Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 134 True: Half of the body buried

In the dirt pit specially dug on the set, Song Zhi sat up somewhat awkwardly, with fine dirt falling from her face and hair.

Her lower body was still covered in mud, and she couldn't stand up. A layer of moisture was brewing in her eyes. She bit her lip and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Director, I really can't control myself..."

Halfway through the conversation, his voice began to sound like tears.

Today's scene is an important plot for the character "Yu Manli". In order to achieve the main plot of the "death spy plan", she sacrificed herself for the country in order to protect the "fake code book" after being "betrayed" by her teacher.

What she is filming now is her burial after her death, and then "Mingtai" comes to confirm and bury her body.

Li Xue talked to her before filming began. In order to ensure the most realistic effect, they both felt that the real-life burial method should be used to give the audience the best emotional experience.

So the crew dug a pit specifically according to her body shape. During filming, her entire body was buried in the soil, with only her head exposed. Then Hu Ge only needed to cover her face with a thin layer of soil.

This kind of shot is both easy and difficult. As long as you can endure the physical fear and the discomfort of dust on your face, close your eyes and lie there without moving, you can do it.

The biggest difficulty was to leave a final impression on the character of "Yu Manli", so there was a close-up shot of her face when she was buried. But you only need to hold your breath for eight or ten seconds, and it's over.

After all, it is enough to have a burial shot to let the audience understand, and it is not really necessary to bury the person completely.

Before filming began, Song Zhi was very confident. He thought that if he just endured it for a while, the scene would pass.

It was not until the filming officially started, when the mud mixed with the smell of corruption and dampness actually fell on her face, that she realized that the discomfort was completely unbearable and her eyelids would always twitch physiologically.

If it was any other shot, even a low-angle close-up, this twitching wouldn't matter. But this is a close-up, and every expression on the face is clearly presented on the screen.

At this moment, her slight eyelid twitching looked particularly obvious.

It was also for this reason that she had to NG two or three times at the beginning.

At first, Li Xue didn't say anything. After all, it is normal for actors to fail during filming, let alone such a difficult shot.

He comforted Song Zhi gently for a while and thought of some ways, such as sticking mud on her face or trying to shoot it a few more times, so that she could get used to it.

But after trying every possible method, she still couldn't keep her face completely still.

Just for this one shot, I had been shooting for more than two hours, from just after dusk until now. I NGed it more than a dozen times, but I just couldn't get it right.

Li Xue couldn't help herself and finally cursed out loud.

Seeing the director getting angry, the atmosphere on the set, which was already a bit dull due to the cold weather, immediately became even more tense.

But no matter how angry I am, I still have to find a way to film it after cursing.

"Director Li, can you please change the way we shoot this scene?" Hu Ge, who was acting opposite Song Zhi, took the initiative to say, "For example, use a close-up when I raise my hand, and switch to another angle when the dirt falls."

As the male lead of the show and the most famous actor in the entire crew, he was the only one who dared to say a few words at the scene.

However, neither Noon Sunshine nor Li Xue would be concerned about the status of the stars. So when faced with Hu Ge's suggestion, Li Xue said in the same tone: "This plot was originally meant to create an atmosphere, but now the shots are cut into small pieces to reduce the difficulty. Why not just delete it and just go for a long shot with a narration?"

"This..." Hu Ge scratched his hair, speechless.

Seeing that the person who was speaking for him was also being criticized, Song Zhi sniffed, tried to hold back his tears and said, "Director, please do it again. If it's still not good this time, I will..."

She was about to say something harsh, but before she could say it, she heard a familiar voice not far away.

"Wow, we're still filming in the middle of the night. Thank you for your hard work, everyone! Can two of you lend a hand later? I've ordered some hot drinks for everyone. Have a cup to warm your bodies. Don't turn around and say that Director Li made everyone frozen." Song Zhi turned his head following the voice, and in the slightly glaring light, Meng Bai walked out from the light with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Teacher Meng."

"Teacher Meng is back."

"..."

Seeing Meng Bai suddenly appear, everyone in the crew breathed a sigh of relief. The solemn atmosphere on the scene was immediately broken, and they all greeted him.

Meng Bai responded as he walked to the director's seat.

Seeing him coming back, Li Xue's tone became more relaxed and she greeted him, "Are you back?"

"Yeah, look how dedicated I am. I rushed to the crew without even going back to the hotel." Meng Bai boasted.

Li Xue laughed and scolded: "Come on, you are so dedicated, I have never seen a screenwriter in any crew running away every other day."

"Hey, that's right. Isn't respecting your own job also respecting your job?"

After chatting for a few sentences, Li Xue's mood calmed down. He first arranged for everyone at the scene to rest for a while, and then pulled Meng Bai to Song Zhi, intending to ask him to work together to find a way to solve the current difficulties.

Coming to the one-person-wide pit, Meng Bai glanced at Song Zhi, who still had tears in her eyes, and then took a look at her current state. He said, "Girl, don't say it, you are now truly 'half buried in the ground'!"

"..."

The tears in Song Zhi's eyes froze on his face just as they were brewing. The slight sense of grievance and sadness that had just risen in his heart instantly turned into tremendous anger that rushed straight towards Meng Bai.

Looking at that smiling face, if her lower body wasn't still buried in the soil, she would have wanted to jump up and punch him.

Even Li Xue, who still had some anger left, couldn't stand it anymore and shook her head, "Meng, sometimes you really are, ah..."

He could also see that Meng Bai said this deliberately to ease everyone's emotions, but this method was indeed too questionable.

But it must be said that the effect was still very obvious. At least he was no longer angry, and Song Zhi's originally depressed mood was also lifted.

"Xiao Song, I was a little anxious just now. It's not directed at you. Don't take it personally."

"No, no, Director Li, it's my fault. I've wasted everyone's time. Don't worry, let's do it again. This time I'll..."

Song Zhi wanted to say that she could definitely hold back, but when the words came to her lips, she couldn't help but doubt herself.

After each NG, she thought she would be able to hold back next time, but the result was always disappointing. So before she could come up with a better way, she couldn't say if she would be able to do it again and make any significant improvement.

Li Xue also scratched his bald head. Subconscious physiological reactions are not something that can be controlled. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to get over it after taking twelve shots.

Although he had scolded her fiercely just now, he was actually quite satisfied with Song Zhi's acting skills. At least among young actors of her age, she was already considered to be of an upper-middle standard.

At present, the best solution is to find a way to make the audience not notice her expression. But it's a close-up shot, and the camera can't be switched, so how can I adjust it so that the audience can't see it?

Seeing that everyone was lost in silent thought, Meng Bai looked at everyone with a smile and said, "How about I, the screenwriter, come up with a solution?"

(End of this chapter)