Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 42 My energy needs to be focused on filming.
In his past life, when Cao Zhong was working on film crews, he heard about materials being lost or film reels being burned.

The more straightforward and unpretentious the business competition, the more difficult it is to guard against.

Stealing company seals, changing lock cylinders, scratching car seats, or even exposing the other party's boss in the process.

Cao Zhong knew very well that he was a thorn in the side of many people.

We will absolutely not give the enemy any opportunity to exploit us in any way.

He has no distracting thoughts!
In other words, his Chengying Studio doesn't have a money tree, otherwise Cao Zhonggao would have had to bring a money tree into the film crew.

The actors had no objections to Cao Zhong's arrangement.

Cao Zhong's arrangement is quite reasonable, because there are many indoor scenes in "Nanjing Photo Studio".

The film chose a very small cut.

It does not focus on the Battle of Nanjing, or on the grand scenes of many macro narratives.

The script only contains about ten minutes of war scenes that tell the story background of the film.

In a battle where the enemy outnumbered us, Nanjing became an isolated island.

Meanwhile, the Japanese army committed murder, robbery, rape, and all sorts of atrocities, shamelessly taking these as war achievements in an attempt to destroy the spirit of the Chinese people.

The military even has its own photographers to report their "great achievements" back home so they can be featured in the Asahi Shimbun.

The story unfolds from there.

Ito, the war photographer for a division of the Japanese army (played by Lu Fangsheng), enters the battlefield to gain merits through his family background. Because he only knows how to take pictures but not how to develop them, and due to limitations in equipment and supplies, he needs the assistance of a local photo studio in Nanjing.

Huang Xiaoming plays a postman who is mistakenly identified as a photography studio apprentice and becomes Ito's assistant in order to survive.

This made the photo studio a "safe zone" during the horrific Nanjing Massacre.

Inside the safe zone, there is postman Su Liuchang, the Jin family who are hiding in the basement of a photo studio, a policeman who accidentally wanders in, and a movie actress. They all start by praying to survive and longing to leave Nanjing, but gradually find themselves in a moral dilemma because of the content of the photos. As ordinary people, they go from enduring humiliation to finally awakening and deciding to expose the atrocities committed by the Japanese.

Even the final awakening was so powerless and sorrowful...

Many historical wounds are also contained within this small, enclosed space, which is frozen in time and full of tension.

Therefore, there are quite a few shooting scenes in the photo studio for this film.

The photo studio's set was set up in a film and television base, in a house on a street from the Republican era.

Taking photos in the studio here can save a lot of time and money and avoid wasting resources.

In order to start filming as soon as possible, the notice had already been issued. The first scene to be filmed was the first scene of Su Liuchang and Ito entering the photo studio, so Huang Xiaoming, Lu Fangsheng and others were made up first.

Photographer Du Jie has already picked up his camera.

Cao Zhong arranged for the lighting to be set up, deliberately adjusting the color intensity to a low level to highlight the life-or-death moment.

After a test shot in front of the camera and finding it feasible, I turned to the two actors and explained the scene to them.

"In the first scene, the two characters have different emotions. Senior brother, you know that you are deceiving the scriptwriter, so your emotions should carry some timidity and hesitation."

The character of A-Chang is very flat and restrained.

Although my analogy is not quite appropriate, it does convey the sense of being cautious and apprehensive in serving a ruler.

Of all the characters, A-Chang's character arc is the flattest.

All his actions should be within a framework; only when he leaves the script can he have a moment of authenticity.

"Make sure you control this angle well."

Huang Xiaoming nodded.

He realized that the male protagonist was actually more like an objective observer; he couldn't speak or move his mouth, but he was full of thoughts.

This kind of role is very difficult to play.

But that didn't stump Huang Xiaoming.

He had done a good script summary for every scene in the script beforehand, so he was very fast, and as expected of the top leading man in mainland China, he was also very quick to get into character.

Then he turned to look at Lu Fangsheng.

"Ito's character should be kind, a smiling tiger. He needs the help of the photo studio, so he acts like a normal person."

However, due to their different statuses, it is necessary to subtly instill a sense of pressure in your conversations.

To put it simply, it's like seeing an ant on the street.

If you want to tease it a bit, you throw down a piece of bread, hoping the ant will put on some fancy tricks for you.

Lu Fangsheng nodded as well.

Director Cao explained it very clearly.

The lighting, props, and sound recording teams each performed their duties, and Cao Zhong finished explaining the requirements.

After Cao Zhong finished speaking in a deep voice, he started the first scene.

"Everyone to your positions! Nanjing Photo Studio, Volume 1, Scene 19, Shot 1, Second Shot 1, Begin shooting!"

Arrange for the stencil to be made.

Accompanied by a click.

Du Jie began taking photos as requested by Cao Zhong.

On the sidelines, many crew members immediately tensed up. Xu Zheng stood in a corner, observing Cao Zhong's performance closely.

He first watched Huang Xiaoming's acting, and it was truly impressive; he was both cowardly and genuine.

He portrayed the feelings of an ordinary person very well.

The facial muscle control and expressions are very subtle and can truly convey emotions.

Xu Zheng also looked at Cao Zhong's command. Cao Zhong didn't seem like a first-time director at all; his technique was very skillful and he was also very resilient under pressure.

After a while, accompanied by the sound of "cut", Xu Zheng moved over to take a look.

