EFB Chapter 9: Putting Some Pressure on Xiaoming
Chapter 9: Putting Some Pressure on Xiaoming
......
Compared to Fan Bingbing's hesitation, Hu Jun and Huang Xiaoming appeared more experienced and composed.
During filming, both of them remained calm and composed, both on and off screen.
Fang Yi observed that several times the two men's assistants hurriedly came over with their phones, and they didn't show any abnormality when they took the calls.
He was so pleased with himself that he pretended not to know anything about it and secretly sped up the filming pace.
A few days later, Deng Chao's scenes were almost finished, with only two campus scenes and the final phone booth scene remaining.
3 month 20 day.
The weather was sunny, and the sky was a clear blue.
After days of rain, the intense sunlight made the air exceptionally fresh, cleansing people's moods and bringing smiles to their faces.
The crew rented the street again and continued filming Huang Xiaoming's scenes.
After filming several scenes in the morning, Deng Chao helped the assistant director serve lunch and came to Fang Yi's side.
"Yi Zi, there's something I need to tell you."
"What's wrong?"
Fang Yi sat in the director's chair, eating heartily. Today's dish was stir-fried pork with small chilies, which was very appetizing.
Deng Chao had finished eating. He handed Fang Yi a glass of water and whispered, "I got a role yesterday. It's a new martial arts drama directed by Wang Jing."
When will you join the crew?
Fang Yi put down his chopsticks, took a sip of water, and asked, "Old Deng replied that there's probably a time conflict with this side."
Deng Chao did think so. He didn't know the specific filming progress at present, so he could only ask Fang Yi.
"Everything is ready over there, and it will be operational in ten days at most."
"Ten days is fine, just keep answering."
Fang Yi smiled, telling Deng Chao to relax.
He also knew that Deng Chao was now taking any role he could get, as long as he didn't take on too many roles at once, he would accept any role, good or bad.
"Okay, I'm relieved to hear that. I'll tell Director Wang Jing that I'll play the emperor again."
Deng Chao also laughed, took out his phone and stood up, his smile carrying a hint of helplessness.
If he didn't need the money, he really wouldn't want to be a professional emperor actor.
......
Some people say that when a small problem arises...
Don't worry, the second question is coming soon.
A few minutes after Deng Chao left, Huang Xiaoming leisurely squatted down next to Fang Yi, carrying a boxed lunch.
He looked around and whispered, "Director, there's something I need to report to you in advance."
"you say."
Fang Yi's brow furrowed, a vague sense of foreboding creeping in.
"Here's the thing, I received a call from the Condor Heroes crew this morning. They said they need to reshoot a few scenes of the final Battle of Xiangyang. Director Zhang asked me to come over when I have time, saying that time is tight."
"Where?"
"Right in Hengdian."
Huang Xiaoming took a bite of his food, tilted his head towards the antique-style building not far away, and said, "I replied this morning that I was filming and it wouldn't be that quick; it would take three to five days."
Hearing this, Fang Yi felt slightly relieved.
Deng Chao and Huang Xiaoming truly deserve to be the future pillars of the Chinese entertainment industry. They are adept at handling interpersonal relationships and never make things difficult for others.
Huang Xiaoming knew that the reshoot time was tight, so he still delayed it for three to five days to give time for "Sniper Phone Booth".
He also told Fang Yi that he needed to ask for leave because he had to go to the Condor Heroes set for reshoots and couldn't stand Zhang Jizhong up.
He smiled, pointed at Huang Xiaoming with his chopsticks, and said, "You guys are all shrewd."
"No need for five days, four days. First, you'll film for four days, then I'll give you three days off."
Is that enough?
"That's enough, three days is enough. There aren't many reshoots. It's a scene of my life-and-death farewell with the female lead. Director Zhang found that the effect wasn't good during editing, so we have to reshoot a segment."
"Thank you for your understanding, director."
Huang Xiaoming nodded vigorously, grinning as he expressed his gratitude to Fang Yi for being willing to release the person.
To be honest, he was a little worried before he spoke.
In his view, Fang Yi is young and it's his first time directing, so he should value the authority of the director.
As the male lead, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was essentially performing a one-man show in the film.
During filming, taking leave for other scenes seemed a bit disrespectful and arrogant.
Fortunately, I had planned ahead and gave Fang Yi and the crew a few days to adjust.
Hmm... I'll treat everyone to another meal tonight.
After filming wraps up, I'll go back to the capital and thank Fang Yi separately.
Huang Xiaoming thought this to himself and left with joy.
Fang Yi watched his retreating figure, feeling a mix of emotions, and pondered how to work overtime for the next few days.
We'll film for eight hours tomorrow, just to train Xiaoming's acting skills!
To prevent him from getting cocky...
Hmm...we need to get the props team to prepare some sunshades so they don't affect the lighting and visuals.
Poor Xiaoming, he was happy too soon.
.......
After several consecutive days of sunny weather, the temperature in Hengdian has risen.
