vstars Chapter 289 Filming Set
Chapter 289 Filming Set
Director Saiweng has already gone to work on filming.
Bai Li and several other investors sat under the makeshift film set set up by the production crew.
Although hot winds blow from all sides, at least you won't be directly exposed to the sun, making it a good shaded spot where you can also see the filming location.
Not far away, under another tent, sat several child actors waiting to go on stage.
The scene of Bai Li and the others being led by Director Saiweng to tour the film set naturally did not escape their eyes.
A young actress gasped in a low voice, nudging her colleague with her elbow: "Ahhh, that's President Bai! We've seen him in person, he's even more handsome than in the videos! What do we do?"
"That's Shirai..."
Although his companions were not familiar with Shirai, they knew about the day and night entertainment.
Day and Night Entertainment is now one of the leading companies in the industry.
They have an exceptional talent-making ability, and almost all of their artists have been made famous from scratch.
For these young actors, the allure of day and night entertainment is immense.
Once you've entered the realm of day and night entertainment, it seems like you've already achieved more than half the success.
That's why he signed up to participate in the filming of "The Craftsman".
Although his role was minor, and he didn't even have a single line in the movie, he was just a minor extra.
And now, the person in charge of Day and Night Entertainment is right in front of him!
His companion couldn't help but feel a little excited: "Should we go say hello?"
"Huh?" The actress was very interested in her suggestion, but ultimately shook her head timidly. "I don't dare..."
They were just small-time actors, and they were afraid of offending the big shots in the past.
"Why?" His companion was clearly confused. "We're not going there to do anything, just to say hello to Boss Bai and get a chance to show our faces. We won't lose anything."
The actress clicked her tongue and said irritably, "What do you know? Look at the person sitting next to President Bai, that's President Li from Longtao Entertainment, and those others are..."
She pointed out the identities of the people around President Bai, clearly having done her homework before coming.
He continued, "They are all investors in 'The Craftsman'. They are definitely here to visit the set today. Don't disturb their work; these big bosses' time is very valuable."
Hearing her rattle off a list of well-known companies in the entertainment industry, like reciting a menu, her companion became even more excited: "Wow, so many big names! I definitely have to go!"
Seeing that he was really going, the actress quickly stopped him: "Don't go! Look at how many assistants and bodyguards are standing around them. Do you think you can get close?"
Hearing this, his companion gradually calmed down.
That's true. It would be too embarrassing if I went over and was stopped by the bodyguards.
The actress pulled out a compact makeup powder from one of her pockets, opened it, and pressed it onto her face. While touching up her makeup, she said, "When filming starts later, the most important thing is to perform well and leave a good impression on the big shots."
"Yeah, I can borrow your powder too." His companion sighed and gave up on his idea.
The same conversations happened between other people as well.
Compared to the two younger actors, the middle-aged extras seemed much calmer.
Despite their small roles, they have worked on countless film sets and naturally know more than these two younger actors, and they discuss different things.
"That's right, it's President Bai. I've seen her in the video before, there's no mistake. The other people are also well-known investors. Wow, the investment in 'Tiangong' is huge."
A middle-aged extra clicked his tongue and continued, "Working with a crew like this, even if you're just cannon fodder, it's worth it. You can brag about it on your resume for years to come."
"Worth it?" Another extra, who seemed more experienced, raised an eyebrow. "Worth what?"
"What do you mean?" The middle-aged extra immediately retorted when he heard someone contradict him.
"The literal meaning," the man said calmly. "The investment may be large, but look at the cast. Apart from the female lead, Yu Dong, who has some experience, the other actors aren't big stars, are they? I've hardly heard of any of their names. Whether a movie is a hit or not still depends on the star power."
Their conversation immediately attracted the attention of a female extra nearby. She disagreed with what the man had just said and stepped forward to argue, "You're wrong. Wasn't 'Asking Immortals' full of newcomers back then? And what happened? It became a huge hit!"
She is very confident about the drama she is starring in: "I think 'Tian Gong' will definitely be a hit. The premise is so exciting!"
The person scoffed, "Sister, what matters in movies is the return on investment. What's the point of looking at the plot? 'The Craftsman' has such a high budget, the pressure to break even is immense."
