noveldepot Chapter 7 Start-up
Chapter 7 Start-up
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The production team held meetings for two consecutive days to further refine their teamwork.
While explaining the creative concept of "Sniper Phone Booth" to the actors, Fang Yi also pulled the executive director, assistant director, cinematographer, lighting, and art department aside to discuss the storyboard.
The film crew was a place with a strict hierarchy. Apart from him, the director, even Chen Feng, the production manager from Huayi, could not overstep the bounds.
The film crew of "Sniper Phone Booth" may be small, but they have everything they need.
Below the director and production manager, there are two executive directors and three assistant directors. The difference between these two titles is like night and day.
The two executive directors oversee and manage the various departments of the production team, including the cinematography and lighting department, the art department, and the sound recording department.
The photography and lighting department is further divided into the photography group, lighting group, and motion graphics group, while the art department is also divided into art direction, set design group, props group, and costume design group.
The styling group is further divided into sections such as clothing, makeup, hairstyling, and special effects makeup.
The two assistant directors are in charge of logistics, script supervisors, maintaining order on set, and communicating the director's instructions.
In addition, the production team also has an action stunt department and a physical effects department.
Due to budget constraints, "Sniper Phone Booth" was just a small production crew. Larger production crews, often with hundreds of members, have numerous departments and groups to cover all filming needs.
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3 month 5 number.
On the day the film officially started shooting, Fang Yi was woken up by his phone alarm.
He nestled on the half-soft, half-firm bed, dozed off for a minute, and then scrambled out of bed.
The March mornings are still chilly. I drew back the curtains and saw rows of lush greenery lining the streets outside, bathed in the morning sun, the leaves glistening with dew.
It took him a mere ten minutes to wash up and come downstairs.
Downstairs at the hotel restaurant, a few people had arrived, and they all greeted Fang Yi when they saw him.
Good morning, Director...
"Director Fang is here, we're having meat buns today."
How did everyone sleep last night?
Fang Yi waved his hand, sat down next to Fan Bingbing, poured a bowl of soy milk from the table, grabbed a large meat bun and started eating.
"The sleep was so-so; the bed was too hard."
Fan Bingbing frowned and continued, taking a small bite of the bun, the meat filling and broth overflowing from her teeth and onto her red lips.
Fang Yi glanced at it and was slightly tempted.
He turned his head away, not daring to look too closely. He was at the age to start his own business, and he couldn't afford to fall into a whirlwind romance too early.
"The budget is limited, please bear with us. I'll treat everyone to a bath and massage after filming wraps up!"
Fang Yi chewed on a steamed bun and mumbled something indistinctly.
Upon hearing about a massage, the man's eyes lit up, while the woman rolled her eyes.
Fan Bingbing shifted her shapely buttocks, revealing a teasing smile, and said, "While you men take a bath, we women are going to have a feast."
"No problem!" Fang Yi readily agreed.
After finishing three steamed buns, he picked up another one, stood up, and walked around giving instructions.
"Meet at 8:00 AM, filming starts at 9:00 AM!"
"clear!"
He then called over a few crew members who had finished eating earlier, and they walked to the film set.
The film set is close by, only four or five hundred meters away, on a street in the film city where modern scenes are shot.
The set design team completed the set setup yesterday, changing everything from street names and shop signs to the GG logo on office buildings.
Shortly after, when the group arrived at the film set, the camera and equipment crew arrived in two vans.
The group carefully unloaded the equipment and, under the direction of assistant director Lin Qiang, set it up according to plan.
Fang Yi wandered around for a while, carefully inspecting every corner of the street.
Almost all the important scenes in the movie were filmed on this street, leaving no room for carelessness.
In order to finish quickly, the production team signed a seven-day contract with the film studio, and would extend it if needed.
As it approached 8:30, Fang Yi began to issue director's instructions.
"Old Lin, take some men and check it again from beginning to end."
"Old Wang, are the extras in position yet? Get them ready to rehearse their positions."
"Old Fang, point the machine at the phone booth."
The three instructions were given to the two assistant directors, Lin Qiang and Wang Cheng, and the head of the photography team, Li Xiang.
Huayi attaches great importance to this new film, or rather, to Fang Yi, this new director, and has sent experienced film and television personnel.
Lin Qiang, Wang Cheng, and Li Xiang are all in their late thirties, under forty, and have over fifteen years of work experience.
Soon after, the two executive directors arrived with a large group of people, and the scene instantly became lively.
The two of them, with the big filming plan in hand, arranged the filming process.
Nine o'clock sharp.
A long rectangular table, on which are laid out sacrificial animals and fruit.
More than ninety people, including lead actors and extras, offered incense to heaven and earth under Fang Yi's leadership.
