I’m a Director, I’m Not Bad

Chapter 744 741 Advertising Shooting

Chapter 744 741. Advertising Shooting

After deciding on the candidate for the lady in red, today's day's work is over.

What should I do if I have to test-shoot the effect at night?

It's simple, just pay overtime.

Of course, the overtime pay for the entire commercial has nothing to do with Xu Xin. He gets paid for the film, and Volvo is responsible for the rest of the production costs.

After dinner in the evening, they waited for it to get dark. When it was almost time, the couple appeared in Universal Studios again.

While taking the tour bus to the street they rented, I could occasionally see a few Hollywood crews filming.

To be honest, apart from the difference in Qing Yishui's blond and blue-eyed foreigner, the others look the same as Hengdian.

When Xu Xin arrived, Reyes was already waiting there.

Standing in front of two monitors, after seeing Xu Xin's arrival, he said hello and then pointed to the screen next to him:

"Director, do you think this is the effect?"

Xu Xin walked over and found that some computer-generated CG images had appeared on the screen.

The texture is very poor, and it looks like the simplest imaging technology at first glance.

Looking along the camera, he saw a street that had been surrounded by green cloth, as well as car models painted in green.

Today we’re going to look at the camera’s trajectory and CG simulation parameters.

Once everything is finalized and normal shooting is completed, the work will be transferred to post-production, using more advanced CG technology.

But because of the cost, these cars will not move.

It is divided into two parts.

The first part is of the car driving down the street, surrounded by stationary traffic.

These green cloth models are arranged to avoid conflict with the vehicle's appearance. And we need to use post-production special effects to make the vehicles look better when driving on this street.

The real special effects scenes will be shot in the studio. When Xu Xin, Yang Mi, and "Murphys" are sitting in the car, the effect of the vehicle taking off and exploding will appear outside the glass.

Of course, if you don’t want to save money, you can also use real scenes.

It’s just that real scenes are too expensive.

Nowadays, big-scene shots in various Hollywood films are increasingly leaning towards CG production. First, with the rapid development of CG technology, its cost is much lower than the cost of real-life scenes from a macro level. The second point is that it is safer.

It can be said that from a technical perspective, Hollywood is undoubtedly on top of the world.

Xu Xin also wanted to gain knowledge.

And then there’s the busy close-up thing.

Every director has his own aesthetic concept.

Xu Xin's aesthetics for this advertisement is actually very simple, that is, "dark".

What he wants to create is a quiet atmosphere in the car. Whether it is the light or the color of the interior, it must give people a sense of quiet elegance.

The explosion outside will completely become a "silent" scene amidst the sounds of the opera.

Lost in the natural sound of Pavarotti's high-pitched and loud "Nessun Dorma".

At the same time, he believes that the quiet elegance is more in line with Volvo's temperament.

In his concept, XC90 actually does not have the market for young people. It is too mature, too low-key, and too restrained.

Even if its interior is fully wrapped in leather, its power is still powerful.

But Volvo's core concept is "safety".

He wanted to extend this concept and give it new life.

While Xu Xin was busy working, Yang Mi, who had nothing to do, wandered off to herself.

Xu Xin didn't care, and just continued to study the camera shooting problem with Reyes, waiting until people from Volvo drove over with several cars with different color interiors.

The entire film crew started to get busy.

Remove the front seats, find the light, and take test shots...

Find the most suitable picture under the external light that is as realistic as possible.

Xu Xin is not a director without practical experience, and as a director of photography, Reyes's professional standards are still very good.

Frankly speaking, the two of them had a great time working together.

Almost as soon as what Xu Xin wanted to express was translated by Ai Qing one second, the old man understood the meaning the next second.

So, the next thing is simple.

Test shots, adjustments.

Adjustments, test shots.

I was busy until about 11 o'clock in the evening.

In the end, all the specific shooting parameters reached the perfect level in Xu Xin's heart.

