Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 141 The Hard Work of Filming

In November, the Yunnan Provincial Sports Training Base was bathed in sunshine, and the film crew set up camp by the track.

Zhang Jun sat behind the monitor, while Li Dahui had already set up three camera positions: one at the starting line, one at the bend, and one at the finish line.

Lighting technician Wang Guoqiang and his team adjusted the reflectors so that the afternoon sunlight would hit the track just right without making the actors squint.

The stagehands drew lines on the track to mark the actors' positions.

Today's shoot is the pivotal scene where Jackie Chan formally trains his four daughters for the first time. The script indicates twelve shots, and we plan to finish filming it in one afternoon.

Cheng Long, dressed in sportswear, stood by the track, holding a stopwatch. He was rehearsing his lines with Wang Zhi, Zhang Lanxin, Jiang Luxia, and Zhang Zilin, going over their positions.

"I'll be walking over from this side in a bit."

Cheng Long pointed to the inside of the track: "Stand in front of you and say your lines first. After you're done, I'll turn around and point to the track, and you'll look in the direction I'm pointing."

Wang Zhi nodded: "Then we run out?"

"Yes, but don't go too far."

Cheng Long said, "Run to that bend, about fifty meters away, then stop. Wait for me to call you back," and then run back.

Zhang Lanxin asked, "Big brother, when we were running, were you looking at us or had your back to us?"

Cheng Long thought for a moment and looked at Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun walked over and said, "Big brother, when you see them running, you need to have that 'I'm watching you' look in your eyes."

When you feel you've had enough, turn around, with your back to them, and say the next line.

Cheng Long nodded, then asked the girls, "When you run, do you want to look back at me?"

Zhang Jun said, "No need. When you run, just pretend there's no one behind you. You were just scolded and you're holding back your anger, so you don't want to see him."

Zhang Zilin asked, "Director Zhang, what facial expressions should we make when we're running?"

Zhang Jun thought for a moment: "No need to make any special expressions. Just run and be in whatever state you are in right now."

Panting, exhaustion, and frustration were all on his face. No need to add or subtract anything.

The girls nodded.

Zhang Jun returned behind the monitor, picked up the megaphone, and shouted, "Silence! Actors, take your positions! Scene 47, Take 1, Action!"

The script supervisor claps the clapperboard: "Run, Dad! Scene 47, Shot 1, Take 1!"

Cheng Long walked up to the four girls, glanced at them, and paused for two seconds.

Do you even know what running is?

His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady: "It's not like the kind of running in school PE class where you get out of breath after a couple of steps, nor is it like the kind of running you do when you're rushing to catch a bus."

The kind of running I want is running with my life on the line.

Wang Zhi looked up, her lips moved slightly, but Cheng Long's gaze pressed down on her, so she lowered her head.

"From now on, you are no longer students, no longer some family's precious daughters, you are athletes."

Cheng Long continued, "What are athletes? They are fools who bet their youth, sweat, and even health on the track."

He walked up to Zhang Lanxin and stared at her: "Are you scared?"

Zhang Lanxin kept a straight face: "I'm not afraid."

"Aren't you afraid?"

Cheng Long scoffed, "Wait until your legs cramp, your feet are blistered, and you can't even cry anymore before you say that."

Zhang Lanxin's attention to detail is impressive; her eyes momentarily contracted, and she made a swallowing motion.

Although the performance is still a bit immature, it's clear that he has worked very hard and diligently, and he has often consulted with veteran actors.

Cheng Long turned around and pointed to the track: "Today's task is a 2,000-meter warm-up, followed by ten 400-meter interval runs. Each 400-meter run must be completed within 75 seconds."

"If you can't finish, add another set."

He paused, then turned around: "What are you standing there for? Get moving!"

The four girls paused for a moment, then quickly ran towards the track.

"Cut!" Zhang Jun called out to stop.

Several people stopped and looked at the monitor.

Zhang Jun stood up: "Big brother, when you say 'Get moving,' wait a little bit. Let them be stunned for a moment, then you can shout it."

Cheng Long nodded: "Okay, let's do it again."

The script supervisor re-stamped the clapperboard and said, "Let's do another take."

After Jackie Chan shouted "Get moving!", the girls reacted more quickly.

Zhang Jun stared at the monitor: "This take is good. Change the camera angle and film their running backs. Li Dahui, use camera number two to follow them, make it look like you're chasing after them from behind."

Li Dahui carried the machine and boarded the railcar.

Over the next two hours, Zhang Jun and the crew meticulously worked out each of the twelve shots of this scene.

It features panoramic views, close-ups, close-ups of Jackie Chan, and group shots of four girls.

Each shot needs to be filmed three or four times. Sometimes it's because the actors' expressions are wrong, sometimes it's because the camera is moving too slowly, and sometimes it's because the lighting changes and needs to be adjusted.

When they were filming the sixth shot, Zhang Lanxin ran into trouble.

This scene is a close-up of her alone. Jackie Chan scolds her for running too slowly, and she has to express that feeling of being wronged but not daring to argue back.

Zhang Jun watched from behind the monitor and felt something was off.

"Click."

He called out, "Lan Xin, your expression just now was too stiff, like you were holding back tears. But in the script, you weren't supposed to cry yet. You were holding it in, but not to this extent."

Zhang Lanxin nodded: "Then can I relax a little more?"

