Chapter 18

"Use a blackout flag to block the sunlight from that direction, and place a reflector on the side—this will prevent halos."

"Hide all props, tracks, and lights in the shooting area—don't let anything break the illusion."

"."

On the third day of shooting, Fang Hong's attitude became much stricter than the previous two days; the first two days were just for everyone to adjust, but they couldn't keep slacking off like this.

If they kept going like this, they'd only shoot a few shots a day—he'd probably run out of his six million yuan before long.

Liu Tianxian watched Fang Hong constantly moving around the set, giving orders, occasionally throwing out professional terms.

Why hadn't he been like this when he shot "Love Announcement"?

When shooting "Love Announcement," Fang Hong had been careless—the crew could set up the scenery, light it, or frame the shot however they wanted; he just said "close enough."

Good was fine, bad was fine—whatever!

Now they were shooting an exterior scene; the sunlight couldn't shine directly into the lens, or it would create halos.

But it also couldn't shine directly on the actor—it would make the actor unable to open their eyes—so shooting exteriors required great care with sunlight.

"Director, if we block the light, the character will look too dark—there's no illumination," someone asked.

"Use a reflector—the reflector bounces sunlight onto the actor."

Fang Hong looked around, waved his hand, and pointed: "Yifei, come here—stand in that shooting position."

Hearing the call, Liu Tianxian obediently stood in the position he indicated; when it came to real work, she was quite serious.

Fang Hong and the other man operated the reflector from a distance, redirecting sunlight onto Liu Tianxian.

He explained: "Look—the light can't be too scattered; if it is, the subject looks flat. It must be concentrated on her."

As he spoke, he adjusted the reflector to gather the light: "Can you see the difference?"

The man adjusted his glasses and stared closely—before, Liu Tianxian looked no different from usual, but now that the focused light fell on her, her skin glowed translucent, like congealed fat.

Her facial features now had shadows, making her contours sharp, her eyes deeper, her nose bridge higher—full of three-dimensionality!

This Liu Tianxian was a whole level more beautiful than usual.

She was filming this role with no makeup—her beauty looked natural.

The crew around them stared, their eyes gleaming; before, they hadn't noticed much, but now, this girl truly looked like a celestial being.

A slight stiffening, as a sign of respect!

Liu Tianxian also felt the unusual stares around her.

It made her uncomfortable, but as a professional "actress," she skillfully concealed her inner feelings.

Even Fang Hong's heart stirred slightly—he knew Liu Tianxian was beautiful, but to be beautiful enough to stir the heart? That was beyond ordinary beauty.

There were many pretty female stars in the entertainment industry, but only one who could be called "Immortal."

Just as there were many singing gods, but only one who could be called "Immortal."

He turned his gaze away and said: "Doesn't it feel like she's got a filter added? Now she looks warm and radiant."

Teach what needs to be taught—no secrets kept!

If word gets out, his reputation will improve; next time he organizes a project, even if not everyone joins him, at least a third will come.

This was decades of accumulated experience—something many later TV dramas and films still didn't understand.

Every great director knows how to shoot women—Xu Ke, Chen Daren, Lao Mouzi—beyond their appreciation for women, there's technique involved.

But in his past life, Fang Hong applied this technique to shooting web movies—that's why he succeeded, after all, the pervs loved watching!

"Yes!" The man nodded.

"There's another advantage: it weakens the background and strengthens the subject," Fang Hong said, then patted the man on the shoulder.

"Thank you for teaching me!" The man was deeply grateful.

He didn't come for money—he came to practice, to learn things school hadn't taught him; for someone to teach him hand-to-hand like this moved him deeply.

He'd never seen such openness in any other crew!

"No need to thank me!"

Fang Hong asked casually: "What's your name?"

"Wang Ran! I actually graduated, but had nothing to do, so when I saw your casting call, I thought I'd come to train a bit," Wang Ran said, embarrassed.

They were looking for students—he wasn't a student!

The name made Fang Hong pause, his thoughts drifting—he remembered the boyfriend of the author of "33 Days of Losing Love" was also named Wang Ran.

Fang Hong studied the man again, but couldn't tell anything—after all, he didn't know what the author's boyfriend looked like.

He'd only heard about their general story!

He probed: "Do you have a girlfriend with the surname Bao?"

"Yes! Her name is Bao Jinjin, but we broke up—it's been a while," Wang Ran said, looking downcast—he clearly still cherished the relationship.

He didn't question how Fang Hong knew his girlfriend's surname; the Beijing Film Academy circle was small—even if you hadn't met someone, you'd heard of them.

That matched!

But why did they break up? Weren't they said to have dated eight years and gotten married?

Maybe it's normal for young people to break up and get back together—"33 Days of Losing Love," after all—probably they'd reconcile after 33 days.

Fang Hong encouraged: "She still loves you—go get her back."

His real intention was to say: Get her back, and we'll make a movie together!

"She won't even talk to me," Wang Ran said, his expression gloomy—he wanted to win her back, but had no chance.

"I'll teach you."

Fang Hong whispered a few words into his ear, then said: "Do exactly as I say—there's no way it won't work."

"Ah, that's not right!" Wang Ran was startled.

"Trust me—if you do this, and she still doesn't get back together with you, I'll stand on my head and eat a history book!"

"Hahaha!"

When Fang Hong spoke, those around him burst into laughter; Liu Tianxian couldn't help but smile lightly.

But they were all curious—what exactly had Fang Hong said?

In truth, Fang Hong simply wanted to give Wang Ran confidence, to urge him to win back his girlfriend—and then lock her in a small black room so he could focus on writing the screenplay for "33 Days Without Love"!

The novel "33 Days Without Love" was released in January this year; no one knew if the adaptation rights had been sold.

At this point, they probably hadn't been sold yet!

Even if they had been sold, what difference would it make? As long as he could catch hold of the couple, he could reclaim the rights.

Rules? Without strength, what use are rules?

In this country, those who follow rules are eliminated by those who ignore them.

"Alright, I'll try!" Wang Ran nodded.

"Work hard—I believe in you," Fang Hong patted his shoulder in encouragement.

As Wang Ran watched Fang Hong walk away, he called out: "Thank you!"

Not only had Fang Hong taught him acting, but he'd also encouraged him to chase girls—Fang Hong's image in his heart rose dramatically; he was deeply grateful.

"No need to thank me. You coming to my crew means you respect me."

He had nothing—paid little, sometimes nothing at all—and yet these people still came; that truly meant they respected him.

This scene subtly changed how the students on set viewed Fang Hong; those who had planned to just coast through their time began to shift their attitudes.

Nothing else—just because here, they felt at least a minimum of respect.

Some students had interned at other sets before—who treated them like human beings? They were all ordered around!

"Oh, not bad! I didn't know you had this side to you," Liu Tianxian smiled warmly in praise.

(End of Chapter)