And the next thing is simple.

After final confirmation, the two of the three protagonists went into battle in person. After taking a sample video and looking at it, Xu Xin waved his hand after seeing that there were no problems in all aspects:

"Tomorrow afternoon, the commercial shooting will officially begin."

knock off!

…

in the car.

Yang Mi yawned lazily.

Seeing her husband holding the notebook and constantly fast forwarding and rewinding the scene in "The Matrix", Neo and Morpheus talked about the existence of the mother body, and Neo was attracted by the girl in the red dress. She asked:

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm wondering whether I should shoot this part like this."

Fixing the scene on the girl in the red dress looking back and smiling, Xu Xin said in the slightly bumpy car:

"I'm thinking, is it better to give her a back view, or... let's use an overhead shot, and suddenly the girl in the red skirt appears on the right side of the screen while the vehicle is moving. Think about it, the girl in the red skirt When this scene comes on, you pay attention to the people around you. Their clothes are all dark, and they look even more...unreal under the cyan filter. That’s why this red attracts so much attention."

"...Well, what next?"

"Then you see, my current position is, for example, a driver."

He is sitting behind the driver's seat, and there is plenty of space in the back seat.

He raised his hands as if he were holding the steering wheel.

"What I'm thinking now is this. Two points. First, we finished the line "This is not true." Then, while driving, I saw the girl in red. My eyes couldn't help but follow the red The girl in red is walking... That's not right, it's like this. In the overhead shot, the girl in red appears, and my eyes follow her.

At this time, I took a close-up of her profile, and she seemed to notice the driver, which was my gaze. Then he looked back in my direction. And my eyes will move as the vehicle moves forward. When turned in your direction..."

"I will stare at you like this bitch is dead, then punch you directly in the eye and say: Look! Look! Show it to me again! I will gouge your eyes out!"

"..."

Xu Xin's mouth twitched...

The first reaction is what are you doing at this time?

But the second reaction is:

"Why do you use Sichuan dialect?"

"Because other dialects are not cruel enough!"

"……Neuropathy."

Xu Xin rolled his eyes and continued:

"When I see you, let me say this: This is unreal. Pay attention, my perspective is just looking at you. When I finished saying this line, Morpheus's voice suddenly came from the back row: No, this is the reality...I can just turn my head naturally according to the angle I am looking at, how do you feel?"

"Well……"

After the joke, Yang Mi also tried to materialize her husband's thoughts in her mind.

But after thinking about it for a while, I felt...

"Not enough, it doesn't match your theme. Think about it, in the advertisement you designed, Volvo's audience is the kind of successful people. Successful people don't care what they think in their hearts, there will definitely be five or six people outside. No. Maybe it’s too shameful to stare at a beautiful woman all the time when you see one. Even if the girl in red is the only bright spot in the night... But, brother, don’t forget, I’m still in the passenger seat.”

"……Right."

Xu Xin realized that this seemed to be the case, and then his eyes lit up:

"In that case, the second option seems more suitable."

"How to say?"

"Black Cat!"

His tone became excited:

"Just follow our normal process. At the end of the film, when the song "Nessun Dorma" was at its highest pitch, the lady in red appeared, and I was attracted to it. She appeared and attracted my attention. I I didn’t notice the black cat. Then the screen “Pop! "Switched, the Volvo braked suddenly, and the black cat who was crossing the road meowed at the car and passed in front of the car. Then the girl in red saw this and smiled..."

"This is good."

Yang Mi nodded unconsciously.

"People who are focused on driving will definitely pay attention to the road conditions, but in this sudden situation, the girl in red was the cause of the emergency braking. The brakes were steady and the black cat was not hurt. The black cat left immediately and it showed a kind of Two-way security, this is great!”

Obviously, the two reached an agreement on this point.

But Xu Xin's brows immediately wrinkled again:

"If this is really the case, then Margot Robbie is not pretty enough..."

