Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 211 Xiao Liu: I want to act!

In mid-November, the filming of "Foreign Land" continued as scheduled.

Due to the previous minor setbacks of casting changes and Bovet tearing up the agreement, Lu Kuan communicated with Harvey and Tom Cruise and used a marketing hype plan that was even more intense than before to increase the popularity of the movie.

In addition to the Hollywood novice boss, Harvey, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio all invited celebrities they have been friends with since they started working in the industry to visit the set and support them, making the set very lively.

Spider-Man Tobey Maguire, Oscar-winning actor Woody Harrelson who later co-starred with Jay Chou in "Now You See Me 2", and Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio's screen partner.

Harvey invited a group of friends from the director circle headed by Quentin.

For an actor like Tom Cruise who is on the Hollywood power rankings, there are even more big names invited.

Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, and his ex-wife Nicole Kidman.

These people originally came to help out of favor.

But when standing on the sidelines chatting and observing, I am always surprised to find that this Chinese director who has only proven himself at two major European competitions does have some talent.

Spielberg, who visited today at Harvey's invitation, felt this especially true.

He used this set of rotating and switching camera language under the guidance of observing Lu Kuan.

The so-called circumnavigation switch is to suddenly add a shot switch in a dynamic scene, which is very impactful.

For example, now Liu Yifei and Leonardo are arguing, and the two are walking around the room while arguing with each other.

Liu Yifei was a little closer to the camera, and she suddenly walked towards Travolta in the distance, and then the camera cut away and moved from behind to the left.

The design is very sophisticated.

"Okay, we've passed this one, get ready for the next one! Xiao Liu, remember your positioning."

"Yes, director!"

The recent filming went exceptionally smoothly, which gave her great confidence. Liu Yifei responded crisply.

Lu Kuan walked into the venue to explain the play to the three main characters.

"The following shot is a sudden turn, you are walking together, the argument is getting more and more intense, at this time, suddenly Leonardo turns around to face Travolta."

"Next, Xiao Liu, you need to find the right camera position and lens. Stand between the two of them, facing the camera directly."

Liu Yifei pondered, “Isn’t this the Kubrick gaze? Is it just me, as an observer, showing the audience their debate?”

"Yes."

Seeing that they almost understood, Lu Kuan ordered them to turn on the computer.

"Try one."

Spielberg stood aside and nodded.

In real life, it is rather abrupt if one person suddenly runs in front of another person and then suddenly turns around.

It looks... very clumsy.

It's just like the brainless plots in movies and TV shows.

But in the movie, it looks quite real to the audience because of the perspective characteristics and the existence of the fourth wall.

As a renowned director, Spielberg knew the difficulty of this scene, which mainly lay in the coordination between the camera and the actors.

When shooting, the camera must first be slightly slower than the actors, so that it can slowly slow down and stop, rather than stopping suddenly and destroying the smoothness of the picture.

And what about the actors?

"Crack!"

"Leo, you need to first get some distance away from the camera, gradually catch up with it, and find your final position when the camera stops."

"This isn't easy. Try a few more times, okay?"

Leonardo was experienced and rehearsed it in his mind and understood it immediately.

"OK Director, one more take."

Well, this is how actors should be directed. This is a standard "sudden turn" shot design.

This Lu Kuan is indeed very experienced and doesn't look like a rookie who has only filmed two movies.

"Crack! Passed! Leo's performance was perfect!"

Applause and whistles rang out on the set, and Leonardo DiCaprio performed a gentleman's hat-taking salute to everyone, creating a relaxed and lively atmosphere.

After finishing the morning's scenes, Lu Kuan was about to say hello to Spielberg, who had been watching for a while, when he saw Wu Ershan walking in from outside the studio with a Chinese lady.

"Sister Chunru, you're here?"

Lu Kuan and Spielberg gestured to each other and walked forward to shake hands with Zhang Chunru.

More than half a year has passed since we met in Berlin at the beginning of the year and agreed to shoot a disaster film.

During this period, Lu Kuan was perfecting the script while filming, and asked Zhang Chunru to help him prepare more information in the United States. In short, he made full preparations for this significant movie.

