Chapter 278: Little Liu Paints, the Film Set is Shocked

With Liu Yifei, Yang Mi, and other visiting stars having come in high spirits and left satisfied, the first day of filming under Boss Lu concluded smoothly.

After a quick and simple working meal, the heads of each department in the film crew gathered on time in the small conference room to begin the day's summary and wrap-up work.

This had already become an established rule for the *Aftershock* film crew.

Although there was no completion bond system, the producers assigned by Lu Kuan were required to represent his will and fulfill the necessary procedures at the daily summary meeting.

First was the head of continuity, Old Zhang.

"Director Lu, everyone, I will now present today's continuity report."

"The total net filming duration for the entire day was 9 hours and 20 minutes, and the number of shots taken was..."

Old Zhang gave his routine data briefing, while everyone in the conference room checked their own reports line by line.

Scene numbers, shot sequences, number of takes, and details of the actors' lines and movements were the most basic data.

If it were a scene with many special effects, the shooting details for each effects shot, including green screen usage and model information, had to be covered.

Finally, there was a report on the material preparation for tomorrow's shoot, updates to the call sheet, and weather conditions.

Two years ago, Old Zhang was a veteran employee at the Qingying Studio; it was only after he finally made up his mind to give up his permanent position and come to a private company that he realized the vast difference.

It was not just the difference in salary and benefits, but the difference in film set systems and work culture.

According to the work habits at Qingying Studio and other old state-run factories, every day after filming ended meant drinking, playing cards, and business karaoke; the next day, they would start the new day's shoot in a muddled state with dark circles under their eyes.

It was fine for crews with stricter requirements, but for crews full of old hands, you could just watch the director curse from morning until noon the next day.

Either the auxiliary lighting hadn't been prepared in advance, or the props weren't in their designated positions, or the green screen hadn't been cleaned beforehand—

In an era where special effects technology was relatively backward, it was very difficult to perform keying if the early green screens weren't cleaned properly.

Only at *Aftershock*, or rather, in Lu Kuan's crew, although they were very unaccustomed to this work mode at first, once truly implemented, they found that the next day's shooting was incredibly smooth and infinitely beneficial.

This was the advantage of the system.

Old Zhang, sporting a balding head and nearly fifty years old, could now also hold a computer and poke away with his "one-finger zen" to create data and reports.

The continuity process was the most complex, followed by the financial side.

Yu Feihong whispered to the young director who was buried in looking at the numbers: "Xiao Li's child is having surgery, so she rushed back to Jingcheng temporarily; I will take over her work for these two days."

"Mm." Boss Lu didn't even lift his head; he didn't care about the division of labor below him.

Yu Feihong was the assistant director; if she had to worry about these things herself, then her own mainland version of *Ghost* would surely flop and go over budget.

The reports from each department took about forty minutes, and only then did it reach the time for the director to give instructions and summaries.

Zhao Fei, Yu Feihong, the lighting crew, continuity, special effects, and the comrades responsible for communication from Tangshan all opened their work notebooks in unison, ready to record the key points.

"Everyone's work is very meticulous; keep it up."

Lu Kuan frowned and checked his watch, deciding to keep it brief; he still had to go to the Olympic bidding group later to see the day's harvest.

"Let me make a few requests."

"First, in the few clips I reviewed just now, there are still quite a few extras with stiff expressions and movements."

"I know that overly high demands are unrealistic, but it is definitely not as simple as just asking them not to look at the camera."

"Feihong, please draft a set of rules for this, and use half of tomorrow to compile a concise guide for the extras."

"Include points of attention, taboos, simple acting techniques and ideas, contact personnel for different departments, and so on."

Boss Lu smiled: "This time, the Tangshan authorities have provided us with a large number of free extras; while this is a help, if not utilized well, it becomes a burden instead."

Is free always good? Of course not.

If it were extras hired with one's own money, reprimanding, educating, or firing those who were unqualified or messing around would be part of the job.

But some of these people were survivors from that year, and others came to help; the crew provided meals, and they covered their own other expenses, so in terms of both emotion and reason, it was impossible to refuse.

The key is how to make good use of this resource provided by the local government.

Yu Feihong nodded: "Yes, Director, I will coordinate with the comrades from the neighborhood office responsible for publicity tomorrow and ask for their help."

