.

When he opened the door of the room and walked out, he spotted Chen Li'an at a glance, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he put down the cigarette in his hand.

This kind of temperament fits Qi Lei's character too well, but he looks a little too good-looking.

Chen Li'an's current image is very consistent with the character image in his script, but Chen Li'an looks a little young.

Wang Xiaoshuai walked towards Chen Li'an, his eyes glanced back and he was attracted by Jia Hongsheng's figure again.

At this moment, Wang Xiaoshuai felt as if he was favored by heaven.

Chen Li'an noticed that Wang Xiaoshuai, wearing black glasses, had a round face that didn't look like a director of a literary film at all.

Wang Xiaoshuai walked up to Chen Li'an and asked, "Are you here for an audition?"

Hearing Wang Xiaoshuai's question, Chen Li'an raised his eyelids, and said indifferently, "Yes."

Hearing Chen Li'an's answer, Wang Xiaoshuai turned to look at Jia Hongsheng and asked, "Hongsheng, you're here too."

"Hmm." Jia Hongsheng took off his earphones and replied, his mental state was a little sluggish, and he didn't seem to have slept well.

After Wang Xiaoshuai looked back and forth between Chen Li'an and Jia Hongsheng, he was a little happy and a little tangled.

From Wang Xiaoshuai's point of view, these two people fit his script very well, and it was a bit embarrassing for a while.

Chen Li'an's image is more suitable, but Jia Hongsheng is famous, and Wang Xiaoshuai doesn't know how to choose.

If you really want to compare, Wang Xiaoshuai is more inclined to Jia Hongsheng, but looking at Chen Lian's paranoid melancholy with a trace of aggressive resentment, Wang Xiaoshuai hesitates.

Wang Xiaoshuai's entanglement was noticed by Chen Li'an, and he put his hands in his pockets and said nonchalantly, "Am I suitable? If not, I will leave."

Chen Li'an's indifference, open-mindedness and casualness stunned Wang Xiaoshuai for a moment, and then he said: "You are very suitable, and Jia Hongsheng is also very suitable, I am a little conflicted."

Chen Li'an turned his head to look at Jia Hongsheng, and found that he didn't have any emotional fluctuations, he just stood there and his eyes wandered, not knowing what he was thinking.

Wang Xiaoshuai struggled for a while and said, "Come and try the play, Hongsheng is also coming."

Jia Hongsheng hummed, walked up to Wang Xiaoshuai.Chen Li'an raised his eyelids and followed Wang Xiaoshuai into the room.

It is said to be an audition, but it is actually a few people sitting together and chatting, not formal or serious, more like a gathering of friends in the afternoon.

There were not many people in the room, and there were only five people including Chen Li'an and Jia Hongsheng.

Naturally, Wang Xiaoshuai needn't mention it. There are also two assistant directors, Li Huatong and a producer with gold-rimmed glasses. They have a very interesting name, Shu Qi.

It's not the female star Shu Qi, this Shu Qi is a director of Xiangjiang, and Shu Qi has also made his movies.

The few people in the room seemed to have forgotten about the actors outside who were still waiting for auditions, and sat smoking and chatting together.

There was only one window in the small room, and the air was not circulated. The smoke quickly filled the room, but the conversations of several people were very high.

The topics discussed in the room are also very interesting, not related to movies, but talking about performance art and conceptual art.

The content of the chat was the performance artists in the East Village, especially when talking about Zhang Huan, Wang Xiaoshuai was a little excited, and he was very enthusiastic about Zhang Huan's performance art.

Chen Li'an didn't express too many opinions, and Jia Hongsheng also didn't talk much. The one who talked the most was Wang Xiaoshuai, who seemed to have a lot of enthusiasm.

Speaking of some performance art I saw in the East Village, there is a strong desire to express in the words.

Perhaps it is this strong desire for expression that makes Wang Xiaoshuai write extremely cold scripts. The form of performance art is an art with strong impact.

If you see it with your own eyes, you will be very touched, but this kind of touch tends to dissipate quickly, and only those with sensitive hearts will be deeply affected.

Wang Xiaoshuai seems to be this kind of person, who can easily grasp the inner emotions and amplify them.

This kind of trait is rare, and it is a must for those who engage in art.

After chatting for a while, Wang Xiaoshuai probably realized that his purpose today was not to chat, so he turned to Chen Li'an and Jia Hongsheng, and asked them what they thought of performance art.

Sitting on the chair, Chen Li'an felt that the vertical back of the chair made him very uncomfortable, so he had to straighten his back.

Hearing Wang Xiaoshuai's question, Chen Li'an looked up at him and pointed at himself.

Under Chen Li'an's reminder, Wang Xiaoshuai noticed Chen Li'an's weird sitting posture, with his back straight, his head down looking at his toes, and his left leg crossed over his right leg to form a right triangle.

The posture of the whole person looks extremely strange, extremely awkward and has a sense of beauty.

Chen Li'an said at this time: "Now I still need a chain to tie me to the back of the chair, and the outside is covered with a huge glass cage and placed on Wangfujing Street. This is a performance art."

When Jia Hongsheng heard Chen Li'an's words, his eyes lit up immediately, and he said a little excitedly, "Do you compare chairs to a society or a system? Glass is the indifference and alienation of human feelings?"

He is really a very sensitive person.

(End of this chapter)