Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 498 A difficult filming journey

The winding and steep mountain road was quite difficult to walk on, especially the bare yellow soil surface, which was wet by yesterday's rain and was very easy to slip on.

Therefore, when the crew members walked, they tried to walk on the surface with fallen leaves. The fallen leaves of the horsetail pine and coniferous pine in the forest were spread on the ground, increasing the friction under their feet.

It is relatively easy to deal with on flat roads, but it is more difficult to gain leverage when climbing a slope on the slippery yellow soil surface.

At this time, the guide walking in front will use a hoe to dig a few times on the loess slope to create a simple step for subsequent people to use as a leverage to climb up.

The crew struggled forward on the slope, with almost everyone holding a trekking pole.

At this moment, director Eastwood's experience was once again demonstrated. He equipped the entire crew with hiking poles in advance, which was a great help.

Those who have not walked on mountain roads for a long time will not know how useful trekking poles are.

Trekking poles not only provide a fulcrum for exerting force, reducing slippage when going uphill, but also reduce leg fatigue so that the legs are not too sore and weak to move.

"Oh!"

Suddenly, there was a sound of someone falling heavily to the ground.

I saw a staff member carrying a camera slip and fall heavily to the ground.

He held the camera tightly in his arms, fearing that he would break the precious equipment.

But this resulted in him being unable to reach out and grab the ground, and he kept rolling down the slope.

Just as he was about to slide into the valley beside him, a strong hand reached out and grabbed him firmly.

The photographer looked up in shock and saw Lin Yuan's concerned face.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Lin Yuan asked.

The photographer shook his head. "I'm fine. Luckily you caught me. Thank you so much."

At this moment, director Eastwood, who was at the front of the team, turned around and shouted, "The trail ahead is even steeper. Everyone must be careful where they step. Especially those of us carrying cameras and film."

After hearing the director's words, Lin Yuan felt that this reminder was very timely.

Compared to ordinary staff who can free their hands and use trekking poles to climb the slope, photographers who carry cameras on their shoulders cannot use trekking poles.

That's why the photographer slipped and fell just now.

Lin Yuan looked at him, who was sweating profusely. The backpack behind him was bulging with film for shooting.

So, he took the camera and put it on his shoulder: "Let me hold this camera for you."

"No, no! Mr. Lin Yuan, how can I ask you to carry the camera for me? Is that right?" the photographer said hurriedly.

What a joke!

Lin Yuan is the richest man in the world and the boss of a company. As the investor of this movie, how could he let his boss carry the camera for him?

This professional-grade Sony camera uses 35mm film and weighs 10 kilograms.

Although it is acceptable to carry it on a flat road, it is already very inconvenient. It is even more difficult to carry it in this rugged and difficult primitive jungle.

As a photographer with professional ethics, he has received a generous salary far exceeding that of his peers, and has also received additional allowances for this shoot, so it is his duty to carry the camera to the shooting location.

How could he let Lin Yuan help him carry the camera?
Isn't this just taking money without doing anything?
Hearing the photographer's words, Lin Yuan smiled and patted his shoulder: "It's nothing, you all know that I have good physical fitness, so it's not difficult for me to carry an extra camera.

Give me the camera, and go help your colleagues carry some film. I think they're having a hard time too."

Lin Yuan pointed at several staff members in the front. Each of them was carrying a bulging backpack filled with film for shooting, which was obviously quite heavy.

Even though digital cameras are now available, film directors still prefer to shoot with film.

Film shooting has a unique texture and high resolution, which can provide image quality that digital images cannot match. Especially when projected on a movie screen, the high resolution of film can present more delicate picture details, making it easier for the audience to immerse themselves in the film.

In addition, the controllability of film is difficult to replicate with digital photography because it involves the physical properties of the film itself, rather than just digital adjustments.

The exposure, sensitivity and other parameters of the film can be better controlled through the photographer's operation, which makes the film more in line with the director's visual effects requirements.