"Mm, second, starting tomorrow, Teacher Zhao and I will temporarily split into two groups for filming; everyone needs to prepare the division of labor in advance."

For large-scale coordination scenes like the earthquake, it was common for three or four shooting groups to start simultaneously.

A long take spliced together from several segments was common practice, and through coordinated arrangements, it could greatly increase filming efficiency and save on the crew's living costs.

For example, when James Cameron was filming *Avatar*, he had a motion capture group, a live-action shooting group, and a production group, filming separately and synthesizing them uniformly, which greatly shortened the production cycle.

If there were no grouping and they had to complete motion capture, live-action shooting, and special effects production in sequence, the entire film's production time might increase exponentially.

The massive costs of set construction and re-shooting saved by Cameron's filming method amounted to as much as 300 million US dollars.

The most classic example is *Edge of Tomorrow*; during the filming of the core scenes, the director found three body doubles for the male lead.

The main actor was filming drama scenes in the London suburbs, one was jumping out of a plane in Florida, one was fighting in a London shopping center, and another was driving a speedboat in Bermuda.

However, although the *Aftershock* crew now had three 4K high-definition digital cameras, only Zhao Fei and his top disciple could operate them proficiently, so they could at most split into two groups.

The crowd took their orders and left, and Boss Lu tirelessly discussed with the Olympic group until 9:30 before returning to the crew's hotel.

Lying on the bed, Liu Yifei's strange behavior from today flashed before his eyes, and he took out his phone and called her.

"Hello?"

"Um, the massacre film might need to be filmed earlier."

Lu Kuan was a bit exhausted from using his brain all day; he couldn't think of a suitable excuse and didn't have much experience.

Previously, it was always little Liu who called to harass him every few days!

Liu Yifei was in her room painting.

Ever since she heard Lu Kuan talking to Martin Scorsese about Impressionism on the day of the Golden Globe Awards, she had picked up the painting she had learned as a child.

She bought a pile of oil painting albums by Monet and Van Gogh and set up a small studio in the study of the Sihe Academy.

The brushes were from the German brand Faber-Castell, founded in 1761, the paints were Winsor & Newton, the palette knife was Courbet, and there was a Pébéo palette.

It could be said that she was a poor student with too much stationery.

"Ah? Why?"

She was feeling complicated about the washing machine right now, but this topic still attracted her attention.

"I'm preparing to join the final Olympic creative team, and after the start of 2007, I expect I'll have to devote myself entirely to the Olympic opening ceremony."

"If I want to finish the film before the memorial day for the victims in December 2007, we definitely have to start filming next year."

Liu Yifei calculated the dates in her heart; she didn't doubt whether Lu Kuan could join the final Olympic opening ceremony creative group.

Even if he didn't end up as the chief director or deputy chief director, given Zhang Yimou's high regard for him, he would be invited to the final team to provide creative ideas no matter what.

Lu Kuan hesitated: "You..."

"I want to film it! You must give me this role; no matter what requirements this role has, I will meet them 100%!"

Liu Yifei said impatiently: "I talk to Sister Chunru on the phone every week; I have been learning about her living habits, spoken accent, and the living environment she grew up in."

Lu Kuan pondered for a while: "The schedule for *Zhu Xian 2* has been moved up, and *Foreign Land* starts filming in October; you can start preparing after you finish filming that."

"It might take you half a year to a year; you will need to take time off to read her works, visit the footprints of her investigations in the country back then, and live with her for a period of time..."

The paintbrush in little Liu's hand paused: "As long as you give me the script and the requirements, I guarantee I can do my best; I have confidence."

"What's that sound? Are you writing?"

Liu Yifei looked at the Marco sketch pencil in her hand: "I'm painting."

"Ah? You have this skill too? What are you painting?"

Little Liu was dissatisfied with the teasing in his tone, looking at the sketch of a human face on a washing machine that she had casually outlined on the canvas.

"Painting a dog."

Boss Lu had a keen intuition: "To be honest, I feel like you are offending me."

"Hmph, how can someone ask to be scolded? I'm painting my little black dog."

"Lying, I've only seen your cat; where did a dog come from?"

Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh over the phone, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly: "The little dog is quite promiscuous, going out every day to find little female dogs, so you haven't seen him."

