Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 4 Shooting
Jiang Wei has the power to overturn the entire crew of "The Night the Comet Came" and also has the power to ask Li Qiutang to choose a new short film to shoot.

But after reading the script of "The Night the Comet Came", he did not choose to do so. He allowed Li Qiutang to continue.

What can I do if I disagree?

The crew set up the production in the early stages according to the requirements of "The Night the Comet Came". The scenes, actors, props, and equipment are all in place. If they don't continue filming, who will bear these early losses?
Making a feature film as a graduation project is indeed a very bold idea, but after reading the script, Jiang Wei felt that he, as a student, still retained some rationality amidst his impulse. The main scene of "The Night the Comet Came" is only one - a farmyard and its surroundings.

The scheduling is not difficult, just eight people sit together to eat and chat.

The biggest expense of the entire play is probably the film.

Jiang Wei, Li Qiutang, eight actors and the main crew members sat together, and Li Qiutang explained the story of "The Night the Comet Came" in detail.

Among the eight actors, except Qin Lan, Zhang Songwen and Lin Jiachuan, the other five were found by Li Qiutang from the group leader. They all have acting experience and good images. The package of five people is 2 for two weeks.

Li Qiutang first explained to them what a parallel world is, which is the basis of the entire film: "The concept of parallel universe comes from quantum mechanics. To put it simply, the universe we live in is not the only one. There are many universes that exist parallel to ours. The so-called parallel existence means that the two worlds are like two parallel lines, never intersecting, and are generally similar to us, but also different. For example, Li Qiutang is a student at the Film Academy and a director here, but in another universe, Li Qiutang is a doctor, and in another universe, Li Qiutang is a taxi driver.

"My story is based on the setting of parallel universes. This sudden comet opens up a channel between parallel universes, so you can see yourself in the parallel universe. You have similarities and differences."

Li Qiutang tried to keep the settings as simple as possible to make it easier for the actors and staff to understand.

Qin Lan was reading the script while listening to Li Qiutang's talk, and said with a smile: "What's wrong with your brain? I have never heard of quantum mechanics, parallel universes, and coherence."

Li Qiutang smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if you haven't heard of it. We don't need to understand it too deeply when filming. It's enough to know the meaning.

"Is there anything you don't understand about the settings and concepts?" He smiled after saying this. "Don't ask too much. I'm actually only half-baked."

It is actually quite simple to perform a parallel universe. Just use different emotions and methods to distinguish the front and back.

After answering two more questions, the crew began reading the script under the chairmanship of Li Qiutang and Jiang Wei.

The script reading lasted for one and a half days. On the afternoon of the second day, the set was set up and Li Qiutang asked the eight actors to enter for rehearsal.

There is no other way. Film is too expensive. If we start shooting without rehearsal, the losses will be huge.

Li Qiutang was very grateful to Qin Lan. As the only one among the eight actors who did not take any salary, she had not slacked off at all in the past few days. She arrived at the crew early in the morning, rehearsed over and over again, took a nap on the table at noon, and continued practicing in the afternoon.

Even the costumes in the play are her own.

The assistant director also expressed his willingness to give her extra money, but Qin Lan refused: "I'll just spend a few days to help Qiu Tang."

After three days of rehearsal led by Jiang Wei, Li Qiutang officially started filming.

"Come on, machine, get ready, record!" The film camera started to squeak. Li Qiutang did not sit in the director's chair, but followed the photographer to look at the actors on the scene.

Qin Lan wore a tight vest in the indoor scenes. There is no need to talk about Qin Lan's figure. She didn't expose anything, but she looked very sexy.

This is the effect Li Qiutang wanted. He knew what the audience wanted to see. What's wrong with letting the audience see beautiful women besides the plot of the movie?
How long can the two reels of film provided by Qingying Studio last?

The answer is, less than two hours.

Available material: zero.

Fortunately, the scene was well prepared, but Li Qiutang had already started swearing.

"Read the words! I don't know what to do once the machine starts running."

"Film, film."

"Who told you to look at the camera?!" When a male actor glanced at the direction of the camera when he didn't have a scene, Li Qiutang wanted to tear him apart on the spot. Sometimes he even scolded the staff.

"You've crossed the line. You've made such a low-level mistake."

"Look at the lighting. The actor's face is covered in oil. How can I shoot it?"

Jiang Wei, the on-site supervisor, didn't care. He was also a director, and he knew how much pressure a director was under on the set. Which director didn't curse people on the set? Cursing people was considered good, and some even beat people on the set.

He may curse people, but if the performance is good, he will not hesitate to praise them.

Sometimes the actors he praised felt a little embarrassed, like when he praised Qin Lan:
"After all, he is a well-known actor. His acting is so good. The emotions, expressions, and body language are so good."

Qin Lan understood what he meant and scolded him with a smile: "Go to hell. If it was as good as you said, I would have won an Oscar long ago."

"An Oscar is not enough." Li Qiutang said with a smile, "We have to set up an award specifically for you, and then we'll be dismissed after it's given."

Qin Lan was so amused that she covered her mouth and laughed. Li Qiutang took the opportunity to make a request: "The previous one was very good. Let's do it again from a different angle."

Qin Lan: "???"

"The Night the Comet Came" is a story that takes place on a dining table. The crew prepared a large table of prop dishes. Only a plate of scrambled eggs and a plate of fried tofu outside were really edible. All the drinks were replaced with boiled water and fruit juice.

So the scenes that Li Qiutang and Jiang Wei watched in front of the monitor were very funny.

There were eight people eating, and they could only eat eggs and tofu, and they were not allowed to eat more - for eight people, if each person picked up one piece of food with chopsticks, the two dishes would be gone - so most of the time, the actors didn't move their chopsticks and were drinking "wine".

Li Qiutang laughed while watching in front of the monitor. Sometimes when the actors needed to eat, Li Qiutang would shout, "Eat, eat."

This caused Zhang Songwen to "protest": "Why don't you cook two good dishes for us to eat, egg tofu, egg tofu every day."

Li Qiutang was so shameless: "It's good enough to have egg tofu. I would like to give you abalone, but I don't have the conditions!"

As he was talking, a voice came from the kitchen: "Qiutang, cook!"

Li Qiutang stretched his neck and replied, "Coming!"

That’s right, the scrambled eggs and fried tofu used in the filming were all made by director Li Qiutang.

A week passed in a flash. After the crew had gotten used to each other, the shooting progress was very good and Li Qiutang seldom cursed anymore.

But something unexpected happened that day.

A male actor drank on the set and almost messed up his work!

The props told Li Qiutang: "We all used boiled water and fruit juice. He bought them himself and brought them to the crew."

The actor was caught by the crew after drinking two glasses. Li Qiutang did not get angry, but the props and assistant director scolded him first.

He also argued that he drank real wine to get into the role better: "The money for the wine was my own, and the crew didn't have to pay for it."

But the crew ignored him and confiscated his wine. The assistant director warned him: "You can drink as much as you want after the filming. If you dare to drink and cause trouble on the set, don't worry about it. I won't be polite."

The actor did not refute the criticism, but he blamed the crew for hindering him. He thought to himself, "I'm not drunk. How can a small crew of more than a dozen people put on airs?"

Li Qiutang sat in the director's chair, looking gloomy and silent. It was unknown what he was thinking. After a while, he said, "Okay, get ready, let's continue filming."

(End of this chapter)