The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 158: Filming wrapped up, a visit to the "Nanjing" film crew (44)

Li Xiaolu was not discouraged at all; instead, she took a few steps closer.

"Director Shen, you're working too hard. You need to balance work and rest." Li Xiaolu blinked and said earnestly, "Have you heard about that big news in Hong Kong recently? It's all over the set."

Shen Shandeng said, "This is what the crew talks about the most. I think it's hard not to know about it."

“Exactly!” Li Xiaolu gave him a knowing look: “If you ask me, given your current status and pressure, what’s wrong with finding a few close female confidantes who know you well? It’s perfectly normal!”

"Who in the industry doesn't do this? It's good for your mind and body, and it can relieve creative stress. Everyone understands."

Shen Shandeng was stunned. Is this what a bad girl is like?
So sensible!

Shen Shandeng joked, "Hey, you're a girl, and you're trying to persuade me to do this?"

"What's the big deal!" Li Xiaolu said matter-of-factly, "My family has been in this industry for three generations. What haven't we seen? Many big directors and producers are like this, and their works still come out."

"This is called unleashing your true nature and sparking inspiration! Suppressing it is more likely to cause problems."

"The first lesson for actors is to unleash their true nature. You're asking your Yang Mi, isn't that right?"

Shen Shandeng said, "My Mimi went to school and filming, so she hasn't been able to let loose her true nature."

Li Xiaolu was slightly taken aback, then immediately mentioned the name of a senior colleague and started talking about the senior's gossip, leaving Shen Shandeng speechless.

These people are unknown unless they speak up; they're only known within the circle.

But to tell the story, it's truly fascinating.

It can even destroy the values ​​of people outside the circle.

The bad girl inspired Shen Shandeng; it turned out he hadn't let go yet!

They felt that Fan Bingbing had gone too far; in reality, they hadn't even used any props, so it wasn't a big deal.

"Please come in, please take a seat."

Shen Shandeng stepped aside to make way for the doorway and said, "Come in and talk, standing is tiring."

Li Xiaolu's eyes lit up, thinking her hint had worked, and she swayed her hips as she entered the house.

Shen Shandeng completely ignored her flirtatious glances and asked directly, "You just mentioned that Tian Lili has a girlfriend for every movie she's in. What happened after that? Tell me in detail."

Li Xiaolu: "."

Looking into Shen Shandeng's inquisitive eyes, Li Xiaolu said in frustration, "Director Shen, I now understand why you're so successful. You really put your focus into everything you do."

"But to be honest, in our line of work, you're too honest and naive, and you're likely to get taken advantage of."

After seeing Li Xiaolu off, Shen Shandeng felt very conflicted.

He didn't consider himself an honest man, and he maintained close relationships with several female friends, only to be taught a lesson by Li Xiaolu.

Is he really that conservative?

After filming the indoor scenes at the dairy factory, it was almost New Year's Eve.

Although he paid several times the salary, Shen Shandeng knew that money alone could not retain people's hearts.

Spiritual cohesion is equally important.

"Have a holiday!"

Shen Shandeng waved his hand and gave the whole group two days off.

But the people didn't disperse; once they dispersed, the spirit dissipated as well.

They spent the New Year in a lively atmosphere at the hotel where the Qingdao film crew was staying.

Making dumplings, playing games, giving out red envelopes, and drawing big prizes—the atmosphere was really lively.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the film crew started work on time.

After the Spring Festival break and the strengthening of team bonds, the team's synergy and work efficiency have reached a new level.

The filming quickly moved into the main event: the hotel scene.

The original scene still carries the curiosity and scrutiny of an "other's" perspective.

In its previous life, "Lost in Journey" was created and produced by Hong Kong Island. It was very successful, with a budget of 7 million and a box office of 50 million.

However, the remake of the original, released in 08, only grossed two or three thousand at the box office, which did not meet Shen Shandeng's expectations.

Therefore, Shen Shandeng's version aims to make the film into a series of "city postcards," so that after watching it, the audience will feel a sense of goodwill and even longing for the places where the story takes place.

The original version's dilapidated and filthy little hotel, almost unrealistically so, can't be explained simply by saving money.

The previous film, "Lost in Journey," was filmed in Wuhan in January 10. Judging from the movie scenes alone, it would be more accurate to say that it was filmed in the 1s.

The photos don't look like Wuhan, at least not like Wuhan 10 years ago; the Hankou Bus Station is dilapidated.

This place is a transportation hub connecting nine provinces, with exceptionally developed and convenient transportation.

The kind of poison that Da Piao Liang personally approved.

Shen Shandeng didn't think it was intentional.

It can only be said that the film does indeed reflect the creators' strong aesthetic sense.

This is what "mainstream" aesthetics of ugliness are like.

Foreign films need to find dilapidated locations when shooting in China.

Whenever Hong Kong Island appears in a Hollywood movie, certain stereotypical scenes are bound to appear.

The same goes for American TV series such as Pacific Rim, Transformers 4, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Train to Busan 2.

In many places, even locals can't find them, but other people can.

Correspondingly, domestic directors also have mixed opinions; in short, it's all in sync with the outside world.

Arthouse directors, needless to say, love this kind of thing and live off the shady side.

More than a decade later, the work, titled "The Sun Hangs High in the Sky," was actually filled with ghosts and monsters, completely missing the point of its symbolism.

Even commercial directors are sometimes affected.

