Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 203 You should take a job in the directing department

On November 2003, 11, after Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Lionsgate, Miramax and other top North American stars and film producers posted messages in support.

The homepage of the domestic blog network Wenjie published an announcement, thanking Ms. Zhang Ziyi for her early efforts, but after the two parties officially terminated the contract due to force majeure, Ms. Liu Yifei, who also performed well in the audition, took on the role of the female lead.

Many of the scenes shot in the early stages were originally performed by Liu Yifei as a stand-in, so there was no need to change them. Just reshoot some frontal shots.

Compared with Zhang Ziyi, Liu Yifei's advantages lie in English and martial arts, which can be regarded as a slight balance.

Because for North American audiences, there are only three reasons why they go to the cinema for this movie "Alien Land".

Leonardo DiCaprio, sci-fi special effects and Chinese Kung Fu.

Liu Yifei Studio also took the opportunity to release its second blog post after its establishment. The first one was an announcement of its withdrawal from Hongxingwu.

The blog post expresses gratitude and attitude for the opportunity to participate in the movie. I will definitely give back to the crew and director with the best performance and present a good film to the audience.

This news caused a stir in the domestic entertainment industry, and people had different thoughts.

Whether it is Liu Zeyu who has been silent for a long time, or the two Wangs who are temporarily on hiatus, or Fan Bingbing who just appeared on the cover of the October issue of "Harper's Bazaar".

Lu Kuan returned to the set. Today was Xiao Liu’s first shoot since he usurped the throne.

Liu Xiaoli did a lot of preparation. She distributed the snacks and Chinese pastries she brought from China to the cast and crew. Her main purpose was to hope that everyone would be more tolerant towards Xixi.

After all, she had experienced the filming of "The Story of a Noble Family" and she was also worried that her daughter would be excluded by everyone because of her poor performance on the spot.

But this time she was overthinking it.

First, Liu Yifei had previously participated in the filming as a stand-in, and the professionalism she demonstrated at a young age has been recognized by everyone.

Secondly, on a Hollywood set, ignoring the completion bond company, the producer is the boss and the director is second.

But the producer of "Alien Land" is now a puppet, which means that the boss and the second in command are both following the same old path.

In addition, he established his authority on the first day of filming, and now that he has clearly promoted the actress to a prominent position, no cast or crew member dares to neglect her.

Perhaps the only person who scolds her all the time is Lu Kuan herself at work.

They are currently filming a conflict scene, in which Liu Yifei and Leonardo are arguing over whether to deal with the monster first or take away the body of their companion Travolta first.

Conflict is the dramatic element that empowers a scene, but in some scenes, conflict is a sudden state.

This is when the director's shot design is put to the test, focusing the audience's attention on the continuous story and main characters.

Lu Kuan was explaining his shot plan for this scene to Justin Lin, Wu Ershan and Emil behind the monitor.

"The best way to arrange the actors' positions properly is to focus on the farthest character, and leave the other characters completely blurred."

"Just like Liu Yifei and Leonardo now, I asked Cao Yu to use a telephoto lens, which can achieve a relatively shallow depth of field and capture the reaction of the monster at the farthest distance."

Justin Lin first raised a question: "Director, the relationship between their standing positions, even including the distance and the height comparison of the characters, are also carefully designed by you, right?"

Boss Lu secretly admired in his heart, he is worthy of being the director of the "Fast and Furious" series of blockbusters, his techniques and vision for this kind of commercial film are quite mature.

But he still needed to explain to the other two.

"The smaller the conflict, the more detailed the shot needs to be. For example, if I want to ignore Leonardo's character below, a simple positioning arrangement can achieve it."

Book lovers who have read "Lost in Translation" may remember a scene where three characters stand in a triangle. The distance between them is almost equal, but why does it appear unbalanced?
Because two of them are husband and wife, in order to achieve true balance, the distance between them should be slightly narrower.

The same principle applies to the two-person structure in the current "Foreign Land". In order to show Concubine Liu Yi's special position in this conflict, the next shot will place her directly in the center of the picture.

Under the telephoto lens, the faces of the other monsters or the male supporting characters who died in the protagonist group gradually became just outlines, framing the heroine Liu Yifei in the middle of the picture.

