I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 255 253. Smooth and silky

Throughout the whole day, the crew progressed quite smoothly.

The crew, including Li Pingdong, felt this the most deeply.

I don’t know why, but Director Xu’s work arrangements are quite smooth... No, it’s not too much to say smooth.

Except for the fact that the actor's state during filming is an uncontrollable element, such as a certain expression or a certain scene that needs to be reshot, at other times the entire crew is like a brand new engine.

Just follow the instructions of the assistant director.

But you must know...the sessions arranged by the assistant director were all designed by Director Xu.

From the City God's Temple in the morning, to the long shots of the military aircraft department, and in the afternoon when Li Ningyu was working in the textile factory, she was found by Wu Zhiguo. And in the best light of the afternoon, Wu Zhiguo and Li Ningyu were photographed communicating in the restaurant.

There was nothing wrong with the scenes between Zhang Hanyu and Liang Binning. Not to mention how well they handled their roles, even Director Xu was very satisfied.

Moreover, because the scenes we filmed were all smooth and steady, there were basically no NG scenes like forgetting words or suddenly laughing out loud.

The filming of the scene went extremely smoothly from morning to night.

Not bumpy at all.

In fact, from here we can understand how meticulous Director Xu is in his work.

Or to put it in Li Haiping’s own words: “It’s really a micromanaging thing.”

Very appropriate.

Many young people in the crew who had worked with other crews showed admiration when they saw this.

But it's not over yet.

When the time came in the evening, the most vivid answer to the question of Director Xu's ability was directly given to everyone.

…

Night, Guangzhou Street.

The entire Guangzhou Street has been decorated in another way.

Wang Puppet's Qingri and Japan's Asahi flags can be seen everywhere, covering street lamps, balconies and other scenes.

There are also various Japanese banners such as "Co-Prosperity of Asia" and "Co-Prosperity of East Asia".

On the brightly lit streets, nearly five hundred extras were waiting at the scene in changed clothes.

On the float specially built by the crew to celebrate Wang Puppet's so-called "Double Tenth Day" in the movie, Xu Xin personally held a loudspeaker and said to the crowds of people on the street:

"After a while, when the car starts to move, everyone should wave the flags in their hands to make a celebration. Come on, those who have been handed out these flags, wave the flags and show me."

Facing the crowd of performers below, he shouted:

"Countdown, three, two, one..."

Instantly, flags began waving in the crowd.

"Very good, no problem. Come on, everyone in front. Have you seen the crossbar under my feet? Now the crossbar will move forward slowly. Come on, everyone starts to move to both sides. Those who were assigned to the edge just now Don't move, and don't be too hasty, everyone. The speed of this car is not fast, you just need to be careful not to be stepped on by others and fall down... Come on, let's start walking... Everyone starts to slowly separate to the two sides... Come on, Go...go...go...ok...let's go, yes...don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry..."

Several crew members walked forward carrying bamboo poles that just fit the length of the float. Under Xu Xin's command, although the group performances were chaotic, they at least began to retreat in an orderly manner.

After the float moved forward a distance of twenty meters, Xu Xin said:

"Okay, no problem, they performed very well... The actors who were assigned to both sides just now remember to wave the flags in their hands, do you hear me? You are responsible for waving the flags, and the others are responsible for retreating on both sides. Remember not to It’s crowded, the field staff on both sides are watching, you stand high, blow the whistle when you find someone falls, everything is based on everyone’s safety as the first principle, do you understand?”

On the second-floor balconies on both sides of the road, guest actors, also wearing clothes from the Republic of China period and holding flags in their hands, were actually the venue stewards who were supervising the crowd and making mistakes. They nodded in unison.

Then, Xu Xincai said again:

"Third point, everyone on the left. You must be careful for a while. There will be fireworks over there. It's okay if you burn your clothes. Don't hurt yourself. It's not worth it. If there is any situation, report it as soon as possible. Listen. understand?"

After a while, the pyrotechnician responsible for lighting the fireworks and several surrounding extras nodded.

"In the end, it's you."

He looked at the men and women wearing Japanese costumes waiting behind him:

"You are at a high place. Please pay attention to safety when people are waving from all directions. Don't be nervous...the people below..."

Xu Xin raised the horn again and looked at the escort of the float:

"You will only have one task for a while, which is to follow the car. You must be careful not to let the crowd crowd the float. Especially the personal safety on the front of the car is the absolute first priority."

