Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 335 Finishing

Wu Yuchen didn't criticize Jiang Qinqin and Jiang Wu too much for their multiple takes; he simply offered encouragement once the scene was finished. It's perfectly normal for a short scene of a few minutes to take a whole day to film; sometimes it can take two or three days, or even a week, to polish.

What makes Wu Yuchen more efficient than other directors is that he knows what he wants to film, and he rarely shoots ineffective scenes. Not ineffective shots, but ineffective plot points.

When filming, if a director knows what he wants to shoot, shoots around that scene for a week, expressing it in different ways, and finally chooses the one that works best, then even if many shots are not used, the film rolls are not wasted.

What's more worrisome is when the director hasn't thought things through before filming, or their purpose is unclear. Many directors, despite having a script, get carried away once they start shooting, often wanting to include this and that. By the time it comes to editing, many scenes are unusable and have to be cut.

What stands out even more is Wong Kar-wai, who doesn't care about scripts at all. He himself doesn't know what kind of plot he wants to shoot. What he wants to shoot is just the feeling. He spends a year or two shooting a bunch of material and then uses editing to turn it into a story.

At this moment, Wu Yuchen was confirming the filming schedule for tomorrow with his staff: "Have you made contact with the funeral home yet?"

"It's all arranged. They'll set aside a spot for us to film tomorrow."

Tomorrow's filming scene is about the bathhouse owner being cremated at the funeral home. And there's a special arrangement here: the old man Niu Ben, who used to soak in the bathhouse and play chess, happens to be a cremation worker at the funeral home.

The following evening, Wu Yuchen watched the playback of today's filming:
Niu Ben, dressed in a uniform, held the coffin, gazed deeply at the old woman, and said softly, "Thank you, until we meet again."

Then, Niu Ben personally closed the coffin lid of the landlady and sent her into the incinerator.

At the control panel behind the incinerator, Jiang Wu ran over, wanting to see his mother one last time. Niu Ben smiled and nodded in agreement. Then, seemingly reminiscing, he said, "Perhaps people have a premonition before they die!"

Jiang Wu couldn't help but turn to look at Niu Ben, who continued, "She invited me to celebrate the New Year's Day this year."

Then Niu Ben chuckled softly: "I was thinking, at our age, why bother with holidays? But she insisted on celebrating them no matter what. She even bought a small ruby ​​cake, lit candles on it, and we made a wish together. Then, she suddenly asked me if we could keep the bathhouse running together."

Niu Ben lowered his head and looked at the incinerator in front of him: "Now I understand, it's probably because my fire burns well!"

After saying this, Niu Ben unconsciously smiled, but Jiang Wu's eyes were already filled with tears. From the very beginning, he had been urging his mother to sell the bathhouse. Now, looking at the coffin in the crematorium, all sorts of guilt and longing for his mother welled up in his heart again.

Niu Ben turned his head, seemingly offering comfort, or perhaps sighing, and continued:
"The longer I stay here, the more I believe that death is a door, and passing away does not mean the end of life, but rather passing through it to enter another stage."

"It is a great honor for me to act as the gatekeeper, to see them through this gate, to wish them a safe journey, and to say goodbye until we meet again."

This segment utilizes the contrast in the character. The old man previously gave the impression of being a humorous and funny old man, but when he puts on a uniform and utters such philosophical words at this moment, it will give the audience an extraordinary sense of emotion.

However, Wu Yuchen's purpose in watching this playback was not just for inspection. He also opened another set of footage, which he had specially arranged for a photographer to shoot various scenes of white cranes taking flight and soaring near Poyang Lake.

Every November, white cranes migrate from the north to the south, with Poyang Lake as their destination. In fact, white cranes occasionally pass through and stop over in the Dongtan area of ​​Chongming Island in Shanghai, but because it is not a regular occurrence, Wu Yuchen simply sent people to Poyang Lake to keep watch and take various materials to bring back to him.

What he needs to do now is to find the footage he wants from these materials and then cut it into the footage shot today.

Wu Yuchen envisioned the following scene:
As Niu Ben pressed the ignition button and flames rose, Jiang Wu broke down in tears, kneeling before the incinerator and sobbing, "Mom, I'm sorry!"

The camera will then focus on the raging fire, and through an optical fade-out, transition in a dissolve effect to a scene of a flock of white cranes taking flight and soaring in the air.

The white crane is an auspicious animal, symbolizing good fortune and elegance.

The meaning of this is something that almost any cultured Chinese person can understand: it means "to ride a crane to the west"!
This also symbolically interprets what Niu Ben said earlier: death is not the end, but the beginning of the next stage.