It’s just that both of them felt a little “homesick”. The more important the movie, the more important the subject matter, the more they dared not start filming easily.

I am afraid that the omission of some details will lead to adverse consequences.

This consequence is not about economic interests, but about the fear of errors and misleading interpretations of this history that cannot be slandered.

That would really be nailed to the pillar of shame forever.

Several people went to the crew's lounge. Lu Kuan brought a lot of good tea from China, so that these foreigners could also have some good tea.

"Let me introduce you, the great director Spielberg."

"Chinese performing artist, Mr. Li Xuejian."

"Historical biographer, Ms. Iris Chang."

There was also a shameless person who followed him.

"Hello everyone, I'm Liu Yifei, a Chinese actress."

Including the translator, everyone exchanged a few words and sat down to drink tea, but the combination of these people was a bit strange.

But this was the result of Lu Kuan's deliberate arrangement.

Knowing that Harvey had invited Spielberg, he specially invited Zhang Chunru from Illinois to talk about the Holocaust script and movie.

Zhang Chunru's complexion and mental state are much better than when I saw her at the beginning of the year.

Having a new goal in life temporarily suppressed my depressed mood and focused my energy and attention in a new direction.

"Xiaolu, my car is parked outside. Inside are the videotapes and transcripts you need, as well as my own biographical materials."

Lu Kuan said gratefully, "Thank you, Sister Chunru. I'll ask someone to make a copy. You can take the original back with you."

Spielberg was a little confused, but he did know Zhang Chunru.

When her "The Nanjing Massacre" was published in the United States, it was listed as a recommended reading and one of the best books of the year by the New York Times and was a bestseller.

"Lu, are you going to make a disaster movie about the Holocaust?"

Boss Lu smiled and said, "That's right, that's why I asked you to come here today to learn from me. I'm too new to this subject, and it's such a serious matter, so I've been feeling very nervous."

Liu Yifei had read the script he wrote for this disaster film, but it was the first time Li Xuejian had heard of it and couldn't help but feel curious.

Spielberg sighed heavily, recalling the difficulties he faced while filming Schindler's List.

He admired the young Chinese director very much, but considering that the film was about such a profound historical subject, Spielberg wanted to dissuade him from the bottom of his heart.

"Lu, how old are you?"

Lu Kuan was stunned: "22 years old."

Spielberg smiled wryly and shook his head: "In other films, your age is an advantage."

"Your age is a disadvantage when filming such a heavy disaster movie."

He began to talk about his filming experience: "In 1983, I bought the copyright of Schindler's List."

"I found a man named Fifberg who was saved by Schindler. To repay Schindler for saving his life, he dedicated his life to telling the world Schindler's story."

"Based on the original novel, the people involved, and the countless concentration camp survivors I interviewed, I am fully confident in starting filming."

Everyone, including Zhang Chunru, knew that a turning point was coming when they heard him speak to this point.

"No one expected that I wouldn't even make it through the first month. I couldn't sleep every night looking at the overwhelming amount of tragic historical materials, and I struggled with every shot!"

"I was very scared, very panicked, and very insecure. I was worried that I wasn't doing a good enough job and that a film about this kind of subject would get a bad reputation, which would have an impact on many ethnic groups."

Lu Kuan and Zhang Chunru both felt the same way. The latter was also in a state of high mental tension when writing the book. A single error or misunderstanding of a word could be fatal.

"I wanted to give up at one point, but I found Polanski because he himself was a concentration camp survivor and his mother died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz."

Polanski is a French director of Polish Jewish descent. His works are famous for exploring the evil of human nature and criticizing human sins.

Lu Kuanqi asked, "Are you planning to hand the movie over to him?"

"Yes, I gave up. I wanted him to shoot it for me. I even persuaded the boss of Universal."

It goes without saying that Polanski refused. "Polanski told me that a film like this shouldn't be overly personal. If he were to make it, the intense hatred would ruin the film and turn it into a meaningless bloodbath."

"In 1983 I was 37, 15 years older than you are now, but it wasn't until ten years later, when I was 47, that I mustered up the courage to make Schindler's List."