After several extras nodded in agreement, Xu Xin finally spoke to everyone through the loudspeaker:

"This scene doesn't require any acting skills. It's getting late, so everyone should cheer up. Let's go through it together. Then we'll get the money and go home to rest. It's freezing, so we won't do any ink, okay? ?”

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I didn't hear anyone answer? Answer me, okay?"

"Okay~~~~"

Only then did the extras respond.

"Well, okay. First, get out of the way from both sides in an orderly manner. Second, wave the flags more happily. Third, be careful about getting burned by the fireworks. Fourth, everyone should not crowd towards the float. The most important thing to note is The safety of the actors on the float. We will start filming immediately, everyone, come on!"

As the director, he personally went into battle and made all the arrangements and explanations. Before leaving, he did not forget to explain to the actors who would be beating gongs and drums:

"Be careful, safety is the most important thing."

"Well, don't worry, director!"

After receiving their assurance, Xu Xin nodded.

After getting off the float, at this moment, the second half of Guangzhou Street, that is, the shooting area behind the float, was almost empty, while the front was crowded.

It looks really amazing.

However, Xu Xin paid no attention to it and walked to Li Pingdong, who was already sitting on the rocker.

After looking at the safety rope on Li Pingdong and making sure that all the buckles were tied according to standards, he said:

"Director Li, be careful."

Li Pingdong smiled and nodded:

"Um."

"Okay, everyone, get ready. Keep the fire extinguishers at your fingertips..."

With the clear and comprehensive thoughts in his words, Li Pingdong sat on the rocker and reached the top of the escort team on the right side of the float, while Xu Xin sat in front of the monitor and once again raised his horn and shouted:

"Departments are in place. Actors are in place! Everyone can start waving the flag!"

As soon as he said these words, the extras holding flags began to wave the flags on the dark but brightly lit streets in accordance with Director Xu's request.

"Three, two, one... float, let's go!"

After the field recorder printed the board and issued the order, the driver in front started the car's motor.

The tricycle pulled paper lanterns covered with "wishes", and the bright and beautiful float began to move forward slowly.

The picture in front of Xu Xin began to rise little by little as the angle of the rocker arm Li Pingdong was riding on was adjusted.

At the same time, fireworks on the left side of the screen and in the distance began to light up at the same time.

After traveling a certain distance, fireworks suddenly took off in the sky, illuminating the buildings here with colorful colors and making them look very beautiful.

The lively feeling of festival celebration suddenly came through the screen.

With Xu Xin's instructions, the crowd began to retreat from both sides in an orderly manner.

People waving flags had happy smiles on their faces.

This gave many people who gathered behind Xu Xin and looked at the picture through the monitor a feeling...

Why...it doesn't seem like I'm filming a movie.

It's like watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games...

And... with Director Xu’s advance communication, positioning arrangements, and various tasks.

It seems that the filming of this joint celebration scene was quite simple.

The bustling crowd, noise, and fireworks formed a scene that seemed to be thriving in the entire scene.

But as the camera rose to a higher place...

They found that the only thing that seemed to be bright was this street. In the distance high up, the entire scene was accompanied by the explosion of fireworks, although the outlines of buildings could be seen.

But not a single light was lit...

In an instant, the originally lively scene suddenly became unreal.

The noisy festival has become a glitz that is labeled as "illusion".

Complete darkness.

It only appears when the fireworks bloom.

But after the light that quickly disappeared passed by, the concept of "a dead city" was reflected in everyone's hearts.

"Hiss~~"

A whole day of shooting, whether it was the ready-made sets in Hengdian or some scenes shot.

Just when these senior people were still wondering why they couldn't see... Director Xu and Director Zhang had the same sensitivity to lens aesthetics, this scene at this moment gave everyone a very vivid scene. a lesson.

The colors in all the pictures do not necessarily have to be so gorgeous, nor does every scene need to be rich in color.

The color is dragon.

Disappear into the clouds.

There is no need to see the whole thing, just the tip of the iceberg, which is even more fascinating.

Looking at this scene... the one who was most moved was Yang Mi, who will be filming a ballroom scene soon.

As a personal participant in "The Secret", her feelings are more intuitive.

My brother’s ability to control the camera seems to have evolved.

If we say that during the filming of "Secret", he knew everything and taught everything, and his moves were wide open.

So the whole day of shooting today... was like a deep, calm lake.

The surface of the lake is clear and the waves are calm.