Justin Lin and others remained silent upon hearing this, and diligently pursued the directing techniques produced from these practices.

"Ka! Xiao Liu, your eyes are not right."

The last shot of this scene has Concubine Liu Yi looking into the camera for ten seconds, which is very difficult.

"I asked your gaze to convey a sense of mystery, but what you conveyed was playfulness and teasing, which is not mystery."

Leonardo smiled and gave her some encouragement before continuing filming.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Lu Kuan seemed very patient because he had anticipated these possible situations since he chose Concubine Liu Yi.

The interpretation of such dramatic conflict, including static performances similar to the "Kubrick gaze" directed at the camera, is very demanding on the actor's eye acting.

If she can pass this level, it will undoubtedly be a milestone in improving her acting skills.

Lu Kuan called her to the monitor.

"This section features a verbal conflict between you and the male lead. Then Leonardo becomes suspicious and asks you what's so strange about Ximai Farm."

"Tell me, what emotion should you convey when you look into the camera?"

Liu Yifei thought for a moment: "The heroine wants to convey a sense of mystery and the crisis hidden in Ximai Farm."

"She knows the truth, but she can't say it out loud. She can only use this look to hint and warn Leonardo. Please trust me and do as I ask."

Lu Kuan nodded: "Your understanding is very good, but your interpretation is not strong enough."

"Let me put it this way. To perform this eye contact well, you must understand a basic concept. This is also a blind spot in professional knowledge caused by your lack of university courses."

Concubine Liu Yi smiled awkwardly and listened to him continue talking about the play.

"The eye contact I just asked you to make in front of the camera is called the 'Kubrick Gaze'. It's a direct communication between the character and the audience, breaking the fourth wall in the film."

This word may sound new, but movie fans often see it.

It refers to a medium to close-up shot in which the actor faces the camera and performs eye contact without moving for a long time.

For example, Zhang Zifeng in "Chinatown Exploration", the Joker in "Batman", Schindler in "Schindler's List", and Hopkins in "The Silence of the Lambs".

This involves a basic film shooting concept called the "fourth wall".

This wall is not a wall in the physical sense, but a spatial concept captured by the film lens.

The world we live in is three-dimensional, just like being in a square box. No matter how you turn yourself, there will always be only five sides in your field of vision.

That is, top, bottom, front, left, and right.

Unless a person is a giant dragonfly with compound eyes, he will never be able to see behind him. In movies, this behind is the so-called fourth wall.

"Because in a single shot, no matter where the camera is pointed, it can only capture three walls. So who is the fourth wall you just saw?"

“It’s the camera, it’s the audience, it’s what’s outside the frame.”

Lu Kuan asked her to face the camera closely: "When you look at the camera from here, you create eye contact with the audience, and your eyes create direct communication with the audience."

"So you need to express not only your impatience and resistance to the male protagonist's inappropriate and inquiring questions, but also the mystery and scientific boundaries of the hidden secrets of the wheat farm."

He then pulled the little girl about ten meters away from the camera.

"At this distance, there's a safe distance between you and the audience, there's this fourth wall."

"But as the camera moves from a medium close-up, pushing it right up to your face and allowing you to have a direct eye contact with the camera, this performance takes on another dimension."

Concubine Liu Yi suddenly woke up and said, "That means I not only have to talk to the male protagonist, but also to the audience. I am both a character and a narrator?"

"Finally, you're not too stupid. Try it again and find the feeling of telling a story with your eyes."

"First scene, third shot, fifth take, go!"

It was easy to pass in one go.

Leonardo was extremely surprised. In his eyes, this ignorant girl who was just a beginner in acting, how could she master such acting skills in just ten minutes?

He became more interested in this young director. It was not surprising that he could come up with a good script and master top special effects technology.

However, it is not easy to transform an actor from nothing to something, from something to perfection, to improve the actor's lower limit and raise the actor's upper limit.

The shooting officially ended at 6:30 in the afternoon, and Boss Lu gradually got used to this commuting shooting routine.

But it would be great if we could use the 996 shooting schedule like in China.

At least the cost can be saved by ten to twenty days of food, drink, and toilet expenses, and there is no need to pay overtime. "Xiao Liu, tell your mother to go to dinner together tonight."

