Chapter 59: How to Play a Effeminate Man Well

The gossiping session proved to be quite effective; at least the main cast members of the crew began to break the ice and get familiar with each other through this script-reading meeting.

Soon, *Love Is Not Blind* held its boot ceremony.

In the past, Chen Mo usually treated boot ceremonies and offerings to the deities as a mere formality.

However, ever since the incident that occurred during the filming of *Mr. Vampire*, Chen Mo appeared exceptionally devout during this boot ceremony.

After all, when it comes to certain things, it is better to believe they exist than to doubt them.

While he was not particularly superstitious, the fact that even soul transference had happened to him meant he could no longer rely purely on science to explain everything.

Chen Mo was well aware that in his past life, the exaggerated box office success of *Love Is Not Blind*, which made it the biggest box office dark horse of the year, was largely attributed to its unique promotional model.

He did not bother trying to invent anything new and decided that following the original promotional campaign would be the best approach.

Therefore, he instructed Zhao Ming to assemble a filming crew and dispatch them across the country to search for people going through recent breakups, in order to shoot *Tales of Heartbreak*, the promotional prequel series for *Love Is Not Blind*.

This project required no fancy camera work or techniques; the core element was absolute authenticity.

And sometimes, authenticity is the ultimate killer weapon.

Chen Mo divided *Tales of Heartbreak* into several chapters. If *Love Is Not Blind* wanted to replicate the miracle of his past life, he had to invest heavily in the promotional campaign.

Returning to the film production itself.

The filming had been going quite smoothly over the past few days, yet whenever Chen Mo repeatedly reviewed the footage, he always felt something was missing.

Of course, he had watched this movie in his past life and was quite familiar with the plot, but it was impossible to remember every single detail completely.

Chen Mo mainly focused on the scenes of Wang Xiaojian, played by Wang Kai. In truth, Wang Kai was acting exceptionally well, but Chen Mo felt that something lacked, or rather, that a certain flavor was missing.

Yet, despite pondering deeply, he could not figure out why.

The next day, he simply called a halt to the filming.

He summoned Wang Kai, Bai Baihe, Bao Jingjing, Guo Jinfei, Wang Yaoqing, and the others to gather around.

"Take a look at these footage segments. I always feel like something is missing, but I can't put my finger on it right away. Help me figure out where the problem lies," Chen Mo said, stepping aside to start playing the recorded scenes featuring Wang Xiaojian.

Everyone began watching the scenes one by one.

"There doesn't seem to be any problem. I think it looks pretty good?" Bai Baihe said, scratching her head.

Wang Kai also nodded, looking somewhat bewildered. Having cleared his mind regarding this role, he could be said to have fully immersed himself into the character. After watching his own performance, he also felt there was nothing wrong with it.

Guo Jinfei pondered for a moment and asked hesitantly, "Director, is the performance not effeminate enough?"

Chen Mo shook his head. "No, his acting is quite good, there are no issues with his acting skills, and the boundaries are kept just right. But I still feel like something is slightly off."

He was also feeling somewhat frustrated, desperately trying to recall the plot from his memory, yet he could never pinpoint where the issue was.

Suddenly, Bao Jingjing chimed in, "Could it be that it lacks a sense of everyday life?"

"Everyday life? Elaborate," Chen Mo's eyes lit up, as if he had caught onto something, yet it felt as though it was separated by a thin veil, keeping him from grasping the core.

"The character of Wang Xiaojian was created based on my own personality. However, when I wrote it, I emphasized his sharp and cutting tongue, but I didn't place much focus on his daily life, such as his personal habits. Could that be the reason?" Bao Jingjing suggested.

"Everyday life, yes, exactly everyday life! In these scenes, apart from his external expressions, body language, and speaking style which display his 'effeminate' side, his daily lifestyle hasn't been integrated into it," Chen Mo finally found the root of the problem.

Simply put, Wang Kai was acting strictly according to the script, which was fine, but that was precisely where the problem lay.

How should one portray a character's personality and persona?

While it can certainly be conveyed through body language and linguistic style, details were being overlooked.

For instance, would a person like this usually act differently from others?

What about the items he uses, the food he eats, or certain daily habits?

In the movie, Wang Xiaojian is a person who pays meticulous attention to the details of daily life, yet these scenes failed to showcase that.

"Everyone, let's discuss how we can integrate his personality traits and habits into the details of daily life," Chen Mo asked.

"Could we perhaps add some cosmetics or something similar for him?" Wang Kai suddenly asked.

"Cosmetics? That won't be necessary. After all, he isn't completely effeminate in the absolute sense. Any other ideas?" Chen Mo thought for a moment and shook his head.

"If it's about daily habits, could we have him perform some traditionally feminine habits?" Bao Jingjing asked.

"What kind of particularly feminine habits do you think would yield a better effect if he performed them?" Chen Mo asked, pooling everyone's wisdom.

"Applying lipstick? Putting on hand cream?" Bao Jingjing asked, tilting her head.

"Right, exactly! Though applying lipstick can be skipped. Let me ask you guys, when your lips are dry, do you apply lip balm? Do you use hand cream for maintenance?" Chen Mo looked at Wang Yaoqing, Wang Kai, and Guo Jinfei.

"When my lips are chapped, I'll apply some, but very rarely. As for hand cream? Never used it!" Wang Yaoqing replied.

Wang Kai also shook his head and said, "I've never used lip balm or hand cream."

Guo Jinfei smiled and said, "It really seems to be that way. My wife loves to apply lip balm in the winter, but I never use it myself. At most, I'll put on a little sunscreen when going to the beach..."

"Snap! That's it! Lip balm and hand cream, let's try them first and see the effect. Wang Kai, whenever you don't understand something, just ask the female crew members." Chen Mo immediately decided to give it a try.

Soon enough, Wang Kai indicated he was ready.

During the first trial shot, although Chen Mo was somewhat dissatisfied with Wang Kai's application motion because it looked a bit unnatural, the vibe was instantly conveyed.

He finally confirmed where the issue he had failed to grasp all along lay: it lacked integration into ordinary life.

Actions like applying lip balm and hand cream usually subverted the imagination of normal men.

When another shot featuring these specific habitual actions was filmed, Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction. The sense of discord, or rather the feeling that something was missing, had vanished.

Then Chen Mo thought further: since they were integrating everyday habits, aside from these habitual actions that differed from other men, shouldn't he also have some personal items that differed from other men?

Bao Jingjing once again contributed some items—things she usually loved in her own daily life, such as some very girlish and cute dolls and props.

The things Bao Jingjing loved were completely normal on a girl, but when placed on a man, they carried a strong subversive quality.

Because Wang Kai was truly and completely invested in the role, he accepted everything without hesitation and kept trying, allowing Chen Mo to find the items that felt most fitting in his heart.

This made Wang Xiaojian's persona increasingly rich and vivid.