Spielberg sincerely advised: "Lu, this movie is about the blood feud of your nation. You are too young now. I suggest you wait until you are at least 40 before filming it!"

Everyone present fell into deep thought, including Lu Kuan himself.

"Thank you, Mr. Spielberg. I will consider your suggestion carefully."

The big director went to talk to Harvey for a while and then left. Boss Lu also finished filming the day's scenes in a somewhat uneasy mood.

The crew disbanded at around 6 o'clock and Li Xuejian found him.

"Lu Kuan, if you really want to make this movie, I support you 100%. I'm willing to play any role for free!"

Boss Lu came back to his senses and looked at the energetic Li Xuejian and said with a smile: "Teacher Li, I would have troubled you even if you didn't tell me. Don't worry."

After the show, he returned to the crew office with the copy of "Schindler's List" that Emil had found in the afternoon. There was a DVD there.

A heavy and melodious voice-over sounded, and Lu Kuan didn't know how many times he had watched this textbook disaster film.

There are three short transitions at the beginning, from color to black and white, the color change is completed by the burning of candles, and the transition from the small town to the city is completed by the train chimney.

"The road is wide, why don't you walk?"

Liu Yifei stood timidly outside the door, looking at the young director who was slumped in the sofa.

He looked up, put out the cigarette butt in his hand, and walked to the window and opened it a crack.

"Why are you still here?"

"Mom took Sister Zhang Chunru to the hotel. I saw that the lights were still on here."

She glanced at the TV screen. "Is this Schindler's List?"

"Well, come sit down and watch it with us. It's a good opportunity to learn the acting skills of these actors."

Seeing that he was not in high spirits, Liu Yifei stopped talking and the two of them watched the black and white film intently.

Suddenly a little girl in red appeared on the screen, breaking the black and white composition.

Liu Yifei pointed at the red color in the movie and asked, "Was this something Spielberg deliberately arranged?"

"Well, this is called unconventional filming. He uses this unconventional coloring to stir the audience's emotions. It's also a turning point in the entire film, and becomes an opportunity for the protagonist Schindler's psychological transformation."

This girl really existed in real life, and this was a detail Spielberg discovered from countless historical materials.

He also had his historical consultant collect the costumes of more than 30,000 extras and posted advertisements in Poland looking for old clothes from the period.

There are 126 characters with lines in "Schindler", and all of the child actors are descendants of survivors rescued by Schindler, which is of great significance.

The budget for historical consultants alone exceeds $100 million.

These are the results of Spielberg's ten years of sufficient preparation, and are also areas that Lu Kuan needs to draw lessons from.

As if he had opened up the conversation, Boss Lu pointed at the actor who played the Nazi officer Amon.

He played Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005.

"The actor's name is Fiennes. Spielberg felt that the Nazi officer's temperament should be elegant yet brutal. He gained 28 pounds and spent six months reading historical materials and interviewing survivors."

"Later on the set, a historical consultant for the crew, who was also a survivor, saw him and trembled with fear because he acted so closely like the real person."

Liu Yifei nodded silently, knowing that he was teaching her what an actor's basic qualities and professionalism were.

She asked curiously, "Are you really going to wait until you're 40 to make this movie?"

"In another... in another four years, maybe 2007, we'll try to release it on the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre."

40 years old, that is 2021. To be fair, due to the emergence of the movie "Wolf Warrior", main-theme films have a better survival situation in later generations.

He can afford to wait, but what about Zhang Chunru?
When I saw her in Berlin at the beginning of the year, her mental state seemed to be a bit depressed and frustrated. Has she been waiting for this for 18 years?

What's more, adding up the two lives, my life experience is more than 40 years.

Liu Yifei felt a little disappointed. She had read the script and knew that the film was narrated from Zhang Chunru's perspective.

It not only writes about her personally, but also looks at this historical fact from the perspective of her process of searching for survivors and collecting information.

In the afternoon, the girl took the materials with Zhang Chunru to organize and copy them, and listened to her talk about many of her experiences when writing books such as "The Biography of Qian Xuesen" and "The Nanjing Massacre".

I am moved and yearning.

If possible, she would like to play Zhang Chunru herself, but she also knows that her current acting skills are far from enough.