And this scene is like a dragonfly touching water.

Finally, the tranquility was broken.

The ripples gradually spread and turned into waves.

Suddenly...she froze.

yes.

Today's drama seems to be the beginning.

this……

Before I had time to think about it, Xu Xin’s voice sounded:

"Very good, very good, this is passed. Cameras No. 2 and 3 are ready, and the float has stopped..."

There was no need for anyone to replace him. Under his personal control, this big scene began to move in an orderly manner.

The actors and staff present remained silent and performed their duties according to the director's instructions.

Then from these works and observations, I continued to criticize the work ability of this director who seems to be specially born for such "big scenes" with large numbers of people, which is far beyond that of his peers.

After a moment, they nodded in unison.

Well, they really have something.

…

The Canton Street scene ends.

After four sets of rotating shots, capturing different groups of people respectively, the scenes of these hundreds of extras were basically completed.

Settlements of wages are other people's business, and Xu Xin has nothing to do with it.

He took people directly to the dance hall in Guangzhou Street.

There was also a group of hired dance troupe members waiting in the ballroom.

Yang Mi and Liang Binning have already finished their makeup and are ready to go.

Today's progress is very fast.

This is the truth.

At this rate, the crew may not even be able to stay here for a week.

Because as long as tonight's scene is shot smoothly, then in the crew's location shooting plan, "City God's Temple" CUT, "Wang Puppet Celebration" CUT, and "Military Aircraft Department Scenario" CUT.

And all this took a total of one day.

It's quite outrageous.

Not to mention anything else, just for a scene like Wang Pseudo Celebration with hundreds of people, the crew was already planning to work hard all night.

The more people there are, the easier it is to make mistakes.

Due to the winter fire prevention regulations in Hengdian, the crew can only set off two sets of fireworks per day.

But... one set was successful.

The crowd gathered for two hours, and the shooting took less than thirty minutes.

No matter how you look at this kind of overall planning ability, it is outrageous.

You know, they are group performers, not disciple soldiers...

Why is it so easy to place?

Is it really that outrageous?

Is it possible that everyone is enlightened?

As long as the filming in the ballroom goes smoothly, tomorrow we can film the scene of "Takeda attacks his colleagues in the Japanese military conference room and has to return to China to face trial."

This scene has been filmed, and tomorrow night the scene of leaving for Qiu Shenghuai will be filmed.

Once these two pictures are taken...

The drama in Hengdian can be over immediately.

And at this rate, once the port scene in Lushun is finished... and the five-person picnic scene in Dalian is finished, it seems that the entire location of "The Wind" will be completed within a week.

This speed is so fast that it feels unreal.

but……

Ballroom scenes should be a little more difficult, right?

If the scene of this kind of dance scene is not well managed, it will look very confusing... Director Xu is not a stage play arranger, so in this regard... huh?

It seems that there is also a dance hall scene in the play "Secret"?

They seem to have handled it perfectly...

Huang Junlang's Elvis appearance is so ugly that many people who have watched the movie cannot forget it.

And the filming of that scene seemed... very impressive!

this……

Looking at Xu Xin who was chatting with Li Pingdong about the shooting route planning in a relaxed tone, some people began to murmur in their stomachs.

Could it be that it was really the City God who was blessing me?

This is so damn smooth...

…

Did it go well? It went really well.

Xu Xin obviously knew how to shoot this stage-style ballroom scene.

He did not use the colorful colors and even made the lights very bright.

It was so bright that Liang Bingning, who plays Li Ningyu, leaned in front of the bar, smoking a cigarette in one hand and drinking in the other. This made many men have the urge to "strike up a conversation."

This woman is glowing.

Illuminated by the lights above and reflected by the glass of the bar, the whole face seemed to have a hazy melancholy beauty attached to it...

You don’t need to do anything, just sit there and the picture will be beautiful enough to be used as a screensaver.

The eyes of the men present were shining, while the eyes of the women were filled with jealousy.

The scene was supposed to be action-packed.

But at this moment, her only "tranquility" stole all the limelight.

This is actually what Xu Xin did intentionally.

Because in this scene, what he wanted was for Gu Xiaomeng to show her girly side, and the crazier the game, the better.

But it is true, no matter how crazy she plays, from a psychological point of view, from a lens science point of view, the dynamics in this atmosphere will definitely not be able to beat the "static".

This is the reason why Sophie Marceau's ballroom scene in "The First Kiss" is called a film and television classic.