On set, Huang Xiaoming hysterically lashed out at the police and reporters who had gathered around him from inside a phone booth.
In this scene, after the assassin kills a street thug, the protagonist Fang Jingtang is completely paralyzed with fear and lets the assassin lead him by the nose.
Behind the monitor, Fang Yi watched Huang Xiaoming's performance on the camera and nodded to himself.
The continuous overtime work left the other person with a sense of tension, whether real or feigned, which would be very apt for a movie.
Talented actors can draw inferences from one instance to another when acting, and can readily apply any situation they have experienced to their own life.
Huang Xiaoming's talent may not be at the top level of being born with divine favor, but it is still at a high level in the entertainment industry.
"Click, save one."
After the performance ended, Fang Yi picked up the walkie-talkie to give instructions and then went to the phone booth.
He watched as Huang Xiaoming, whose expression gradually relaxed and who was drenched in sweat, waved to the people outside the film set.
"Makeup team, come over here quickly to touch up your makeup."
At this moment, the script supervisor, who was very perceptive, brought over two small stools, knowing that Fang Yi was about to give a speech to the lead actor.
The two sat down, and Huang Xiaoming took the warm water handed to him by his assistant, took a small sip, and said, "Director, if there's anything that's not quite right, just tell me, and I'll do it again."
He took it all to heart and was determined to give a brilliant performance and master this complex and contradictory character.
Fang Yi nodded, and after he rested for a while, he said, "Fang Jingtang's character went from being spirited and dashing at the beginning, to talking nonsense, and then to being hysterical and terrified."
"You need to find the right balance. You need to understand that from the moment the small-time hoodlum is sniped, you fall under the killer's control. Life, family, love, status, everything is gone. You have no chance to resist."
"During this period, you will experience a series of psychological states such as panic, fear, despair, helplessness, madness, shame, grief, and discouragement."
"I understand, director. Don't worry, I believe I can perfectly portray these states."
Huang Xiaoming nodded emphatically, smiled wearily, picked up the thermos, and took another sip of warm water.
The assistant, who was standing nearby, gave him a concerned look after hearing these words.
Huang Xiaoming looked at his assistant: "Anything else?"
Normally, the assistant leaves the scene quickly after delivering the water, but today he stayed behind, which inevitably distracted him.
"Brother Xiaoming, Director, someone's coming to visit the set later."
"Oh...who is it..."
Fang Yi smiled, assuming it was one of Huang Xiaoming's friends in the entertainment industry.
Hengdian hosts so many film crews every year, and people are filming all the time. It's normal for close friends in the industry to visit each other on set if they don't have any scenes to film.
This can be considered a kind of fun, as it allows one to relax and learn, observe and learn, and maintain relationships among artists.
When the director asked, the assistant chimed in, "The Condor Heroes crew said they'd be arriving around 11 o'clock, a total of eight or nine people."
Then, he bowed slightly to Fang Yi, apologizing on behalf of Huang Xiaoming.
At this crucial moment in filming, the presence of visitors on set naturally slows down the production schedule.
Fang Yi waved his hand dismissively, glanced at the time, and saw it was almost eleven o'clock.
He stood up and said to Huang Xiaoming, "That's all for this morning. You can entertain your friends first. We'll start work at 2 PM."
"Understood, thank you, Director." Huang Xiaoming stood up and bowed in thanks.
After saying that, he pulled his assistant away, instructing as they walked, "Go find the assistant director and tell him it's my treat, and add two more dishes for the whole crew."
"Okay, Brother Xiaoming, I'll go right away."
The assistant was also a smart person and instantly understood what Huang Xiaoming meant.
Fang Yi said that work would start at 2 o'clock, which obviously meant that people wouldn't be allowed to leave. There wasn't enough time, and they couldn't entertain the Condor Heroes crew outside.
If that's the case, then let's add some dishes for the crew. This way, we won't delay the afternoon's filming, and we can entertain our friends so that the whole crew can also enjoy a good meal.
As filming neared its end, the budget for "Sniper Phone Booth" became increasingly tight, and the food became inconsistent.
Huang Xiaoming believes that everyone will understand.
I understand, of course I understand.
Fang Yi returned to the monitor, picked up the shooting plan, and added two lines with a pen.
Starting tomorrow, we'll be filming for ten hours every day.
Xiaoming is very energetic, so let's put some more pressure on him.
"Brother Xiaoming..."
"Hello everyone... I'm Chen Zihan, and I've brought the Condor Heroes crew to visit the set."
"I'm Yang Mi, nice to meet you all."
Just as Fang Yi added a shooting scene, he heard two charming voices coming from outside the film set.
Looking up, I saw eight or nine people filing in, led by assistant director Lin Qiang.
"Hello everyone, I am Liu Yifei."
"I rushed over to visit Brother Xiaoming on set, sorry to bother everyone."
At this moment, another slightly immature voice rang out. Its tone was tender and sweet, like a young phoenix emerging from the mountains, carrying a playful and cheerful quality.