Liu Yifei was still immersed in the joy of having just finished the film. She felt as if she had mastered a new "unique magic skill" called "Kubrick gaze".

In fact, the great way leads to all things. The accumulation of these little tricks of interpretation is certainly important, but after all, it is just a "skill".

The content of "Tao" that Lu Kuan just explained to her is the most fundamental technique.

As a professional actor, only by understanding the logic of the shot, thinking about the character's psychology, and grasping the chain of actions can one truly give a reasonable performance.

If you can add control and interpretation of personal details to this rationality, and add some accidental personal performance, you can be called an excellent actor.

If an excellent actor is lucky enough to meet a good director and a good script, and creates a classic character of one or several different types, the film will also enter the international field of vision.

Then there is a good chance of winning Best Actor or Best Actress at the three major awards and the Oscars.

Only then did I truly reach the top of this industry.

"Xiao Liu?"

Concubine Liu Yi seemed to hear nothing, as if she had entered a state of drama obsession.

Lu Kuan watched her speechlessly as she was still reviewing her performance, dancing and gesticulating as if no one was around, feeling quite amused and helpless.

He patted Liu Yifei's arm and said, "It's time to get off work. Don't act anymore. The boss won't pay you overtime."

"Huh? What did you just say?"

"Teacher Tian is here with Teacher Li Xuejian today. Tell Aunt Liu that we can go have dinner together tonight."

Liu Yifei's eyes lit up. She had been looking forward to Li Xuejian joining the group for a long time!

There were so many trivial matters in Lu Kuan's life that he could only explain the scenes to her on the spot during the filming and give her some guidance on some professional content.

But Teacher Li Xuejian is different!

He is a performance consultant specially hired by the crew. His job is to provide assistance to the actors in character creation. It is a good opportunity to ask him more questions.

Ah Fei drove the three of them to the Century City Shopping Center in Westfield Los Angeles, which is a gathering place for Chinese restaurants, and the welcoming banquet was arranged here in the evening.

Pushing the door open, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Li Xuejian were sitting there drinking tea.

Lu Kuan smiled and stepped forward, extending his hand: "Teacher Li, I've heard a lot about you!"

Li Xuejian had just finished radiotherapy in China. He had recovered a little, but he still looked a little haggard.

Apart from his neatly trimmed stubble, his thin figure is somewhat similar to his image in "Jiao Yulu".

"Director Lu, I've heard of you for a long time. Winning an award at the film festival has brought honor to our country!"

Li Xuejian had just landed after a long flight and was a little shaky on his feet. Lu Kuan hurriedly helped him sit down.

"Teacher Li, you should be aware of the relationship between Teacher Tian and I. Don't be so formal. Just call me Xiaolu."

Liu Yifei and her daughter were watching from the side. It was the first time they saw Lu Kuan show such respect to an actor.

"let me introduce."

"This is Ms. Liu Xiaoli, and this is her daughter Liu Yifei, the current leading actress of the crew."

Seeing Lu Kuan's behavior, Liu Xiaoli didn't dare to be arrogant and hurried forward to hold Li Xuejian's hand.

"Hello, Teacher Li, please give Liu Yifei more guidance on her performance in the future. She is still very young."

Concubine Liu Yi was also very smart in adding tea to Li Xuejian and Tian Zhuangzhuang.

"Come by yourself!"

Li Xuejian is an artist with both virtue and talent. He always keeps a very low profile. When he saw the little girl pouring tea for him obediently, he quickly blocked it with his hand.

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Teacher Li, don't be polite. She is a student and you are the teacher. If you really feel bad for her, you can just give her some extra care."

Concubine Liu Yi nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes!"

Lu Kuan was a careful person, so Tian Zhuangzhuang felt at ease leaving his cousin's medical treatment and work here with him.

"Xuejian, Ms. Liu has already found a hospital for you in the United States. You can just stay on set and go to the hospital twice a week."

Li Xuejian said gratefully, "I'm really sorry for troubling everyone because of my matter."

Lu Kuan didn't want him to bear too much psychological pressure: "Teacher Li, don't think too much."

"I pay the money, you do the work, and there's no favoritism involved. The compensation and benefits are all in accordance with Hollywood union standards."