Therefore, the crew had to carry a lot of film for shooting.

The 35mm film used for shooting weighs about 20 grams per meter.

For every minute of footage, approximately 90 feet (27 meters) of 35mm film were required.

Assuming that today's 7-hour shooting process includes a total of 2 hours of footage, then about 3300 meters of film will be used, with a total weight of 66000 grams.

The 132-pound load, when shared among five staff members, is more than 5 pounds per person, which is quite a burden on this mountain road.

Lin Yuan does not feel that he is superior because he is the richest man in the world and refuses to do physical work within his ability.

The crew members are working so hard, and he can help, so why not make it easier for everyone?

Lin Yuan was seen carrying a camera and taking over a backpack full of film from a staff member. The total weight was over 40 kilograms.

The staff whose weights he took away did not dare to refuse, but felt very embarrassed, so they just stood there awkwardly.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan smiled and shouted to the front, "Director, I'm going to grab some equipment and do some warm-up exercises beforehand. Is that okay with you?"

When director Eastwood saw this scene, he was stunned for a moment.

But he soon broke into a smile and shouted, "What a great guy! I'm proud of you."

How could a shrewd director like Eastwood not know what was going on?

He didn't expect that Lin Yuan, who was already the richest man in the world, still had no airs and was willing to take the initiative to do the physical work that was not his turn.

Director Eastwood looked at Lin Yuan with even more recognition in his eyes.

Lin Yuan smiled and nodded to the director, then said to the photographer, "Look, the director has agreed. You don't have to worry about it anymore."

Go help your colleagues, make it easier for everyone and get to the shooting location earlier."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Lin Yuan." said the photographer gratefully.

Lin Yuan saw that the photographer's eyes were slightly red, and it was obvious that he was very moved.

In fact, in Lin Yuan's view, he just did a trivial thing, but the gains were beyond his expectations.

From director Eastwood to other members of the crew, their eyes showed even more respect for Lin Yuan.

This is mainly because of Lin Yuan's current identity and status. If he was still an ordinary crew member and did the same thing, everyone would feel his kindness, but there would not be much additional effect.

Approachable, amiable and respectable... these words are mostly used to describe those in higher positions.

If this happened to an ordinary person, they would probably only get one comment: You are such a nice person.

This reminded Lin Yuan of what Huang Bo sighed after becoming famous in his previous life: When you become successful, you will find that people around you suddenly become friendly.

Lin Yuan's feeling goes a step further: when you succeed, no matter what you do, people around you will be grateful to you.

This made the people around Lin Yuan become distant from him invisibly.

Although his status was not that high, he could already vaguely feel the lonely mentality of the ancient emperors.

Fortunately, the women around him did not seem to change their attitude towards him because of his improved status.

At this time, Taylor Swift secretly poked him in the waist.

"What are you doing?" Lin Yuan asked.

"I'm so tired. I was struggling to get you to carry me, but I felt too embarrassed. Now there is no chance at all to express my dissatisfaction," Taylor Swift said.

"Hahaha, you weigh more than 100 pounds, aren't you afraid that I will die of exhaustion carrying you on my back while walking up the mountain road?" Lin Yuan asked with a smile.

Taylor came over and whispered in his ear, "Others may not know your physical strength, but how could I not understand it? Last night, you were holding two people..."

She couldn't continue speaking halfway through.

What a shame!

So Taylor Swift pulled GAKKI and ran ahead, passing Lin Yuan.

Looking at the backs of the two people, Lin Yuan smiled happily. It felt so good to get along without any sense of distance.

The crew continued to move forward, and after climbing up the hill, the road suddenly became much easier to walk on.

Finally, at 9:40, we arrived at the shooting location 20 minutes early.

"The scenery here is so beautiful!" Taylor Swift took out her digital camera from her backpack.

"Click!" She took a picture of what she saw.

"It's not only beautiful, but also very magical." GAKKI-chan also exclaimed while looking into the distance.

