Huayu Entertainment, all I can do is make bad movies.

The next day.

They said we'd meet at the company at 6 o'clock.

It was almost 7 o'clock before everyone had gathered.

It's too early, there are no buses.

The only one who arrived on time, Jiang Wu, came on a motorcycle.

Wang Hai patted his forehead, realizing he'd have to drive him around from now on.

Which film crew is so wealthy that they gather at 7 a.m. and don't start work until 8 or 9 a.m.?

The bread truck driver's surname was Zhao, and his given name was Renhe.

Seeing the mini bread truck crammed with 11 people and some equipment, churning out a heavy, churning sound like a diesel tractor, the boss reluctantly said, "Boss Wang, if you want to do this every day, you'll have to pay more!"

"Yes, we must add more. You decide how much gasoline we need each day," Wang Hai immediately agreed.

It's common for film crews to use vehicles, so we can't afford to offend the drivers for now.

But Wang Hai's money wasn't easy to take, so he reminded him, "There's one condition: if the crew encounters any big or small problems outside, Master Zhao has to step in and resolve them."

Zhao Renhe was baffled: "What does your filming have to do with me? I'm just a driver, only responsible for picking you up and dropping you off."

Wang Hai frowned slightly.

Has the film crew and the rental car driver not yet established a set of unspoken rules?

In later generations, the crew's driver's sordid deeds were an open secret within the entire crew, from top to bottom.

Film crews often turn a blind eye when drivers steal fuel.

In return, the driver helped maintain order on set; otherwise, the locals would have driven the crew crazy with their constant visits.

Today they charge 500 for occupying the land, tomorrow they charge 1000 for the noise from the equipment, and the day after tomorrow they'll block the road. Nobody can stand this constant hassle.

As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake.

As outsiders, the film crew needed influential locals to help them resolve issues.

Big production teams have a lot of influence and connections, so it doesn't matter.

In order to complete filming smoothly, small film crews can only offer benefits such as crew meals and car rentals to win over influential locals.

Zhao Renhe's cloudy eyes lit up instantly.

Wang Hai's words gave him a lot of inspiration.

This is a path to wealth!

If you can make a name for yourself, then countless film crews will come knocking on your door.

"Boss Wang, you're quite eloquent, please say more."

Zhao Ren held the steering wheel with his left hand and took out a cigarette with his right hand, offering it to Wang Hai in the passenger seat. His tone was much more polite.

Wang Hai smiled slightly, keeping everyone in suspense: "Maybe when we have time later, we've arrived."

The destination was an abandoned yarn factory in Huairou.

This was a spot that Wang Hai had scouted out in advance.

There was an old man guarding the gate. Wang Hai threw down two packets of Double Happiness cigarettes and swaggered in with his men.

Upon reaching the second floor, Wang Hai nodded in satisfaction; the environment was quite clean.

"Let's start here and rehearse. There are a few ten-minute long takes in the first thirty or forty minutes, so everyone needs to be serious."

It's a one-shot film!

Films with such shots are often considered masterpieces.

Films like "Birdman" and "1917" create unique viewing experiences through single long takes or seamless editing techniques.

This creative approach requires close collaboration between the crew and everyone involved, both in front of and behind the camera.

Filming a scenario where one person makes a mistake and has to start over would consume enormous human and material resources.

Even masters like the National Director, Jiang Wen, Chen Kaige, Ang Lee, and Wong Kar-wai...

(Uh, it seems Wang Hai has fallen from grace a bit, he likes to gossip behind people's backs.) Even big-name directors like Stephen Chow and Hou Hsiao-hsien wouldn't dare to do this, but Wang Hai, young and fearless, wanted to give it a try.

Fewer actors appearing on screen make coordination easier, and the shorter duration is one aspect.

On the other hand, he has a system that provides detailed methods for shooting original footage.

What he urgently needed to do was to train the actors to develop muscle memory.

Of course, this also includes myself, who is making my acting debut.

And why is it a ten-minute long take?

The reason is simple: at that time, each roll of 35mm film could only be used for a maximum of 10 minutes of shooting.

The prop blood was smeared all over the white T-shirt. Wang Hai frowned as he looked at Fan Xiaopang's jeans: "Is this your best outfit?"

"hold head high..."

"You're playing a female celebrity, and even though you're wearing costumes in the play, it's not fashionable enough. Let's cut that out."

