Huayu: When the director changed his major

Chapter 17 Filming of "Wan Wan"

Afterwards, Cheng Xi still chose to wash his hands. After all, he was not really a psychopath.

During the National Day holiday, Cheng Xi contacted Bai Ke through the Youku Podcast fan group.

After briefly explaining the situation, Bai Ke thought about it for a while and then agreed to join the Wanwan team.

This time, not only is there the title of Zuibai, but also the title of Jiaoshou Yi Xiaoxing, which makes it easier for Bai Ke to handle it.

Yi Xiaoxing also found a funny editor named Zhang Benyu to study the script together.

When Cheng Xi heard that it was Zhang Benyu who was found, he couldn't help but sigh that it was all fate.

As for the previous screenwriter of "Wan Wan", Cheng Xi could only say sorry silently.

Then in the past few days, Cheng Xi and Yi Xiaoxing went to confirm the filming locations during the day, and at night they studied the subsequent scripts with Bai Ke and Zhang Benyu.

As the contacts grew, Cheng Xi couldn't help but feel that his decision to seek cooperation was correct.

Yi Xiaoxing and Bai Ke really have a natural advantage in this kind of spoof, postmodern deconstruction and Internet culture. Maybe they don’t understand the theory, but because of their grassroots identity on the Internet, the ideas they put forward can really fit the overall tone of "Wan Wan".

Perhaps the phenomenon really came first, forming a collective subconscious, which led to subsequent theoretical analysis and cultural empowerment.

This is not a chicken-and-egg process, but a process of happening first and then summarizing.

After the National Day, students of Beijing Film Academy returned to school one after another, and Cheng Xi’s personal studio was successfully registered.

Gao Chunyang also knew that Cheng Xi needed money for filming, and he didn't know where he got the 2 yuan from, but he insisted on lending it to him.

In the past few days, Cheng Xi has also received ten physical copies of "My Love from the Star" and the first copyright fee from Hongsheng Publishing House. Together with this month's royalties, previous savings, and 2 yuan from Gao Chunyang, Cheng Xi now has exactly 12 yuan in liquid funds.

Together with the 8 yuan already contributed by Yi Xiaoxing, the total available funds for the crew reached 20 yuan.

The final script is 10 episodes, half historical drama, half modern drama. At 4 per episode, and with some budget control, it should be fine to shoot 5-6 episodes first.

Of course, Cheng Xi did not forget to take advantage of the academy to see if he could apply for some free venues to shoot modern dramas.

With the help of counselors, class teachers and teachers, I also found some reliable seniors behind the scenes in the school to help with makeup, lighting, props, dubbing, etc.

As for photography, Cheng Xi chose not to save costs and found a cameraman who was well-known in the industry.

Cheng Xi decided to let Gao Chunyang try out the cross-dressing role of Kong Lianshun, as the image was also suitable.

As for the heroine Xiaomei, after discussing with Yi Xiaoxing, Reba was asked to give it a try.

Just ask the makeup artist to make her a little uglier, the effect will not be bad, and the heroine with Western style will be much more recognizable.

Reba was very happy to hear the news. She kept calling Cheng Xi "Brother" and even took the initiative to invite Cheng Xi to sit on the stone boat on Xiaoyue River.

Of course, Cheng Xi gave her several Chinese medicine treatments without hesitation. After all, she wasn't fully recovered yet, so it wouldn't hurt to promote blood circulation.

Brother Cheng Xi is a good man.

Another main actor, Sun Wukong, was played by Liu Xunzimo. Cheng Xi originally wanted to play the role himself, but after trying, he found that his acting skills were completely bad. After all, this is one of the few roles in the play that requires certain acting skills.

After Cheng Xi gave up, he invited Qi Jiuxiao, a sophomore from the Department of Acting, to join in. He was the volunteer who helped Qin Shiyue and Bai Xue carry their boxes at the beginning of the school year.

He is very thin, which fits the image well. His professional ability is also very strong. After all, those who are not good-looking and can still enter the acting department must be quite capable.

After all the crew members had gathered, they started a day of semi-production and test shooting. Bai Ke, Reba, Gao Chunyang, and Qi Jiuxiao all performed well, and the original cast members remained largely unchanged. Cheng Xi finally felt relieved.

Then, when Yi Xiaoxing took leave and went to Beijing, "Never Expected" officially started filming!
April 10st morning.

The crew of "Never Expected" officially started filming at Huairou Film and Television City!
In order to save money, Cheng Xi kept everything simple and only held a simple ceremony. There were only some fruits, snacks, drinks, etc. on the altar, and there was not even a pig's head.

Yi Xiaoxing led the crew members to burn some incense sticks and bow, and the filming officially started.

Only the cameraman and everyone took a few photos with their phones to see if we can use the behind-the-scenes footage later.

The staff who came to the "Wan Wan" crew all know the current situation of the crew. The director is a local podcaster and can be said to be a newcomer in the film and television industry.

The co-investor and screenwriter was still a freshman, and it was heard that the crew was particularly short of money, so no one expected to produce a decent drama, and everyone thought that Cheng Xi and Yi Xiaoxing were just here for fun.

However, several senior students from Beijing Film Academy are more motivated. After all, this is also an opportunity to display their abilities. It is a waste of time to learn something without a chance to use it. At the same time, they can come here to gain experience.

Besides, he was introduced by the teacher, so we should give some face to our junior brother Cheng Xi.

The other extras were even more lazy. Although there were no scenes with extras scheduled today, a few of them were still brought in just in case. After all, extras were the least expensive part of the entire crew.

Cheng Xi and Yi Xiaoxing were very attentive to everyone's condition. They looked at each other and knew that things were not going well.

Five out of the 10 episodes are costume dramas, and the sets are relatively simple. In order to save money, the crew had to finish filming the costume dramas at Huairou Film and Television City in one go.

For the first scene, Yi Xiaoxing deliberately arranged a relatively simple monologue, which was Bai Ke confessing while holding a toy sword in the first episode of a low-cost martial arts drama.

Because it was the first official start of filming, the director wanted to finish shooting the first episode first. This was also the simplest and shortest episode, with only Bai Ke and Yi Xiaoxing as the actors.

Then make timely adjustments based on the deficiencies in the feedback.

It can be seen that Yi Xiaoxing felt a lot of pressure as this was his first time as a director.

Bai Ke knew today's shooting schedule last night, but as an actor it was his first time filming and he was also quite nervous.

When everyone saw Bai Ke coming out after putting on makeup, they couldn't help but laugh.

His eyebrows were short and light, his eyes were dull and lifeless, his beard was sloppy, and he was wearing simple ancient clothes.

At first glance, he is dressed like an ordinary passerby in a martial arts drama, but he wants to pretend to be a hero who defeats the devil.

Especially since Bai Ke was holding a short toy sword, this huge contrast really made everyone smile.

Not long after, people started clearing the area at the filming location to avoid any modern objects, garbage, etc. from being exposed, and also to isolate the tourists from Huairou to prevent them from accidentally being photographed.

The camera is in place, the lights are in place, the sound is in place, the actors are in place, and the script supervisor is in place.
The director went up and briefly talked to Bai Ke about the camera position, patted him on the shoulder to encourage him, and then sat behind the monitor.

Cheng Xi and Reba also sat next to the director, watching the crew members doing their duties, like an army waiting for orders, and they couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Silence!" the radio called out.

"Turn on!" The camera turns on.

"The first scene, the first shot, the first time of 'Never Expected'!" the script supervisor claps.

At this moment, Yi Xiaoxing closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After slowly opening his eyes, he shouted:
"action!"

(End of this chapter)