Global Film Emperor

Chapter 83 The Film Crew Was Penniless
"All done? I must say, you look really handsome all dressed up! Props! Props! Is everything in the room ready? Hurry up, I need to start filming at two o'clock, ten minutes!"

Because there were very few people in the crew, Han Chen had no choice but to help out. After seeing Lu Ze finish his styling, he looked him up and down, was very satisfied, praised him, and then started calling out to the props team.

"You're making it sound like I was dirty before. Dude, you can't hang it like that. You need to tie it with a rope, otherwise it'll fall down. I'll hold it for you, and you can tie it up yourself."

After chatting for a while, Lu Ze couldn't stand still any longer. Although the set was basically finished, it would definitely take more than ten minutes to install the plaque if there weren't enough people. So Lu Ze had to step in himself, standing on a stool to support the plaque from below, while the props team tied it up.

With three minutes to two o'clock, everything was finally ready. The guest actors changed their clothes and waited on the side, and Li Jianni and Zhang Haopeng also arrived at the scene.

"The crew is ready. Scene 1, extras come on. Lu Ze, you guys wait a bit, let's finish filming the outdoor scenes first."

The three lead actors were taken aback. According to the filming plan, the first scene should have been Lu Ze identifying the two victims. Had Han Chen gotten seafood poisoning? Was the filming plan changed at the last minute?
However, in this film, everything is up to the director. Lu Ze only needs to follow Han Chen's arrangements. He has no right to interfere with the filming. Therefore, the three of them had no questions and made room for the extras to finish filming the scenes at the door.

"Act One, Scene One of 'Forensic Doctor Qin Ming'! Begin!"

The camera was already on. The script supervisor pointed the clapperboard at the lens, shouted something, and quickly left the filming location. Filming for this low-budget drama had officially begun.

"Don't worry about why I changed the location at the last minute. Don't feel upset. It's more expensive outside than inside! There are other film crews waiting to use our services. Let's finish filming quickly and get out of here."

Fearing that the three lead actors might be upset, Han Chen told Lu Ze and the other two the actual situation. This left the three speechless. Even Zhang Haopeng, who had been in the industry for over ten years, had never been told to change scenes before.

Actually, this scene was filmed at the entrance of the Longfan City Public Security Bureau, with several extras going out from inside and a few people going in from outside. It was used interspersed in the film.

"Okay, let's change positions and go through it again. Lu Ze, you guys will also go through it twice in a bit."

The entire footage was shot in less than half an hour. The main actors went in and out a few times, and a few extras had a couple of lines and greeted Lu Ze and the others.

"Alright, that's a wrap. Props, take the sign down, then proceed with the shooting schedule. Lu Ze, you three, go over your lines. Crew, come inside and set up the cameras. Hurry up!"

Lu Ze suddenly felt that if the props team's wages weren't higher than those of other film crews, Han Chen would be letting them down. They were all so anxious, and even though it was hot outside, they were sweating profusely from running around.

Soon, preparations for the second scene were complete, and filming could begin. Lu Ze appeared late in the scene, which mainly consisted of scenes between Zhang Haopeng and Li Jianni.

Lu Ze rested on a chair off-camera, while Li Jianni walked around in circles with her eyes closed, muttering her lines, looking like a lunatic.

Zhang Haopeng tidied his clothes and appearance. Fortunately, Han Chen himself changed the appearance setting of the character Lin Tao. After all, everyone knows that police officers are not allowed to have beards or long hair. So, after changing the appearance setting, Lin Tao is a clean-cut middle-aged man with a buzz cut.

"Ready? Let's go on stage, script supervisor, clapperboard!"

After Zhang Haopeng and the others were in position, the script supervisor pointed at the camera and clapped the clapperboard again: "Scene 1, Act 2 of 'Forensic Doctor Qin Ming'! Action!"

"A headless case that was supposed to be solved in 48 hours, now there are still 28 hours left. Sigh. We only have this many clues, and we don't even know who the victim is. Ugh."