After thinking about it, she mustered up the courage: "The road... the road is wide. Do you think I can do it? Can I play Zhang Chunru's sister?"

Then he hurriedly said: "I don't want any salary, I just want to do my best."

"you?"

Lu Kuan looked at her sideways in confusion, but did not attack her directly.

He paused the movie, turned on the office light, and studied her face carefully.

"what?"

Boss Lu opened the book "The Nanjing Massacre" on the table and pulled out a photo from the book.

Concubine Liu Yi knew that he was comparing her similarities with her sister Zhang Chunru, so she raised her face confidently for him to observe.

"In the afternoon, my mother saw a photo of Sister Chunru when she was young and she also said that we look a bit alike!"

In fact, there is also a documentary describing Ms. Zhang Chunru's writing experience, called "Zhang Chunru - The Nanjing Massacre".

But because the film is directed by an American and stars Chinese actors, and is not rooted in the local culture, how can it capture the spiritual outlook of our nation?

Boss Lu carefully compared Liu Yifei's facial features, considering the age difference between the two when the film was shot.

In 1994, Ms. Chang Iris saw those unvarnished black-and-white images firsthand at a Holocaust victims conference at Stanford University.

She was deeply shocked and began to collect materials for this book at the age of 26.

电影如果想在2007年12月13号上映，考虑到后期制作的时间，最迟最迟也要5、6月份开拍。

According to Lu Kuan’s shooting speed, the actual time spent on filming would not be very long, but for this type of film with major historical themes, the review process required is very long.

That year, Concubine Liu Yi was only twenty years old.

Putting on makeup can actually make up for the age gap.

But there are too many other factors to consider, such as whether she is capable of doing the job.
"Do you really want to act?"

"Ok!"

Lu Kuan said with a serious expression: "Among all the movie roles, the one in a celebrity biography is the most difficult."

"Because they are celebrities, countless people have studied them, and countless audiences are familiar with their characters. Any discrepancy in your words and actions will become a point of criticism from the audience."

He gave Concubine Liu Yi an example.

"In 1958, when Mr. Zhao Dan from China took on the role in the biographical film Lin Zexu, he was very nervous, worried that he wouldn't be able to play the role of this national hero well."

"So six months before filming began, he put on his costumes and found several Peking Opera actors to learn the behavior of Qing Dynasty officials. He made sure to roll up his sleeves when eating, sit upright, and walk without shuffling."

"He prepared several costumes and wore them for several months without taking them off in his daily life."

"The director told him that the most important thing for this role was to portray Lin Zexu's sharp gaze. Every day when he got home, he would ask his daughter Zhao Qing to shine a flashlight on him, and it almost damaged his eyes."

Lu Kuan sat next to her and said, "It's impossible to make a movie like this without putting in all the preparation."

"Especially for an actor like you who is still in the growth stage, there is more to learn and improve."

Liu Yifei was stubborn: "I can endure any hardship and take any time to prepare for the filming. Didn't you say that we need to step out of our comfort zone to grow? I think this role is an opportunity."

“And this thing itself is very meaningful.”

Lu Kuan said seriously, "You are almost a top actress now. As long as 'Alien Land' goes well, you will undoubtedly be at the top of the pyramid in the domestic entertainment industry."

"By then, your starting salary for a TV series will be 20 yuan per episode, and advertising endorsements will be or million yuan a year. Not to mention filming, you will be the only actress in China besides Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li who can do that."

He paused and continued, "But if you want to play this role, you have to spend at least half a year preparing and give up all other work."

"You need to read her writings, notes, and diaries. You need to find her parents and children to learn about her lifestyle. You need to spend some time living with her, imitating her, and observing her."

"You even have to run all the places she actually ran, and measure this history with your own footsteps just like she did."

"Female celebrities in the entertainment industry will lose popularity if they disappear for even a few months, let alone half a year."

"If you want to play this role, even if you have enough ability, you will have to give up a lot, such as status and money."

"Also, movies of this genre are destined not to have high box office returns, and you won't make much money from them."

Boss Lu turned to her with a serious expression: "After hearing all this, do you still want to act?"

"I want to act!"

(End of this chapter)