He turned and pointed with his thumb in the direction of Bai Li's group: "Look at those big shots, they look calm now, but who knows how nervous they are inside. What if the box office doesn't go well..."
He then made a throat-cutting gesture with his thumb across his neck and stuck out his tongue.
This behavior made the actress frown, thinking to herself: What's wrong with this person? Why is he cursing the movie she's in?
This guy has only been filming for a few days, and he's already being called a full-fledged actor? How much does he even know?
Furthermore, the filming technique used in "The Craftsman" is box-style, meaning the crew will film independently in different locations.
This is just one of the filming locations.
Only some of the actors were filming here.
Does anyone know if there are any well-known celebrities at other filming locations?
This person's understanding and views are far too narrow and one-sided...
But she was too lazy to argue with the other party; everyone has different ideas.
It's common for extras to gather and discuss gossip about the film crew.
In their circle, news travels very fast. For example, they know which film crews offer good treatment and delicious meals, and which crews offer poor treatment, such as cutting actors' hair or serving spoiled meals.
Although the filming environment of "The Craftsman" was indeed not good, the treatment of the crew was absolutely the best in the industry.
When she first arrived here, she was somewhat desperate.
She's worked on film crews for decades, playing countless minor roles. The filming conditions here are absolutely the worst, bar none.
It's no longer just a matter of high temperatures and desolation; it's a matter of life and death!
This place is surrounded by yellow sand on all sides, with endless stretches of Gobi Desert. If you were to run out during a hurricane, you would definitely lose your life.
She would never have come if the production team hadn't provided insurance for every actor.
Even if the production team of "Tian Gong" had a huge investment and the reputation of Day and Night Entertainment was great, she wouldn't come.
But after arriving, I found that things were not as I had imagined.
Not only do they offer independent accommodations, but the meals are also very luxurious.
Most importantly, besides the pay, she also received a considerable amount of high-temperature subsidies, which allowed her to earn a lot of money in just a few days.
It's a pity she didn't have many scenes, otherwise I really wanted to continue filming here.
As for the pessimistic comments from the other extras, she didn't listen. A production team that treats extras well will definitely take the work seriously, and she believed in the box office success of "The Craftsman".
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"Action!"
With director Saiweng's booming voice and the script supervisor striking the clapperboard, the first scene of filming officially began.
Bai Li and the other investors stood behind the monitor, watching quietly.
The large monitor displayed images from several camera positions.
The main image prominently features the female lead, Lin Qiu.
Beside her was an actor named Aidan, who played the international mercenary Reno in the film.
Bai Li had only seen his resume; this was the first time she had seen him in person.
In the scene, Renault is tall and burly with blond hair, and standing next to Lin Qiu, he is twice the size.
He was dressed in a special forces uniform that allowed for easy movement, and his massive muscles seemed to burst out from the layers of "binding straps".
Bai Li's eyes lit up instantly as she looked at Renault on the screen, and she couldn't help but marvel:
So big...
No!
I mean, this is so cool!
Bai Li quickly averted her staring gaze, a question lingering in her mind:
How come I didn't notice this handsome foreign guy when we were on set?
She glanced at the enclosed shed on the other side of the set, which was the official dressing and makeup room for the actors. The handsome guy must have been getting his makeup done there, which was why she hadn't seen him.
I see……
At this moment, the lights in the scene begin to flicker.
Suddenly, a malfunctioning security robot appeared in the passageway where the two were.
Although that's how it's written in the plot, the mechanical lifeforms are ultimately fake. During filming, they could only be replaced by stunt doubles wearing motion capture suits, and the mechanical lifeforms were replaced by CG in post-production.
At this moment, the stuntman twisted and bent his posture as he moved on the ground, trying his best to play the role of a mechanical life form that had not yet successfully evolved.
Under the flickering lights, the scene looked very eerie.
Yu Dong had completely entered Lin Qiu's state. While calmly operating the control panel on her wrist, she decisively instructed Renault to buy her time.
