CSGM - Chapter 127
Chapter 127: Didn't Want to Discourage Him
Time was tight. Soon, the paper-cutting materials ordered via delivery arrived at the film set.
Several large bags of red paper, along with scissors, glue, and other materials, were all laid out on a table on the indoor set.
The sound effects technician sat at the same table where the lead actors had just filmed their conversation, surrounded by members of the directing team.
Ren Zhi saw Chu Xi standing in the back and beckoned to her, sliding her stool over to make room for her to sit.
Chu Xi didn't need to watch at all, but seeing the chance to share a stool with Ren Zhi, she quickly scurried over with a smile.
The moment she sat down, her hand went to wrap around Ren Zhi's back.
Ren Zhi discreetly pinched her thigh, and Chu Xi, wincing in pain, reluctantly pulled her hand back.
Oh, oh, oh, right. She got it... Gotta avoid suspicion.
This was torture. Her girlfriend was right here, and she couldn't even touch her or get cuddly. Chu Xi grumbled internally that she was going to have to master the art of self-control.
The sound effects technician looked at a tutorial on his phone, along with some ancient Spring Festival paper-cutting patterns he had just searched for, and began drawing on a piece of paper folded into a rectangle.
Several people from the directing team watched him with rapt attention.
They were clueless when it came to such a skill-based craft. Watching the sound effects technician compose the design was like watching someone draw mystical talismans.
They couldn't possibly imagine what kind of pattern these lines would become once unfolded.
It just went to show that professional crafts had to be done by professionals.
Laymen like them knew nothing about paper-cutting; even the initial step of drawing the lines was enough to stump them.
But seeing the sound effects technician's pen move as smoothly as flowing water, the lines he drew looking quite confident, the director slowly let out a breath of relief.
After the sound effects technician finished his work with the scissors and unfolded the paper, everyone gasped in admiration as they looked at the finished product!
"Wow, that's incredible! You couldn't tell what it was at all before you unfolded it!"
Although the lines were relatively simple and the composition lacked complex details, when the sound effects technician unfolded the paper, a very distinct image of a "God of Wealth holding a gold ingot" leaped off the page!
Some actors and staff members had also gathered around to watch, and their reactions were nearly identical to the directing team's.
"This really is a craft. I couldn't tell it was the God of Wealth at all before it was cut out!"
"Teacher Lei, you're amazing! I didn't expect you to be hiding such a talent."
"Well then, Teacher Lei, hurry up and draw some for us to cut. We'll all help out to get it done faster."
Everyone was quite impressed by this craft that turned something simple into something magical, though some were also just being kind and supportive.
After all, the sound effects technician had stepped up at the last minute to handle the paper-cutting for the sake of the production.
Seeing that his first attempt at reviving his old skill was a success, the sound effects technician clutched his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
It helped him regain a bit of confidence in himself.
"Alright, I'll start drawing now," he said, nodding firmly in agreement.
He first drew some simpler patterns that were easy to mass-produce.
On the set, more than half of the crew got busy with the paper cutouts that had lines drawn on them.
Everyone felt the urgency of getting the shoot started again and was eager to help in any way they could.
When it came to drawing a more complex pattern, the sound effects technician held his pen, his brow furrowed as he stared at the red paper, unable to start for a long time.
The director tried to ease his pressure from the side, saying, "There are only three spots closest to the camera. Three standard ones will be enough."
Little did he know, this only made the sound effects technician feel even more pressure.
Three?! His own goal was just one!
Making three antique-style paper cuttings wasn't that easy. Was the director daydreaming?
He took a deep breath and began to sketch a few lines on the red paper.
A moment later, he unfolded the unfinished paper. The director was completely baffled.
The director asked, "Is this done?"
Why did it look even simpler than the previous simple one? He couldn't make out any pattern at all. The lines also seemed a bit off.
In fact, they were very off.
The sound effects technician hung his head in defeat, sighed, and crumpled the red paper into a ball before tossing it away.
"I'm sorry, Director. I'll try again."
It was too hard, just too hard. He couldn't draw it at all!