At Wang Hai's command, Fan Xiaopang puffed out his cheeks and cut his long jeans into frayed shorts, his little face also covered in black ash.

A splash of blood appeared from top to bottom.

After a lot of fuss, it was already noon when Wang Hai quickly clapped his hands and said, "Okay, okay, let's find problems while rehearsing."

The first to appear were Wang Hai and Fan Xiaopang.

There are two stars in the play.

The play-within-a-play features a couple; the man has become a zombie, and the woman is confronting him with an axe.

The people had no concept of zombies.

Wang Hai is highly experienced.

I've never acted in one, but I've watched too many zombie movies since then, like *The Walking Dead*, *Zombie Nation*, *War of the Zombies*, *Train to Busan*...

Wang Haiping slowly and stiffly approached Fan Xiaopang with his arms raised.

"Stop! How can a zombie bite someone when it's so slow?"

Wang Hai was stunned. Was there some mistake? Who was the director?

It was a play within a play.

Jiang Wu plays a director, but he's actually just an ordinary actor in the crew who dares to call for a halt to filming.

Wang Hai had to remind Jiang Wu, "You need to get your bearings right."

He was the screenwriter, and he set the behavioral logic for the characters.

As the director, he has absolute power in the production team. What are you doing, Jiang Wu? Even if it were your own brother, he would have to be subservient.

"I just have some doubts," Jiang Wu said somewhat awkwardly.

"No need to question it, just do as I say."

Wang Hai looked around at everyone, including Jiang Wu, and said in a calm but unusually forceful tone.

Dare to challenge the director's authority?

Will the movie still be filmed?

The little incident ended, and training continued.

"Hai... don't come any closer..."

"Hai, it's me, wake up... ah..."

Fan Xiaopang screamed with all his might, and Wang Hai seized the opportunity to pounce on him, burying his head in the other's neck and making a biting motion.

"I love you." Fan Xiaopang finished his line with wide eyes, then tilted his head to the side.

"Okay, card."

The sound enters the picture, and the camera shifts from the sound engineer, lighting technician, and assistant behind Wang Hai to Jiang Wu, who plays the director.

Jiang Wu looked dazed, as if he were a castrated man who had lost all interest in life.

"How many times has this happened?"

Yan Ni, who plays the assistant director and also Jiang Wu's wife in the film, said, "That was 42 takes."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wu quickly stepped forward, shoved aside the obstructing Wang Hai, and squatted down in front of Fan Xiaopang: "You are facing a death threat."

Fan Xiaopang nodded: "Yes."

Jiang Wu asked angrily, "Do you feel fear from the bottom of your heart?"

Fan Xiaopang stammered, "Yes, I tried my best to act."

Jiang Wu: "If it's acted out, it will look very fake."

Fan Xiaopang replied meekly, "Yes."

Jiang Wu stared at Fan Xiaopang: "Fear can't be acted out; it has to be naturally expressed."

Fan Xiaopang gestured with his hands: "Excuse me, what is naturally flowing hair...?"

Jiang Wu stopped in Bengbu, pounding on the wall and roaring, "I want real fear! A truly terrified expression! Give me that expression!"

"Let me tell you what true falsehood is, because your entire life is a lie, you've been lying your whole life. Take off your mask of falsehood..."

Jiang Wu became hysterical.

Wang Hai stepped forward to stop him, but Jiang Wu slapped him across the face and roared, "Don't you dare interrupt, you brat..."

"Oops, director, I'm so sorry, I really hit you."

Wang Hai called a halt, waved to Jiang Wu not to mind, and praised everyone, saying, "Those three minutes were pretty good; you remembered your lines very clearly."

"There are also areas for improvement. When you're saying your lines, Fan Xiaopang, remember to turn your face away slightly. Do you know why?"

Finally freed from Jiang Wu's imposing aura, Fan Xiaopang stuck out his tongue: "Actually, there was another camera filming us."

"Yes, this is called a play within a play. You turned your head to see the off-set prompts. One-shot scenes are prone to unexpected accidents, and the off-set people will instruct the actors on what to do next."

"Yes, Director," Fan Xiaopang replied obediently.

Wang Hai glanced at the time: "Let's do this part again, then have lunch. This afternoon, we'll go through the entire first page of the script once more."