This director needs to apologize

Chapter 395 Taking great pains
In Shenzhen, the crew of "Looking for the Heart" resumed filming after a week's break, and Liu Haoran finally had his first scene against Shen Ming.

Today is a nice cloudy day. By the artificial lake in the university town, the photography and lighting crews were already in place and had completed preparations such as light metering, fill lighting, test shooting, and positioning. The stage management guys had also completed the stage control and were waiting for the actors to enter.

Master and apprentice Shen and Liu came out of the makeup group and walked towards the bench by the lake. Little Liu followed behind Master Shen with his head down, and at first glance he looked very unconfident.

Yes, in the first month, he was tortured by his own cheap master in various ways. It was impossible not to have psychological burden when acting face to face. Actor Shen was famous for his ruthless attitude when filming, so Xiao Liu was naturally under a lot of pressure.

Chen Yiming looked up at the sky and judged that it would not rain, so it would not be a problem to grind for a day.

Today he did not stay in the studio as usual, but stood directly next to the photography assistant. This might be one of the sources of Liu Haoran's stress.

Seeing that the actors were already in position outside the frame, Chen Yiming made a gesture, and the assistant director went through the confirmation process and shouted ACTION.

Unit 3 on the track was the first to chase and shoot, and two seconds later Unit 2 diagonally opposite began to retreat at a constant speed.

According to the shooting plan, as the two approached the bench, Shen Ming turned his head to look at Liu Haoran, and it was the turn of the No. 1 machine on the circular track to insert, but Chen Yiming shouted "click" first.

"Haoran, you're too slow. Do it again."

It doesn't really matter if cameras 2 and 3 come in earlier or later, because they can be edited later, but the timing of camera 1 on the circular track cutting in must not go wrong. This camera position involves the angle, and if it's wrong the composition of the entire picture will collapse.

The perfect effect requires tacit cooperation among the actors, photographers, and crew. In this scene, the actors just walked slowly, which was already considered simple.

The camera was reset and the script supervisor reviewed it. The master and apprentice used this time to try it out twice more. Ten minutes later, the second take began.

This time, the buttocks of the two still failed to touch the chairs, and Chen Yiming once again shouted "cut" in advance.

"Haoran, tighten your jaw and relax a little."

Then Chen Yiming picked up the loud speaker and shouted, "Take a quarter of an hour's rest."

It’s still Xiao Liu’s problem. The veins on his neck are about to burst, his muscles are out of control, and there’s no way to talk about his inner drama.

The photographers all ran away to stretch their arms and legs, while the girls from the makeup team ran up to touch up the makeup of the two actors.

Compared with the actors in front of the camera, the pressure behind the scenes is actually quite great.

Chen Yiming could shoot twenty or thirty times without hesitation just to pick out a shot that suits his taste.

But for the camera operator, camera pusher, pole operator, lighting assistant and others, every shot means they must concentrate fully and perform a flawless operation.

Any slight mistake will lead to inadequate execution, affect the actors' performance or cause technical bugs, which will be irreparable errors.

An actor's performance is subjective, and to some extent is not even under the actor's control. Repeated shooting is a natural thing. After all, the more subtle the emotions in the shot, the more illusory the final effect will be, and the probability is comparable to winning the lottery.

The work of behind-the-scenes staff is relatively objective. It tests physical control and job experience. If you are wrong, you are wrong, and there is no excuse for it.

Therefore, a director's scheduling ability is not only reflected in the content presented in the camera, but also involves the elements hidden outside the camera. It not only includes the training of actors, but also extends to the entire crew.

Alternating between relaxation and tension is the way of both civil and military affairs.

Fifteen minutes later, the third shoot started on time, still with the two of them walking slowly side by side.

Shen Ming had a sullen face and Liu Haoran stiffened his neck, and this time their emotions were finally right.

This scene is the first in-depth communication between the psychological counselor and Xunxin, and also the second time they meet.

When they first met, Xunxin, relying on his self-taught knowledge of psychological analysis, rashly speculated on the relationship between the psychological counselor and his deceased wife, and was attacked by a neck lock. Naturally, the meeting ended in a bad mood.

That scene involved intense emotional outbursts and was much more difficult than this one, so Chen Yiming moved the shooting order back.

Relatively speaking, the scene by the lake had lower requirements for Liu Haoran. He does not have many lines, and the emotional transitions are not so abrupt. He is unconvinced at the beginning, convinced in the middle, and finally leaves with dignity at the end.

The highlight of the play is actually Mr. Shen. It is not difficult to convince Liu Haoran in the play with a lot of words, after all, the latter's reaction can be acted out. However, it is not easy to convince the audience outside the play.

Shen Ming, who was half a step ahead, stopped accurately in front of the bench and turned to look at Liu Haoran who was looking around at his side. The latter noticed the gaze and put away his cynicism, and also met Shen Ming's gaze accurately.

Chen Yiming's heart moved slightly, not bad, it was right on the third time.

Unit No. 1 always kept Shen Ming's face in the frame, rotating silently as he turned his head. The zoom operation was flawless, just enough to record all the changes in Liu Haoran's expression.

"You know, after you left that day, I kept thinking about your comments on the painting and couldn't sleep until midnight.

Until one moment, I suddenly realized a problem, and then I fell asleep immediately. The problem is that you are just an ignorant child and you don’t know what you say. "

Shen Ming spoke the lines slowly and steadily, with a look of unknown loss on his face.