Just trying to draw the second layer of symmetry for a dragon shape threw his mind into chaos. He could no longer simulate the unfolded shape in his head!
He had to remember not only the first symmetrical fold but also the second, third, fourth...
This true craft wasn't just difficult for him; even his group of teachers from over twenty years ago might not have been able to do it on the spot.
A paper-cutting artist's spatial imagination is developed through long-term practice and countless repetitions.
The only exception would be a genius with exceptionally brilliant right-brain spatial reasoning. Even without much experience, such a person could rely on their talent and intellect to grasp the basics of paper-cutting from the very beginning. It was like back in vocational school, there were always one or two clever students, but they were few and far between.
Seeing his nervous expression, the director quickly tried to calm him down.
"It's okay, it's okay. Don't rush. Take your time. Maybe you'll succeed on the next try."
After the sound effects technician crumpled several more sheets of paper, wasting a good twenty minutes, the director couldn't help but panic as well.
"Teacher Lei, is it really this difficult...?"
There had been no progress for a while. They were supposed to cut a soaring dragon pattern for a door decoration, but as soon as the sound effects technician encountered it, he went from "beginner" to "giving up"!
By now, the director and his team had more or less figured it out.
It turned out that the sound effects technician was fine with ordinary paper cuttings, but when it came to replicating antique-style craftsmanship, his skills were clearly lacking.
And also...
The director glanced at the soaring dragon pattern displayed on the sound effects technician's phone and had to admit to himself that it was indeed too difficult.
If it were him, he wasn't even sure he could copy it as a flat drawing, let alone a folded paper-cutting design.
For a moment, he felt it was understandable that the sound effects technician couldn't do it, but at the same time, he was burning with anxiety.
Was there really no other way? Did they have to just fudge it with some simple patterns? Or blur the background and only shoot close-ups?
Wouldn't that be completely half-assed? If they submitted the film for an award, and the judges saw this scene, wouldn't it become a fatal flaw in their bid for the prize?!
No, absolutely not!
Just as the director was clutching his hair in utter torment, he suddenly heard Ren Zhi call out from the side:
"Chu Xi."
With a lollipop in her mouth, Chu Xi ran back from the set entrance. Taking advantage of the chaotic crowd when no one was paying attention, she had slipped out to visit the convenience store in Film City.
"Coming, coming."
Her words were slightly muffled as her tongue swirled the lollipop around her mouth.
But she ran over with a smile, the taste of apple spreading between her lips and teeth, putting her in a great mood.
It was a bit like the taste of kissing Ren Zhi last night.
Ren Zhi frowned. "Why did you run off? We were looking for you."
Chu Xi grinned. "I went out to find some inspiration."
The director turned to look at Chu Xi.
He couldn't think of any other solution either. Throwing caution to the wind, he placed his hopes on Chu Xi and called out:
"Chu Xi, didn't you say you know how to do paper-cutting too? You come and try. Can you cut this pattern Teacher Lei found?"
The director pointed at the sound effects technician's phone, and Chu Xi glanced at the screen.
"That's so simple. But mine's almost done, so just use this one."
As she spoke, she picked up the half-finished red paper and scissors from her seat.
The director looked at her shredded paper cutting but couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"What are you cutting?"
Sucking on her apple-flavored lollipop, Chu Xi answered succinctly.
"A portrait of a dragon and phoenix together."
"Are you kidding me? You mean a dragon and a phoenix, both of them?"
"Yup..." Chu Xi didn't even lift her eyelids.
Even the sound effects technician couldn't help but stand up to look at the paper cutting in Chu Xi's hand.
One look, and he was stunned!
"How can you not have any lines?" the sound effects technician exclaimed with a frown.
She hadn't drawn any lines, no positive or negative space markings. Chu Xi was just cutting from thin air.
Wasn't this just relying entirely on imagination- commonly known as messing around?
Did she think she was da Vinci or Van Gogh? An abstract artist?!
The sound effects technician couldn't help but twitch his lips after saying that.
