Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 359 Let's take a look at this world, Inception

That evening, after testing the camera equipment, the crew did not stay at the temporary base but returned to their hotel in Chaidan Town to rest.

Night quietly enveloped this small town on the Qinghai Plateau. Countless stars, like fine sand, filled the sky, and the bright moon shone like silver light. A gentle breeze rustled through the newly sprouting branches along the street, soft as a whisper.

The hotel room was warmly lit.

Wu Chen sat at his desk, looking down at tomorrow's shooting schedule, his fingers lightly tracing the pages, his expression serious and focused.

"Junior brother, do you know what I thought of when I saw that scenery this afternoon?"

Liu Yifei sat on the edge of the bed with a light laugh, her hands supporting her on the soft mattress, her eyes sparkling with a hint of playfulness and gentleness.

Upon hearing this, Wu Chen turned around and looked at her curiously: "What are you thinking about?"

Liu Yifei rose and walked slowly over, her slender arms gently encircling his shoulders, her cheek lightly touching his ear, her voice as soft as moonlight:
"I'm thinking, there are so many beautiful landscapes in the world, and I want to see them all with you."

Gentle words, like silk threads, entwine around the heart.

Wu Chen paused slightly, then gently placed his hand on the back of her soft hand, turned his head to meet her gaze: "Yes, when we have some free time, let's see all the sights in the world together."

"Then it's settled." Liu Yifei smiled, but her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment when she looked at Wu Chen. She casually asked, "Junior brother, what are you thinking about?"

"Hmm, I'm wondering if we should bring a child along? Would that make it more fun?"

"Huh? How annoying!" Liu Yifei's soft laughter echoed from inside the room.

The night breeze rustled through the window curtains, casting soft shadows. The moonlight quietly streamed into the room, illuminating the two figures together in a tender and enchanting scene, like a picture etched on the scroll of time.

Outside the window, stars twinkled, and the moonlight was bright and clear, immersing the entire town in a gentle tranquility.

The following morning, as dawn broke, the film crew once again headed to the Red Cliff Martian landscape area.

The crew was busy, with the equipment truck, lighting team, and props team each working separately.
In such a remote location, there was naturally no media interference, so the crew was very relaxed, and the actors were even more relaxed.

The morning's scenes went very smoothly, especially Jiang Wen's excellent chemistry with the five guest actors, resulting in a very fluid scene.

"Damn, it was so much fun filming! I wish my crew could have a bunch like that."

After filming a scene, during a short break, Jiang Wen sat in the shade drinking water, his face beaming with excitement. Turning his head, he saw Wu Chen squatting beside the camera, adjusting the film camera, and couldn't help but speak up:
"Director, did you not waste any film? This stuff is so expensive, I burned a lot of it last time!"

Wu Chen laughed when he heard this. How dare Jiang Wen say such a thing?

Gong Li and Liu Yifei chuckled upon hearing this.

Gong Li chuckled and added, "Old Jiang, you really shouldn't have said that. The guy who wasted the most film in China isn't here right now."

Jiang Wen chuckled. "I'm definitely not the worst one; Wong Kar-wai is."

Since it was common knowledge within the industry, no one held back and chuckled.

Sitting next to Wu Chen, Park Song-il was carefully inspecting the camera; he was now one of the main cameramen for "The Martian".

"Brother Chen, for the indoor scenes, special effects, and post-production parts, shall we go back to digital photography?"

"Yes, we'll still use the 35mm film to shoot real-world Mars scenes for a stronger texture. The latter two parts will be digitally scanned and color-graded to achieve a unified style."

Wu Chen nodded. He used a "dual-mechanism" shooting method for filming "The Martian".

This approach combines the texture of film with the flexibility of digital technology, while keeping the budget well under control. It's especially effective for blockbuster films. In short, it works.

Of course, the most important thing is that the "dual mechanism" gives directors more creative freedom: the style can be layered and the narrative can be layered within a single film.

He needs to intentionally create stylistic differences through different shooting mediums to enhance the narrative structure and rhythmic layers within the film.

Park Song-il was very excited to hear this, because mixed shooting not only proves the director's ability to master multiple technical means, but it is also a strong proof for the cinematographer, and it is more conducive to winning technical awards.

