Global Film Emperor

Chapter 142 Shooting
Filmmaking is all about meticulousness and perfectionism. Filming started in early July and is now in mid-September. The script, which wasn't particularly thick to begin with, is only less than halfway done.

This was because Lu Ze's stable and high-quality performance boosted the acting level of other actors, resulting in a speed that Liu Ying was already very satisfied with.

The film is expected to be around 120 minutes long. With additional shots and scenes that may be cut, it will be about 150 minutes long. Filming is expected to be completed by the end of this year, around November or December.

The scenes at the boxing gym have been filmed. Now we're filming Lu Ze's daily life, as well as some family scenes, such as the male lead arguing with his mother, and the scenes featuring Xu Lu, the female lead.

This movie is mostly told from a male perspective, and there aren't many scenes involving women. Xu Lu, for example, has already finished filming most of her scenes and left the crew. The final battle is scheduled to be filmed last, so there's nothing for her to do now. Liu Ying simply let her leave.

Seeing how eagerly she left that very day, as if she had just been released from prison, carrying her suitcase with great joy, one can imagine how much psychological pressure Lu Ze had put on her.

Today's filming location is a hospital, and it's a scene between Lu Ze and his "mother". This scene is the moment when Lu Ze's mother comes out of the operating room after surgery, and Lu Ze is already prepared.

"Teacher Tang would like you to make some preparations; filming is about to begin."

The actress who plays the male lead's mother is named Tang Juan. She is a veteran actress who starred in the 87 version of Dream of the Red Chamber, so her acting skills are beyond question. Because of her own talent, she gets along quite well with Lu Ze.

Upon hearing Liu Ying's call, Teacher Tang, whose hair had been dyed gray and who was wearing a hospital gown, lay on a mobile operating table with an oxygen tube. The staff helped her prepare the needles and other equipment before pushing her into the operating room.

"Lu Ze, get ready."

"OK!"

Wearing a black sweater, sweatpants, and sneakers, Lu Ze replied to Liu Ying's words with an OK sign, and then officially started playing the clapperboard.

"Act 27 of The Boxer! Scene 6, get ready! Action!"

Lu Ze sat in the chair, his head resting against the wall tiles, his eyes fixed on the light above the operating room until it went out. Then he stood up and stood at the door of the operating room.

"doctor."

"The patient is still unconscious. It's normal for her to feel pain after she wakes up. Don't talk to her too much, let her rest, and call the nurse if she needs anything."

The doctor took off half of his mask, hung the other side on his ear, gave Lu Ze some instructions, and then turned and left, leaving only the female nurse pushing the operating cart waiting for Lu Ze.

Seeing his mother lying on the bed, still in a deep sleep, Lu Ze pushed the car into the ward. The other patients in the beds watched the two of them come in without saying a word, but just kept watching Lu Ze and his mother.

Her incision was below her abdomen, her pants were pulled down to her knees, and she was covered with a blanket. Lu Ze tucked the blanket in to prevent his mother from being exposed, and with a gentle effort, he lifted his mother up and placed her softly on the bed.

She seemed to feel the pain even in her dream, and groaned with a frown. This made Lu Ze's heart jump. He looked at the nurse with worry in his eyes, but didn't say anything.

"It's nothing, it's normal."

The nurse hung the IV drip on the bedside table, comforted Lu Ze, and then pushed the operating cart away. Only then did the people in the room speak, asking Lu Ze how the surgery went.

The mother had already been hospitalized before the surgery, and the other patients in the ward had gotten to know each other. Everyone instinctively felt sorry for this woman who only had her son come to carry her bed.

"It's okay, I'm fine, um."

After absentmindedly answering a few questions from fellow patients and their families, Lu Ze pulled out a stool and sat down in front of the bed. He gently touched his mother's hand. The makeup artist had made her hands look old, even though she was only in her forties, not even fifty. What had those hands gone through? It was heartbreaking to see.

"Tsk, it hurts a little." Suddenly, Lu Ze heard his mother's weak voice. Lu Ze looked at her in surprise, then his eyes were filled with deep anger and helplessness.

"Go to sleep, Mom. Don't talk. Lie down a bit while you're still dizzy. Tell me if you feel like throwing up."

"I can't sleep. As soon as I entered the operating room, I could feel the scalpel whistling as it cut across my stomach, but I was so numb that I couldn't say a word. Sigh."

The poignant feeling conveyed by Lu Ze's excellent delivery of lines deeply ached his heart. On camera, Liu Ying and the others could see Lu Ze's trembling lips; he was holding back, not wanting to cry at this moment.

"Take a nap, you'll fall asleep soon, close your eyes."

She listened to her son, closed her eyes, and occasionally hummed a few words. Even though the anesthesia hadn't worn off, she could still feel the pain. Soon, she started snoring softly and fell asleep.

Lu Ze got up and went to the bathroom to fill a basin halfway with water, placing it under the bed so that if he vomited later, there would be something to catch it. He forced a smile at the others in the ward and then tiptoed out of the ward.

There were many patients walking around outside, and beds were set up in the corridor where patients or their families rested and took a nap. Perhaps Lu Ze's mother was lucky; she wasn't so poor that she had to lie in the corridor.

Lu Ze walked numbly into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and vigorously splashed water on his face. His family had no connections at the hospital, or rather, none at all, so even though Lu Ze offered the anesthesiologist a red envelope, the anesthesiologist refused to accept it.

Panting heavily, he leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to squat on the ground. He was furious, but he was destined to be unable to vent his anger. He impulsively wanted to beat up the anesthesiologist, but if he did, what would happen to his mother's second surgery?
He finally held back, raised his fist and slammed it hard against the wall with a loud thud. The person urinating in the toilet was so startled that he trembled. He looked around, and only after finding nothing amiss did he shake himself off, pull up his pants, and walk out of the toilet. He saw Lu Ze squatting on the ground, gave him an annoyed look, and left.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and it was very quiet, with only the dripping of water from the faucet into the sink making a soft sound.

"That's enough, let's call it a day!"

Liu Ying called out, beckoning the staff to come up and get to work. It was already past 8 p.m., and everyone was exhausted after filming daytime scenes all day. They wanted to quickly finish up so they could go back and rest.

Lu Ze stood up, shaking his aching right hand. It had hurt quite a bit when he hit the wall. He turned on the tap and rinsed it. Wang Zixuan handed him a towel, which Lu Ze took and gently wiped his hand.

"Have you booked your plane tickets?"

"It's settled, tomorrow at 3 PM."

Lu Ze nodded and walked to Liu Ying's side. Liu Ying was also packing her things and didn't speak when she saw Lu Ze coming over.

"Director Liu, I need it tomorrow."

"Get lost."

"okay."

Lu Ze's purpose in contacting him was to ask for leave to attend the 49th Golden Rooster Awards held in Guangzhou on September 16th. This is also why Liu Ying was a little annoyed with him today. The filming schedule for tomorrow and the day after has been completely disrupted. He will have to work overtime to adjust the filming order when he gets back. Who would be happy in that situation?
The two's concise and clear conversation made the crew members laugh. Lu Ze didn't mind, after all, that's just how Liu Ying talks. Whenever it comes to filming, he's bound to be cursing and swearing. Most of the crew members were used to being scolded.

After saying goodbye to the staff, Lu Ze went back to his room to pack his luggage, planning to fly directly to Guangzhou early the next morning.

Because I will be writing original scripts in the form of small theaters in the future, I won't reveal too much.

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(End of this chapter)