At the foot of the mountain in front of them, there was a dense banana forest. The leaves were broad and thick, swaying gently in the wind, making a rustling sound. Bunches of bananas hung under the leaves, which looked very delicious.

On the hillside farther away, there is another emerald green oak forest. Squirrels jump nimbly on the branches, and birds fly happily among the trees, chirping clearly and pleasantly, making the forest seem full of vitality.

A little further away, the mountains begin to rise sharply, and a large fir forest stands proudly halfway up the mountain, contrasting with the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

At a glance, you can see tropical banana trees, subtropical oak forests, temperate fir trees, and distant frigid icebergs.

It is really amazing to see the scenery from the poles to the equator in just 50 kilometers of straight-line distance.

"Director Eastwood is really good at choosing filming locations. If this scene appeared on the big screen, the audience would definitely feel it was unreal, like a background made with computer special effects," Taylor Swift said.

"With aerial footage, it should be quite a splash as a promotional video for the film. This primeval forest, nestled against the Himalayas, rises from 700 meters to over 4000 meters in altitude over a short distance, resulting in extremely high species diversity.

As far as I know, there are over 1200 species of mosses and ferns alone,” Lin Yuan replied.

"What's even more ingenious is that the beautiful scenery here isn't just a backdrop. The banana grove below is the dining hall for the protagonist and the gorillas, and the oak forest in the distance is the protagonist's home.

The characters and the setting are deeply integrated, and there is a lot of interaction with the setting," Taylor said.

Lin Yuan nodded. "The choice of filming locations for this film has already demonstrated Director Eastwood's ability. I wonder how much effort he put into it behind the scenes."

"It's a pity that the old man is a bit old. After filming this movie, it's hard to say whether there will be another chance for cooperation between us." Taylor Swift sighed.

Lin Yuan smiled but said nothing. He knew that director Eastwood could continue for another 20 years, but who would believe him if he told him now?
If we can really bring director Eastwood into Linyuan Pictures and make him a member of the company's director sequence.

Then Lin Yuan will have more confidence in running the company well.

The company has developed to its current level. If it wants to continue to develop, it must continuously reduce its dependence on Linyuan for performance.

In 2003, Lin Yuan alone contributed 80% of the company's profits.

In 2004, Linyuan also contributed 60% of the profits.

If it can gradually drop to around 30% in the future, it will be considered relatively healthy, and it also means that in addition to Lin Yuan, the company has a large number of teams capable of creating hit products.

Therefore, director Eastwood was one of the candidates that Lin Yuan was trying hard to win over.

"Lin Yuan, start putting on makeup." Director Eastwood called from a distance.

"coming!"

Lin Yuan walked behind the simple changing curtain, took off all his clothes, and put on the costume prepared for him by the crew.

When Lin Yuan saw this leopard skin skirt full of primitive style, he couldn't help laughing.

He was wearing only a pair of tight underwear to ensure that he would not be exposed when wearing a leopard skin skirt. This was all the "clothing" on his body to cover his body.

Lin Yuan's makeup gave director Eastwood a headache.

In the background setting, he is a savage raised by a chimpanzee tribe.

Savage, not primitive.

Many people cannot tell the difference between savages and primitive people, and feel that they are all wearing clothes made of fur or leaves.

But primitive people had tribes and companions, and their clothes were made of processed fur and sewn with bone needles and thread.

The savage was alone, with only a short skirt tied around his waist, and no fur shorts or anything like that.

In fact, I had originally considered using leaves and vines to weave into a skirt, but on the one hand, it would make a rustling sound when running, and it would not provide the concealment that a hunter would need.

On the other hand, wearing leaves makes him look too peaceful, which is inconsistent with the protagonist's bully character.

So in the end, director Eastwood decided on the short skirt.

As for the upper body, animal skin clothing is definitely not allowed. Lin Yuan's beautifully shaped muscles are one of the biggest selling points of the film.

