Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 270 Booting up

Caltech, Pasadena.

The laboratory was completely silent.

Kip Thorne stared quietly at the yellowed paper in his hand, his gaze slowly moving over the slightly hurried yet rhythmic English sentences.

He was never a scientist who was easily moved by words.

But at this moment, he paused for a long time.

Time can stretch and fold, but it can never go backward. Your white hair may be my youthful face, and a single breath of mine can equal a lifetime of yours.

Thorne read the sentence aloud, his knuckles tapping slowly on the edge of the paper—a small, characteristic gesture he made when he was thinking.

Linda Obbs knew this well; she clearly knew Thorne was deep in thought.

"He actually thought of family ties from the time dilation of black holes," Thorne murmured, his tone tinged with disbelief and a hint of emotion. "Most people, when they mention gravitational lensing or singularities, only care about escape trajectories and time rate functions."

But he was able to turn these cold, physical concepts into a poem for his daughter. It felt strange, like human emotions were leaping across the physics!

“What do you think of his idea?” Linda Obs asked.

"It's really interesting. I always thought physics was the language by which humans understand the universe, but the complexities of physics are simply incomprehensible to ordinary people."

Linda Aubus listened quietly.

Time flies, and the start date for filming "Painted Skin" is fast approaching.

Ningxia, Yinchuan, the desert.

Fine dust floated in the air, the sky was clear, and a few eagles circled and cried out, like fragments of time left behind.

Trucks from the "Painted Skin" crew slowly drove into the base one after another, their tires rolling over the cracked soil and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Trucks loaded with set materials, prop boxes, and filming equipment were parked neatly, and the set crew had been working for three days already, with the set taking shape.

Wu Chen was the last to arrive, the day before filming began.

The car door opened, and the staff filed out. Wu Chen also changed into a sun hat and a windproof scarf. He was startled when he saw Xiang Zhuo rushing over.

"Wow, why are you so dark?" Wu Chen suppressed a laugh, but for some reason, he felt like laughing.

Park Song-il is doing a little better, not much has changed, after all, the film crew has only been here for a few days.

"It's from the sun. I didn't do a good job of sun protection when I first arrived. Now I'm doomed. My handsome graduation photo at the end of the month is ruined." Xiang Zhuo was now filled with regret.

With graduation photos due at the end of the month fast approaching, there's no time to recover now.

"Hey, Producer Xiang, this has nothing to do with me. I specifically reminded you on the way here," Pang Hong said with a smile as he walked over.

Lu Yang was also wrapped up tightly at this time, but there were signs of sunburn on his face, which he obviously hadn't noticed at first.

How's it going on set? Is everyone settling in well?

Wu Chen glanced at everyone on set.

Huang Xiaoming, Yuan Quan, Zhou Xun and others were sitting together discussing the script, seemingly also getting used to the climate of the Northwest desert, while the crew was making orderly preparations for tomorrow's start of filming.

"It's hard to say now. We'll have to wait a few days after filming starts to find out. The temperature difference between day and night is huge here, and I'm worried that some actors or staff members might not be able to handle it."

Pang Hong glanced around. "This place is 80 kilometers from the city. The delivery of supplies is extremely slow. It takes two hours to get here. I'm most afraid of something going wrong."

"Hmm, it smells so meaty." Wu Chen raised an eyebrow and twitched his nostrils slightly.

"Haha, Director Wu, you've come at the perfect time. Director Yang said that filming in the desert is tough, so these past few days he's been stewing three live sheep and making a big pot of ginger soup for everyone. Today is the first day of cooking, so I'm personally taking charge of the kitchen."

Pang Hong led Wu Chen to a large pot the size of three tables. "The Tan sheep here are exceptional. They grow up eating alkaline pasture and drinking water from saline-alkali land, which has long since eliminated their gamey smell!"
Even when stewed in plain water, it doesn't have a gamey smell; it still has a milky aroma.

"Producer Pang, when shall we eat?" A familiar, husky voice rang out from not far away; it was Zhou Xun.

"Eat, eat, all you ever think about is eating!" Lu Yang, clearly familiar with the group, couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Is the script ready yet?"

"Director Lu, I'm all ready." Zhou Xun walked over casually, tossing the script around with a relaxed expression. "If you don't believe me, we can start filming right now!"

Wu Chen smiled upon hearing this: "Brother Xiaoming, what about you guys?"

“We don’t have enough talent, we have to work hard. We’re not in the same circle,” Huang Xiaoming said with a feigned sigh, then buried his head and continued rehearsing his lines with Yuan Quan.

“Indeed!” Yuan Quan added with a light laugh.

"Hey, Xiaoming, how dare you ostracize me?"

"How could I dare, Sister Xun? Don't try to label me, you're wrong, you're wrong!"

"Hahaha"

The crowd immediately started to cheer, and Wu Chen couldn't help but smile.

The atmosphere on set is pretty good now, and the main actors are easy to get along with, unlike Zhao Wei in her previous life, who could nitpick about a single makeup look for ages and even insisted on changing the single female lead to a dual female lead for promotional purposes—a total domineering actress.