"It's okay. I think she's pretty... mainly because her makeup is wrong."

Yang Mi looked at the girl in red with heavy makeup on the laptop screen:

"Are you going to ask her to try on makeup tomorrow? I saw her information. She is an Australian actor and has quite a lot of acting experience. With her..."

This "she" refers to the lady in red on the laptop:

"The color of their hair is quite similar. Want to try it?"

"..."

Xu Xin said nothing, just stared at the girl in red on the screen for a moment, and suddenly let out a long sigh:

"well……"

"What are you sighing for?"

"I envy this old man. If this old man came to shoot this advertisement, he might know if this girl is suitable for him with just one glance... Why don't I have this talent?"

"...Husband, look at me."

"What are you doing?"

"Do you think I look like an Oscar-winning actress?"

"picture."

"Look, aren't you quite talented?"

"……younger brother."

"what?"

"The introductions are over!"

"Hahaha……"

Laughter floated from the car into the night sky of Los Angeles.

Not like a silver bell.

Better than the sounds of nature.

…

"Oh, Gulu~ you are so cute~~~~"

Gollum is a cat.

black cat.

Cat, a professional actor registered with the Screen Actors Guild.

Although Black Cat can also use CG technology, Xu Xin feels it is not necessary.

So I found a cat that can perform...

It is not correct to say that it can perform. It should be said that this cat named "Gulu", under the training of its owner Pat, can complete most of the actions that cats can complete.

For example, stand up, squat down, sit, shake hands, turn around, make sounds, etc.

I have to lament here the power of the Screen Actors Guild of America.

When he heard Xu Xin say that he needed a cat, the information of dozens of "actors" was immediately placed in front of him.

They are all well-trained actors, and the reward may only require a little snack in the owner's hand.

Of course, the beautiful sword given to the master is another factor.

And this "Gulu" was chosen by Xu Xin because it was most similar to the cat in The Matrix.

When she came to the set to prepare, Yang Mi put on makeup and watched the cat owner Pat leading Gulu to familiarize herself with the shooting environment. At the same time, the interaction between one person and one cat made her feel like a girl.

After the makeup was done, I couldn’t wait to interact with this very dear cat.

After confirming that the cat would not scratch people, it began to "suck" under Pat's guidance.

He looked like he couldn't put it down.

And we have to admit that the reputation of the Xujiawan Animal Protection Association as the number one public enemy is not for nothing.

The animals in Xujiawan didn't know how many chickens, ducks and geese bowed to her trick.

At first, everyone thought he was a good guy.

As a result, after her novelty wore off and she pinched the goose's neck, they realized that something... was wrongly paid after all.

However, Xu Xin, who was also wearing a suit next to him, still warned:

"Okay, please be gentle and don't stress the cat."

"Oh fine……"

Yang Mi then gave up and continued to "suck", but looking at the cat lying down in front of her and its pink pads, she still couldn't help but knead it.

This cat is really affectionate.

It is very different from the common cat's behavior of "who is the master between us?"

Seeing that he couldn't stop it, Xu Xin had no choice but to shake his head slightly and ignore it.

Then he started practicing his lines with Ai Qing.

His line is actually just one line.

Most of the advertising lines in the entire film are from "Morpheus".

His line was just a exclamation he made when he touched the center console with his hand while driving:

"This's unreal~"

This is not true.

After he finished speaking, Morpheus would "suddenly" appear in the back seat and answer Xu Xin:

"No, this is reality."

Then he started to introduce the XC90 car in a "luxury" tone.

He focused on this sentence, and the rest was completed by Yang Mi with the accent of an old London aristocrat.

but……

Even though he is good at directing, he is really nervous about acting.

After all, he has never appeared on camera since "Not Drunk".

The time when he was filming "Not Drunk" happened to be the time when he was a newborn calf and was not afraid of tigers. In addition, at that time, I could spend my own money however I wanted, and there was no psychological pressure, so I just did it casually.

