China Entertainment started in 2004

Chapter 567 Shoot

On July 2009, 7, Pacific Rim officially started filming in Beijing.

The crew had been preparing for this before and had already rented a studio in the suburbs of Beijing and set up the venue.

This kind of special effects blockbuster is usually not shot on location, but is shot in a studio using a green screen.

So there is no need to go to the beach, you can just play house games in the studio.

Of course, in order to achieve better film effects, some real-life shooting is essential.

But this is for later arrangements. For now, we just need to stay in a studio outside Beijing.

For example, Marvel's superhero movies are basically shot in a studio using green screens, with very few real-life scenes.

Of course, this is because Hollywood has the corresponding movie special effects technology to support this method.

However, the Pacific Rim crew had already negotiated with a Hollywood special effects company and could shoot the film in this way.

Otherwise, without the support of Hollywood special effects, if Wang Shu wanted to present "Pacific Rim", he would have to complete it through large-scale real-life shooting.

This would be extremely costly and investors would certainly back off, making the project ultimately difficult to complete.

It’s not that Wang Shu doesn’t trust the domestic film special effects technology, but at that time point in 2009, it really wasn’t feasible.

……

On the day of the start of filming, Han Sanping, Ye Lin, Wang Changtian, and the heads of Warner and Fox all came, and it was very lively.

Many reporters came to the scene to record and spread the footage of the opening ceremony.

Zhang Yimou likes to make movies secretly and avoid media reporters.

In fact, Wang Shu is the same, but not all of his movies are like this; he is selective.

For example, the movie "Pacific Rim" had already decided to hype the show from the moment it started casting, so there was no need to start filming secretly.

Relatively speaking, it is more suitable to make the opening ceremony louder.

Of course, the opening ceremony is the opening ceremony, and the shooting scene is the shooting scene.

Media reporters are allowed to come to the opening ceremony to report news, but reporters are strictly prohibited from visiting the set during filming.

With the end of the opening ceremony, the filming of "Pacific Rim" is in full swing.

Chen Long plays the male lead, Zhang Hanyu plays the second male lead, Pedro Pascal plays the third male lead, and Mei Ting plays the female lead.

Since Pacific Rim is a co-production led by a Chinese film and television company, the male lead must have an Asian face.

The second male lead is set to be the highest commander of the Pacific Rim Defense Force, and this role will definitely not be given to a Western actor.

If Western actors are involved, then it becomes the West leading the East.

Therefore, this role cannot be given to a Western actor.

Fortunately, Chen Long is well-known and has box office appeal worldwide, so Warner and Fox were able to accept the decision to give the second male lead to a Chinese actor.

Otherwise, if the male lead is not Chen Long, in order to balance the audiences in the East and the West, either the male lead will be played by a Hollywood actor, or the female lead will be played by a Western actor.

Anyway, there should be one of them between the male and female protagonists.

It can be said that it was because Wang Shu invited Chen Long to star in this movie that Mei Ting was able to play the leading female role.

Because the choice of the second male lead is certain, and since he is the leading role in the film, he can only be played by a domestic entertainment actor.

When the choice of the second male lead is determined in advance, the first male and the first female lead must necessarily balance the global audience.

So, it’s a good thing that the male lead is Chen Long.

Otherwise, Warner and Fox will definitely require a Hollywood actor to play the leading male or female role.

As for the third male lead, Pedro Pascal, he was found by Warner and Fox in Hollywood.

This guy made his debut in 1999, and then just played supporting roles until he starred in the comedy "I Am That Girl" last year.

Wang Shu didn’t know how Warner and Fox found this guy. There is nothing much to say about him now, but he will be quite famous in the future.

This guy starred in Zhang Yimou's blockbuster "The Great Wall".

He has participated in the TV series "Game of Thrones" and starred in the TV series "The Mandalorian".

He has also starred in films such as "Wonder Woman 1984" and "Gladiator 2".

In the original timeline, domestic entertainment media commented on Pedro Pascal in this way.

