From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Gus felt that his judgment was being overturned bit by bit, the preconceived labels attached to Anson being torn off one by one.

The same was true before his eyes.

Gus didn't think Anson was suited for blonde hair.

Because Anson's own temperament was relatively low-key, handsome and sunny, refined and洒脱, such gaudy gold was really too tacky, not only did it not add points, but it would also unnecessarily lower his appearance—

The wig was the best experiment.

However!

As time went on, Gus finally slowly understood Anson's meaning.

In the past few days, Gus had been hiding in the corners of the school, watching Anson wandering around the campus with a dazzling blonde hair, out of place, like a wandering soul, the figures coming and going were observing, looking, and stopping, but never really approaching, as if there was an invisible barrier, tightly surrounding Anson.

That kind of loneliness and fragility was naturally revealed.

If it was a bald head, it would appear too stubborn and too sharp, which would be contrary to the tone of the movie; but this blonde hair, blooming like fireworks, quietly concealed his loneliness and sadness.

With a few strokes, an image jumped onto the paper.

So, Gus was wrong again.

For a brief moment, Gus worried that he was biased towards Anson and was finding a reasonable explanation to justify himself; but seeing the reactions of the other kids in the school, he knew—

Anson had been wandering around in front of them for three whole days, but they were still searching for Anson's figure like headless flies.

Anson said, “They are looking for Peter Parker, not Anson Wood.”

The words, spoken lightly, made people couldn't help but ponder them carefully.

Now, Gus understood somewhat why Anson had nodded and agreed to play “Elephant”, so seeing Anson enthusiastically and willingly serving as a photography assistant, Gus was not surprised at all, this was what Anson needed now:

Everything, back to normal.

See, step by step, Gus was completely changing his view of Anson.

Most importantly, the image of the entire movie was also taking shape in Gus's mind.

Gus couldn't wait to see Anson's performance in front of the camera—

“Cut!”

“Okay, there's no problem with this scene, next scene.”

Compared with Anson's previous works, Gus's shooting style was minimalist. Although Steven's shooting efficiency was high, it was the result of thorough preparation before shooting; Gus didn't have much preparation, everything was simplified, and the entire shooting progress was also advancing rapidly.

In the movie “Elephant”, there were not many scenes, but Gus was going to play a trick, switching different perspectives in the same scene, that is to say, the same plot might be presented continuously from multiple perspectives.

But unlike those brain-burning reversal movies, Gus hoped to use these monotonous and repetitive shots to express the boredom of campus life, and at the same time outline vivid group portraits, showing the scenes seen from different perspectives.

Therefore, before starting shooting, Gus would confirm the “plot” with the students, ensuring that they knew what they were doing, and then ignore the existence of the camera and continue to be busy with their own affairs; then confirm the movement route of the camera, ensuring that the students would not bump into Harris.

As for details such as lines and actions, Gus would not give guidance, but would let the students play freely.

Finally, Gus would find the protagonist of this scene, and the things to confirm were basically the same, the only difference was that the camera would be aimed at the protagonist, capturing the state with different frames such as close-ups, medium shots, and long shots.

The entire shooting only had a basic framework, and everything else seemed very random.

Overall, Gus rarely nitpicked. Compared to performance details, he cared more about the actor's state and aura, which was what the camera was trying to capture.

The next scene, the protagonist was Anson.

Not only Gus, but everyone inside and outside the small crew could feel the eager anticipation; however, Gus's expectations and the expectations of others should not be the same thing.

Gus expected Anson to bring surprises in terms of acting, while others expected to see the performance of a Hollywood actor up close—

Simply put, one was a professional perspective, and the other was purely watching the excitement.

So, what about the protagonist who was the center of attention?

Honestly, Anson was a little uncertain.

In the past, no matter what the role or plot, there was at least a script, with lines, expressions, and states, and with the crew's arrangement of the position, the actor could always find his place in the camera lens.

Now, there was no script, nothing, a sentence of “free play” was thrown over, which made people unsure of what to do—

The most difficult decision in the world is “whatever”.

Gus asked Anson to play freely, Anson couldn't just come on stage and do a 360-degree windmill floor action, if that was the case, Anson was not sure if Gus would explode on the spot.

In terms of acting, Anson was still a novice, all previous roles had traces to follow, and Anson's efforts could also find a direction; this time there was nothing, he could only rely on himself.

Huff.

This was a challenge, but also a learning experience.

Before arriving at the crew, Anson had already done his homework and researched the role. From the wig to the blonde hair, and then to integrating into the school, he was shaping the role step by step. Next, he only needed to put himself into the role according to the ideas in his mind, and everything would be fine.

Anson secretly warned himself.

Then, Anson nodded to Gus, indicating that he was ready.

But, was Anson really ready?

“…Cut!”

Gus interrupted the shooting for the first time, he tilted his head and fell into contemplation.

“Relax a little more, yes, relax a little bit.”

But by the fourth interruption, Gus changed his mind again.

“Too much, I need to take some back, tighten some, do you understand?”

Again and again.

Gus kept interrupting the shooting. Although Anson presented the performance according to Gus's instructions each time, Gus was still not satisfied, and finally ended with an NG.

“This feeling is not right, let's do it again.”

“This time is very good, but… let's do it again.”

“Um, let's do it again.”

The seventh time, the tenth time, the continuous NG made the shooting a disaster, the entire set was filled with an awkward and suffocating tension, Alex and Eric could no longer find smiles on their faces, no one knew what was happening, and no one knew what to do—

So, is this the truth of Hollywood?

Behind those wonderful movies, are all fragmented amateur performances?

When it was the fourteenth NG, Anson finally couldn't bear it anymore, his face was full of fatigue, his face was serious.

“Director, we need to talk.”

Wait, is this a preparation for a one-on-one duel?