Zhang Jun thought for a moment: "You should do this: when your older brother is scolding you, think about something else. For example—think about what you want to eat when you get home tonight, but you still have to pretend to be listening."

Zhang Lanxin was taken aback: "You want to eat that?"

"right."

Zhang Jun said, "When people are being scolded, they sometimes get distracted. Especially children; their ears are listening, but their minds are wandering."

Try this state.

Zhang Lanxin tried it once.

Zhang Jun looked at the monitor, smiled and nodded: "That's right, this is it. Your eyes are a little unfocused, but you still need to nod your head. Brother Cheng Long, you say your lines."

Cheng Long continued to scold her, while Zhang Lanxin nodded while her eyes darted around. Occasionally, she would come back to her senses and quickly bring her eyes back.

"Click! This one's passed," Zhang Jun said.

Zhang Lanxin breathed a sigh of relief: "Director, your trick really works."

Zhang Jun smiled and said, "Sometimes you don't need to think too much when acting; just find the feeling."

Around 4 p.m., the sun began to set, and the light became softer.

Zhang Jun glanced at the sky and said to Li Dahui, "Hurry up and take the last panoramic shot. We want that silhouette feel under the setting sun."

Wang Guoqiang led the lighting team to remove the reflectors, allowing natural light to shine in directly.

Cheng Long and the four girls stood back on the side of the track.

The scene is after training, Jackie Chan is sitting on the grass, four girls are exhausted and slumped over, the camera is shooting from the side, five people, the silent track, the sunset in the distance.

"start!"

Cheng Long sat down, and the four girls slowly collapsed around him. No one spoke; only their breathing could be heard.

The camera slowly zooms in, from a wide shot to a medium shot, and finally to the silhouettes of five people.

Zhang Jun kept his eyes on the monitor and didn't call for a halt.

The panting continued, with an occasional cough or two.

Zhang Lanxin suddenly moved, as if she wanted to change her position, but she didn't have the strength.

Cheng Long glanced at her sideways, said nothing, and handed her the water bottle next to him.

Zhang Lanxin paused for a moment, then took it and took a sip.

This action was a little design by the actor himself, but Zhang Jun didn't call "stop" and let the camera continue moving.

The sun sank a little lower, and the light changed from golden to orange-red.

Zhang Zilin lay on the ground and whispered, "I miss my mom."

Jiang Luxia laughed: "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

Zhang Zilin said, "I don't know, it just suddenly occurred to me."

Cheng Long didn't speak, he just looked into the distance.

Zhang Jun finally called a halt: "Cut! That's a good take."

Several people got up from the ground, and Zhang Lanxin asked, "Director, was the part where I caught the water bottle just now unnecessary?"

Zhang Jun shook his head: "No, this kind of improvisation is more likely to spark different kinds of inspiration."

Zhang Lanxin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

By the time filming wrapped, it was already getting dark. The crew was packing up the equipment, and the actors were heading to the rest area.

Cheng Long walked over to Zhang Jun and asked, "How's the progress today?"

Zhang Jun said, "We'll be filming the match tomorrow; it'll be a bit more intense."

Cheng Long nodded: "It's time to see the results."

The scene filmed on the second day was a key moment in the movie. The eldest daughter was participating in a provincial competition, while her three younger sisters watched from the sidelines. In the end, the eldest daughter won the championship, and the whole family hugged each other and cried.

But Zhang Jun wanted to film the competition first, and then film the reactions on the sidelines.

The girls participating in the race stood on the starting line. Zhang Jun walked over to them and said, "Treat this scene as a real race. After the gun goes off, run as fast as you can."

But pay attention to the actress's position; make sure she's in the lead role.

Zhang Jun then said to Wang Zhi, who plays the eldest daughter, "This is your first time participating in the finals of such a large-scale competition. Your whole family and even relatives and friends have come to watch."

So while you're running, you also have to put on a performance that explodes under pressure.

It might take several trips, so be prepared.

Wang Zhi said confidently, "Don't worry, director. We've been training for so long, all for this moment."

The scene was filmed quickly. Although Wang Zhi, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, served as a village official for three years before returning to acting, the scene was not difficult for her, so the filming went quite smoothly.

Afterwards, Zhang Jun filmed the reactions of the audience on the sidelines. Cheng Long, Sarina, and the other three actresses who played the daughters were all present.

With Jackie Chan and Sarina leading the way, the three young actors all performed well, and the scene was filmed easily.

Seeing the extras who were also there to help, looking exhausted and out of breath, Jackie Chan instructed Wang Zhi: "Go and thank them. Without their cooperation, the filming wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Wang Zhi immediately realized what was happening and sincerely thanked the extras who had cooperated with her in filming, and even bought them drinks.

Although they were newcomers, they were still the lead actors, and the supporting cast were flattered. Any initial complaints vanished at that moment.

With the actors' improved condition, the filming of "Run, Dad!" went very smoothly.

Zhang Jun originally planned to wrap up filming in mid-January next year, but according to the current filming schedule, he may be able to finish filming before January.

This is a good thing, because finishing filming earlier means scheduling the filming earlier.

Since they're aiming to capitalize on the Olympics' popularity, they naturally have to release the film before the Games. Otherwise, nobody would go to the cinema during the same period as the Olympics, and the hype would fade by the time the Games are over.