Before the release of the movie "The Great Wall", the audience may not know the name Pedro Pascal. With the release of "The Great Wall", everyone will definitely be impressed by Matt Damon's good friend in the movie, Tovar, who is good at "bullfighting" and killing Taotie, and can also be funny and make people laugh.

Pedro Pascal has a "standard" Latin face. The big nose, the small mustache and the deep wrinkles between his eyebrows make him look more classical.

In the movie "The Great Wall", he grew a beard and had a scar on his eye, making Tovar look wild and ruthless.

Although he played a supporting role in the film, Pedro portrayed the character's arrogant and funny personality to the fullest.

In the TV series "Game of Thrones", Pedro Pascal has the unique charm of "Red Viper".

After "The Great Wall", this guy starred in several high-scoring American TV series including "Narcos", "The Mandalorian", and "The Last of Us".

As for movies, there has been no improvement.

It was precisely because of his lack of progress that Marvel took a fancy to him and chose him as the leading actor in "Fantastic Four: Step One".

Inside the studio, the crew was getting ready. Mei Ting came up to Wang Shu and said with a rather strange and surprised look, "This is my first time shooting a movie with green screens."

She is a TV actor, and has mostly been filming in studios or in film and television cities. She has only heard of this kind of endless green screen and non-physical filming method, but has never experienced it firsthand like she does now.

Although many domestic crews have used green screen shooting in the past few years, it is mostly used when shooting movies, and the technology is not very mature.

So relatively speaking, crews like Wang Shu's that use large-scale green screen shooting without physical objects are relatively rare.

"Actually, it's nothing special. Hollywood already has mature photography techniques for this." Wang Shu responded with a smile.

He is not flattering Hollywood, he is just telling the truth.

Hollywood began to enter this field in 1940.

With sixty-seven years of development, not only has the technique of green screen shooting become very mature, but computer special effects have also become a supporting feature.

It is precisely because of this that Marvel was able to complete superhero movies such as "Iron Man", "Captain America", "Spider-Man", and "Doctor Fantastic" in the studio and bring them to the big screen.

"I've never been to Hollywood, and I've seen little of it in China, so I don't know much about it." Mei Ting said softly.

Wang Shu listened and explained attentively: "Let me tell you this, green screen shooting is a film shooting technique that creates transparency by using a green background so that the background can be replaced in post-production."

"However, some skills are still needed during filming." "For example, choosing the right green screen."

“Usually choose a uniform green background, preferably a neutral green, to avoid color shifts in post-production. Make sure the green screen is flat and has no wrinkles or ridges to avoid shadows in the frame.”

“Another example is getting the lighting right.”

“When shooting on green screen, it’s very important to get the lighting right.”

“You need to make sure the light hits the green screen evenly to avoid shadows or reflections.”

“Often a soft light source or reflector is used to achieve a more even lighting effect.”

“Also keep a certain distance.”

“This allows you to get the right distance between your subject and the green screen, ensuring the background is clear and large enough to be replaced later. Too close or too far away can result in an opaque or blurry background.”

“Also pay attention to shadows and reflections.”

“Because shadows and reflections may affect the effect of green screen shooting, you need to avoid strong shadows and reflections as much as possible and ensure that the lighting between the subject and the background is even.”

“If you can’t adjust it well during shooting, you can use a sunshade or reflector to control the light.”

"In addition to these, it is also necessary to maintain shooting stability."

"This is to prevent camera shake. Using a tripod or other stabilizer to keep the camera steady helps ensure clear, smooth footage and reduces the difficulty of post-processing."

"It's like the camera in front of us is stabilized by a tripod."

After hearing this, Mei Ting rolled her eyes and said, "Even if we don't use a green screen, we can use a tripod to stabilize the camera, okay?"

By this, she doesn't mean that all cameras should be stabilized with tripods.

It’s not like before, when there are usually several cameras on the set.

Some shots were taken with a camera fixed on a tripod, and some were shot handheld.