Therefore, in order to achieve satisfactory results, Wu Yuchen is now comparing the two segments to find the most suitable material. Moreover, he is not the only one looking at it; the assistant director, cinematographer, and several other members of the team are also working with him to select and discuss the material repeatedly.

"Director Wu, how was this scene? The way the white crane spreads its wings and flies is especially beautiful!"

"Director Wu, I think this part is even better. The continuity from takeoff to flying in formation in the sky is excellent."

"We can't possibly show your entire process; we'll definitely pick out the two most beautiful parts!"

That's true. After all, it's just a transition scene. We can't show the whole flying process. If it takes too long, it will make the audience impatient.

"Alright, alright, let's pick another clip of flight from that one where wings were spread and the bird took flight."

Wu Yuchen settled on the matter and then continued to choose another section.

……

Beside a rocky beach by a small river, Zhao Wenxuan squatted on the ground, his hands clasped against his forehead, his eyes closed, as if he were concentrating intently on something.

A few seconds later, he got up from the ground and held out his hand to Jiang Qinqin: "Here you go."

Jiang Qinqin looked down and saw a smooth stone in Zhao Wenxuan's palm: "What is this?"

Zhao Wenxuan took Jiang Qinqin's hand, placed the stone in her palm, and said, "Stone letter."

Then, he looked up at the horizon:

“Long, long ago, before humans invented writing, people would find a stone that could express their feelings and give it to the other person to convey their affection.”

The person who receives the stone interprets the other person's feelings based on its feel and weight. For example, a smooth stone means you are happy, while a rough, uneven stone means the other person is worried about you.

The air was filled with the cheerful chirping of birds. Jiang Qinqin looked at Zhao Wenxuan and smiled happily. She lowered her head, held the stone in her palm, and silently closed her eyes, as if she were feeling the affection contained in the stone.

Then she opened her eyes, slowly raised her head, and smiled happily: "Thank you!"

Zhao Wenxuan lowered his head and asked, "What did you sense?"

Jiang Qinqin put her hands behind her back and said playfully, "It's a secret!" The two couldn't help but smile at each other, and then Jiang Qinqin asked, "Who told you such a beautiful legend?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenxuan's smile suddenly froze, his brows furrowed slightly, and he turned his head away: "My father."

Jiang Qinqin said, "That big rock in the house, could it be...?"

"Yes, he gave it to me."

Zhao Wenxuan nodded, then turned and walked back to the rocky beach. "He said he'd give me one every year. But I only have that one..."

As he spoke, he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it forcefully into the stream, shouting angrily, "What a bastard!"

"Pass! Very good, keep one more pass!"

Wu Yuchen was very satisfied with the two of them, so much so that they got it right in one take.

The scene involving the stone letter serves two purposes.

Firstly, it shows that the relationship between Jiang Qinqin, the wife, and her husband has been restored to what it was before, and has even become closer and more trusting. Lin Wu has opened up to her about things he hadn't told her before.

Secondly, it lays the groundwork for later events, showcasing the protagonist's resentment towards his father who abandoned him and his mother. Many details were already foreshadowed earlier; for example, Lin Wu initially sold his cello, and the cello he now frequently plays is actually one he found at home and kept for many years. Another example is that he has dreamt of his father, but his impression of him is always very vague; he can no longer remember his face.

Wu Yuchen has now filmed eight funeral scenes with his crew. In these scenes, the male lead, Lin Wu, as the mortician, personally sent off eight deceased individuals. But in reality, he is more of an observer, indirectly experiencing the real passing of life while witnessing each funeral, and understanding the different attitudes of different families towards death, as well as the different choices and perseverance of the living.

This kind of observation is not a simple or easy task. The cruelest thing about life is the immutability of death, and to observe these immutable laws of nature without being tainted by sorrow requires a calm and gentle heart.

Then, one teacher-like figure after another appeared. Company boss You Benchang guided Lin Wuping to view each passing life in a calm and objective way, teaching him that as a person seeing someone off, he should be "calm, accurate, and have tender feelings."
The old man who always played chess alone in the bathhouse accompanied Lin Wu while he bathed, and together they watched the fish swimming upstream. He told the bewildered Lin Wu that death "is a natural law, they are born this way"...

In this process, Lin Wu, as a naive bystander, gradually matures. He gradually comes to see through the inevitability and naturalness of death, and is able to perform rites for each deceased person with equality and piety. This is the first level of understanding that a bystander can reach: calm without being indifferent, gentle without being sorrowful.

But every bystander is not immune to the confusion of being involved, and this applies to every character in the film. Lin Wu faces multiple conflicts, from the societal discrimination he endures as an undertaker and his wife's lack of understanding, to the emotional void left by his father's departure at a young age—all awaiting his confrontation and resolution. After all, humans are destined not to exist merely as bystanders, or rather, "observing oneself" is a problem that no one can escape.

