Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 440 "The Hawthorn Tree", a grand military parade
The wind was howling on the film set, and everyone was on edge.

Not long after filming began for "A Simple Noodle Story", a "fighting rumor" that shocked the entire Beijing film circle spread.

"You have absolutely no acting skills, yet you dare to lay a hand on my boss?"

"Are there always people who think they're something special?"

"You clown, I'll kill you!"

Before the words were even finished, the sounds of fists and kicks filled the air.

—Sun Honglei and Xiao Shenyang got into a fight on set.

Not long after filming began for "A Simple Noodle Story," bad news came: Sun Honglei and Xiao Shenyang got into a fight.

The media swarmed towards the film crew's residence like sharks smelling blood, but were quickly kept out by the cordon set up by the crew.

Aside from watching the lights flicker inside the fence from afar and occasionally hearing a few loud reprimands, no one from the outside world could find out anything.

Wu Chen had originally planned to look for Zhang Yi, so he made a phone call to inquire about her.

"Sigh, bad news travels fast, good news doesn't go out the door." Zhang Yi was extremely frustrated. "With them doing this, I even have to replace the female lead with someone more experienced."

"what?"

"We had found a female lead for that script before, but now it's been changed too much. I was thinking of having time to teach her properly, but now it's a mess, and I don't have the energy to train newcomers anymore."

Zhang Yi also couldn't understand how these two completely unrelated people could have such a big conflict.

Wu Chen offered a few words of comfort.

These issues might be thorny conflicts in other film crews, but for a big-name director's crew, they are relatively easy to resolve, although it does require time for mediation.

Wu Chen didn't intend to continue the gossip, so he changed the subject: "By the way, senior brother, I heard you're considering taking over the filming of 'Under the Hawthorn Tree'?"

Zhang Yi paused, then her tone became more interested: "What, you're interested too?"

"No, not really. I don't have much of a connection to this subject matter, and even if I filmed it, it would only be superficially similar but not in spirit," Wu Chen smiled. "It's like this, there was an investor from outside the industry."

He then brought up Xiong Xiaoge from IDG.

Many directors actually quite like investors from outside the industry, especially Zhang Yimou, because most people outside the industry don't interfere with the production team and only care about making money.

Moreover, if he remembers correctly, "Under the Hawthorn Tree" was not exclusively produced by New Pictures, but by multiple parties, so he had to give them a heads-up beforehand.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi's eyes flickered slightly.

He originally planned that the next film could not be solely invested in by New Pictures, otherwise Zhang Weiping would keep threatening to mortgage his villa, which would be unbearable for anyone.

“Okay, but this matter is not settled yet. I have to finish filming ‘A Simple Noodle Story’ first. If I really do take over later, we’ll meet then.”

"Okay," Wu Chen replied with a smile.

May 20, 7:30 a.m., Beijing Nanyuan Airport.

This place was the first airport in history. Today, the steel and concrete have changed its appearance, but that historical era has been restored in the light of this morning.

The highlight of "The Founding of a Republic"—the "Xiyuan Airport Parade"—is about to begin filming.

This scene is the largest in scale, the most complex in terms of staging, and the most visually spectacular in the entire film.

Han Sanping opened up the media visit early on, and the atmosphere at the scene was almost comparable to a real military parade.

CCTV Movie Channel arrived first, followed by reporters from Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, Southern Metropolis Daily, Phoenix Entertainment, Beijing Youth Daily, and Film News, who lined up at the airport entrance with their cameras and microphones to register.

On the wide airport runway, more than 30 main actors arrived one after another.

Tang Guoqiang, dressed in a neat and smart Zhongshan suit, greeted the staff with great enthusiasm.

Young actors like Liu Ye, Wang Xuebing, and Zhao Ningyu were also waiting in their respective waiting areas for costume fitting and makeup confirmation. But what truly made the air freeze was the massive array of colors—a tapestry of gray-blue, dark green, and earthy yellow—

Twenty-three cannons, their muzzles all pointing forward;

Ten armored vehicles and nine tanks were slowly arranged on the sliding rails.
There were also 5 replica cars from before the liberation, 6 prop airplanes, and more than 20 military trucks and jeeps lined up one by one.

