Chapter 17: Filming

Wu Yuchen walked into a study room where many members of his film group were present. For the past few days, they had been meeting every night to report the progress of their preparations to him, the director.

"Old Jia, have the extras been found?"

"Found them. 15 yuan a day, and the crew provides meals."

"Qi Jing, did you get the recording equipment?"

"It's already been borrowed."

"And the clothes. The female driver's coat must be bright red, vivid! This one is too dark!"

"I have a wool coat over there, bright red. Director, I'll bring it over for you to see right now!"

You have to admit, the students in this film group had an extraordinary passion for making this movie. No matter what task was assigned, they would find a way to get it done quickly.

Wu Yuchen checked off items one by one. He had a preparation list in his notebook, and he would put a checkmark next to each completed task.

Today, almost everything on the list was checked off. With one more day tomorrow, everything should be ready, and they could start filming on time the day after.

……

On Friday morning, a No. 44 bus and a jeep drove to the outskirts of Beijing and came to a stop.

Then, a large group of people poured out of the bus, including crew members and extras.

Wu Yuchen and Jiang Qinqin stepped out of the jeep. This jeep was also borrowed, not for carrying people, but specifically for hauling the camera and other filming equipment.

After Wu Yuchen got out, Old Jia, Wu Shixian, and Chen Er walked over. Wu Shixian looked at the surrounding scenery; the leaves on the roadside trees had already withered and turned yellow, and both sides of the road were desolate, grey-yellow land overgrown with weeds, giving off a sense of decay and desolation.

It was already the season of Frost Descent, and the temperature in the suburbs was even lower. A gust of wind blew by, kicking up yellow dust from the wasteland.

Fatty Wu gave Wu Yuchen a thumbs-up: "Wu Yuchen, the place you found is perfect!"

Wu Yuchen looked up at the sky, which was a grey, overcast day. He smiled and said, "Heaven is helping us!"

The overall style of this film was meant to be cold and absurd, so the environment where the story took place needed this grey, desolate tone to make people feel that the background was oppressive and stifling.

Even the extras playing the bus passengers were all required to wear dark-toned clothes—either black, grey, or earthy yellow.

Jiang Qinqin had already put on the specially prepared bright red coat, which stood out sharply in this environment. Red represented blood and violence, also foreshadowing the unusual nature of her fate.

Wu Yuchen looked toward the male lead, Duan Long, who was carrying a black bag. His black coat and pure white trousers revealed a hint of roguishness.

Wu Yuchen circled him once, then walked over and stuffed a cigarette directly into his mouth: "Open yourself up a bit more, bring out some of that ruffian air."

The male lead Wu Yuchen wanted wasn't the kind of righteous, shining hero, nor was he an honest man who explodes in silence. He wanted someone slightly roguish, someone with a familiar, easygoing air when meeting people, looking like a young man who likes to meddle in other people's business.

Duan Long pinched the cigarette in his hand and took a deep drag. He knew his own quiet and reserved nature was different from the character's personality, so for the past two days, he had been trying hard to think of similar people he had encountered, imitating their traits, and constantly trying to step into this character and become him.

As for Sun Honglei, he was the one Wu Yuchen was least worried about. This guy had mixed in society before and had encountered all sorts of people. Many of his former friends were hoodlums and thugs, and he had likely participated in many fights. As long as he acted fierce, playing this robber wouldn't be difficult for him.

Then Wu Yuchen walked over to the camera, took a look, and frowned, saying:

"The tone is wrong. Make it colder, darker."

Seeing that the cameraman couldn't achieve the desired effect after adjusting for a while, Wu Yuchen simply took over himself. He had started his career in photography in his past life; he wouldn't forget his bread-and-butter skills.

The junior photography student nearby saw Wu Yuchen skillfully manipulating the camera and getting it adjusted in no time, and couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Even though he was a photography major, he rarely had the chance for real hands-on practice. He didn't expect this junior to be so capable!

"Director Wu, you know photography too?"

"Just a hobby. I've been exposed to it quite a bit in the past."

Wu Yuchen smiled and brushed it off, but he intended to handle the camera work himself. The cameraman's level wasn't high enough, and he couldn't let him waste film.

Wu Yuchen had also drawn storyboards, but they were mainly for the rest of the crew to see, ensuring the whole team knew roughly what each shot he wanted to film looked like, so they could cooperate with his work.

He basically didn't need to look at them himself; the images were all in his head. This was something he discovered after his rebirth—his memory had become excellent. Many vague things from his past life could be recalled as long as he put his mind to it.

There was no opening ceremony. The crew simply operated in an orderly fashion under Wu Yuchen's command, and then filming began directly.

Wu Yuchen filmed the exterior shots first, taking advantage of today's weather to get all the necessary scenes. This took about half an hour, mainly because he needed to capture the environment outside the bus from both inside and outside, and since it was moving, the main trouble was having the bus driver drive back and forth on this stretch of road.

Once Wu Yuchen gestured, the actors also began to take their positions under his direction.

These extras carried their bags and luggage and began to board the bus and sit down. They didn't need to speak throughout the whole process; they didn't have a single line, which symbolized their status as "the silent ones."

Inside the bus, Wu Yuchen stood behind the camera, aiming the lens at the bus door.

After Wu Yuchen shouted "Action," the actors began to appear.

But in reality, Wu Yuchen hadn't started the camera yet. He wanted to polish the actors' states first, and only start filming when they were ready. The main reason, of course, was that money was tight, and film had to be saved.

Sure enough, as soon as Duan Long boarded the bus and said his lines, Wu Yuchen spotted a problem.

"Cut!"

Wu Yuchen walked over directly and patted Duan Long:

"I told you to bring out some ruffian air, to show you aren't afraid of trouble, not to turn directly into a street thug. Don't be so sloppy; it's too much!"

Then he turned his head and said to Jiang Qinqin:

"And you, Qinqin, have you ever seen a bus driver smile at a passenger the moment they get on?

You're a bus driver. If you smiled every time you saw a passenger, your face would have gone stiff long ago!

Think about the bus drivers you've seen in daily life. Don't treat him differently; he's just a passenger who got on halfway!"

Wu Yuchen's words were blunt, but once he entered the set, he wasn't the type to be all smiles. A director managing such a large crew needs to have authority.

Jiang Qinqin and Duan Long both looked sheepish under Wu Yuchen's words, not daring to argue, and quickly adjusted their states.

Three minutes later, Wu Yuchen shouted "Action" again, and then "Cut!" again.

For the first two or three times, he explained it to them, but later he didn't explain anymore; he just shouted "Cut" and let them adjust themselves.

Wu Yuchen understood very well that if he was strict at the beginning and polished their states, filming would go very smoothly later on. ===== CHAPTER 18 =====