"When he comes back, I'm definitely going to give him a beating."

Boss Lu: ...

I don't know if it was an illusion, but this feeling of being offended was even stronger.

"Little Liu, you seem a bit strange since yesterday; is there anything you want to tell me?"

The scumbag attempted to embody a caring big brother, but this hypocritical mask was hard to wear perfectly in front of Liu Yifei, who understood him.

"No."

Lu Kuan didn't get any useful information from her, so he stopped asking for trouble and hung up the phone dejectedly, flipping through the shooting plan for tomorrow.

Little Liu, however, couldn't help but let out a long sigh, looking at the sketch on the easel that looked exactly like a washing machine, and covered it with a new sheet of paper to avoid the sight.

Making such a resolute decision is difficult; a girl who has just turned eighteen naturally has times when she tosses and turns in midnight dreams.

But once she gives up, she will fall into an endless chronic death.

After pondering for a few seconds, she decided to make some preparations in advance.

Glancing at the time, it was 10:00 PM; Sister Zhang Chunru on the other side of the earth should have already woken up.

"Hello? Xixi?"

Zhang Chunru and her husband had a residence in San Jose, California, but in the last two years, due to excessive mental stress and being harassed by the stench of certain right-wing flies, she had been living with her parents in Illinois.

"Sister Chunru, it's 8:00 AM there, right?"

"Yes, it's very late in the country, why haven't you rested yet?"

Liu Yifei lay flat on the bed, her waterfall-like hair spread out.

Facing Zhang Chunru, whom she admired and respected, she felt the reverence and intimacy of talking to a life mentor: "Sister Chunru, I want to go to the United States to find you around March or April next year."

"Great! Is the film about to start? Why didn't Lu Kuan tell me?"

Zhang Chunru's mood suddenly became excited!

Since first meeting Lu Kuan in early 2003 and being brought back to life—or having her life sustained—by his "medicinal catalyst," Zhang Chunru had been waiting for this day for a long time.

Especially with the success of *Alien Realm* and *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* in the North American market and the rise of his personal influence, this angel of justice had a stronger expectation that her unfinished cause could be realized through the artistic talent of this young director.

"He has been busy with the Olympic Games recently and just notified me as well."

"The current tentative plan is that after I finish filming the next movie, I plan to go to the United States and live with you for a while; the movie will likely start filming at the end of 2006."

Upon hearing the exact start date, Zhang Chunru felt a sudden sense of clarity: "That’s fantastic, you can just come and stay at my house; I will assist you in completing the preparatory work."

"Sister Chunru, actually, I have another matter I would like to trouble you with." Liu Yifei had a backup plan in case the face-to-face audition failed.

"Go ahead."

Little Liu said something astonishing: "I want to apply for a study abroad program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign or the University of Chicago, and I would like to ask you to write me a recommendation letter."

The University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are both located in Illinois, where Zhang Chunru lives.

Zhang Chunru was stunned by what she said, thinking to herself, isn't this girl a professional actor?

"Xixi, are you planning to study drama or something else?"

"No, I want to study business."

When going to the United States to study business, the preferred regions are generally New York and California.

The former sits on Wall Street, the center of the world's financial centers, while the latter is backed by Silicon Valley, with numerous institutions of higher learning nearby and a highly developed education sector.

But there is another inland state in the US whose reputation is not very loud, especially in 2005 when there was not much clear understanding of it domestically—

Illinois, where Zhang Chunru has lived and studied since childhood.

Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln; it is the inland economic and financial center of the United States and is jokingly called the Inland Empire State.

A domestic rapper named Zigga once compared Illinois to our Magic City in his lyrics; apart from being an inland city, it is similar in other aspects.

Both are transportation hubs; the core city, Chicago, is the world's largest railway hub, with 30 railway trunk lines and their branches converging there.

The state also has achievements in both industrial and agricultural fields, and its cultural heritage is very rich; it is the hometown of the famous American novelist Hemingway.

Zhang Chunru laughed in spite of herself: "You don't plan on being an actor anymore? How did you think of studying business?"

"Hmm... I feel like I've taken on too many roles these past few years. I figured since I'll be living there for a while anyway, I can't just follow you everywhere you go, right?"

