The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

"The setbacks he encountered on the road put him in a difficult situation, but Niu Geng's kindness helped him gradually shed his pretense and achieve self-redemption."

After explaining his understanding of the character, Xu Zheng paused and then asked another question.

"Director Gu, but I think Li Chenggong's transformation is too rigid. As the old saying goes, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature."

The film's timeline is very short, and Li Chenggong's transformation is too drastic, making some parts seem illogical.

"Your analysis of the character is excellent."

Gu Ning nodded and said, "The character's transformation was indeed a bit stiff, which is why I set it up in the end that Li Chenggong only paid Niu Geng's wages and didn't intend to pay the other workers."

"I see."

Xu Zheng exclaimed, "Director Gu's setting is very clever. Even the most successful people are vulnerable during their low points."

Li Chenggong paid Niu Geng his wages, marking the end of their acquaintance along the way.

Not paying the other workers shows that he hasn't fundamentally changed.

He suddenly realized that he wasn't prepared to divorce, and his underlying psychology was actually similar.

"That's right, but let the audience interpret those for themselves."

Gu Ning smiled. Xu Zheng was right about one thing: it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature.

A person's temperament and personality are formed over many years, and it is only possible for a person to change in a short period of time if they experience a major upheaval.

The film's timeline is only a few days long. Unless the plot is drastically altered, Li Chenggong's transformation will seem abrupt no matter how it's arranged.

Although his changes still have some unreasonable aspects, they are much better than the original.

Next, Wang Baoqiang also shared his understanding of the character Niu Geng.

Actually, this character doesn't have much depth; he's just a straightforward, honest, and optimistic person.

This role is entirely within his comfort zone; he can perform very well without much effort.

…………

The next morning, the film crew traveled by car to a residential complex under construction in Wushi.

Before dawn, each group, led by Fan Chunxi, arrived to set up the venue.

When Gu Ning arrived, the venue and equipment were already prepared.

He had Fan Chunxi gather the extras, gave them a brief explanation of the scene, and then had them rehearse.

The so-called "rehearsal" is the rehearsal that actors do before the actual filming, including moving around, rehearsing lines, and adjusting movements, with the aim of familiarizing themselves with the scene and coordinating with the camera angles.

Filming officially began an hour later.

Xu Zheng, who had no scenes to film, also came to the set. Seeing Gu Ning sitting down in front of the monitor, he came over as well.

"Are you interested in directing?" Gu Ning asked with a smile.

No, no.

Xu Zheng shook his head and said, "I'm just watching. It's Director Gu's first time making a movie, but he's actually more skilled than some of the directors I've worked with before."

When director Ning Hao was filming "Crazy Stone," he was initially quite flustered, but gradually got used to it later.

He does have some ideas about directing, and he has already achieved great success in television dramas, starring in many popular series.

When he realized that he could no longer make much progress in television dramas, he shifted his focus to movies.

But after actually getting involved in filmmaking, he realized that the director is the one who truly holds the power.

If he only wanted to improve his status, he could simply make more movies and gradually build up his popularity and reputation.

But Xu Zheng had great ambitions; he not only wanted to improve his status, but also wanted to achieve a leap in social class.

In the film industry, the status of actors and directors is completely incomparable.

However, since very few actors become directors these days, he naturally wouldn't voice his thoughts.

Gu Ning smiled and said, "I was going to tell you if you were interested, but if you're not, then forget it."

Xu Zheng's face stiffened, and before he could say anything, the stagehand had already slapped the clapperboard.

At the construction site entrance, a group of workers blocked the gate, preventing trucks carrying materials from leaving.

A car soon arrived and stopped by the roadside. A middle-aged man hurriedly got out of the car, pushed through the crowd, and took control of the situation.

He told the migrant workers blocking the gate that he had already transferred the project payment to their contractor and produced proof of payment.

Then they threatened the migrant workers, saying that they were working for the contractor and that the contractor had run away and had nothing to do with the construction site.

If they continue to block the construction site gate and delay construction, it is illegal, and the police will be called to arrest them.

Although the migrant workers were angry, they were also very scared, and eventually dispersed after being calmed down by the middle-aged man.

"Passed!"

Gu Ning, holding a megaphone, announced, "Next match!"

Fan Chunxi immediately arranged for the next scene to be filmed.

"That's it?"

Xu Zheng, who was standing to the side, was somewhat surprised.

He has worked with so many directors, whether for television or film, that a single take would have to be filmed at least several times.

It's not uncommon for actors to get a perfect take, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're good actors.

On the contrary, getting a perfect take usually indicates poor acting skills. The director knows that no matter how many times they shoot, it will be like this, so they don't bother to waste their time.

On the contrary, directors will think about whether those with good acting skills can perform better and ask for more takes.

Gu Ning's one-shot victory left him a little stunned.

"It's not like it's a main character's shot, so as long as it's decent, that's fine," Gu Ning said.

It's unrealistic to expect perfection from a low-budget film.

In the second scene, Niu Geng leaves with several fellow workers and suggests going to the contractor's house to find him.

His fellow workers advised him not to go, saying that it was all too common for contractors to run away, and they could only accept their bad luck.

Some people say that it would cost a lot of money to travel there and back, and even if you went there, you might not be able to find the person.

This scene had to be filmed several times before it was approved because the extras didn't quite capture the heartache and helplessness.

Next, the film shows Niu Geng stopping the car of the big contractor and asking him for the contractor Lao Yao's specific address.

The foreman was shocked to learn that Niu Geng was actually going to travel all the way to Lao Yao's house to find someone.

Worried that someone as stubborn as Niu Geng might continue to cause trouble, they not only gave him the specific address but also thoughtfully bought him a plane ticket.

Once this segment is filmed, the filming of this part of the construction site segment is completely finished.

It only took a morning in total.

In the afternoon, we moved to another location to film the scene of the bus entering the village.

Because so many people were involved, it took two days to finish filming.

That day, Gu Ning drove to the airport, waited outside for more than ten minutes, and then got out of the car.

Not long after, Jing Tian and Hao Hao came out and waved.

"here!"

Jing Tian and Hao Hao saw Gu Ning and walked over with their suitcases.

"Senior Brother Gu!"

"You don't have many scenes, and if things go smoothly, you can finish filming today. Why did you bring so much luggage?"

"This is our first time in Wushi, and we thought we'd do some sightseeing here while we're at it."

"I'll put your luggage in the trunk for you. Please get in the car first."

Gu Ning took the two people's suitcases and got into the car.

"Are you hungry? How about we eat something first?" Gu Ning asked as he started the car.

"Won't this take up Senior Brother Gu's time?" Jing Tian asked.

"It won't cause any delays, since the filming is tonight and the crew rests during the day," Gu Ning said.

Tonight's filming focused on the airport segment, including the ticket check, security check, and the time spent on the plane.

There are no flights departing from the airport late at night, which is the most convenient time for taking photos.

There was no need to take a special holiday, but Wang Baoqiang insisted on filming the scene of drinking milk, so he didn't eat anything all day.

Gu Ning simply told them to get some rest and recharge for the evening's filming.

"Let's go try the hot dry noodles. I heard they're very famous in Wushi, and we'd like to try them," Jing Tian said.

"You guys don't actually want to go to the Yellow Crane Tower, do you?" Gu Ning asked with a strange expression.

"How did Senior Brother Gu know?" Hao Hao asked in surprise.

"Hehe, I guessed." Gu Ning smiled.

Although hot dry noodles are not as overpriced as douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) in Beijing, surprisingly, many people don't like them.

As for the Yellow Crane Tower, that goes without saying.