Lin Yuan was tall, with a body proportioned to the perfect golden ratio. His muscles weren't the exaggerated, overly muscular type, but rather had very clear lines, as if carved from marble, giving him a sense of extreme symmetry and explosive power.

It's said that fitness can attract the same sex, but most men don't like overly exaggerated muscle. Those overly muscular men have lost their body proportions and give people a ferocious look, making them more suitable as villains in movies.

Lin Yuan's body is now the greatest common denominator that both men and women like. Not only can women be attracted to him when they see him, but men also want such a classical sculpture-like body.

In Lin Yuan’s previous movies, he was always dressed tightly. Everyone knows that Lin Yuan has a good figure, but no one has the opportunity to appreciate it carefully.

But this time, when shooting jungle-themed films, Lin Yuan had to fully show off his figure.

Just for this reason, the audience's ticket purchasing rate can increase by at least 50%.

Lin Yuan also felt helpless. He was already the richest man in the world, but he still had to sell his body.

I can only comfort myself in my heart: Art! This is art!
After changing into a leather skirt, Lin Yuan walked out from behind the curtain.

"Turn around a few times, let me see." Director Eastwood said.

The director is the boss on the set, so Lin Yuan can only do as he is told.

The entire crew gathered around and surrounded Lin Yuan in the middle.

"Wow! Genshin, your figure is really impressive. Even as a man, I feel my heart pounding. If a woman could hold back from drooling?"

"Broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs with golden proportions! You Chinese have a saying, 'Clothes make the man, and the saddle makes the horse,' meaning that most people don't look as good without clothes as they do with them. But you... it's simply outrageous!"

"It's a pity that Michelangelo was born 500 years earlier, otherwise his masterpiece wouldn't be 'David' but 'Origin God'!"

The crew members surrounded Lin Yuan and had a heated discussion.

Although Lin Yuan was a little embarrassed, he could only smile helplessly.

After all, everyone means well, and I rarely show off my figure in public. It used to be an exclusive benefit for my girlfriends.

Director Eastwood commented: "Very good, a perfect combination of strength and agility, highly consistent with the character setting of the film. The only thing is that the skin is a little pale, I will leave it to the stylist."

After saying that, two stylists came forward, surrounded Lin Yuan, and began to apply various powders and lotions that he had no idea what they were on his face and body.

Although these two stylists are both women, they are quite professional and do not behave in a fanatical manner. Instead, they work seriously on Lin Yuan.

Soon, thanks to their efforts, Lin Yuan's skin became much darker, and at first glance, it looked like the dark skin of someone who often sunbathes.

His originally shiny skin was made to look much rougher thanks to the efforts of the stylist, so as to fit the image of a wild man who grew up in a chimpanzee tribe.

After finishing the skin, there is only one last step left, which is the hairstyle.

Since he is a savage, he must have long hair.

It can't look fresh like after washing with shampoo, but it can't be as matted and greasy as a homeless person's hair either.

We cannot pursue realism in this regard. Too much realism will make people feel sick and unbearable to watch.

The stylist took out the prepared wig. The hair was a little fluffy and messy, but it didn't look dirty. It had a flowing feel.

Before going to Chang'an, Lin Yuan had already shaved his hair short.

Now, just put on the wig and the whole makeup is complete.

As for those messy facial paints and the like, they are completely unnecessary and are simply superfluous.

Seeing that Lin Yuan had finished his makeup, director Eastwood, Taylor Swift and GAKKI came forward to take a look.

"She looks like a completely different person. She has become more rebellious and looks like someone who is not to be messed with," Taylor Swift said.

"As a bully, of course he can't look like a good person. Before, Lin Yuan-sang had fair skin, which made him look very gentle. Now his skin is darker, and his hair is long and messy, which makes him look wild." GAKKI-chan also said.

Director Eastwood shook his head and said, "No, it's not just that. Lin Yuan's transformation may have a lot to do with his makeup, but that only accounts for half. The other half comes from his acting. Haven't you noticed?"
From the moment the makeup was completed, Lin Yuan's eyes, facial expressions, and walking posture completely changed.

