Entertainment: Who still wants to fall in love when there are cheats?

Chapter 212 Small tricks

"Clap clap clap!" Li Boda clapped his hands a few times, drawing everyone's attention to what was behind him, and then he spoke.

"Everyone, please be careful. It's not as safe here as it is back home. When you go out, try to avoid going to secluded places or alleys, and absolutely do not go into those. Also, try not to go out at night. If you really have to go out, carry some cash with you, but not too much, twenty US dollars, and no more than fifty US dollars."

"If you encounter a black man with a knife or gun, don't act impulsively. Just hand over all the money you have on you..."

"Also, try to avoid conflicts with the locals, because this place is not like back home where foreigners are treated like grandfathers. Back home, you all act like grandsons when you encounter foreigners, and here, you have to act like grandsons too..."

"If you lose something, don't even think about getting it back. Even calling the police won't help..."

"Also, gunshots often ring out here, but don't panic, because it's quite common..."

"Moreover……"

In order to ensure the smooth filming of the movie and to avoid any unpleasant incidents, Li Boda specially compiled a list of problems that Chinese people might encounter after arriving here.

Huang Xiaoming, Yan Kuan, and the others were completely bewildered by what Li Boda was saying.

They don't actually know much about foreign countries; most of their knowledge comes from magazines like Yilin.

Li Boda's words were hard for them to believe; they almost completely shattered their understanding of Hollywood and the outside world.

The filter almost shattered completely.

However, since they hadn't actually encountered it, they couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. So Huang Xiaoming and Yan Kuan couldn't resist asking their assistants to inquire about it.

Their assistant, true to form, gathered information and discovered that what Li Boda had described was relatively mild; the actual situation might be even more serious.

Huang Xiaoming: "..."

Yan Kuan: "..."

They decided that from now on they would stay here and film diligently, trying their best not to go out. Even if they did go out, they would absolutely not go to remote places, but would go wherever there were many people.

The film crew began shooting.

Because the film crew was based in Hollywood, although the main actors were Huang Xiaoming and Yan Kuan, the vast majority of the behind-the-scenes staff were local Hollywood people, all hired through the guild.

And these people, well, none of them have very good tempers.

Or rather, they are not very good-tempered towards people with yellow skin like Huang Xiaoming and Yan Kuan.

On set, it seemed like he didn't like this person or that person, and even seemed to be looking for trouble for no reason.

Huang Xiaoming and his colleagues really suffered a lot of mistreatment on set.

Li Boda, however, remained a detached observer throughout.

The main thing is that Li Boda discovered that Huang Xiaoming and his ilk, after arriving in Hollywood, treated these foreigners in a very, very special way—basically, they placed others on a very high pedestal and subconsciously adopted a very low posture, as if they were born inferior to these foreigners.

So Li Boda just watched them being bullied by these people, to see if they would get angry.

About a week later, Huang Xiaoming and his group's anger had built up to a certain point, and then Li Boda realized that they—damn, seemed to have already gotten used to it.

This left Li Boda speechless. He had originally wanted to provoke Huang Xiaoming and the others, even if it was just a conflict with these foreigners on set, but he didn't expect that Huang Xiaoming and the others had started to get used to being bullied.

Left with no other option, Li Boda finally resorted to a little trick—

"Huh?" After Huang Xiaoming arrived at the film set, he found that the foreigners in the crew seemed to have changed a bit!

Just yesterday, those foreigners acted like they were the bosses. They weren't exactly domineering on set, but they were certainly arrogant and haughty, acting like they owned the place.

But today, those arrogant foreign gentlemen have all become, well, very obedient and docile, and have all become exceptionally polite.

They not only stopped bullying people, but they even became exceptionally diligent.

They would scramble to do any work the crew had, and they did it quickly and well.

Especially director Li Boda, when he directed them to do something, his movements were so swift and efficient that it was indescribable.

"Director, what's going on with our crew today?" Huang Xiaoming couldn't help but approach Li Boda and ask curiously.

"What else could it be? It's just a normal situation."