The Japan depicted in "Detective Chinatown 3" is either blue skies and white clouds or dazzling lights; it's practically a tourism promotional video.

When the film moved to a domestic setting, it appeared to be from decades ago. The background was gloomy, and the characters were disheveled, which clashed sharply with the overall tone of the story.

Among domestic directors, Wu Jing is probably the most normal.

Even Guo Fan can't compare, because Guo Fan is too rational.

Wu Jing's showy attitude is precisely what domestic film directors lack.

I'm the best! My nationality is the best! I'm going to raise the flag during the climax of the movie, raising the flag is the climax!

That's completely an athlete's mindset. When athletes win a championship, a key symbol of that is raising the national flag!

That's why he was able to create such charismatic Chinese male characters on the big screen.

This phenomenon of appreciating ugliness is not limited to movies; it exists in both movies and television series.

In Fan Bingbing and Zhang Ziyi's "Perfect Match," the handsome men are either from overseas or have returned from studying abroad. "The Golden Years" and "The Story of Rose" have similar themes.

Shen Shandeng's requirements were: old is acceptable, but it must be clean.

It should have a sense of life, not be an intentional display of dirt and disorder.

This aesthetic insistence on the scene permeated the entire shooting process.

Whether it's the exterior of a bustling shopping mall, or the subsequent snow scenes and city street scenes, he insists on capturing the true character and grandeur of the city.

Shen Shandeng filmed the hotel scenes over several days in a row.

The crew moved to an outdoor location to finish filming Li Xiaolu's scenes first.

Filmed in the city.

For the outdoor scenes, Shen Shandeng chose the exterior of a bustling shopping mall in Qingdao, instead of just close-ups like in the original version.

The color tone is not grayish, but very bright.

The plot is the beginning of the movie.

The filming went very smoothly.

Two takes.

The plot is the same as the original, except that Li Chenggong's clothes are not the same as those in the normal timeline.

The timeline of Niu Geng's journey, which is also the main timeline of the film, is February 3, 08, the 2th day of the twelfth lunar month.

The timeline for buying gifts with the mistress was December 28th, 2007. This was before returning home for the Spring Festival last year, not this year.

Shen Shandeng announced, "The exterior shots of the shopping mall are finished. We'll move on to the main outdoor shots tomorrow. Thank you, Xiao Lu, for your help from the very beginning of the preparation."

A wrap party was specially held for Li Xiaolu.

The scene in the final part of the movie where she chases after Li Chenggong to his house has already been filmed.

The original actress, Li Man, was also very beautiful, and Li Xiaolu's version was also very good. Both of them were young, vibrant, and energetic, and they portrayed the feeling of being a mistress very well.

The film crew saw Li Xiaolu off together.

Li Xiaolu had mixed feelings and was reluctant to part with Shen Shandeng.

After finishing filming Li Xiaolu's drama, we saw off this restless person who always wanted the sun.

Then, Shen Shandeng took pictures of the snow scene first.

The film "Lost in Thailand" was clearly inspired by a snow disaster, but it deliberately avoided the topic.

Shen Shandeng did not avoid the issue.

Shen Shandeng has already had the crew film raw footage of the armed police officers and soldiers carrying out disaster relief, which will be used in the movie to enhance its quality.

Shen Shandeng rushed to film the snow scenes, hoping to finish shooting all the shots that required snow before the weather warmed up and the snow melted.

The production team is operating more and more smoothly.

2 month 28 day.

Shen Shandeng took time out of his schedule to fly back to Beijing to oversee the grand opening ceremony of the "Jiajing" project.

The previous minor incident has been quietly quelled, the individuals involved have been marginalized, and the project is progressing smoothly.

After returning to the "Lost in Thailand" film crew, filming entered its final sprint.

Filming in Qingdao wrapped up quickly, and then they moved on to Xuzhou and Wuhan for more location shooting.

The scenes from Guangshui to Hankou were filmed in rural towns.

Shen Shandeng captured the inequalities between regions, but he maintained a bottom line and did not deliberately magnify the negative aspects.

Guangshui can be a bit dilapidated, but it doesn't have to be since it's closer to Hankou.

They also replaced the vehicle with a better bus; the original one was too dilapidated.

Soon it was March 15th, and the final scene arrived: the ferry scene.

The original version depicted Wuchang as a small town in the 80s. Shen Shandeng specifically chose a sunny midday to shoot the film and capture the best view.

If the film is visually appealing and aesthetically pleasing, locals will definitely support it after its release, which will boost local box office revenue.

3 month 17 day.

After reviewing all the materials and confirming that everything was correct, Shen Shandeng stood in front of the entire crew and announced loudly, "I hereby declare that filming is wrapped!"

The wrap party that evening was a lively affair.

Han Sanping also came in person to offer his congratulations.

However, Old Deng's trip was not simply a celebration; he was accompanied by another person.

Director Lu Chuan looked somewhat haggard.

After exchanging pleasantries, Han Sanping pulled Shen Shandeng aside and said helplessly, "Shen Shandeng, I have another favor to ask this time. Lu Chuan's 'Nanjing! Nanjing!' project is in big trouble. Funding, script, and external liaison have almost come to a standstill."

"Look, could you lend him a hand? Could you give him some guidance?"

Shen Shandeng held his wine glass, his gaze sweeping over Lu Chuan, who looked uneasy not far away, without commenting.

(End of this chapter)