"I might as well go study business; I'll just take a leave of absence when the movie starts filming."

"I've already planned things domestically; I'll find teachers to help me arrange early graduation, and I can start the procedures for enrollment next autumn right now."

Her most favored target was the University of Chicago.

Since the 1950s, the traditional teaching school represented by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the practical teaching school represented by Harvard Business School have been mentioned in the same breath as the world's top institutions.

If Liu Yifei had not changed her nationality back, it would obviously have been simpler to attend the business school of this top international university than it is now.

However, with the halo of a famous actress, plus Zhang Chunru, a bestselling author with some influence in Illinois, and the connections behind her, it would not be too difficult to get an offer.

Because in addition to normal GPA and language tests, American business schools also provide other application channels for socially prominent figures.

For example, various school activities, professional awards and honors received in business, performing arts, or public welfare fields, or recommendations through celebrities or alumni.

Zhang Chunru was a bit bewildered by what she said, but she decided to respect her choice.

"The difficulty of applying to the University of Chicago is relatively higher, but I am confident about the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; I studied journalism there, and both my father and mother are professors at the school."

"Xixi, if you just want to experience life as an actor, just audit some classes; that is very convenient."

Liu Yifei explained: "Experiencing life is one aspect; I'm a bit slow and afraid I won't be able to act it out, so I want to walk through your life experiences, Sister Chunru."

"Besides, I really do want to improve in this area and cultivate my business thinking."

The young girl's idea was very simple.

Even if she failed, she was not content to be just a painting or a vase of his; she wanted to improve herself in all aspects and seek survival through struggle.

Liu Yifei lay on the bed and chatted with the female mentor she admired about many life topics that benefited her greatly, falling asleep very late.

The next day, the "washing machine"—unaware that she had become an all-encompassing imaginary enemy—got up early to continue filming the movie *Aftershock*.

The movie *Aftershock* had some particularities, namely the need to film strictly in the order of pre-earthquake, during the earthquake, and post-earthquake.

Because the building explosions and collapses during the earthquake were irreversible; one couldn't just blow everything up, discover a shot was missed, and then go back to rebuild the houses to film it again, right?

Therefore, the crew under his governance operated like a precision machine, running at high speed during the week of their return.

With new-generation actors like Song Jia and Wang Baoqiang gradually getting into the zone, the pre-earthquake outdoor scenes were nearly complete, and they could move on to the next important filming stage.

Boss Lu was communicating the filming plan with his old partner from *Alien Realm*, Joss Williams.

"Roland adopted a plan of simultaneous explosion and filming in *The Day After Tomorrow*, but the requirements for safety measures and time control were relatively high."

Williams advised: "Considering the safety factor and error tolerance, my suggestion is to explode first and then film."

"This way, the on-site effect after the explosion can be better controlled; it's equivalent to setting the scene first and then filming, and your guys can have sufficient preparation time."

Joss's daughter, Haley, was also a member of the team and had been following her old man to film sets since she was eighteen; she gave a compromise plan:

"Scenes that aren't significantly important can be exploded first, but for the building where the protagonist lives, let's use on-site explosions, shall we? It can show the entire process."

Boss Lu pondered for a few seconds; if pursuing authenticity, the suggestions from Haley and her father were worth considering.

But even though all members on the set had purchased high-value insurance this time, he did not want any accidents to happen.

"How about this!"

The young director chose another, more compromised plan: "Secondary shots will be real-time explosions, but for the building where the protagonist lives, please help me explode it first, then reinforce it."

"Tie steel cables to the walls, and help me manually pull them down when filming."

Joss and his daughter Haley looked at each other; this was indeed a sensible method, and it had another greater advantage—

Manually pulling down the collapsing house allowed the collapse shape to be arranged in advance, which was favorable for filming and realizing the director's detailed requirements.

Old Joss clicked his tongue in admiration and went to communicate the operational details.

From *Alien Realm*, he could see that this Eastern director's familiarity with special effects technology was no less than that of any top Hollywood blockbuster director.

He was often able to have ingenious innovations.

Historically, the real earthquake occurred in the early morning, so the filming time for this major scene was arranged for 3:00 AM; only then would the light, environment, and other conditions meet the requirements of Director Lu Kuan.