A group of people were dancing DISCO there, and she and the male protagonist were dancing a romantic waltz with headphones on.

When the music starts, all the other young men and women become the backdrop as they should.

This is not a favoritism, or it is to make Gu Xiaomeng's character suppress first and then develop.

It’s just that the focus of filming is different.

Just like the scene in the military aircraft department in the morning, Yang Mi, as the C position, took two-thirds of the scene.

In fact, it’s all about serving the characters.

At this time, he immediately entered Qiu Shenghuai's other career, in order to make Li Ningyu's role not abrupt.

So, in this scene, she is the queen.

But after filming started...Xu Xin realized that he was wrong.

How wrong.

It is difficult to suppress, and restlessness is not restlessness.

This is Xu Xin's best description of his fiancée in front of the camera.

It had been a long, long time since he'd seen his fiancée dance.

He even forgot that he was in that dark nightclub, watching her dancing on the table, and her seductive dance like a phantom was imprinted in his heart.

She was born in jazz.

But it’s not just jazz.

She even said it herself during the chat:

"If I weren't afraid that my leg muscles would become thicker if they were too developed, I might be an internationally renowned jazz dance expert."

"I have a great foundation."

"Every teacher who meets me says I'm a good candidate."

These are all what she said.

But Xu Xin was excited as soon as he heard it.

After all, he doesn't know how to dance, and he can't comment on his girlfriend's dancing from a professional perspective.

But it does look good.

After this ballroom scene was needed this time, after watching some dance videos and listening to her opinions, he chose the dance style of double ballroom dancing.

But he was not responsible for the specific movements, but the stage design produced by Xiying Studio.

The stage artist designed the moves, danced a section, and recorded a video and sent it over.

As for Xu Xin, he asked Chen Weiya, who has now returned to the Oriental Dance Company as the leader, to help change a few moves. Finally, someone from the dance company recorded the video and handed it to Xiying Studio, who contacted Hengdian. Dance troupe here.

It didn’t cost a penny, my buddy helped.

But the people in the dance troupe that Xiying Studio hired were not particularly professional.

Because Xu Xin wanted to record the dances of ordinary people, he specifically requested an amateur dance troupe.

And it doesn’t matter whether you are tall, short, fat or thin.

As long as you can dance, there is no requirement.

Because if the dancers under the camera are too professional, it will look very formal, and it will not look like they are entertaining in a ballroom, but like they are performing.

Li Haiping and the others did find a dance troupe that met Xu Xin's requirements. They were a song and dance troupe composed of Hengdian extras who were brought in after a week of training.

But Yang Mi’s backup dancer is a special case.

She is a dancer from a professional dance troupe, and the most important thing is that she is of mixed race. Her face has a European and American look, and she looks like a foreigner at first glance.

He's a very handsome guy.

Tonight it was him and Yang Mi acting together.

As the filming of the movie started, the extras at the back began to pretend to play instruments without sound components. Jazz music played from the speakers provided by the crew, and everyone started dancing.

And under Xu Xin's advance command, everyone had bypassed the marked shooting route area on the floor.

As soon as the camera showed Yang Mi, the professional look of the two people immediately came out...

Unlike those group performers who come out to dance after practice, these two danced from the very beginning, and every move was standard.

The two-person ballroom dance that Chen Weiya personally polished seems to have become the best step for the two to achieve much attention.

Not to mention the crew, even the surrounding extras turned to look at Yang Mi unconsciously.

until……

Xu Xin shouted stop.

"Click."

After waving his hand to indicate that the music was turned off, Xu Xin thought for a while and walked to Yang Mi:

"Don't be too professional, you two."

Looking at his fiancée who was still breathing a little, he said:

"The effect of the two of you jumping out is a bit different from what I thought before. It was originally to set off you... but Gu Xiaomeng in front of the camera also doesn't look like he is out to play, but is performing a show. It feels very abrupt. .So no, I want you two to dance more casually, don't do those standard moves...be more casual. Just keep a few basic moves...Let's do another one, Sister Bingbing, you were in a good mood just now, keep it up Stay. Keep your eyes open, and by the way, put a drinking lipprint on the glass."

Yang Mi opened her mouth...

In the end nothing was said.

In fact, she didn't want to show weakness.

Although she also knew that this scene explained the mood of the character "Li Ningyu", she also wanted to shine her own glory.

That is to say, a little "stealing the show."

It doesn’t matter who plays it, it’s purely about serving the role.

