20 | Wednesday, October 23, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY YOUTH Training Behind the scenes programs A new reality series gives viewers a backstage pass to a film set to see how directors coach and for budding collaborate with actors to improve their stagecraft, Xing Wen reports. businessmen n one side of the stage was 25­year­old actor NEW YORK — The UN office for Chen Ruoxuan playing South­South Cooperation and the the role of a heroic nar­ Shenzhen Youth Federation jointly Ocotics agent, while on the other was launched a program aimed at train­ 39­year­old Taiwan actor Ming ing young entrepreneurs in develop­ Dow, portraying a merciless drug ing countries, especially Africa. dealer. At the Youth Climate Summit They were recreating a key scene held at the UN headquarters last from the online drama series The month, Jorge Chediek, director of Thunder, which recounts stories of UNOSSC, and Chen Daixing, a Chinese officers in their battle member of the Standing Committee against illegal drug producers and of the Shenzhen Youth Federation traffickers. from China, made the announce­ The confrontation became ment of 10,000 Youth Entrepre­ extremely tense when both of them neurs for the South, or YES. held each other’s father hostage Chediek said YES will address cli­ while simultaneously pointing a mate action by supporting young gun to their heads. Even the beads entrepreneurs who are developing of sweat forming on the actors’ innovative solutions to tackle the brows were captured by the camer­ issue. as around the set as they were fed In particular, he said the program live onto a large screen above the will support the development and stage. adoption of green and renewable This format of shooting in one technologies, foster the resilience of continuous scene has been adopted smallholder entrepreneurs against by a newly released online reality climate change, and support initia­ show Action!, which aims to reveal tives that help to reduce carbon some of the behind­the­scenes work emissions. in moviemaking from the perspec­ For his part, Chen said in the past tive of the directors. 40 years, young people and entre­ “To narrow the gap between a preneurs were the main force reality show and the processes behind Shenzhen’s fast transforma­ involved in making actual movies, tion from a fishing village to a tech­ we placed five cameras on the nology center. stage, allowing the director to He said the Shenzhen Youth Fed­ watch the actors’ performance in connect with the audience on an The visual works created by the eration can mobilize a vast pool of much closer detail and monitor the emotional level. contestants on the show are being successful Chinese technologies and images real­time,” says Xu Yang, “Film is the art form of a director aired on Tencent’s video platform, entrepreneurs to support their Afri­ producer of the show. as every frame reflects his or her where viewer votes will eventually can counterparts’ endeavors. And to make the scenes appear personal vision,” says Chen Kaige. decide their final rankings, says Shenzhen can provide the UN like they were shot on a movie set, “We should also know how to ease Qiu Yue, the supervisor of the with “Chinese wisdom” in its efforts the production team simulated the the nerves of the crew members on show. to promote sustainable develop­ effects of rain, snow, fireworks, the set so that they can relax and She says it is the directors who ment, Chen added. thunder and even an earthquake tap into their potential. have a say in how the scenes unfold, According to Chediek, the YES onstage where the script required. “At the same time, I want to what props are used and whether an program will provide a “one­stop Renowned director Chen Kaige, remind these young actors and actor is good enough or not. The shop” to support both emerging and female filmmaker Li Shaohong, actresses that acting requires real contestants appearing on the show, established young entrepreneurs in actress­turned­director Zhao Wei passion, wholehearted dedication Qiu says, are all eager to portray a developing countries. and writer­turned­director Guo and a lifelong commitment to hard role that suits them and gain feed­ Over a five­year period, it aims to Jingming were invited to the show work — and they have to work hard back from a reputed director. help train 10,000 young entrepre­ to select the cast, visualize the to prepare for every role.” “The show offers audiences an neurs, providing them with script and guide actors and techni­ The show has attracted 50 Chi­ immersive glimpse of the behind­ increased knowledge and enhanced cal crew to fulfill their vision. nese contestants from newbies to the­scenes charm of the film indus­ skills in areas of finance, innovation Chen Kaige points out that the 20­year veterans, and the cast try, and serves as a platform where and digital technology, he said, add­ key to acting is to understand and includes Hong Kong actress Gillian professional actors and actresses ing that the program plans to sup­ present the personalities and rela­ Chung, Taiwan singer­turned­ac­ get the opportunity to collaborate port the incubation and funding of tionships between the characters. tor Aaron Yan, Taiwan actress San­ with directors with diverse styles 100 innovative development solu­ He tried to steer the actors and drine Pinna, comedian Yang Di, and approaches,” says Qiu. tions and business ideas. actresses to think more about what actor Zhang Yunlong and fencer­ Since the show’s first episode was YES is the entrepreneurship pillar was happening in the scene over turned­actor Dong Li from the Chi­ released on Oct 11, viewers have developed under the 2017 UNOSSC and above the dialogue itself. nese mainland. shown a keen interest in the indus­ Youth4South