Yu Feihong coordinated with the staff from Tangshan who came to supervise and accept the permit procedures:

"Comrade, this is the *Blasting Operation Unit Permit*."

"These are the *Safety Work Certificates for Blasting Engineering Technical Personnel* and the *Blasting Operation Permits* for our blasters and safety officers; please inspect and accept them."

In order to cooperate with tonight's scenes, the Tangshan side specially dispatched several staff members to stand by; after checking that everything was correct, they smiled and shook hands with Yu Feihong: "Wish you success! Pay attention to safety!"

"Thank you!"

Yu Feihong took the walkie-talkie and notified Lu Kuan, who was still communicating with Joss Williams: "Director, the inspection is complete; we can start at any time."

"Okay."

Boss Lu put down the walkie-talkie, picked up the megaphone directly, and found a high point to stand: "All crew members, please pay attention; I want to emphasize a few points."

"The explosion will start in twenty minutes; please everyone retreat behind the safety line, supervise and watch out for each other, do not get drowsy and cause danger, and all safety officers must stay alert!"

"In addition, we have communicated with weather experts in the city; the intensity of the rain these past few days is very suitable for filming and is very close to the historical appearance."

On the night of the earthquake thirty years ago, Tangshan was also hit by wind and rain; it seems such disasters are always inextricably linked to bleak wind and bitter rain.

This was also the reason he chose to film tonight; it started to drizzle in the evening, and they could start filming at any time.

"Therefore, please try to get the important scenes of these few days done in one take; do not drag it out, otherwise it will be very difficult to fix in post-production."

"To the fellow villagers who came to guest-star as extras, please keep the contents of the extra handbook in mind and pay attention to your personal safety!"

Many of the local citizen extras on the scene were survivors from that year.

Looking at their old homes, which were exactly as they remembered but might be reduced to ruins in an instant, they all felt a sense of sorrow for the changes in the world.

Lu Kuan's gaze swept over everyone's complex and sad eyes, secretly thinking that the morale was usable.

Extras with such emotions should be the most immersed and qualified extras in any movie, right?

Because they were not acting; they were repeating a heart-wrenching disaster from thirty years ago.

The pre-explosion started first; Joss Williams used his proficient Chinese number pronunciation to command through the megaphone: "San! Er! Yi!"

"Fire in the hole!"

Joss was not spoofing game lines; this was a common command in military operations, mining blasting, and film production, which was reflected in the later Hollywood movie *The Hurt Locker*.

Everyone only felt the ground under their feet shake slightly, and the high-rise building within the safety line trembled before collapsing with a roar.

From the outside in, it collapsed at a touch like dominoes; after about seven or eight seconds, only a pile of ruins remained before everyone's eyes.

Boss Lu checked the explosion effect and the state of the ruins in front of the monitor, and after confirming there were no errors, he hurriedly picked up the megaphone.

"All script supervisors and guides, please pay attention; the extra group and the actor group, get into position, wait for the rain to start filming at any time, thank you all for your hard work!"

"Yes!"

"Received!"

Since the real earthquake happened in July, they had to film the rain scene wearing shorts and undershirts tonight; fortunately, the weather in Tangshan in May was only slightly cool, not enough to make everyone catch a cold from the rain.

It was not yet 4:00 AM, and there was a faint light on the horizon; the rain also gradually increased as the meteorologist predicted, but it still did not meet Boss Lu's requirements.

He decisively picked up the walkie-talkie: "Makeup group, go directly to the outdoor field to apply makeup for the extras."

"Prop group, Old Tian, find someone to move out the industrial fans brought by the box truck this afternoon; prepare to manually increase the rain, the sky is about to brighten, time waits for no one!"

The scene responded with a roar; thanks to his usual "leadership," all departments quickly implemented and carried out the director's requirements.

Some of the extras were wearing shorts and undershirts, occasionally long underwear, but without exception, they were all covered in crimson dirt—a mixture of mud and blood.

At this moment, a burst of crying suddenly broke out in the extra lineup; it turned out that the makeup artist, in a hurry, accidentally poked a little girl's eye while applying makeup.

Boss Lu was terrified, fearing any safety accidents; he waved his hand to signal Yu Feihong to continue presiding over the scene and hurried over himself.

"What's wrong?"