May everything go smoothly and may your startup be auspicious!
May everything go smoothly and may your startup be auspicious!
"The ceremony is complete!"
A hundred or so people shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the streets, and everyone beamed with joy.
Production manager Chen Feng happily handed out red envelopes to everyone, including the extras. The red envelopes weren't big, just ten yuan each as a token.
Fang Yi grabbed the megaphone handed to him by the script supervisor and shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, get ready in ten minutes..."
At his command, the camera crew aimed their equipment at the phone booth, and extras gathered from three directions in a bustling crowd.
Lights and recordings are turned on for the final debugging and testing.
Ten minutes later.
With all the issues resolved, executive director Liu Yukun gave Fang Yi an OK sign in front of the monitor.
Fang Yi received the signal and waved to the head of the script supervisor who was waiting nearby.
Zheng Ying, the head of the script supervision team, picked up another small megaphone, put it to his mouth, and shouted loudly, "Unrelated personnel, leave the scene. Record the sound."
"On your marks! Departments, get ready!"
"Actors, take your positions!"
At the sound of the three commands, the scene fell silent, with only the low rumble of the machines.
Immediately afterwards, Fang Yi, sitting behind the monitor, issued the last instruction before powering on.
"Power on!"
Upon hearing the order, Li Xiang, the head of the photography team, personally took over the camera, accompanied by two assistants, and said to his apprentice beside him, "Action!"
The script supervisor came in front of the camera, holding the clapperboard and aiming it at the camera.
"Scene 3, one take, one shot!"
The script supervisor quickly snapped the clapperboard and crouched down, disappearing from the camera's field of vision in a flash.
At this moment, Huang Xiaoming, who was in the phone booth in advance, made preparations.
Upon hearing the script supervisor's call, he mentally counted down three seconds and entered performance mode.
On camera, he is seen leaning against the phone booth, picking up the phone and dialing a number.
Good morning, darling...
A sweet voice conveys a message, and out of sight of the camera, Yang Xue, who plays a reporter, also portrays the lover on the phone.
The lover's role never appears on screen, only in the phone conversation.
"Ugh, my beauty sleep is ruined."
On the phone, Yang Xue sounded sleepy, as if she had been woken up, and expressed her dissatisfaction to her lover in a sweet voice.
"Haha...it's my fault for disturbing the little one's morning nap. I'll make it up to you with a morning exercise session this weekend."
Huang Xiaoming skillfully drove onto the highway, and after hearing Yang Xue's coquettish response, a lewd smile appeared on his handsome face.
He changed the subject and continued to make his lover happy.
"Honey, let me tell you something funny. Some idiot just said my takeout arrived. He's got water in his brain! I just got to the phone booth, what takeout could I possibly order!"
A 30-second medium-length shot shows Huang Xiaoming acting alone while talking on the phone.
Fang Yi stared intently at the monitor.
The performance was commendable, nothing amazing, but that's fine too. He planned to wait until the play was over before making a judgment.
At this moment, the camera moves forward and focuses on Huang Xiaoming's face.
Yang Xue was fully awake on the phone. Upon hearing the words "phone booth," her voice suddenly changed: "Jingtang, why do you call me from the phone booth every day, and at roughly the same time?"
Under the camera's lens, Huang Xiaoming's smile vanished instantly, and his hesitant expression shattered his image of a debonair elite.
On camera, the filter of his image as a young and promising man was shattered for the first time.
He raised an eyebrow and began his habitual lie: "Darling, every day on my way to work, when I see those female celebrities' boyfriends on both sides of the street, I can't help but think of you."
"Honey, your looks, temperament, and figure are just as good as those female celebrities."
"And your beautiful legs surpass those of many pretty female celebrities."
"Yeah.."
Yang Xue chuckled softly. The person on the other end of the phone, who was about to get up, casually said, "I'm going to wash up now. Remember to call me this weekend."
"No problem, I definitely won't be late!"
Huang Xiaoming remained calm until the call ended, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he dialed another number.
"Hi, my dear superstar, are you awake yet?"
One after another, he would finish appeasing his lover and immediately start flirting with a third-tier celebrity he hadn't even won over yet.
This opening scene perfectly illustrates what it means to be a refined scoundrel and what it means to be a high-class scumbag.
Off-camera, the other actors gathered together, watching intently.
Fan Bingbing pointed at Huang Xiaoming in the phone booth and whispered to Deng Chao and Hu Jun, "Tsk tsk, Brother Xiaoming acted really well, he has the potential to be a scumbag."
"Ha ha…"
The two couldn't help but chuckle, wanting to laugh but afraid to laugh out loud.