Aidan plays Reno, an agile elite mercenary. Although he doesn't have as much health as the mechanical lifeforms, his agility is his advantage. In realistic, unfinished scenes, he fights and maneuvers with the mechanical lifeforms, delivering a highly dramatic performance.
Although the actors all performed very seriously and with great conviction.
But Bai Li still found it somewhat amusing.
In particular, the stuntman, whose entire body was covered in electrode pads, attacked with menacing gestures, which made Bai Li feel a little out of place at one point.
Moreover, there should have been a third party present throughout the entire sequence of events.
This is something Bai Li only noticed later.
On set, a teacher was always standing not far away with a script in hand, reading the lines in a cute tone, dubbing for the unseen character, and interacting with Lin Qiu and Renault.
Bai Li guessed that this third party was either an incorporeal being or another kind of mechanical life form, but because it was too small and not humanoid, it could not be replaced by a stunt teacher.
"Cut!" Director Saiweng shouted, his expression clearly dissatisfied. He picked up a megaphone and pointed out the points he was unhappy with one by one.
The performance continued.
A one-minute scene was filmed three times, with six reshoots of details, plus two more reshoots of close-ups, before finally receiving approval from director Saiweng: "Cut! Take a ten-minute break. Those who need to touch up their makeup, those who need to drink water, and in ten minutes, we'll start the 1323 segment."
The quiet theater immediately became noisy.
The prop master and makeup artist rushed to the center of the film set.
At this moment, Director Saiweng took off his headphones and turned to look at Bai Li: "President Bai, this is our general shooting process. First, we use live stunt doubles to capture the movements, and then we use CG to fill in the gaps in the footage later."
"As long as the technical aspects are right in the later stages, it's fine," Bai Li said, expressing her understanding.
Leave professional matters to professionals; as long as the final result is achieved, that's fine.
"Oh, right." Bai Li remembered something and asked, "Was there another character in the scene just now?"
Director Saiweng nodded in confirmation: "That's right, there was actually another important character in the scene just now—Xiaoyuan."
Upon hearing the name, Bai Li, who had read the original work, suddenly realized who it was.
Xiao Yuan is the first controllable mechanical life form designed by the female protagonist, Lin Qiu.
Not only is he extremely cute, but he also calls the female lead, Lin Qiu, "Mom."
It is an absolutely adorable creature from the original work.
"Because Xiaoyuan is very small and is a spherical object that flies in the air, it cannot be replaced by a weapon, so it can only be added in post-production using CG."
Director Saiweng answered Bai Li's question, and then sighed, "Unfortunately, our technology has not yet developed to that level. If we could really have a flexible physical robot like 'Xiao Yuan' to participate in the filming, the cost and difficulty would be reduced a lot."
There are actually many types of robots on the market, including some equipped with advanced artificial intelligence. However, due to technological limitations, they cannot yet break through the rigid reaction mechanism and therefore cannot participate in movie production.
After all, the mechanical life forms in the movie are so lifelike that they cannot be surpassed with existing physical technology for the time being; we can only use virtual post-production effects.
The foreign investors' representatives are quite familiar with this area, as they have invested in many animated films, some of which used a shooting technique that combined real-life scenes with virtual cartoon characters.
Compared to the setting of Xiaoyuan, they are more concerned about which company is responsible for the CG technology, and whether it is one of the companies they are familiar with.
Those few companies are relatively reliable, but if it's another tech company you've never heard of, and their CG technology isn't mature, the visuals will look terrible.
"Don't worry, everyone. We've found IL, the world's top CG technology provider."
When Director Saiweng mentioned the name IL, the eyes and brows of several investors visibly relaxed.
IL is the world's most authoritative film and television special effects team, leading not only in CG technology but also in visual effects.
They have won the Apollo Best Visual Effects Award 15 times, demonstrating their status as an industry leader.
Entrusting the CG and special effects of "Tian Gong" to them is obviously the safest option.
At this point, all investors' concerns and doubts have been largely dispelled.
The professionalism shown by Director Saiweng today, the well-organized crew, and the meticulous set construction have given them great peace of mind.
On the way back, Bai Li took out her phone, opened her photo album, picked out a few photos she had just casually taken, the blurrier the better, and posted them on her social media account.
The top operations master is back online.