Advanced Youth Lead­ For instance, during the stage Yan says he joined the show try­insider scenes depicted on the ership Program. remake of the scene from The because he wants to become a seri­ show. Supported by the Finance Center Thunder, Chen Ruoxuan who plays ous actor, even if Chinese audiences “The show also offers the chance for South­South Cooperation, the narcotics officer failed to vividly still regard him primarily as a pop for actors to strut their stuff,” com­ Youth4South has been working with convey the incremental emotions idol. ments one user on review site Dou­ many Chinese partners, including of the role when faced with the The 34­year­old admits that the ban. the China Institute for South­South threat of Ming pulling the trigger current film market is not so friend­ “The viewpoints put forth by the Cooperation in Agriculture and the and killing his father. ly to actors and actresses who have four directors in the show allow us Peking University Institute for “You haven’t fully portrayed the passed their teenage years and are to see how aesthetic standards vary South­South Cooperation and character at this tense moment,” no longer 20­somethings. between people of the two genders Development. comments the veteran director. “However, I believe the physical and from different age groups,” says Chediek said that UNOSSC and “You should show that the man who and mental changes that come with another user. the Shenzhen Youth Federation is at death’s door is your own father.” age are valuable,” says Yan. “But I don’t think the show will developed the program with sup­ He keeps giving trenchant and The pop idol initially set himself remarkably improve the actors’ port from the African Union Com­ perceptive instructions to help the a realistic goal that he could reach skills, as there are too many other mission, the Economic Community young actor better comprehend the From top: Wang Xun (second from left) and Bao Wenjing deliver with some effort. He says: “I factors that may contribute to their of West African States and the UN complex ties between the characters. their versions of the roles in the movie, A World Without Thieves, would be content if I can express success.” secretary­general’s youth envoy Chen Ruoxuan then made some in the reality show, Action!. Ren Min (left) and Guo Junchen act in what I have learned from my own office. adjustments in the final take, a scene of Cry Me A Sad River. E Jingwen plays in a role to illustrate life experience through the role I Contact the writer at where he successfully managed to a scene of the movie, A Cool Fish. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY portray onstage.” [email protected] XINHUA

The street art festival has helped the area attract more visitors. Street artists have a ball at Beijing’s Shunyi festival When it was first staged last year, visitor numbers grew by 48 per­ cent compared to the previous By YANG FEIYUE year. [email protected] Over the first weekend, more than 150,000 visitors attended the Zeng Yisu was doing magic tricks festival, an increase of 25 percent using a crystal ball at a vacant space over the same period last year. in Shine Hills, a commercial zone in “The festival has played a posi­ Beijing’s northeastern Shunyi dis­ tive role in attracting visitors from trict in mid­October. far away,” Zhao says. The ball seemed to float in the air All the street artists were given a above Zeng’s hand. Sometimes, pass to perform in the zone at any Zeng would catch passersby una­ time, and will receive free drinks ware by pulling stunts with the levi­ from neighborhood cafes and cater­ tating orb right under their noses. ing outlets when they return. They His performance received also have a QR code that allows bursts of laughter and applause them to receive tips from the audi­ from both the audience and unwit­ ence. ting participants in his show, “The idea is to generate a sense of many of whom came from all inclusion, and hopefully more art­ across the capital to join the Shun­ ists will use the event as a platform yi street art festival that ran from to display their talents,” Zhao says. Oct 5 to Oct 20. Over 100 street performers including singers, clowns, acrobats and living sculptures participate in the street art festival held in Shunyi dis­ Zeng has seen the growing “The audience has been very trict, Beijing. The festival attracted more than 150,000 visitors during the first weekend of October. PHOTOS BY YANG FEIYUE / CHINA DAILY potential of street art and its devel­ enthusiastic and quite interactive,” opment at the festival. the 25­year­old says. “I was surrounded by crowds,” he The artist, who was born in Xia­ As of 2018, he was one of the top Chinese mainland. performers, drawn from both home and singers, says Zhao Zhuo, an offi­ says. “People were very friendly and men, Fujian province, has been hosts of a channel on the video­ “I like street performance,” Zeng and abroad, that were invited to cial with Shine Hills. I could see they really appreciated perfecting his skills since 2008, sharing platform YouTube dedicat­ says. “The audience can see more at participate in the Shunyi festival. “We felt the vitality of street artists my performance.” and has delivered performances ed to crystal ball performances. close quarters, which spurs me on There were more than 100 street abroad, and we wanted to create sim­ Zeng adds that he will participate abroad in places such as Japan and Yet, this was the first time he has to improve my performance.” performances during the festival by ilar ambience to release the energy of again in the future, if the opportuni­ Malaysia. given a street performance on the Zeng is one of the many street clowns, acrobats, living sculptures the commercial zone,” says Zhao. ty arises.