Huayu98: Starting with mentoring pop divas

Li Shuo recognized Zhang Yimou, then looked at the girl in the gray cotton-padded jacket repeatedly going in and out of the unit's entrance, and glanced at the sign of a certain town's TV station by the door.

Isn't this the movie "Not One Less"?

The girl is Wei Minzhi, who plays the role of the "substitute teacher".

When Li Shuo was looking for food with his juniors on Mingde South Street, he never expected to run into this.

He stood on the perimeter and watched for a while longer.

With the camera position fixed, Wei Minzhi tried to reposition herself again and again, but her emotions and rhythm became increasingly unsatisfactory.

The man controlling the camera complained again: "At this rate, we won't be able to collect 300,000 feet of film."

Is this Hou Yong? I remember the cinematographer of this film.

Li Shuo stood at the back listening, quickly reviewing the news he had read later in his mind.

The original investment for this film was four million, but it later exceeded nine million, and a huge amount of money was "burned" just for the film stock.

一般故事片耗片正常3:1…5:1顶天了，这片子据说超到了50:1。

It is indeed one of Zhang Yimou's less-than-ideal works at the beginning.

There was a car accident during the location selection process. The car overturned into a ditch in the border region, which was 17 meters deep and three and a half times deep. The assistant director almost lost his life, but fortunately he was not seriously injured.

Uncle Traffic Hat said it was a miracle.

Moreover, some unfair situations arose when the film was exhibited abroad after it was completed.

Zhang Yimou handled the situation with great strength later on!

Fortunately, in the end, China Film Group covered the film with a sum of just over ten million yuan.

He glanced at Wei Minzhi, then at the few people squatting not far away.

I couldn't bear to watch any longer, so I blurted out, "Actually, there's no need to waste so much."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was just enough to make those curious people turn around and look.

Hou Yong turned his head and saw a tall, stylish, and rather handsome young man with an impatient look in his eyes.

"What are you shouting for? If you don't understand, don't shout. Keep quiet!"

"I wasn't just shouting nonsense."

Li Shuo pointed to Wei Minzhi, whose face was flushed with anxiety.

"Her problem isn't that she's not in a natural state, it's that she doesn't know when to start. Every time you yell 'Action,' she gets into character, but children are slow to react, and those first few seconds are spent adjusting. All that footage is wasted, and the more she rushes, the more it looks like she's acting..."

Hou Yong was stunned for a moment.

Zhang Yimou, who was squatting in front of the monitor, looked up and glanced at Li Shuo.

He was wearing a Hasselblad XPan camera, which is rarely seen in Taiwan and mainland China, and also had a camera bag.

Although he is young, he seems to have a certain level of professionalism.

He thought for a moment, and since he didn't have any better ideas for today, he simply waved his hand and said, "Come here."

Li Shuo walked over. Zhang Yimou pointed at the monitor: "Kid, do you have a way?"

There really is a solution... What a coincidence!

The system's lottery-style approach to replicating Zheng Zhaoqiang's documentary filmmaking techniques happens to include this method.

Before becoming a renowned photographer in Hong Kong, Cheng Siu-keung was best known for his documentary style and had shot many documentaries.

A core skill in documentary filmmaking is using technical means to make the subjects forget the camera's presence, while still being able to provide reaction signals at crucial moments.

By replacing director's instructions with signals, the "reactions" of non-professional actors can be made into predictable moments.

It's not that Zhang Yimou and his team lacked the ability to think of this; it's that they simply didn't have the space to imagine it.

In 1998, there were no digital monitors, no wireless image transmission, no real-time playback, and no concept of "actor signal triggering".

So Li Shuo was just able to do it.

"If you give her a clear visual reference."

Li Shuo pointed to his bag.

"For example, she goes in as soon as the camera light comes on and stops as soon as the light goes off. She doesn't need to 'act,' she only needs to 'react.' The emotion is concentrated in those few seconds, saving the time spent on adjustments beforehand."

Hou Yong squinted: "How do you give a signal?"

Li Shuo pulled something about the size of his palm out of his backpack.

The light meter is connected to a small LED light head, which he usually uses for both light measurement and illumination.

"When this light comes on, it's her signal to get into character. It's not the kind of disruptive prompting you give her when you're teaching her acting; it's just letting her know when she should be nervous."

Zhang Yimou didn't say anything, but it did feel like this didn't contradict his teaching of these non-professional "actors" how to act, yet it allowed for controllable filming.

Li Shuo walked up to Wei Minzhi and squatted down.

The girl clutched the hem of her clothes as she looked at him, her eyes filled with nervousness, her cheeks flushed from repeatedly shifting positions.

"When you get to that door, you'll see," he said, pointing to the gatekeeper extras at the main entrance.

"After you get stopped, don't worry about where the camera is, just look at that little light. When the light comes on, think, 'What if I can't get in?' When the light goes out, breathe a sigh of relief. You don't need to act, just think about it."

Wei Minzhi nodded, her eyes fixed on the small lamp.

Li Shuo returned to the monitor and pointed the light meter's small light at her. Hou Yong turned on the camera.

Wei Minzhi walked towards the door but was stopped. Just as she was pushed aside, Li Shuo pressed the switch, and the small light turned on.