"No, they weren't like this before, director—"

"He's just itching for a beating. He'll behave himself after being taught a lesson. Actually, these foreigners are all bullies who prey on the weak. The weaker you are, the more they'll bully you. Once you stand up for yourself, they become surprisingly docile," Li Boda said casually. "Huh?" Huang Xiaoming looked at Li Boda in confusion, still a little incredulous. What happened? Did Li Boda beat up the entire crew last night?
"Alright, you don't need to know the specifics. Just focus on filming," Li Boda said, shaking his head.

"Okay, director, I will do my best to film." Huang Xiaoming didn't know how Li Boda did it, but he felt that Li Boda was a very mysterious and capable person. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to make these foreigners so obedient and submissive, especially in Hollywood, on the foreigners' turf.

At the same time, Huang Xiaoming began to show more respect for Li Boda and started to work harder when filming.

Huang Xiaoming was just one of them. Most of the other crew members were just like him, becoming extremely honest and obedient.

Then, the entire production team ran more and more smoothly and effortlessly.

In Li Boda's hands, the entire crew was like a lump of clay; he could mold it however he wanted.

……

“Yan Kuan, when you jump up later, make your movements a bit bigger. It doesn’t need to be too smooth or fluid. Although Zheng Zha dodged the laser beam, he’s just an ordinary person now, without any special training. At this point, his movements can’t be that crisp. It doesn’t matter if your movements are a little distorted during your performance; it will actually make it more realistic. Make your expression a little disheveled…” Li Boda said to Yan Kuan.

"Okay, director, I understand." Yan Kuan nodded vigorously.

"Exon!"

Yan Kuan, along with three other foreigners, stood against a green screen, looking ahead with tense expressions, as if there was some real danger ahead.

The assistant director next to him watched this scene intently, then followed the numbers.

When they reached a certain number, someone started jumping.

"Cut! This shot passed!"

Li Boda nodded in satisfaction.

Due to funding and other filming requirements, Li Boda and his team did not build a filming location when filming the movie. More than 60% of the scenes in the entire "Infinite Terror" filming location were filmed in front of a green screen.

Of course, it is also possible to build some sets for filming, but the cost of building sets is relatively high due to the local cost of living and labor in Hollywood, and it is also quite time-consuming.

It would be better to use a green screen for filming.

After all, the labor costs in Hollywood are extremely high, many times higher than in China.

In China, as long as you have the money, you can build the set you want in a relatively short time, but that's not so easy in Hollywood.

Setting up sets and using green screens for filming—even though special effects are more expensive these days—is still uncertain which method costs more due to the cost of living in Hollywood.

Therefore, Li Boda chose to use a green screen for filming.

However, green screen shooting places higher demands on the actors.

However, since Li Boda originally planned to shoot "Infinite Terror" in 3D, using a green screen would actually make the 3D effect easier to create.

Moreover, everyone in Li Boda's crew, whether behind the scenes or as actors, seemed to be on a high, working with exceptional seriousness and focus.

Their acting skills were also passively elevated to a higher level; the acting they displayed on the green screen was in no way inferior to the effect of shooting on location.

The production team had been running for about half a month when people from Lionsgate came to visit the set, mainly to check on the progress of the production.

To be honest, the reason I waited half a month after filming to visit the set was partly because I wanted to see Li Boda and the others have some fun.

After all, Hollywood is a very xenophobic place.

Actors and even directors from other countries don't have it easy to come to Hollywood to make movies; they are easily ostracized and suffer.

Lionsgate, on the other hand, plans to make director Li Boda and others suffer first.

After all, it's the arrogance of foreigners.

They planned to wait until director Li Boda had suffered enough before stepping forward to help him manage the crew, so that Li Boda would be grateful to them.

However, when the Lionsgate team arrived at the set of "Infinite Terror," they were astonished to find that the situation on set was completely different from what they had imagined.

They originally thought the production would be difficult, and that the director and actors would all have long faces and look aggrieved.

Unexpectedly, the production team ran so smoothly. Everyone on the crew was exceptionally well-behaved, and not a single person caused trouble or even slacked off. They all seemed to be full of energy.

This situation is truly bizarre.

(End of this chapter)