At first, he sat down slowly, leaning sideways, with his right arm loosely resting on the back of the bench, his left leg leisurely raised and resting on his right knee, his eyes slanting upwards at Liu Haoran who was still standing.

Unit No. 1 continued to move counterclockwise in the direction of Shen Ming, turning Liu Haoran's profile little by little. The moment its back was completely turned towards him, the focus suddenly zoomed out, bringing the two people and the bench into the frame.

Then Liu Haoran turned around and sat down. Shen Ming put down his raised arms and crossed legs at the right time, leaned forward slightly, rested his elbows on parallel knees, and supported his chin with his hands crossed.

Unit 1 also turned to the front, lowered, pushed closer, and slanted upwards to give a close-up of Shen Ming's face.

Shen Ming ignored the huge camera in front of him and continued to mutter in his own rhythm.

"If I talk to you about classical culture, you may be able to recite the analysis of the texts in the book by heart, but if we talk about Li Bai, Du Fu, and Bai Juyi, you will definitely know more than me about their lives, famous quotes, achievements, and historical status.

But you have never witnessed the loneliness of the thatched cottage, the grandeur of Chang'an, and the vastness of Lake Baikal, but I have walked through and seen all of them. "

Shen Ming put his elbows away and straightened his body, his arms hanging down leisurely, and continued with a smile, "Speaking of women, you can tell me everything about them, and maybe you have rolled in the sheets more than once, but you can't tell me the true joy from the bottom of your heart when you wake up next to a woman in the morning."

Shen Ming glanced at him with a half-smile, "Speaking of war, you would sing me Goodbye, Friend, or Go to the Battlefield Thousands of Miles Away. But you have never been to the battlefield in person, never witnessed your comrades die bravely, watched him rush to his predetermined fate, and left you with only his back.

If I ask you what love is, you will definitely say that life is precious, but have you ever loved someone from the bottom of your heart? When you look into her eyes, you know what she is thinking, and you are no longer alone in this world.

Have you ever experienced the pain of losing your loved one? She lies on the hospital bed, and you can only helplessly hold her hand, craving for the warmth that will eventually run out of time. Yes, you have never loved, so naturally you don’t care about losing. "

Shen Ming turned sideways again, and the No. 1 camera no longer faced his face, but continued to slide counterclockwise, bringing Liu Haoran next to him into the frame.

"Crack!"

Shen Ming swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and turned them into a light sigh.

Chen Yiming picked up the speaker and said, "Twenty minutes of rest, the next round will start with the back-to-back shot."

When the two-person shot was connected again, Liu Haoran failed to keep his emotions in check, the contrast before and after was too obvious.

There is not much worth emphasizing on the technical level. As for guiding Xiao Liu, it is Mr. Shen’s job, and there is no need for Chen Yiming to interfere.

The shot design for this section was revised several times, with test shoots including two people working in parallel, one main and one auxiliary, and focusing on one side. Finally, Chen Yiming chose the current version of the shot.

The choice of a close-up of Shen Ming was certainly not to reduce the difficulty for Liu Haoran. Chen Yiming mainly considered presenting the psychological distance in a visual way based on the reference to the original version of "Good Will Hunting".

The five therapeutic conversations between the two are basically the process of two strangers' minds gradually getting closer. The vivid performances of the actors are only one aspect, and the camera design can also serve as an auxiliary prompt.

The second meeting being filmed now is the beginning of the two people establishing substantive contact. Chen Yiming chose to focus on the psychological counselor, using an ultra-large close-up that occupies the entire frame to highlight the counselor's long monologue.

In the entire scene, there are only four shots of the two people in the same frame, and each has its own role.

The slow walk section at the beginning, through their positions and angles, implies the two people's seemingly harmonious but spiritually distant relationship as well as the relationship between the primary and the secondary.

The zoom shot before the monologue reveals the change in the two people's positions and inserts hidden editing points. The most important thing is to use Liu Haoran's back to hint at the inner gap between the two.

This time when the two of them were in the same frame was the third time. Emotionally, Liu Haoran disagreed with Shen Ming's monologue, but his reason was guiding him to think along with Shen Ming involuntarily. Student Liu needed to give an appropriate response.

The camera just captured Liu Haoran's wandering, which obviously deviated from the tone of the whole scene.

After a short break, the fourth shot started from the moment when his back was turned, but after five seconds Chen Yiming shouted "cut".

This time it was a technical error. The operator's assistant was a little slow in shaking the camera and failed to aim at Shen Ming's face.

Five minutes later, Actor Shen finished his monologue for the fifth time with great emotion. The camera turned to see Xiao Liu who again failed to pass. Shen Ming's aura was too strong, and it was not easy for Liu Haoran to take over.

Half an hour later, for the sixth time, Shen Ming's performance was still stable. However, when he talked about what love is, the actor actually stuttered for the first time and then forgot the words.

He just laughed out loud, which attracted everyone in the crew to follow suit. Laughter rose and fell over the set, and the once stagnant air dissipated in an instant.

Liu Haoran was confused at first. After he understood the situation, he clearly wanted to laugh, but he tried his best to restrain himself because of his dignity as a teacher. As a result, his whole face twitched and looked extremely weird.

Chen Yiming watched and smiled without saying anything, thinking that Teacher Shen really put a lot of effort into it.

(End of this chapter)