Chinese Entertainment 2017: Starting from the Top Writers

Chapter 13 Shooting starts

The next day, early morning.

The sky had not yet fully brightened, and the air was filled with a slight chill.

The morning frost covered the roofs and grass like a thin white veil. In the distance, the clear chirping of birds seemed to awaken the sleeping earth.

People wearing heavy winter clothes walked hurriedly on the streets, and the breath they exhaled turned into white mist floating in the air.

Building 6, Xiyuan, Huazhong Agricultural University, Jiangcheng, is the staff housing of Huazhong Agricultural University and also the filming location of Shude Compound in the drama.

At this time, the crew was busy setting up and making preparations before filming.

The actors were wearing summer clothes inside and thick down jackets outside, standing by and waiting.

Yesterday, considering today's filming, Lin Li did not let everyone gather until very late, and it ended before ten o'clock.

So after a good night's rest, the young actors were full of energy and eager to try.

Many of them were performing officially for the first time, and they were all nervous and excited.

Tian Xiwei was wrapped in a thick down jacket, looking at Lin Li who was directing the operations in the distance, with a hint of admiration in her bright big eyes.

She had been a little worried about Lin Li's first time directing, but now she felt relieved.

There were many people who had the same idea as Tian Xiwei, and some were already prepared to laugh at the joke of the new director Lin Li.

After all, having a strong ability to write stories does not mean that you can coordinate a crew and film the story.

However, seeing Lin Li directing the huge machine of the crew in an orderly manner, the crew members headed by Wen Muye were all impressed.

At about nine o'clock, everything was ready. The first scene was to shoot the hands-on and individual scenes of several leading actors. Later, dubbing would be added to introduce the personal situation of each leading actor in the play. It was also the opening scene of the drama in the previous life.

Sitting in front of the monitor, the camera screen turned on normally. Lin Li looked around and exhaled deeply.

In fact, he was not as calm as he appeared, but he hid his emotions very well and did not let others see it.

No one was talking. The cameras, lights, actors, etc. were all in place, waiting for director Lin Li to give orders.

Only at this moment did Lin Li feel the director's control as the core of a crew!
When the time came, Lin Li relaxed. After two lives, how could he fail an open-book exam?
After adjusting his state, Lin Li nodded to Wen Mu and put the walkie-talkie to his mouth: "Start shooting."

"We are so cute, first act, first scene, action!"

"Snapped!"

The script supervisor's copy fell down.

It was noon in the blink of an eye, and the morning shooting did not go smoothly.

Several young actors had some problems to varying degrees: being too nervous, having stiff bodies, incoherent lines, lack of emotions, and all sorts of other problems.

But Lin Li didn't take it too seriously. For a new actor, this kind of behavior was normal and expected.

In fact, many crews will basically encounter this problem in the first few days of filming. The crew needs to get used to each other and the actors need to get into the right state.

Lin Li, on the contrary, felt very good about himself. He put what he learned from the book into practice step by step, which made him feel like he had found the freshness of his favorite toy.

The director controls the creative aspects of a show and is the key figure between the crew and the actors.

So far, Lin Li feels pretty good about it. The storyboards he spent time learning to draw can be used very well during the actual filming, which makes him feel that he does have some talent.

Taking advantage of the lunch break, Lin Li asked Wen Mu and the executive director to explain the play to a few young actors.

80% of a film is completed by the actors. Therefore, in addition to paying attention to the dialogues and camera shots, you should pay more attention to the actors' performance and try to adjust and improve their acting skills.

Lin Li was not idle either. He found Tian Xiwei who was eating in a corner and reading a script.

"Xiaotian, you're so hardworking. We've been shooting for the whole morning. How do you feel?"

Lin Li sat next to Tian Xiwei and looked at the slightly angry girl with amusement.

"Director Lin, am I really stupid? I can't even express myself well, and I can't even speak my lines well!"

In the crew, Tian Xiwei no longer called Ali brother. She sensibly called him by his formal title and asked Lin Li with some annoyance.

"It's normal. We've just started filming, and many actors will encounter this situation. It's basically your first time on set, and you all want to perform well. If you set too high standards for yourself, it will appear deliberate and unnatural."

Lin Li talked freely and comforted Xiaotian.

"But this is your first time as a director, too. Why are you performing so well? This morning I saw you directing the crew with ease, and I thought you were amazing!" Tian Xiwei opened her big eyes and looked at Lin Li with admiration.

"Then I'll tell you in secret, don't tell anyone else. I was actually very nervous, my palms were full of sweat, but I'm a big shot, so I just pretended to be fine."