But I'm really a little nervous now.

Repeatedly confirm that there are no problems with your speaking speed, intonation, etc.

Until the arrival of "Morpheus".

"Hello, director, I'm Laurence Fishburne. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Lawrence...you don't mind if I call you that, do you?"

Brother Huyahei smiled and said:

"Of course I don't mind. Is there anything I need to pay attention to before getting ready?"

"Go ahead and put on your makeup. I'll tell you when you're done. As long as you play the role of "Morpheus" that's it."

Hearing Xu Xin's words, this guy was happy again.

Bare teeth.

"Of course, no problem."

And if "Morpheus" says there's no problem, then there really isn't any problem.

Bald head, legless sunglasses. Put on a leather jacket...

The smell came out immediately.

Not to mention, when Xu Xin saw him for the first time just now, Xu Xin didn't feel anything at all.

But now the other party stood in front of me wearing the outfit of "The Matrix"...

For no reason, Xu Xin was in a daze.

A Hollywood blockbuster, and the number one supporting actor in a blockbuster with a generational significance, just standing in front of me...

Only later did he realize what he was doing.

There was a burning sensation in my heart.

However, he didn't show it on his face. Instead, the surrounding staff took out their mobile phones after seeing "Morpheus".

But he was quickly stopped by Reyes and began to ask Xu Xin what he meant.

Although Xu Xin didn't care, it was just an advertisement after all, but the details still had to be nodded by people at Volvo.

When Xu Xin saw that the people from Volvo were also taking photos, he stopped caring about such things.

If the upper beam is not straight, then the lower beam must not be "crooked".

After all three people finished putting on makeup, Xu Xin took the lead in filming the scene with the black cat.

Black Cat's play is quite simple.

In the green screen street model in the studio, Gulu will walk to the middle of the "road", then "meow" in the direction of the Volvo vehicle, and then leave leisurely.

And this scene will turn into a sudden braking of Volvo in the later stage, completing the transition from dynamic to static in an instant, and stopping in front of the cat.

The cat then noticed the vehicle and showed no signs of panic.

He said "meow" to the vehicle as if to say hello, and then walked away.

The purpose of this scene is to promote the "safety" of Volvo, which even cats trust, let alone people.

The well-trained Gollum cooperated very well.

Because it was the first time for Xu Xin to cooperate with Reyes, he specially found three different angles to shoot.

Back and forth, Gulu walked 6 times.

After calling 6 times, he completed his mission.

It took less than an hour back and forth.

Salary: $30,000.

Even after tax is deducted, it still looks like twenty-two-three thousand.

I have to say, actors really make money...

After the filming of "Gulu" was completed, it was the turn of the couple and "Morpheus".

Under Xu Xin's instructions, the staff pushed over a small cart with several musical instruments on it.

These instruments, such as the long and short harmonica, disc tuner, etc., are the start of the background music.

After confirming that the director had no preference, "Morpheus" chose a disc-shaped tuner.

Then, the three of them got into the car together.

After a while, the vehicle will drive on the stabilizer, with light and shadow effects simulating the street, and close-ups of several people's faces, all completed in the studio.

The lighting has been simulated, flickering on and off.

It highlights the characteristics of the vehicle in motion.

In this flickering light effect, Xu Xin was sitting in the driver's seat. Suddenly he felt a little nervous. He grabbed the steering wheel and took a deep breath unconsciously:

"call……"

"Are you nervous?"

Yang Mi, who was calm in the co-pilot, asked.

"...Don't talk to me yet, I'll adjust myself."

"All right."

Seeing this, Yang Mi fell silent.

But while Xu Xin was adjusting, suddenly, there was a knock on the car window.

He subconsciously turned his head and saw Reyes's confused expression under his bald head.

"director?"

"……ah?"

Xu Xin was stunned:

"what?"