The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 522 Independent Director
When Gus Van Sant arrived at the middle school, it was just after noon, and the sun was lazily shining down, but it didn't seem hot at all, and there was still a bit of freshness that had not yet completely dissipated in spring.

It was great weather for filming.

Gus decided to take a short walk to soak up the sun and collect his thoughts. He was thinking about the casting of the "Elephant" project. Slowing down could help clear the clues in his mind.

Actually, Gus didn’t have any special requirements——

You don’t need to be beautiful or ostentatious, just be ordinary, just like an ordinary middle school student; of course, the premise is that you are not afraid of being photographed, and you can still remain comfortable in front of the camera, ignoring the existence of the camera and insisting on yourself.

This is enough.

However, Gus also knows that this request often stumps most children. It is not an easy task to pretend not to realize that the camera is filming them. This is why Gus considers using professional actors for the main roles. reason.

He plans to shoot it in the form of a pseudo-documentary, with real daily life on campus as the core; but the essence is still a drama film, which requires the cooperation of actors and the invisibility of the camera -

Cannot be detected.

Thinking about it, my thoughts spread out.

From the selection of actors to the setting of the camera to the composition of the picture and the trajectory of the movement, etc.

Spatial position is a magical part of the movie lens. The cleaner and concise the movie, the more it tests the director's skills.

How to present the character's position in space, a small existence in a wide space, or a crowded and oppressive space in a narrow space; how to present the subjective feeling brought by the lens perspective, a condescending overlooking or looking up from the bottom; how to present the characters in the space The relationship with the characters, intimacy or alienation, confrontation or dependence.

And so on.

A perspective, a lens.

These are often already conveying the director's ideas, and the narrative is not only completed through lines and scripts.

Last time, when filming "Jerry", Gus adopted a shooting method; this time, he planned to use the experience of "Jerry" to make some different attempts, which also means that the position and scheduling of the lens are particularly important.

Gus hopes to use the lens to show the undercurrent hidden under the calmness, which is not only loneliness, but also a repressed emotion.

People often need to see blood, brains, and corpses to realize that something is happening; however, the invisible oppression, exclusion, attacks, and cold violence are happening all the time without bloodshed. It doesn't mean there are no injuries, even in daily life there are undercurrents everywhere.

This was the cornerstone on which Gus conceived the entire film.

Because of this, the relaxed and natural state of the actors is even more important. The moment they realize the presence of the camera, the spatial relationship between the lens and the characters may collapse, causing the image presented in the entire film to lose credibility. .

In the movie "Elephant", the existence of actors is not important, because there is almost no difficulty in acting, just be yourself; but it is important, but it is also extremely important, how to show your true and natural self in front of the camera , this is the ultimate challenge for every actor.

It was at this time that Gus noticed the figure on the playground——

A blond boy sat quietly on the swing, his body swaying gently in the breeze; he tilted his head and leaned on the rope, unable to see the eyebrows on his face, but he seemed to be able to see the golden sunshine swirling around him lightly.

A little lonely. A little broken. A little sad.

It's not so much sadness or pain as...a kind of thinking.

He immersed himself in his own world and allowed his thoughts to extend into the depth and latitude of the universe, exploring the mysteries of time and space and exploring the meaning of life.

The movie scene suddenly appeared in Gus' mind.

Involuntarily, Gus stepped lightly, like a birdwatcher in the dense forest, carefully hiding his whereabouts and observing the habits of the birds, knowing that he should not get close, but his heart was beating uncontrollably.

however.

Gus clumsily stepped on a stone, and the sole of his foot slipped slightly, breaking the calm air.

Oops!

Gus:…

He froze in place like a wooden man, staring blankly at the blond boy——

It's him. It's actually him?

Gus was stunned.

"Hey, director."

The moment Gus was stunned, the blond boy was the first to say hello.

The person in front of him was Anson Wood.

If someone doesn't know this face that has swept through Hollywood in the past few years, the only explanation is that he lives in a closed paradise and completely cuts off all contact with social networks.

Otherwise, how could we not recognize him?
This is also Gus' biggest concern.

At this moment, Anson was so proud that he could see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day. The whole of Hollywood might not be able to fit into his eyes, but he ended up starring in such a low-cost experimental independent film——

you sure?
After HBO made the proposal, Gus asked around in detail.

In the end, it was Diane Keaton, Gus' old friend and producer of "Elephant," who made the final decision.

"Gus, have you ever thought that when you were speculating and picking on him, he nodded and agreed to star? Doesn't this fact itself mean something?"

A word to awaken the dreamer.

After careful consideration, Gus decided to give Anson and himself a chance.

Before coming to Portland, Gus imagined countless disaster scenarios——

This is his character. He is pessimistic by nature, tends to see the negative side of things, and is always preparing for death.

In Gus's movies, you can often see his thoughts on life and the world, from "Jerry" to "Elephant", which can be seen as Gus's thoughts on death.

However, nothing happened as Gus imagined it.

There were no reporters, no fans, no crowds of people cheering in front and behind.

No agent, not even an assistant.

Anson sat alone on the swing, swaying gently like a duckweed. He was no different from other students, just having an ordinary afternoon.

……That's it?
For a rare moment, Gus froze on the spot, his brain completely unable to keep up with his thoughts.

But the strange thing is that at this moment, Gus remembered something:

Anson should be very photogenic.

There is such a kind of actor who has a unique temperament. As long as they appear in the camera or on the big screen, the atmosphere of the whole scene will naturally change slightly, making people want to explore it in detail.

In Gus's impression, Anson is handsome. For God's sake, the overwhelming news is praising Anson's handsomeness and chicness; but Gus has never seen Anson's temperament——

Perhaps, neither “The Princess Diaries” nor “Spider-Man” captured this quality of Ansem?

Gus thought it must have been special to have Anson on camera.

Thoughts abounded, but the first words out of Gus's mouth were -

"Hair, your hair!"

Anson has short golden brown hair, which is usually close to brown, but when exposed to the sun, it will reveal a light golden color. However, in front of Anson, his hair is bright and dazzling bright golden hair.

what happened?

There was so much information that Gus had some indigestion.

(End of this chapter)