I am a leader in the entertainment industry

Chapter 16: Opening Ceremony

One characteristic of early Hong Kong filming is that the scenes are extremely monotonous. If you observe carefully, you can see the same scenes in many TV series.

A room can be dismantled and moved many times, and it can have several changes. It is not a problem to shoot more than a dozen scenes. Director Lin Jianfen was also influenced by this aspect in Tangren Film and Television.

Therefore, most of the filming of”Startling by Each Step” was done in the Ming and Qing Palace in Hengdian. Using the same scene to create different effects is a test of the director’s skills.

In the Chinese film and television industry, whether it is a movie or a TV series, there must be a start-up ceremony.

That is to choose an auspicious day to perform a worship ceremony. The entire crew burns incense and prays for a smooth filming and long-lasting ratings.

Until today, we can see in major news media that a certain crew held a start-up ceremony, and the attached photos usually show the stars holding a stick of incense.

As for why we burn incense and worship gods, there are probably several reasons:

In traditional drama organizations, there is a tradition of worshipping gods. Different places worship different gods. For example, in southern Fujian, Marshal Tian Du and Prince Xi Qin are worshipped. This person was from Putian County in the Tang Dynasty and was said to be a court musician during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Therefore, he was worshipped. Another example is the well-known Liyuan God, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Li Longji.

Filming is also acting, so there is this custom. But the gods worshipped by filmmakers are different. Some of these gods are Guan Gong, and some are Huang Chuping and Huang Daxian worshipped in Hong Kong. In short, they worship whatever gods they can. It is said that before filming a movie in Hong Kong, there are certain directions for offering sacrifices to gods, and there are certain rituals.

Another theory is that the red cloth is used to”ward off evil spirits”. It is said that this procedure originated from the fear of”film scratching”. The so-called”film scratching” refers to the fact that in the early days of film, the film in the camera was accidentally scratched by the internal parts during shooting.

If a scratch occurs, it will cause immeasurable losses to the crew, but scratching the camera is unpredictable and difficult to prevent – the only thing that can be done is to cover the camera with a red cloth to”suppress the evil spirit””

There is also the intention of seeking good luck.

Burning incense and praying to Buddha is nothing more than seeking peace of mind and praying for smooth filming.

After all, a film crew involves a lot of people and a lot of money.

It is a place where accidents often happen.

No matter whether it is people or equipment, once an accident occurs, it will affect the entire creation.

To be honest, burning incense and praying to Buddha does not cost much.

It is not bad to seek peace of mind after praying.

In fact, not only in filming, but also in building houses and bridges, people burn incense and pray to Buddha. However, not all filmmakers believe in this. Some filmmakers don’t do this.

Nowadays, most of the worshipping at the beginning of filming is more like a mobilization meeting for the crew. The”mysterious color” is not so strong, but there are a few things that must be done:

First, you must choose the right time. This time is usually determined by professionals. What if it rains? I have heard that it usually won’t rain heavily during the right time. If it rains a lot when you start the machine, that is also great. It is the so-called”water brings prosperity”.”

Secondly, the direction of worshipping gods cannot be wrong. People start the filming at different times and locations, and the direction of worshipping gods is also different. Roughly speaking, there are some requirements for the four directions. If the south is placed instead of the southwest, it will be a mistake of a millimeter, and the difference will be a thousand miles. Some even have to be accurate to the longitude and latitude.

Although the closing ceremony is not as important as the opening ceremony, there are still some crews that strictly abide by the rules. For example, TVB almost always offers a roasted pig or pig head for the opening and closing of the film. Other crews will still do their best and choose the right time to announce the”disbandment”.”

So, sometimes there will be such a situation: the scene can be finished a few days ago, but an insignificant and trivial scene must be left until the”wrap party” just to cater to this auspicious day.

As for scenes like looking in the mirror at midnight, visiting graves on Qingming Festival, and at the scene of a murder, experienced crew members would never take photos there. Even if some stills were needed for a supernatural movie, they would be edited when there were many people around or in broad daylight.

Once the filming is finished, the crew members will automatically go to the”popular places” for a walk before going home to avoid unnecessary”followers”.”

We have mentioned above some taboos before and during filming. So what else should we pay attention to behind the scenes of filming?

In film and television works, there are inevitably some special characters, such as disabled people, or those who”die” in the middle of the production, or those who appear as”photos” on tombstones. These special characters also receive special treatment in the crew. Each of them will receive a red envelope, and the amount of the red envelope varies according to their degree and the funds of the crew, just for the sake of good luck.

Another thing that many viewers may not know is that in a strictly regulated crew, male actors can sit on the cameraman’s lens box or foot box, but female actors are absolutely not allowed to sit on it.

The reason can be traced back to the early years of the opera troupe.

All the female roles in the troupe, whether male or female, were not allowed to sit on the clothes box or the helmet box.

Because the clothes box contained the king’s clothes, and the helmet box contained the king’s hat.

It was very unlucky for a”yin person” to sit on them.

After being passed down from generation to generation, it became that female actresses in the crew could not sit on the camera box, and female artists could not sit on the foot box when shooting blockbusters.

《The opening ceremony of”Startling by Each Step” was the same. The tables used for offerings were covered with red velvet cloth, and Guandi was worshipped on the table. On both sides were incense burners, roasted suckling pigs and delicious fruits.

The camera was covered with a red cloth, and the main creators of the crew offered incense and worshipped the gods one by one. Finally, director Lin Jianfen stepped forward to lift the red cloth of the camera and announced the start of filming.

After the opening ceremony, the crew started working

Li Qi was wearing a very plain moon-white outfit, a very regular long robe with wide sleeves and a right-front opening, and a cold green jade pendant around his waist, which made him look extremely noble.

Li Qi was quite satisfied with his outfit, but he was a little uncomfortable with his newly shaved head and the long braid at the back that reached his waist.

The authentic Qing Dynasty hairstyle is actually the”money rat tail braid”. The”money rat tail braid” is just as its name implies. The hanging braid is as thin as a rat’s tail, and the thickness of the braid must be able to pass through the square hole of a copper coin.

Of course, TV dramas can’t be like this, it’s too ugly, so in the popular Qing dramas now, the male characters’ hair is often divided into half and half, and the hair style is actually not available until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Liu Shishi was much better. She was dressed in pink palace maid costume and had a palace flower on her head. She looked classical and cute.

Li Qi didn’t want to see her at this time, because Shishi kept circling around him, making”squeaks” from time to time.···”The comments!

How could such a good girl be so heartless? Li Qi really wanted to teach her a lesson and let her know why the flowers are so red!

Liu Shishi pulled his braid curiously and asked,”Is your hair tight?”

“Don’t let it fall off!” Li Qi protected his braid and said,”It took me a long time to stick it on.”

“How does it feel to be bald?” Liu Shishi asked

Li Qi sighed and said,”It is late autumn now, and the bald head is exposed to the cold wind, so of course it is chilly. It is very uncomfortable when it is just shaved!”

“Ha ha······”Liu Shishi stepped forward and blew a breath of hot air with her two small hands, then covered Li Qiguang’s head and said,”Is it still cold now?”