"By the way, I'll have the staff take you to register for the union tomorrow."

Considering that Li Xuejian needed to rest, the dinner did not last long.

Lu Kuan asked A Fei to take him to the hotel room of the group meeting to rest, while he and Tian Zhuangzhuang smoked at the bottom of the building.

"Teacher Tian, ​​the shareholding reform of Xi'an Film Studio is..."

Tian Zhuangzhuang raised his hand to signal him to stop.

"That's your company's own strength. It has nothing to do with me. You can't thank me."

Lu Kuan feigned displeasure: "Look, I didn't mean to thank you. I just wanted to say that this share reform is great. There will be many opportunities for cooperation between the two companies in the future."

Adults only talk to each other briefly, but Boss Lu has inquired about the inside story through Dong Shuangqiang.

In addition to Dong Shuangqiang's secret assistance, Tian Zhuangzhuang's connections also played a key role.

This second-generation film star came from a family of film makers. His father, Tian Fang, was the first director of the Peking Film Studio and later became the deputy director of the Film Bureau.
His mother, Yu Lan, created the classic role of "Eternal Jiang Jie" and was received by the Premier several times. At the age of 60, she founded a children's film studio and worked there until she retired at the age of 80.

Tian Zhuangzhuang smiled and said, "You can't thank me, but I have to thank you, Xue Jian..."

Lu Kuan also interrupted Tian Zhuangzhuang's gratitude like him: "Teacher Tian, ​​it was you who helped to get the approval of Qingying Studio for "The Drummer". You also helped to pass the censorship for the existence of this dark fascist teacher in the film."

"I'm very grateful to you for lending a helping hand to a young director when he needed it most. So don't worry about Teacher Li. This is what I should do."

To be fair, Lu Kuan became friends with Tian Zhuangzhuang because of his background, qualifications and resources.

But after two years of getting along, they have become familiar with each other's personality and character, and their relationship is far from being just a relationship based on profit.

Tian Zhuangzhanyu suddenly said seriously, "Xiaolu, you are a young man with a clear mind and a keen eye. There are some things that we old men shouldn't talk about."

"But you also have to be careful, especially in your personal life, and try not to make a big fuss all the time."

"With your talent and achievements, if you want to stay on campus after graduation, or go to the Xi'an Film Studio or the Beijing Film Studio to work your way through the system, that's not impossible, but you have to keep yourself clean first."

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "Teacher Tian, ​​please don't try to persuade me. I don't like being controlled. I'll be suffocated to death if I enter the system."

It seems that because they are in a foreign country, the fifth-generation directors, who have always been cautious in their words and deeds, also opened their hearts today and talked about everything.

"I'm not asking you to give up business and go into politics."

"In China, if you want to be a pure artist, it's very simple. As long as your thoughts are not reactionary, no one will care about you no matter how wild or crazy you are."

"But now you've even extended your hand to the Star TV station. There are many people who are jealous of this."

Lu Kuan silently exhaled a puff of smoke. He knew what Tian Zhuangzhuang meant.

An innocent man is guilty unless he possesses a treasure. He saw that Dong Shuangqiang was holding shares of the Star TV station and was being coveted by Baoli, so what about himself?
At least the boss has the support of his family and the leaders of the Cultural Department, but what about me?

In other words, Tian Zhuangzhuang didn't know that Lu Kuan was the actual controller of Blog.com, and he was just letting Zhuang Xu hold shares on his behalf. Otherwise, he would have urged him even harder.

Advise him to seek a position in the system, even if it is a nominal position like CPPCC member.

Without the protection of some kind of identity, if you earn 100 million, it may be yours, but if you earn 10 billion, a bunch of hungry wolves may pounce on you and bite you.

Tian Zhuangzhuang saw that he was lost in thought and knew that with Lu Kuan's intelligence, it was impossible for him not to understand what he meant.

"You should think about it carefully. I think the most suitable thing is to stay on campus and teach after graduation. I'll give you a title as a teacher in the directing department or the acting department."

"When you're older, I'll give you the title of deputy director of the directing department, just like Old Xie, who's now a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference."

"Or I can get a job at the Beijing Film Studio. With a rank, I can also feel like I have a family."

(End of this chapter)