The young makeup artist said guiltily: "Director Lu! I wasn't paying attention just now and touched Xiao Nan's eye!"

This child had been following her mother on the set for several days; she was very cute with two braids, and everyone knew her.

"Xiao Nan, why don't you go back with your mother to rest first? It won't hurt in a while."

In film, there are certain types of scenes that are the most difficult to shoot; scenes with children are even harder than those with animals.

At least animals can be trained by a handler, but a child’s mood is unpredictable and very hard to control.

Another assistant director on the sidelines whispered urgently: "Director Lu, if Xiao Nan doesn't film, we'll be missing an important supporting element for this shot!"

"The other backup child actors are far inferior to Xiao Nan."

Everyone present was a local villager; at this moment, the extras who had just finished their makeup crowded around, and the little girl’s mother was so anxious she was about to cry.

Xiao Nan suddenly reached out to wipe a tear from her mother’s face, then turned to Lu Kuan and said: "Director brother, I can act!"

"My mother told me that thirty years ago, she was carried out of here by her grandfather, and I want to experience her journey once."

Someone in the crowd, it was unclear who, was the first to break down, sniffing abruptly.

The supplementary lighting on the set illuminated the movements of many local Tangshan extras wiping away tears.

Among them, some were as young as Xiao Nan back then.

Some had children who were as young as Xiao Nan back then, but those dear faces and smiles were left forever in that day thirty years ago.

This was also the reason why many survivors eagerly signed up to participate.

They had been separated from their loved ones by the divide of life and death for too long; perhaps this method could make the faces in their memories a little more vivid.

"Good! Everyone get ready!"

Director Lu also felt a deep sense of shared sorrow, but such emotional buildup was about to reach its peak; if the filming went smoothly, one could foresee the brilliance of this scene!

Every extra was able to produce a level of performance comparable to, or even exceeding, professional actors!

Therefore, they were not acting at all!

Everyone took their positions, and Lu Kuan checked the makeup, props, and details once more.

The dirt and scars on the close-up and feature actors were more realistic; due to time constraints, the other extras could not be made perfect, but it would not have much impact on the final shot.

He called over the production manager and instructed him to prepare dry towels and hot water to remove the makeup and wipe off the mud for the Tangshan villagers who were volunteering as extras.

Lu Kuan sat behind the monitor, reaching out to feel the frequency of the raindrops, as everyone waited for his command.

The torrential rain after the earthquake had a scientific basis, as the energy accumulated in the crust was suddenly released, and the high heat evaporated the moisture in the air, which naturally turned into rain upon cooling.

However, shooting rain scenes is very difficult, especially for a director with such high standards as Director Lu; only by making thorough preparations in advance could they start filming at any time.

Such order and discipline could only be achieved by the core crew he had strictly trained and cultivated.

Another five minutes passed; Lu Kuan looked at the sky, knowing he could wait no longer, and decisively picked up the walkie-talkie to begin the final deployment:

"Reflectors and soft lights in position, adjust the lighting ratio to 7:1, use the LED light panels as the main fill light!"

"Understood!"

The lighting ratio is the intensity ratio between the key light and the fill light.

For example, if the intensity of the key light is 4 times that of the fill light, the lighting ratio is 4:1.

The lighting ratio determines the contrast of the image; when shooting high-key images, such as bright indoor scenes or fresh portraits, a smaller lighting ratio is usually used;

whereas when shooting low-key images, such as dark suspense scenes, a larger lighting ratio is used, with the fill light intensity being relatively lower.

Director Lu took matters into his own hands and walked behind the industrial fan: "The rain intensity at the low level is enough, but the spray intensity of the high-pressure water guns is not."

"Old Zhang, hurry and find someone to drive the crane from the edge of the blast site over here, find a way to tie the high-pressure water guns to the top to expand the spray range of the rain!"

"Alright, I'm going now."

The balding Old Zhang turned and ran, tripped over a piece of rubble, climbed back up, and kept running without looking back.

Taking advantage of the time it took to position the crane, Lu Kuan walked among the hundreds of extras to personally direct the close-up and feature actors.

He did not use the professional logic and jargon he used for Liu Yifei or Song Jia, but deliberately guided their emotions, providing a performance paradigm they could imitate.