He looks exactly like a human being raised by chimpanzees. The beast side of him is greater than the human side. This is the embodiment of his acting skills.

I knew Lin Yuan was a great actor before, but it was really shocking to see him understand and interpret the character so well even when he was not a normal human being."

Director Eastwood is right. There are many good actors in this world. No matter how complex and difficult a human character is, there are always several actors who can portray this role well.

But once they leave the human realm, some roles can only belong to a certain actor.

For example, in the history of Chinese film and television, countless actors have tried to interpret the role of Sun Wukong.

But no actor can surpass Liu Xiao Ling Tong, whose inherited acting skills from a family of monkey performers are simply a dimensionality reduction attack.

Lin Yuan's role in "Jungle Bully" named "Wudi" also tested his acting skills.

First of all, this character is a wild man raised by chimpanzees. His movements and expressions must show a considerable degree of wildness and bestiality, and people cannot feel that he is no different from ordinary people who grew up in human society.

Secondly, the protagonist had to be very restrained and measured when incorporating some of the chimpanzee's behaviors. Although the audience wanted to see a wild man who grew up in a chimpanzee tribe, they did not want to see a real human who looked like a chimpanzee.

Reasonableness and authenticity must give way to the performance's enjoyment to a certain extent.

Finally, Lin Yuan must control the character's emotional expression. As an outlier who grew up in a chimpanzee tribe but is completely different from his other friends, his pranks and unruly behavior are actually external manifestations of his inner anxiety.

How to express the character's emotional arc and gain the audience's recognition and understanding is another difficult point that tests Lin Yuan.

Overall, the film "Jungle Bully" is quite difficult to shoot due to the difficulty of film production, the professional requirements for the director, and the demanding acting skills of the leading actors.

But once a high-quality film is produced, it will have the ability to fully compete for the Oscars.

From the perspective of winning awards, "The Jungle Book" has far more advantages than "The King's Avatar 2".

Lin Yuan has finished his makeup, and the actors acting with him have also put on their expression and motion capture suits. They will play the roles of companions in the chimpanzee tribe.

The movie "Jungle Bully" is a fantasy movie. After all, the animals can talk, and the script has an IQ far beyond that of real animals. They are all intelligent creatures.

Therefore, there are two approaches to filming the movie.

One approach is to follow the path of "Tarzan" and "The Jungle Book," treating the film as a fairy tale. The core must be to praise nature and emphasize the original ecology, which is a politically correct approach.

But Lin Yuan did not choose this path. Times have changed and the audience no longer likes to watch such serious movies.

The fairy tale world is so beautiful that it seems quite fake.

This is nature where the strong prey on the weak. Don't you think it's fake if you only show animals helping each other and loving each other?
Lin Yuan chose the second route: a realistic route with a fantasy background.

Survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle are the iron laws of nature.

If animals were intelligent, this iron law would only be enforced more cruelly.

When writing the script for this film, Lin Yuan drew inspiration from both "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Jungle Book". The rough texture that breaks the fairy tale can attract more audiences to the cinema.

The story of "Jungle Bully" originated from one night eighteen years ago when a father brought his two-year-old child to the forest to collect herbs.

Raja, the Tiger King, attacked the father's camp and killed him, but was also scared away by the flames that broke out in the camp during the fight.

Two-year-old Udi was adopted by a female chimpanzee who had lost her child in a nearby chimpanzee tribe and gradually grew up in the tribe.

He grew up with the chimpanzees, became taller and stronger than his companions, and became a big bully in the tribe.

He gradually grew into the most troublesome person in the tribe, but also the most powerful warrior to protect the tribe.

At this time, preparations for shooting the first scene are in full swing.

Director Eastwood is emphasizing the shooting details over and over again with the actors and the on-site action director.

This scene is the opening scene of the entire movie, showing the hunting scene of a chimpanzee tribe hunting a monkey tribe.