In addition, 1500 real soldiers and more than 500 extras have been mobilized on set and are lining up in the review area one by one.

CCTV's movie channel broadcast the entire filming of the military parade live.

Wu Chen was currently addressing Liu Ye and the staff, instructing, "Quickly get two bottles of beer; he needs to drink before he can appear on camera for this scene."

The scene of the drunken brawl during the military parade is based on a true story, although the dialogue and performance have certainly been artistically adapted.

Wu Chen had just finished speaking when Han Sanping called him away for an interview.

On camera, a female host from CCTV's movie channel focused on Wu Chen and Han Sanping, speaking to the audience:

"Director Han Sanping, who has always been in charge of the crew, has now handed over the important task of directing on set to Wu Chen, the first director in China to have a box office of 500 million yuan."

Director Wu Chen will be directing the "military parade" production today; let's look forward to that moment.

After saying that, he looked at Han Sanping and said, "Director Han, the scale of today's military parade is unprecedented. Why did you choose to have Director Wu Chen direct this most important scene?"

"Haha, I think it's more meaningful to leave this kind of thing to young people. Of course, Wu Chen is capable of shouldering this responsibility, whether it's his drive, aesthetic sense, or camera presence."

At this point, there was no need to mention achievements, but the host was aware of them. After Han Sanping finished speaking, the host recounted Wu Chen's past achievements one by one, which took quite a while to finish. Then, the host looked at Wu Chen:
"Director Wu, how do you interpret this shot for such an important historical moment, and what do you value most?"

"What I value more is the strong personalities of the characters and the conflicts of the times reflected in this historical moment."

When everyone first truly entered Beiping, the welcome and the inspiring atmosphere they received were unprecedented, and their lofty ambitions to establish a new nation were stirred by the vibrant reality.

The "Xiyuan Military Parade" was a turning point that gave everyone great confidence and strength. The personal aspirations of the individuals and the fate of the era collided here, thus influencing the history of China from then until now.

The footage of the military parade will be interspersed with voice-over poetry, using songs to express aspirations and highlight the era's spirit and the characters' character's vision within grand scenes.

"Okay, thank you for your interpretation, Director Wu. We look forward to the final cut."

Wu Chen and Han Sanping nodded to the media and then returned to the monitor.

Ming Zhenjiang also arrived, patting Han Sanping on the shoulder: "Chairman Han, I didn't let you down, did I? These eight tanks were transported here from another film and television base a few days before filming started."

"Haha, thank you, Director Ming." Han Sanping laughed heartily.

"Director Wu, this part is up to you."

Ming Zhenjiang was filled with anticipation and sat down, eager to see how Wu Chen would direct this scene.

Wu Chen chuckled and nodded, picked up the walkie-talkie, walked into the temporary command vehicle, stood in front of the three monitoring screens, and scanned the images with his eyes.

Behind them was a large troupe of extras and heavy props waiting to appear; the executive director was already fully prepared.

Wu Chen rested his right hand on his earphone, confirming each shot position, track push-pull angle, elevator angle, and close-up position. He then walked to the front of the venue and personally checked the camera capture points and gun muzzle stay lines.

Having confirmed the information, he slowly began to speak:
"Attention all departments—"

"Xiyuan Airport Parade, Scene 1, First Shot, Begin!"

The first scene features Liu Ye, who plays a veteran who gets drunk before the parade begins. When he learns that he cannot participate in the parade, he uses his drunkenness to demand justice.

"Report! I am a veteran of the 28th Regiment of the Red Army. I cannot participate in today's parade because I have been drinking. On behalf of all the living and dead veterans of the Red Army, I salute you!"

Beer played a crucial role; its potency, combined with Liu Ye's performance, allowed them to pass the test in just one official take.

After a short break, Wu Chen took over the second shot again.

As the words fell, the wind and clouds surged, bugle calls echoed in the distance, truck engines roared, and tank tracks rolled over the old concrete road, gradually entering the scene of the era.
(End of this chapter)