But now, as soon as the director opened his mouth, he rejected the dance she had worked so hard to practice... She must have felt uncomfortable.

But she had no intention of refusing.

In this drama, it’s not just the fiancé who wants to make something of himself.

And I also want to achieve him.

So, as long as he thinks it's good and appropriate, then he's absolutely fine.

Even if it's just a backdrop.

So, music started again.

But this time, she abandoned all the fancy professional moves and won purely with emotion.

Laughing, screaming, and having no professionalism at all, but showing the infinite energy of "wanting to dance, having fun" everywhere, were fully displayed in front of the camera.

Xu Xin nodded repeatedly.

Well, this tastes just right.

Gu Xiaomeng was dancing happily with her partner.

But as the camera moves, the melancholy of Li Ningyu, who is alone and in a daze with a cigarette between her fingers, seems to complement each other particularly well.

The two seem to be complete opposites.

Gu Xiaomeng is innocent and innocent, like a child who has not grown up.

Therefore, Li Ningyu's melancholy is set off to be even more troubled.

Finally, the phone rang.

Gu Xiaomeng, who was called over by the bartender, was still panting and flushed after exercising.

Covering her ears, she answered the call, nodded repeatedly, said "Okay, okay", hung up the phone, and came to Li Ningyu.

He poked Li Ningyu, who was still in a daze, with his finger, then picked up the wine bottle and said in Li Ningyu's blank eyes:

"Walk."

After saying that, he held the wine bottle in one hand and picked up the empty glass next to him with the other hand, intending to drink the whiskey (ice tea) in it in one gulp.

But at this moment, Xu Xin shouted again:

"Click."

The whole place fell silent.

"Change this, Yang Mi, pour out the wine in your cup, pick up the bottle, fill Li Ningyu's cup with wine, and drink it all in one go."

"good."

"Well, Sister Bingbing, please print your lips, then pour out some of the wine in the glass, leaving the bottom of the glass."

"OK."

As the two agreed, Xu Xin said:

"One more."

He wanted to give the audience the impression that Li Ningyu was drinking.

The lip print on the cup at the beginning is a "sexy" label.

But by this time, the lip marks had begun to blur due to repeated drinking.

Even a little "dirty".

But it is precisely this kind of "dirty" that makes Gu Xiaomeng drink a large glass of wine from Li Ningyu's cup, which makes him look unfeminine and bold, and the relationship between the two is so good that they can share a glass of wine. cup.

The implications of these details may have seemed inconspicuous at the time.

But as the character plot progresses, it will become evidence of the love between the two characters and remain in the hearts of the audience.

Then, the music started.

Yang Mi walked into the bar again to answer the phone.

After hanging up the phone, she picked up the wine bottle and poured the ice black tea inside into Li Ningyu's cup.

He put down the bottle, poked his sister who was still in a daze, and said:

"Walk."

"Now?"

Li Ningyu's eyes were full of doubts.

Gu Xiaomeng nodded:

"Yes, look for us."

After saying that, she held the full glass of whiskey without any scruples and raised her head...

Tons tons tons tons tons...

…

"OK, call it a day! Everyone, thank you for your hard work. I won't have any scenes for you tomorrow morning. Have a good rest and adjust your condition. Let's continue tomorrow night."

At night, it's almost 12 o'clock.

After filming the scene of the sisters leaving in front of the bar, the full-day shooting mission finally ended.

Xu Xin checked the shots and announced the end of today's work.

The crew members, who had been busy since they woke up in the morning and spent the whole day rushing around the film and television city, finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the news.

This day is finally over.

The intensity is really not small.

but……

Recalling the shots they shot today and comparing them with the location shooting plan.

After discovering that they had completed more than 50% of the workload in just one day, they couldn't help but feel heartfelt sighs...

Although it’s unclear what the quality of the finished film is.

I can film with Director Xu...

Just one sentence will suffice:

"Smooth and silky."

So silky smooth! ,

Haha, I only discovered this last "?" after reading the comments. I didn't even notice it just now... I definitely didn't write this. If nothing else, my two-year-old son probably typed it on my keyboard while I was away. I originally wanted to change it...but then I thought about it and just treated it as Liu Xiaobao giving everyone a polite greeting. After all, there is only "?" and not "的"... Hahahaha, I am so happy that everyone saw the first word written by my son~ Well, Liu Xiaobao would like to say hello to all the elders~ Hahaha~