With the central theme unchanged, the extras' natural interpretation would be more moving and realistic.

Another 5 minutes ended.

Everything was ready; with the artificial rain, there was no longer a need for the "East Wind," and Lu Kuan walked back to the monitor.

"Gaffer?"

"Director, in position!"

"Actors?"

"In position!", "Ready!", "No problem!"

Not to mention young actors like Song Jia and Wang Baoqiang, even veterans like Hu Jun and Zhou Xun were feeling emotionally stirred at this moment.

A crew professional to the extreme, an atmosphere created to the extreme, and a director detailed to the extreme.

Everyone longed to integrate themselves into this tragic scroll of the era, using their own living roles to compose a lament for those days.

"Ten-second countdown, sound and camera start, props team, give me rain."

"Start the countdown!"

Yu Feihong picked up the megaphone and calmly called out the numbers; as the final "start" was uttered, the rain instantly intensified!

The extras, who had been rehearsing for a long time, shifted from faint sobbing to shrill cries and desperate screams, and the entire crew entered a state of filming!

A jib-mounted camera filmed from a high, overlooking perspective, while three camera assistants wearing rain ponchos followed the close-up actors using handheld cameras.

Handheld cinematography is a common technique in documentaries, mockumentaries, and horror films, capable of enhancing realism and immersion, and capturing dynamic moments more flexibly than large cameras.

Especially in the creation of subjective emotions and the rendering of atmosphere, it has a unique advantage.

For instance, with the crowd collapsing and scattering during the earthquake, the shaking of the handheld camera and the side-to-side searching following the protagonist's perspective can express the extreme panic of the characters without a single line of dialogue.

The scene seemed to be recreating the hellish landscape of thirty years ago, with the intensifying raindrops flowing down from everyone's heads, carrying bright red, blood-like water across their dirt-stained cheeks.

A close-up of a round-faced female extra appeared on the screen.

Red water streaks continuously seeped across her face; her large eyes, filled with confusion and terror, gradually lost focus, her body trembled slightly, and a moment later, she fled toward the east side of the residential building.

Under the dirty makeup, Lu Kuan could not clearly see her features, yet he felt she was somewhat familiar.

"Feihong, did you recruit this extra?"

"Yes, she signed up for the crew when you were in Cannes."

She looked down and flipped through the roster: "Zhao Liying, from Langfang, Hebei Province, graduated from Langfang Electronic Information School with a major in aviation services."

"She has no acting experience, but her appearance is quite prominent among the extras, especially for this rain scene; her eyes are large, making it easier to perform."

Tangshan and Langfang are very close; this was effectively Zhao Liying’s early debut.

Lu Kuan nodded and continued to watch the live footage on the monitor.

The main camera at eye level suddenly panned right, placing the chaos and disarray of the main street in the center of the frame; this place seemed to have become a living hell:

People falling and bleeding, being trampled mercilessly by those fleeing, crying out in helplessness, weeping uncontrollably while holding the corpses of their family members, or continuing to dig through the rubble for loved ones despite their bloodied fingers...

The young director’s throat moved; in his mind appeared the primary school in Shuimo Town, the red flag that was somewhat faded but still flying high, and Dorji with his dark face but eyes like lacquer.

He could not imagine how sorrowful and tragic the scene of that paradise being destroyed would be.

Director Lu habitually touched the scar on his forehead that had long since healed, feeling incredibly fortunate that he had made that decision a month ago.

Otherwise, seeing such a scene again, he would surely collapse.

Suddenly, Xiao Nan’s figure appeared in the lens.

The main camera and the handheld camera followed simultaneously; the little girl cried out for her mother while running in all directions, and on her dirty little face, mud mixed with tears flowed incessantly.

She stood helplessly on the ruins, clutching a piece of floral fabric torn from her mother’s clothes, crying out desperately to the thundering and lightning-filled sky: "Mama! Mama!"

The close-up shot here used a weakened audio treatment, equivalent to a simplified version of a multi-track montage.

In the actual final cut, the audience would only faintly hear the little girl’s heart-wrenching cries, as most of the bird-like wails and grief would be drowned out by the howling wind and rain.

Watching her clearly discernible lip movements, that "mama"—which all of humanity could see and understand, yet could not hear or hear clearly—would destroy the tear ducts of every audience member.