If we were to ask which animal on earth is most similar to humans, it would undoubtedly be the chimpanzee.

Chimpanzees, also members of the family Hominidae, are slightly shorter than humans but have similar weights. They are highly social and have quite complex emotions.

Chimpanzees like to eat fruits, leaves, roots, flowers, seeds and bark. Some individuals often eat insects, bird eggs, or catch small animals such as antelopes and baboons.

They can be in estrus all year round, but are most active in spring and autumn.

All of this is very similar to our early ancestors, but what is even more similar is the aggressive and evil nature.

Almost all animals attack other animals in order to hunt for food, defend their territory, or in self-defense.

Animals generally do not initiate aggressive behavior without actual need.

But chimpanzees do not use violence in this way. They will capture and kill their own kind for fun.

In many documentaries, chimpanzees capture members of a rival tribe and then use cruel methods to slowly torture their enemies.

They also laugh happily when they see chimpanzees from the rival tribe screaming.

The scene we filmed today is about chimpanzees hunting a group of monkeys. Chimpanzees like to catch monkeys, then smash their skulls with stones and eat their brains. Is this a hot fact?
The film starts with a chimpanzee hunting scene, which has enough highlights from the beginning and can also well highlight the strength of the protagonist Woody.

The filming is ready, and the actors who play the monkeys and chimpanzees have put on professional costumes and have been hung with wires and safety ropes.

The actors in this scene are basically all action stuntmen from Linyuan Pictures. They have all gone through a long period of training, otherwise it would be difficult for them to meet the requirements of this scene.

"Action!"

With director Eastwood's order, the first scene of the film officially began shooting.

"Woooooo~"

What can be heard in the camera is the loud shouting of chimpanzees, and the action actors playing chimpanzees are running in the trees.

Although it was not shot entirely in real time, some post-production special effects will be used to complete some difficult parts, but the chimpanzees running and jumping in the trees are still quite flexible.

Sudden attack by the chimpanzees, the monkeys in the tree fled in terror.

The leading chimpanzee did not move. He just stared at the monkey group, looking for a suitable target.

There are a lot of monkeys, but if you want to increase your hunting success rate, you must choose the most suitable target.

The elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled are all good targets because they have poor motor skills and are easier to capture.

Soon, the leader discovered that the escape speed of three monkeys was obviously slower than that of the other monkeys.

So he immediately gave the order: "Woo woo woo ~ woo woo woo ~"

Following the leader's shout, the entire chimpanzee group scattered.

They did not chase each other randomly, but spread out like a net, blocking the escape routes of the three monkeys from all angles.

First form an encirclement to leave the target with no way to escape, then gradually narrow the encirclement and finally capture the target in one fell swoop.

This is a monkey-catching tactic that chimpanzee groups have long been proficient in.

At this time, the three monkeys had been confined to the same tall oak tree, and the adjacent oak trees were already surrounded by chimpanzees.

The monkeys had nowhere to escape and could only make "squeak squeak" sounds.

The cry was quite sharp, and the despair was evident.

Seeing this scene, the leader felt quite satisfied.

Under his leadership, another perfect hunt is about to be completed.

Now, if they launch the final attack, all three monkeys will be captured and become the tribe's delicacy tonight.

Just when the leader was about to give the final order to attack.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a stone as big as an egg flew towards them from not far away.

"Boom!"

With a sharp sound that made one's head hurt, the stone hit a monkey's head hard.

The monkey fell from the tree without a sound, with a bleeding head, and hit the ground heavily, motionless.

Immediately afterwards, two more stones of the same egg size flew over.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

After two crisp sounds, the remaining two monkeys also jumped down from the tree.

At this moment, Woody appeared on the screen, biting a branch. "I told you long ago, wouldn't it be better to just knock him out with a rock? Why bother running around the tree and chasing him?"

Hearing what Wudi said, the leader's face turned pale and his eyes were full of anger.

(End of this chapter)