Lin Tao scribbled on the whiteboard, still sitting in his chair with a headache, head tilted back, his marker constantly tapping his thigh, making it clear he was deep in thought.

"Huh? Do you think my breathing is bothering you?"

Zhao Dabao plopped down in the chair, the rollers sliding backward, pointing directly at the camera. Lu Ze watched from outside; the two performed well, some of their impromptu movements were very well done. Both were academically trained, though not from the same university, their skills were indeed quite good.

Zhang Haopeng has been acting for over a decade, and his mastery of a role has reached a relatively high level. Lu Ze must acknowledge this. Zhang Haopeng can already be considered a veteran actor. The reason he wasn't famous before might be because when veteran actors were popular, he was a young idol, and when young idols were popular, he was a veteran actor—he was born at the wrong time.
Li Jianni's performance was somewhat unexpected for Lu Ze. Her role as Xiao Zui was actually a natural fit for her, as she is usually a very quiet girl. However, she broke Lu Ze's preconceived notions. She is capable of playing unconventional characters without appearing awkward. It seems that this drama has put a lot of pressure on her and has led to her transformation.

"Just a little bit, oh well, that's just how Qin Ming is, you'll get used to it~"

"Team Lin."

The guest actor playing Xiao Hei walked in, and the two of them instantly stood up from their seats. Their subtle facial expressions changed the atmosphere in the room. Of course, this required a close-up shot from the cameraman and the addition of background music in post-production to achieve this tense atmosphere.

Lu Ze also watched Xiao Hei and Lin Tao's dialogue. The actor's delivery of lines and his physical performance made Lu Ze look at Han Chen involuntarily. Where did Han Chen find this actor? What a talent!
Han Chen seemed to notice Lu Ze's gaze. The two exchanged a glance, and he understood what Lu Ze meant. He shrugged smugly, crossed his arms, and continued to stare at the monitor screen. He held a ballpoint pen in his hand, flicked his thumb to pull the pen out of the cap, and then retracted his thumb to put the pen back into the cap, repeating the process.

"A housewife? What does her husband do?"

"My husband is the food and beverage manager at an international hotel."

"Food and beverage? Deep-fried food? Is there any connection between the two?"

The original line was "Could there be some connection between the two?", but it was changed during a discussion between Han Chen and Lu Ze. Otherwise, the line would have been awkward to say, like an inner monologue being spoken out, which was one of the dozens of issues that were addressed in the script changes.

"Lu Ze, it's your turn."

Han Chen gave Lu Ze a reminder, but Lu Ze didn't need it at all. He was already prepared, with some blood and pork stains on his gloves, and wearing a blue lab coat.

"That's way too far off, isn't it? Although the remains are incomplete and there's no way to measure accurately, from a forensic perspective, her femur is so long, it's impossible for it to only be 1.6 meters."

Now, Lu Ze was about to make his entrance. His leather shoes clicked on the floor as he walked into the room and addressed everyone inside.

"No need to ask, we'll definitely get nothing, because we've been heading in the wrong direction from the start."

From the moment he entered the room, Lu Ze's aura changed, becoming incredibly calm and confident. His tone was also quite steady, and in short, his presence was very powerful. With just one sentence, the atmosphere in the room became tense once again.

"Cut! That's a take! Prepare the props for the next take."

Lu Ze's lines in this scene are so simple: after hearing Han Chen say it's over, he takes off his gloves and throws them into an extra trash can off-camera, then takes off his blue coat and folds it neatly.

Seeing that someone was still watching him, he frowned, not knowing what was wrong with him.

"Stop looking at it. Time is tight and the task is heavy. Director Han will lose his temper soon. You're just wasting money."

"What are you still standing there for! Get ready for the next game! You're just wasting money here!"

Sure enough, Han Chen's roar came over, and Lu Ze waved his hand: "Listen to this."

(End of this chapter)