What kind of thing could possibly come out of cutting like this?
Even the director, a layman, felt it was against the rules.
It was like trying to drive a car you'd assembled yourself, but Chu Xi hadn't even installed the tires. How could the car possibly drive? Even if it did, it would be riddled with problems!
The director questioned, "When you said you knew how, did you just mean you'd improvise with your imagination?"
Improvise? Hearing that word, Chu Xi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
She was cutting it exactly according to the pattern she'd found. To call it improvisation was a bit absurd.
She let out a soft laugh and answered them both.
"The lines are in my head."
Yan Kun was sitting near her and had been watching Chu Xi's movements the whole time.
Hearing this, Yan Kun couldn't help but quietly move a little closer to get a better look at Chu Xi.
Chu Xi always gave him a sense of wild arrogance, but a quick search online showed people praising her skills as heaven-defying. In reality, this was the kind of vibe Yan Kun most aspired to. He wanted to be an idol who commanded presence, cool but dazzling.
Hearing Chu Xi's haughty tone now, Yan Kun couldn't help but fix his gaze on her.
He was going to see if Chu Xi was really as amazing as she acted.
Wen Huixiang, Zhao Yuanyuan, and the veteran actor Brother Chen felt their reactions were too slow and their eyesight too poor to learn this new skill, so they were just wandering around the set. Although they couldn't contribute, they were still concerned about everyone's progress.
The three of them now walked over to the directing team to see how the sound effects technician's new design was coming along.
When they got there, they saw that the person discussing paper-cutting with the director had become Chu Xi.
The sound effects technician stood to the side, skeptical. "You're cutting both a dragon and a phoenix? That must have a lot of lines, right?"
While moving the scissors with slow precision, Chu Xi replied without looking up.
"Three hundred and eighty-six in total."
Just being able to count them wasn't enough. The sound effects technician said, "It also needs to be folded symmetrically. The lines you're cutting now won't look the same when it's unfolded."
The implication was that he thought Chu Xi had just memorized the lines of a picture and didn't understand paper-cutting at all, which was an art of folding and spatial unfolding. He believed Chu Xi was oversimplifying things and was reminding her not to equate the pre-folded and post-unfolded patterns.
Ren Zhi shook her head and looked at the sound effects technician.
"Teacher Lei, don't disturb her. If she says she can do it, let her."
As soon as Ren Zhi spoke, the sound effects technician shut his critical mouth.
But the director, still being a bit of a pest, added another comment:
"Hey, Chu Xi, are you sure you don't want to draw the lines first? Did you hear what Teacher Lei just said?"
He felt like Chu Xi didn't quite get it; what the sound effects technician said sounded more professional.
Chu Xi said flatly, "I heard him. I just didn't want to discourage Teacher Lei."
There was bound to be a gap between people. She could remember the lines without having to draw them. So what, did remembering them in her head not count?
The director: "..."
The sound effects technician: "..."
They felt thoroughly shut down by her.
Beside her, Yan Kun pushed up his sunglasses and watched Chu Xi with his arms crossed.
For some strange reason, why was he so nervous?
"Done. Next one." Suddenly, Chu Xi stopped moving, handed the red paper- which had been folded several times into a cone shape filled with intricate patterns- to Ren Zhi, and turned to grab a new sheet of red paper from the table.
"Done?" The director stared doubtfully, looking at the tightly wound cone in Ren Zhi's hand.
The sound effects technician had just been rebuffed and was now extremely curious about Chu Xi's work. He turned his head, his tone impatient.
"I want to see what it looks like too."
Chu Xi turned back from the table in front of her. "Are you sure?"
Of course! The sound effects technician had never met an artist who claimed to have memorized the lines and cut directly without drawing the positive and negative spaces. He really wanted to see what kind of thing this self-proclaimed abstract artist, Chu Xi, could produce.
In any case, from the paper as it was now, he couldn't make out anything.
He was not only very curious but also deeply skeptical.
Chu Xi nodded and said earnestly and kindly:
"Then take a look at the gap between us. Consider it an eye-opener."
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