Lin Li suddenly came close to Xiaotian, leaned over and whispered in her ear like a thief.

Tian Xiwei felt the heat coming from her ears and her whole body suddenly stiffened. Then her fair face instantly became covered with a crimson color, like a steamed shrimp.

"So, you have to put your mindset right. Your acting skills may not be good enough for filming right now, but to play a character like Huang Chengzi who matches your personality and appearance is actually acting like yourself. What you have to do is relax, understand Huang Chengzi, and become Huang Chengzi."

Lin Li looked at Xiao Tian who was so amused that she couldn't stand it anymore and laughed secretly in his heart, but he didn't continue to add fuel to the fire. He carefully analyzed the current situation for her and helped her adjust her mentality.

"Okay, I understand. I will definitely adjust it this afternoon."

Tian Xiwei listened to Lin Li's words, clenched her fist, and cheered herself up with an excited look.

Combined with her current straight bangs, she looks full of energy and extremely cute.

Seeing that there was no one around, Lin Li couldn't help but rub her head.

Tian Xiwei was stunned at first, then she relaxed, squinting her eyes with enjoyment and smiling, like a cat acting coquettishly.

When filming started in the afternoon, the group of young actors were in much better condition and the number of NGs decreased a lot.

Especially Li Mingde and Tian Xiwei, who made obvious progress, the other actors also gradually got better. It seemed that everyone gained something after the play talk.

"Director Lin, your ability to train actors is quite impressive. Tian Xiwei's progress this afternoon is obvious."
Watching the actors' performances on the monitor, Wen Mu also came close to Lin Li and spoke with admiration.

Since the start of filming, Lin Li has indeed given him many surprises, not only being adept at scheduling the crew.

The control of the camera and the layout of the space during shooting went from awkward to skillful in just a moment.

Moreover, he also used some shots in a very clever way. If it was really Lin Li's first time to take charge of a camera as he said, then he believed that Lin Li was definitely a talented player!

The crucial moment was at noon. He watched Lin Li go over and comfort the heroine. He didn't know what he said, but in the afternoon, Tian Xiwei seemed to have come to her senses, and her performance was completely different from that in the morning.

He is a popular writer, and now he can direct and train actors. This kind of talent makes Wen Mu jealous when he thinks back on the setbacks he has encountered over the years.

If his previous Requiem short film had not been noticed by Ning Hao of Bad Monkey and he had not been signed to the company, he would not know where to find opportunities now. He would probably only be able to shoot commercials and music videos.

"Director Wen, you are too kind. She is smart and can make timely adjustments."

Lin Li did not take all the credit for himself and was modest.

Because he had watched the entire drama in his previous life, Lin Li knew very well how well-suited the characters of Xiaotian and Huang Chengzi were.

So much so that even after Oda became famous, Huang Chengzi was still the character with the best reputation among the works he starred in, and was the white moonlight in the hearts of many people.

"Director Lin, please don't be so modest. After meeting you, I realized that you really are a genius."

Wen Mu also sighed as he looked at Lin Li who refreshed his knowledge time and time again.

"Director Wen, please believe me. You will definitely become a successful director in the future. I know your ability. All you need is a chance to prove yourself."

Lin Li looked at Wen Mu and said with certainty.

Just kidding, the big brother behind this movie became a god after watching it for a while. In fact, he is the one who is really cheating.

"Then I'll borrow Director Lin's good words."

Wen Mu didn't take Lin Li's words seriously, he just thought it was polite.

Lin Li felt helpless as he looked at Wen Mu, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. In this day and age, no one believed the truth. It was really weird!
Looking at Xiaotian's look on the monitor, Lin Li sighed in his heart. No wonder many of her fans in her previous life said that she was the chosen sweet girl.

She was wearing a high school uniform, a high ponytail, a pair of big cartoon eyes under her fine straight bangs, and two shallow dimples on her fair face when she smiled. It was definitely the face of first love.

This drama in the previous life became popular after its reputation spread. Due to funding issues during the filming, many of the costumes were bought on Taobao and were very cheap.

Now he spends a lot of time on costumes and props, and asks the costume team to spend a lot of money to match a lot of clothes that can highlight the character's style, and the texture is much better.

I believe that with his influence, coupled with the upgraded configurations in all aspects, this drama will definitely bring better results than its predecessor when it is broadcast.

Lin Li is confident that this drama can make Xiaotian famous and make her a top female star of the new generation!

(End of this chapter)