Wang Shu saw Zhang Hanyu was also listening carefully, and replied helplessly: "You are right, I just said that this method will help reduce the difficulty of post-processing."

“Because green screen shooting is just shooting, post-production is needed to complete the movie.”

“In post-production, appropriate software is needed to replace the green screen with the desired background.”

“Make sure to choose the correct color match and transparency settings to blend seamlessly with the original background, and apply other effects and adjustments as needed to achieve the best visual results.”

“Also, when shooting with a green screen, detail is very important, ensuring elements such as props, costumes and makeup are distinguished from the green screen color to avoid confusion in post-production.”

"I don't understand." Mei Ting shook her head, indicating that she didn't understand.

Wang Shu looked at Zhang Hanyu, who also shook his head and said, "I don't really understand either."

Wang Shu sighed and said, "When green screens become popular in our country, you will understand."

"I'm telling you so much now, mainly to help you better adapt to the shooting process."

Green screen shooting is done without a physical object, so before using it, it is crucial to set up a plan in advance and envision the final scene.

It can be either a concept design or a storyboard.

In short, you need to determine which parts of the scene are real shots and which are virtual synthesized.

That is, the actors need to know what is actually in the scene and what is added in post-production.

If the scene is quite complex and has several layers of green screen, it is also necessary to establish a clear instruction manual containing every detail to help the crew and actors quickly understand it.

Even so, in some cases, real props are still needed for the actors to refer to.

Often there are tennis balls hanging from the green screen, which serve as visual reference points for the actors.

Therefore, in the green screen scenes of "Pacific Rim", actors such as Mei Ting and Zhang Hanyu cannot just stand up and act casually, but there are many requirements.

It is necessary to perform as if the real object exists when there is no real object.

If it is a panoramic lens, the requirements are higher.

Of course, if the actors understand the principles of green screen, then the performance will be smoother.

If you don’t understand it very well, you will have to work harder.

Wang Shu is now trying his best to make Mei Ting and Zhang Hanyu understand the principles of green screen shooting, so that they can adapt faster and reduce the difficulty of shooting.

Although Zhang Hanyu starred in the movie "Assembly", "Assembly" was not shot with a green screen, but relied on on-site shooting and the reproduction of actual battle scenes.

Therefore, he doesn't really understand the process of green screen shooting and what needs to be paid attention to.

Moreover, some actors need clear scenes and interactions to build up their emotions and complete their performances.

If it’s a green screen, it’s hard to get into the mood.

For example, Liu Tao is such an actress.

Therefore, her acting skills are average and she can never break into the film industry.

In the original timeline, she was praised for her excellent performance in the TV series "The Legend of Miyue".

However, this performance was ridiculed by many people. If it was put in a movie, the director would shake his head after watching it.

Even regular acting is not suitable for movies, let alone green screen shooting in movies.

Generally speaking, when filming in front of a green screen, actors need to rely on their imagination to complete the performance. Because there are no actual scenes and props, everything depends on the imagination in the actors' minds and the control during the performance.

This kind of performance without physical objects is quite difficult.

Because actors need to accurately grasp the scale of movements, rhythm of lines, positioning and facial expressions, etc., all of which require actors to have higher acting skills and stronger control capabilities.

Therefore, green screen shooting tests the actors' acting skills even more.

This is usually reflected in two aspects:
One is the performance without physical objects, and the other is the grasp of details.

In the former, in front of the green screen, actors need to rely on their imagination to complete the performance, which requires them to have stronger imagination and performance control.

For example, in "Special Forces: Fire Phoenix", there was a scene where the actors needed to show a lot of sweating, but in fact they just stood in a cotton jacket and presented the effect through acting.

In the latter, in front of the green screen, the actors need to pay more attention to the details, because every detail will affect the final special effects.

For example, the amplitude of movements, facial expressions, etc. need to be very natural and realistic.

This goes back to the fact that some actors need a physical environment and acting skills to build up their emotions and get into the right state to complete their performance.

Green screen shooting, none of that.

(End of this chapter)