The public disputes over billing order in the Chinese entertainment industry basically started with this drama, setting a bad precedent.

After enjoying a hearty stewed lamb, and working until after 9 PM to prepare for the start of filming the next day, everyone left, as they had to get up early the following day—a common occurrence during filming. "Is 'Painted Skin' starting filming tomorrow?" That evening, Liu Yifei called as usual.

"Yeah, how's it going on your end?"

"There are only two days left until the end, but it seems like Changchang has to go to the film set in a few days and our schedules don't match."

"Then come back a few days later, when we move to Zhenbeibao Film City to film. It's easy to get sunburned in the desert."

Wu Chen suggested with a smile.

The next day, in the desert, the sun rose.

The northwest wind swept in from the distant grasslands and Gobi Desert, carrying a slight chill and stirring up fine yellow sand, which swept over the campsites and scenery that had already been set up.

No media were invited to the opening ceremony.

However, the staff of Ningbo Film Studio still took several sets of photos and videos for archiving and subsequent publicity and promotion.

The tripod was set up securely on the edge of the sand dune, the red cloth was lifted, and the camera began to hum softly.

Filming for "Painted Skin" has officially begun.

There were no firecrackers or lively drumbeats; instead, there was the sound of a long procession stretching out in the distance and the neighing of hundreds of horses.

After finishing various tasks and taking photos of several large locations, it was already afternoon, and the big scenes were about to begin filming.

Lu Yang stood on the command platform, his face flushed red in the setting sun. He squinted at the monitor while issuing dispatch instructions through the walkie-talkie.

Wu Chen sat on a folding chair not far away, wearing sunglasses and a hat pulled low, with a parasol held up by Pang Hong and others behind him.

He did not intervene.

They didn't interfere much.

I just quietly watched as Lu Yang adjusted each set of shots, the angle of each horse's movement, and the landing point of each sandstorm and dust.

Since the project was handed over to Lu Yang, these adjustments and trials are the most valuable price to pay for the director's growth.

“Director Lu is very familiar with us,” Pang Hong said, tilting his head as Wu Chen discussed.

The filming in the morning and at noon didn't really showcase his skills, but directing scenes with hundreds of people really demonstrated his talent.

"Ok!"

Wu Chen nodded with a light laugh; of course he knew Lu Yang was no stranger to him.

These scenes all appeared in the storyboard and existed in Lu Yang's mind. Now it's up to Lu Yang to extract them and shoot the desired effect.

The desert does not obey human commands, but the camera can wait for the wind to come.

The sun had not yet set, but it had already stretched the shadows of the sand dunes and people.

In the interplay of light and shadow, where the afterglow and dust intertwine, a scene of "the army returning to the border" unfolds before the camera.

Hundreds of extras and dozens of mounted warriors surged down from the high ground, raising clouds of dust.

Lu Yang had spent the previous three days scouting and researching the location, and the art team had worked overnight to build sets in several different locations, so he seemed particularly relaxed at this moment.

The smoke and dust were dyed golden by the setting sun. The cavalrymen marched down in formation, their banners fluttering and their armor gleaming, as if a thousand troops had broken through the border and were returning to the frontier.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves seemed to shake the earth's veins, and amidst the rising yellow sand, the setting sun seemed to lower its eyes, dividing the world in two.

Lu Yang stood in front of the monitor, surrounded by four assistant directors, repeatedly communicating about camera movement, frame rate, and tracking angles.

Wu Chen was quite satisfied with the shot just now; he had crafted that scene from the script.

Directors from Hong Kong and Taiwan are too conservative when it comes to filming truly grand scenes. This scene should have been grand and majestic to match the Eastern fantasy storyline that follows.

This scene instantly elevated the entire film's tone.

"That scene just now was a bit shocking," Yuan Quan whispered to Zhou Xun.

"Hmm, I thought it was just written like that in the script, but I didn't expect Director Lu to actually film it."

Filming included night scenes on the first day, which is common practice for film crews.

Meanwhile, the official website of Ningxia Film Studio updated a news headline at 8 PM:
The fantasy blockbuster "Painted Skin" has officially started filming in Yinchuan. It is a joint production of Starry Night Pictures, China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, and Ningbo Film Group, with Wu Chen as producer and Lu Yang as director.

The content also included stills from the start of filming and a picture of desert horses at sunset, offering no spoilers but leaving much to the imagination.

The news was immediately reposted and reported by multiple media outlets as soon as it was released:
[Following "Black Peony," Wu Chen strikes again! New fantasy film "Painted Skin," produced by Wu Chen, begins filming in Yinchuan, Ningxia!]

[Starry Night and Ningying Media collaborate on "Painted Skin," officially commencing filming! Zhou Xun, Huang Xiaoming, and Yuan Quan join forces for a breathtaking spectacle as the setting sun paints the scene with blood.]

[Wu Chen oversees the production behind the scenes; first photos from the start of filming of the domestic fantasy blockbuster "Painted Skin" have been released, showcasing a stunning sunset scene!]

【.】

(End of this chapter)