The monitor footage lacked a bright, aesthetically pleasing quality, but it was very detailed, conveying an atmosphere that created tension.

"That shot is something else!"

"How come I feel like Director Cao knew exactly what effect he wanted before filming? That's amazing."

"Should we protect one?" someone asked.

"You need to reenact it, and get the emotions right."

Cao Zhong beckoned Huang Xiaoming and Lu Fangsheng over and told them to look at the camera.

"Remember this emotion, remember this way of expression. You are the driving force of this film. All these emotional changes will move with the plot. We can't shoot the plot in sequence, but no matter which shot it is, this is the initial anchor point for your characters. You have to push outward and expand outward from this emotion."

Both of them were formally trained in the arts, and they immediately understood what Cao Zhong was saying.

Looking at the camera, Huang Xiaoming was instantly shocked. Cao Zhong had strong execution skills and many requirements for the camera, but his gaze was firm, and he had already found the right angle and softness for the lighting. His operation was very mature.

The composition of the scene and the positioning requirements just now showed that Cao Zhong was not a complete novice at all.

You could even say that it was all over.

When filming the second take, Cao Zhong didn't insist on getting it right in one take, but rather helped the two actors find their footing and get the first shot right.

The two were very touched.

After that, Zu Feng, Hai Qing, and Yang Zi all had their makeup done.

Cao Zhong gave a few instructions, although Xu Zheng and Mei Ting did not give any announcements today.

However, they also need to study the script carefully. The first thing they'll be doing tomorrow is asking the "what if" question.

Cao Zhong said that this shot is very important.

From a certain perspective, this announcement scenario...

This is the scene where the underlying characters of Lin Yuxiu and Wang Guanghai are finally constructed and determined.

Both of them were very serious.

If all goes well, they will spend the next twenty days or so filming all the scenes inside the photo studio, as well as the wide-angle shots of the streets surrounding the photo studio.

Overall, there were relatively few extras.

The process was quick that day. Although some people had never been involved in filmmaking before, the indoor shots were relatively easy to film, especially the two members of the Jin family in the basement who were both from Nanjing. Yang Zi didn't have many lines, so once she found the right mood, the scene was filmed in one go.

The crew was very harmonious; these days, only Hong Kong and Taiwan stars are serious about acting like divas.

Huang Xiaoming, Zu Feng, and Hai Qing are all talented, and Yang Zi is also expressive. Compared to Jing Tian, ​​they are relatively more likely to get screen time.

The day's work was completed smoothly.

……

That evening, while resting in her hotel room and processing announcements for the next few days, Yang Mi called Cao Zhong.

"It's blown up! The media is in an uproar!"

Da Mimi was quite excited.

Today, she saw Cao Zhong's declaration at the opening ceremony and was very worried about him.

Sure enough, the moment the filming ended, a media frenzy had already begun.

Yang Mi talked about everything from east to west, sometimes saying she admired Cao Zhong for daring to take a stand and being a master of the new era, and other times saying she fully identified with Cao Zhong and that she was currently in Nanjing.

Cao Zhong frowned, puzzled, and spoke in a cold tone.

"You might as well put it more clearly; I need to focus my energy on filming."

Yang Mi was furious.

In the end, she gave in.

"Does what you said last time still stand?"

Yang Mi said.

"What?"

"I'm staying in a hotel by myself, and I'm very scared now."

Cao Zhong immediately understood.

"agreed?"

"I think it's normal for us to become boyfriend and girlfriend." Yang Mi doesn't think it will happen anytime soon.

Cao Zhong shook his head: "No way. You need to know what kind of movie I'm making. There can be absolutely no shady dealings on my film set."

Even if you're not on set, during filming, people can still find fault with you.

The enemy is always waiting for me to make a mistake. How could I possibly reveal a romantic relationship while filming this kind of movie?

What charges will the enemy bring against me?
Honey, do you understand?

Have you ever thought about it?

Have you considered the consequences?

You can't just focus on your own little love and romance.
You need to think about me.

Yang Mi was stunned for a moment.

She really hadn't expected it to go this far.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't think it through."

Yang Mi also didn't want Cao Zhong to suffer criticism.

"But I understand you, and I also want to thank you for doing so much quietly. You even came to Nanjing. If you hadn't called, I really wouldn't have known."

Cao Zhong's voice seemed to carry a hint of emotion as he said,
"I know what you're thinking, I understand. If you want, I can go quietly to help you overcome your fears. But things like boyfriend and girlfriend are really not an option right now, do you understand?"

"Completely understand!"

Yang Mi nodded vigorously.

"The hotel sent it to me."

Cao Zhong said earnestly, "I need to focus my energy on filming. This is a one-time thing, and I won't do it again."

Yang Mi kept making "uh-huh" sounds.

Cao Zhong is so kind; even with all his hard work, he still comes to lend me a hand.

Men who are talented, intelligent, and tender are truly rare these days!
He is so nice!
hang up the phone.

Lying sprawled out on the bed.

Da Mimi suddenly became very excited.

She got up to wash up and brush her teeth.

He clenched his fist tightly.

"Just this once, I want to respect such a good man as Cao Zhong."

Compared to her other classmates, Cao Zhong possessed not only good looks, but also an indescribable charm.

Especially since she was so low-key even when she was with him, it broke her heart!

(End of this chapter)