Wu Jun and Luo Haiqiong talk about creation: Actors’ homework in technology forums

 The 17th China Film Technology Forum was held in Ya'an, Sichuan from September 27th to 30th. The performance experience of filmmakers also entered the exchange content.On September 28, Wu Jun walked into Ya'an Middle School to participate in the “Masters Entering Campus” event, while Luo Haiqiong brought "Stars into a Dream" to attend the film screening and post-screening meeting.One looks back at a real-life character, and the other talks about his first appearance in a science fiction film. Both experiences focused on how actors get into character.

Wu Jun graduated from the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama. Since 1994, he has appeared in series such as Soldiers 189 and 189 - The Days Leaving Lei Feng and Kangxi Private Interview in Private. Later, he won the Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award and the China Film Huabiao Award for his film Zhang Side.His long-term performance experience across different themes also enables him to explain important nodes in career growth to students based on specific works.

He first talked about Zhang Side during the campus exchange.From director Yin Li's invitation to in-depth reading and understanding of Zhang Side's life, role preparation allowed him to gain spiritual accumulation beyond performance.The character comes from real history, and the actor must first understand his experience before he can judge how the language, actions and emotions will appear in the camera.

This preparation often occurs before the actual shooting.The audience sees the characters in the finished film, but the actors face materials, scripts and many undetermined performance choices.When Wu Jun looked back on this experience, he placed understanding of the prototype in an important position, which also showed that there is a direct connection between character creation, reading and research, and that homework must ultimately be implemented into the character's behavior.

Another unforgettable experience is - the miracle doctor Xilaile -.Working with Li Baotian allowed Wu Jun to see his senior's dedication and pursuit of work up close.He summed up the impact by saying "Performance is not 'almost'".This sentence points to the attitude that has been repeatedly polished in specific scenes: an action, a dialogue or an emotional change requires responsibility for the character.

On-campus exchanges also include student questions.Wu Jun responded to issues such as literary creation and actor career, encouraged students to find their own passions, and looked forward to young people with literary and artistic dreams participating in film creation in the future.From reviewing works to face-to-face Q&A, professional experience changes from a string of film titles to a process that can be questioned. Students can understand how love is tested in long-term work.

In recent years, Wu Jun has participated in works such as - Massage - Iron Will - and the TV series - Top Secret Contest.Different roles require different life experiences and performance rhythms, but the work attitude he gained from his predecessors continues to play a role.As the actor's resume increases with the number of works, what really brings him to the next filming is still the habit of carefully judging every detail.

At the post-screening event that night, Luo Haiqiong brought the topic to science fiction movies.《Starry Dream》directed by Han Yan and starring Wang Hedi, Song Qian, Luo Haiqiong, etc., is a 2026 Spring Festival film.The story unfolds a fantasy adventure around virtual dream technology. The technological setting opens up a space different from real life, and actors also need to build characters in this space.

Luo Haiqiong plays a mother with a fierce personality in the film, which is completely different from the image she has left to the audience in the past.The identity of mother has a familiar life foundation, while the character's personality and science fiction environment pose new requirements for expression.The audience needs to recognize her emotions and relationships in a particular world, and the actor's work therefore faces both genre variation and character specificity.

Her first appearance in a science fiction theme allowed her to directly experience the development of film technology.Technical means provide greater imagination for creation, and scenes and settings that were difficult to complete in the past can be presented in new ways.The actors' tasks also change, and they need to understand the story world they are in in order to make the performance consistent with the final picture.

Luo Haiqiong also said that she still adheres to the experience she has accumulated since she came into contact with acting.The new technological environment will not automatically provide the emotional basis for the characters. How the mother speaks, how she faces others, and how her personality affects her behavior are all done through performance.The more complex the fantasy world, the more clear the reactions of specific characters need to be so that the audience can follow the characters into the adventure.

She also expressed her delight that more and more women are shining in films and other industries.This feeling comes from an actress who has been working for a long time and is also connected to her experience of continuing to try roles in new genres.Career development can be carried out through different characters and different themes. New spaces belong not only to technology, but also to the creators who work in these spaces.

The two events were placed in the same science and technology forum, forming an interesting echo.Wu Jun talked about character preparation through historical and realistic themes, and Luo Haiqiong talked about the possibilities brought by technology through science fiction films.Film production methods can continue to change, and actors still need to find the experiential basis of the character in each collaboration, understanding why the characters act and how to build relationships with others.

The campus classes and post-screening meetings in the forum also brought these experiences beyond the set.Students can ask actors about career options, and audiences can continue to ask questions about creation after watching.The completion of the film's release does not mean the end of the exchange. Discussions about characters, technology and work attitudes will continue with the specific works.