This was the only scene in the entire film that could be considered "playing the misery card," using a single point to represent the whole, leaving a bone-deep scar in the hearts of the viewers.

Directing crowd scenes had always been Lu Kuan’s weakness; today’s grand scene with hundreds of extras was undeniably difficult.

The disaster scene was massive in scale, and elements like collapsed buildings, broken roads, and displaced crowds were difficult to organize and arrange effectively;

and for the extras, mobilizing and regulating their emotions, as well as planning complex movement routes, required careful rehearsal and blocking.

Just like now, the young director realized a very serious problem.

The extras were too immersed in the acting!

They were crying too intensely, too realistically!

But according to Liu Heng’s investigation and the recollections of almost all survivors, on the night of the earthquake, the common people who suddenly encountered such a disaster were not in this state!

Many were numb, sluggish, or were firmly and quickly relocating and starting to save others.

When the real disaster arrived, apart from children like Xiao Nan who suddenly faced misfortune and were separated from their families, most adults were not collapsing like they were in the frame now.

It was just that these extras were mostly survivors of that year or their descendants, and facing such a realistic scene and role, their emotions momentarily spiraled out of control.

Seeing that things were taking a wrong turn, Director Lu quickly picked up the megaphone: "Close-up actors, control your emotions! Control your emotions! Do not over-exaggerate!"

In fact, such a scene of heaven and earth mourning together, with hundreds of people crying in unison, is extremely lethal in a cinema.

But what Lu Kuan wanted to film was far from this approach of destroying beauty for people to see, just to elicit sympathy and tears.

What he wanted to express through the film was the magnificent composure of flowers blooming in the ruins, and the beautiful home rebuilt by the people with their strong, unyielding blood and tears.

As for playing the misery card, the arrangement of the extra Xiao Nan’s role was enough.

His approach was different from "Pants" (Feng Xiaogang); "Pants" had already arranged for his own wife, Xu Fan, to cry and scream in front of the camera at this moment:

"Heaven! You bastard!"

The close-up and feature actors had been carefully trained and quickly grasped the director’s intent, and the entire crowd scene proceeded in an orderly fashion according to the pre-rehearsal process.

In the final shot, the jib rose rapidly.

First, a panoramic overhead view brought a strong visual impact to the audience, followed by various perspectives of rescue, calls for help, and escape.

"Cut!"

Aside from the gradual fading of the machinery's noise, all that remained on set were the heavy, ragged breaths of the actors after their frantic activity.

The "unrecognizable" actors, whether extras or professionals, all stared blankly at the young director who was scanning them from head to toe from behind the monitor.

It was past four in the morning, and the sky remained a deathly, pitch-black void; little Nan, amidst the crowd, hugged her mother's thigh tightly, looking around curiously.

She did not understand what everyone was waiting for, what they were hoping for, or what they were reminiscing about...

After a long while, the young director in front of the monitor finally stood up and bowed slightly toward the crowd: "Thank you, everyone."

"That take is a wrap."

Strangely, there were no cheers, no excitement.

All the actors sat down, exhausted, clutching their waists.

In the crowd, someone suddenly lost their composure and wailed, and immediately, the sorrowful emotion spread and blanketed the entire set.

The survivors from those years, along with their descendants and relatives, could no longer suppress their emotions.

They supported one another, comforted one another, yet all wept bitterly together.

They leaned on each other's shoulders, their trembling bodies conveying their longing for their loved ones and their grievances.

This was the agony of thirty years of suppression!

This was the restlessness of a homeland buried for thirty years!

Lu Kuan also gently wiped the corners of his eyes, turned around, and said, "Edit this behind-the-scenes footage and put it at the end of the film."

"Understood, Director." Yu Feihong was already a tear-stained mess.

Outside the perimeter of the set's security line.

"Leader, that take is finished, we can go over..."

Before Secretary Xiao Li could finish his sentence, he was stopped by Zhao Yong, who was wiping away his own tears.

"Let's go, don't disturb them."

"Everyone has been up all night; let Director Lu get some rest."

"Yes."

At this moment, Secretary Zhao knew better than anyone that this film would be the best tribute and memorial for the people of Tangshan on the thirtieth anniversary of the great earthquake.

(End of chapter)