"Alright, everyone get ready. We're going to film the sandstorm scene today." Wu Chen stood up and shouted, and the entire crew sprang into action instantly.

On set, a massive array of wind turbines started up in the distance, quickly raising clouds of yellow sand. The dust, like a storm that devoured everything, swiftly enveloped the constructed base model.

"The wind speed continues to increase!" Wu Chen said solemnly, holding up a megaphone.

Inside the set, Jiang Wen, playing the Chinese commander, and five other astronauts were rapidly evacuating the base. A strong wind, carrying sand and dust, lashed against the astronauts' goggles, creating an atmosphere of impending doom. "Watch your expressions! The wind speed is nearing its critical limit, and communications are down!" Wu Chen's voice boomed through the loudspeaker, and the actors' expressions grew even more grave.

"We must evacuate immediately!" Jiang Wen shouted in the storm, reaching out to grab an American astronaut who had fallen to the ground due to the violent turbulence, and moving forward with difficulty.

Suddenly, a pre-arranged structural fragment, propelled by a strong gust of wind, flew from the side and struck Jiang Wen precisely in the back.

Jiang Wen lunged forward, his entire body instantly swallowed by the rising sandstorm, disappearing into the raging dust.

"Cut! Very good!" Wu Chen immediately stood up and shouted to stop.

The equipment on site was quickly shut down, the dust that had been swirling in the air slowly settled, and the crew members fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, the staff began to applaud.

"If every movie had this setup, wouldn't filming be incredibly fast? The shot we filmed today was repeated only once."

"Are you crazy? They're just here for a cameo. How much would it cost to hire them properly?"

"I think we can wrap up work early today."

Everyone had smiles on their faces and started cleaning up the scene in a relaxed mood.

"Bell, Scarlett, your scenes should be finished by the day after tomorrow at the latest!" Wu Chen said as he walked back with Bell and the others.

“Wu, I could have filmed for a few more days, but unfortunately you didn’t give me enough screen time.” Scarlett Johansson shrugged.

The crowd chuckled softly.

"By the way, Wu, I'm getting engaged to my current boyfriend. Do you have time to attend my engagement party?"

Scarlett Johansson's words stunned not only Bale, who was standing next to her, but also Liu Yifei, Gong Li, and Chadwick Boseman.

If they remember correctly, Scarlett Johansson's new boyfriend has been dating for less than a year.

"You two had a whirlwind marriage?" Bell couldn't help but ask.

“Engaged, engaged!” Scarlett Johansson emphasized.

"Sorry, we might not be able to finish filming by May, but the gift will definitely be delivered."

"Director, if you can't come, can you send Crystal?" As soon as Wu Chen finished speaking, Scarlett Johansson seemed to have already noticed and leaned over to Liu Yifei, asking with a grin.

"Then you'll have to ask her."

“Crystal”

As the two were talking, Wu Chen noticed that Bell suddenly seemed to remember something and asked a few more questions:

"Bell, are your schedules full for this year and next?"

Bell paused slightly, then nodded with a wry smile: "My agency has booked me all the time. What, Wu, do you have another new movie?"

"No, I just asked casually."

Wu Chen smiled, feeling regretful. If he remembered correctly, Christian Bale was initially the one they approached for "Inception," but it was clear that Bale's schedule was already full, so they were basically going to miss out.

"Coincidentally, Christopher asked me about it when I was filming 'The Dark Knight.' Later I found out he was working on a new script. I just don't know if I can make it in time."

Bale sighed. He still trusted Nolan completely, but unfortunately, the cost of breaching his contract with Hollywood was too high, and both of the films he had taken on were quite good.

"What book?"

"It seems to be a dream story. He said he initially wanted to make it a horror film, but after thinking about it, he felt it wasn't right. He kept revising the script and couldn't get it to go smoothly. Recently, it seems he's planning to ask his brother Jonathan for help."
Of course, I don't know the specific details either. You know Christopher is very secretive about scripts.

"Oh!" Wu Chen pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I've had similar thoughts about dreams."

“If you have time to talk to him, he will be very happy. You are both geniuses.” Bell chuckled.

"I still have some ideas for a hand-drawn dream hierarchy diagram, but I don't think I'll need them. Are you going to meet him when you go back? You could help me bring it to him; he might find it useful."

(End of this chapter)