Now, Lin Wu, having witnessed the changes in the lives of others and gained profound insights through repeated deaths, and having undergone numerous spiritual journeys involving encoffining, has finally reached the second level of the observer: facing himself.

He had never mentioned his father before; it was a deep-seated pain in his heart. Now, he dared to face his resentment towards his father and confide in his wife.

The final scene, the encoffining ceremony, is where the protagonist, Lin Wu, confronts his father and ultimately reconciles with himself and his father.

"In a moment, the two of you will stand here with your backs to the window. Lin Wu, you stay here and use your body to block the light coming in through the window, so that your father's upper body is in your shadow."

At this moment, Wu Yuchen was instructing Zhao Wenxuan and Jiang Qinqin on their positions.

This final scene wasn't simply a matter of following the script exactly; the use of light and shadow to create atmosphere was crucial. This segment was filmed using natural light, with side-backlighting and diffused light. The intensity of the light varied slightly throughout the sequence, controlled by opening and closing the curtains.

Then Wu Yuchen instructed the photographer and staff again: "Before the encoffining ceremony begins, the curtains should be half-open to allow for a slightly higher light ratio. After the encoffining ceremony begins, the curtains should be closed."

"3, 2, 1, action!"

"Is this... Dad?" Jiang Qinqin asked softly.

The deceased old man's body lay in Zhao Wenxuan's shadow, his face now looking aged and pitiful. At this moment, Zhao Wenxuan looked down at his father, the power dynamic between father and son reversed from when he was a child.

"It's kind of funny, but I can't remember what he looks like anymore. Even now, looking at his face, I still can't remember."

Then Zhao Wenxuan looked at a large box, his eyes somewhat lost, and murmured, "What was the purpose of his life? He lived for more than 70 years and left behind only a box of odds and ends."

Before this, the male protagonist had heard the news of his father's death and his resentment towards his father made him reluctant to go. However, with the accompaniment of his wife Jiang Qinqin and the persuasion of his colleague He Saifei based on her own experience, Lin Wu finally decided to visit his father for the last time.

Just then, the local funeral company arrived. They wanted to take the father's body away directly, but Zhao Wenxuan couldn't tolerate their rude behavior and pushed them aside. Faced with their questioning and accusations, Jiang Qinqin stood in front of them and said, "My husband is an embalmer!"

Then, Wu Yuchen made a gesture, and the staff drew the curtains. Zhao Wenxuan then began to personally conduct the encoffining ceremony for his father's remains.

However, just as he pried open his father's tightly clenched right hand, a small, smooth stone fell from his grasp.

The camera zoomed in, focusing on a close-up of Zhao Wenxuan's face. When he saw the stone, his pupils contracted sharply. He then gently picked it up, looked at the stone he had given to his father when he was a child, and turned his head in shock to look at his deceased father.

Zhao Wenxuan turned around, and the camera followed his gaze to Jiang Qinqin, whose eyes were already moist. She smiled and shed tears of emotion, then gently took the stone that Zhao Wenxuan handed to her.

Zhao Wenxuan bent down, cupped his father's face in his hands, lowered his head to touch and gaze at his face, as if trying to rediscover the image of his father from his childhood memories.

Tears slid down his nose and dripped onto his father's face. Zhao Wenxuan gently applied foam to his father's face and then used a razor to trim it little by little.

At this moment, Wu Yuchen was also focused on the scene in the camera, not only Zhao Wenxuan's performance, but also the overall atmosphere created by the lighting. The curtains were used as a natural softbox, making the light falling into the room warmer and softer, to highlight the revival of family affection at this moment, thus helping the emotions reach a climax.

After washing his father's face, Zhao Wenxuan held that familiar face in his hands again, biting his lip and choking back tears as he nodded unconsciously, his eyes filled with longing.

A moment later, he turned around and looked at Jiang Qinqin, feeling both aggrieved and happy, like a child who had found his father again. Jiang Qinqin also smiled through her tears, holding the stone letter in her hand.

Zhao Wenxuan stretched out his hands and held Jiang Qinqin's hands that were holding the stone. Then he slowly placed the stone on Jiang Qinqin's belly, as if he wanted to pass on this stone letter to the new life growing in his wife's womb.

In the small room, the bond between the two pairs of fathers and sons is formalized through this stone tablet, as they find their deceased fathers and welcome their unborn children.

Looking at the two smiling happily in the soft light on the screen, Wu Yuchen exclaimed happily, "Cut!"

(End of this chapter)