Wei Minzhi's eyes immediately reddened.

The anxiety of not being able to get in and the frustration of being stopped all surged up in those few seconds.

"Stop!" Hou Yong shouted.

Replay. From the moment the light comes on to the peak of emotion, three seconds, all available.

Hou Yong was speechless and turned to look at Li Shuo.

"What's the name of that move you're using?"

"Signal triggered".

Li Shuo put away the light meter.

"It's not about teaching her to act, but about letting her know when to 'respond.' This saves you those few seconds waiting for her to get into character, allowing you to shoot ten more useful shots per roll of film."

Hou Yong counted on his fingers: "That would save a lot of film, wouldn't it?"

Zhang Yimou stood up, walked over, glanced at the Hasselblad XPan in Li Shuo's hand, and then at the light meter.

He subconsciously took out a cigarette from his pocket, but after pulling one out, he looked at Li Shuo's age and put it back.

After lighting it himself, Zhang Yimou asked, "Judging from your technique, it doesn't seem like it's from the mainland."

Li Shuo replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I've worked with film and television crews in Hong Kong and also filmed documentaries in the United States."

Zhang Yimou took a drag of his cigarette, pondering how to say it.

Li Shuo knew what he was struggling with, and pointed to the light meter set.

"Director Zhang, if you find this useful, you can keep it and try it out. I have spare equipment here."

Zhang Yimou glanced at the tiny gadget, no bigger than the palm of his hand, and chuckled. "This kid's pretty clever," he thought, and didn't hold back.

"Okay, keep it. How much do you want? We'll pay for it. Oh, and leave your contact information."

He thought about it again.

"Are you alright now? Let's grab something to eat."

Li Shuo seized the opportunity and nodded with a smile.

Then I went to say hello to Teacher Zheng and the younger students, and told them that I would go back later.

Then they caught up with Zhang Yimou and his group, and arrived at a nearby restaurant called "Fuyuanju".

Inside were several wooden tables, and faded New Year pictures were pasted on the walls.

Zhang Yimou, Hou Yong, the production manager, some staff members, actors, and Li Shuo sat around a table.

Zhang Yimou called the owner to bring out the drinks and cheerfully asked Li Shuo, "Would you like a drink?"

Li Shuo thought for a moment, and thought that the mainland was good because there weren't so many rules, so he poured himself a glass.

After a few rounds of drinks, Zhang Yimou asked a few simple questions about Li Shuo.

I'm from Hong Kong Island, and I love music and photography... I'm here with my teachers and classmates from the international school I attend, on an exchange program in mainland China...

When the topic turned to photography, Hou Yong got really into it, chatting with Li Shuo about everything from composition to lighting, from film to lenses, and Li Shuo was able to keep up with the conversation.

Hou Yong found the kid more and more interesting as they talked.

Zhang Yimou listened from the side, occasionally interjecting a few words.

When talking about movies, Li Shuo also mentioned that he plans to apply to top-tier universities in mainland China, such as the Central Academy of Drama, Beijing Film Academy, etc.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yimou put down his chopsticks: "You're such a promising young man, why go to the Central Academy of Drama? Go apply to the Beijing Film Academy instead."

Li Shuo nodded noncommittally, indicating that he would consider it carefully... and would see how things went during the art exams.

Zhang Yimou assumed he was worried about his art exam results, so he didn't say much, only reminding Li Shuo to remind him when he confirmed he was going to take the exam.

Then, while drinking happily, they started talking about their past collaborations with Hong Kong Island.

At that time, he looked down on commercial films, thinking they were vulgar.

As Zhang Yimou got a little tipsy, he vaguely recalled how he was attacked by reporters and public opinion because of his affair with that woman.

He was penniless at the time, and it was also because he wanted to avoid public opinion and acted on impulse.

In order to be with that woman, he actually agreed to film the Hong Kong-Singapore co-production "A Terracotta Warrior's Tale," and he even played the male lead.

Suppressing some of his drunkenness, he mocked himself... "We still broke up in the end."

The production manager, who was a bit taller over there, also talked to Hou Yong about the children they were filming this time.

Zhang Yimou sighed upon hearing this: "These children have it so tough. It's not easy for them to get an education. After this film is finished, let's donate the money saved to build a school for them."

Li Shuo listened without saying much, and simply drank along with him.

Finally, it got dark... Li Shuo, who had drunk quite a bit, got up and said goodbye first.

After Li Shuo walked away, Hou Yong suddenly remembered something and hurriedly opened the equipment bag that Li Shuo had left behind.

Inside, besides a light meter set, there was also a bulging envelope.

He took it out and saw that it was a stack of Hong Kong dollars. He counted it and it was almost thirty thousand.

There was a piece of paper underneath, with neat handwriting: "Director Zhang, Director Hou, I don't have much money with me. I heard that you will donate the money you save to a school for children. I'd like to do my part. I wish you a smooth filming process."

Hou Yong paused for a moment, then turned to look at Zhang Yimou.

Zhang Yimou took the note, glanced at it, and was a little stunned. Then he nodded: "Okay, we'll use it together to build a school for Wei Minzhi and the other children."

He poured himself another glass of wine and drank it.

My impression of the boy I met by chance deepened even further.