Huayu: Are you even sitting up straight? You're going to be the director?

Chapter 105 Jing Tian's State of Mind, News of Special Effects

Sina Entertainment: Cao Zhong, who had been missing for half a month, appeared at the start of filming for "My Disqualified Daughter" and jokingly said that the box office of the film directed by Shen Ao will exceed 100 million yuan!

Southern Metropolis Daily: Cao Zhong appeared to strongly confirm the rumors of a Western spy being killed, but his words were evasive and he dared not discuss the title of his new movie.

NetEase Entertainment: The film "My Disqualified Daughter," written by Cao Zhong and directed by Shen Ao, officially started filming today. Will this up-and-coming director be able to break 100 million yuan at the box office? Let's wait and see.

The news of the film's start of production came as a surprise and caused quite a stir in the media.

Cao Zhong himself doesn't believe in heaven and earth or ghosts and gods, but when Shen Ao was directing for the first time, Cao Zhong didn't stop him.

In the end, we still did a simple opening ceremony, and even put on a big red ribbon.

The photo was also featured in the news the following day.

The media were quite surprised.

Just two weeks ago, Cao Zhong's film project was announced, and many actors were still trying to find connections to get roles. How come, just a few days later, a movie has already started filming?

Cao Zhong's appearance generated a lot of buzz, making the film a hit as well. Many netizens and viewers who follow the film and television industry now know the name of this movie.

The filming officially began early the next morning. Although it wasn't yet late autumn, a cold front had swept through the area the day before, causing the temperature in Hengdian to drop by ten degrees. The cold wind made people feel a biting chill.

Cao Zhongdu was so cold that he put on a coat. When he left the hotel, he saw Jing Tian, ​​and the two got into the car together and headed to the film set.

"Senior, I heard something yesterday. They said that Assistant Director Xu Zheng's hair was a wig?" Jing Tian asked curiously.

"Who's gossiping behind my back?" Cao Zhong said. "He plays your father, and his bald head is just too much."

Jing Tian chuckled. "I thought Wang Guanghai's hair in 'Nanjing Photo Studio' was real, but it turns out it was a wig."

"This time the wig is the same one as last time, but Xu Zheng took the wig to a makeup artist to do a styling, and he looks very different from Wang Guanghai. He immediately went from being a rare and handsome man to a decadent father."

Jing Tian was even happier.

Although it wasn't her first time acting, she was quite curious about everything on set.

Since Xu Zheng's first love, played by Yan Ni, hadn't arrived yet, there was no need to rush any of the announcements, so there was plenty of time. Cao Zhong attended several meetings with the crew and gave Jing Tian a lecture.

As the soul of the film, Jing Tian needs to quickly immerse herself in the story.

The narrative structure of "My Disqualified Daughter" is very ingenious. Although the number of characters is small, each one has a story to tell.
The movie begins with an extraterrestrial virus descending, similar to the US's poisoning of the world. Suddenly, many "disqualified persons" appear in the city. The script that Cao Zhong ultimately revised is similar to zombies, but the horror and gore have been removed. However, it is obvious to any normal person that something is wrong.

Those who are disqualified will have a grayish face with bulging veins, and their eyes will also be covered with a gray background and bloodshot stripes.

Jing Tian, ​​having completed her makeup, surprised cinematographer Lü Yue when she entered the film set.

His heart skipped a beat:
"No wonder Shen Ao said at the opening ceremony that this movie is a strong genre, compared to the street brawl in John Woo's 'Red Cliff'."
Even before filming began, the allure of this genre's narrative was palpable.

The scenes filmed in the announcement all take place after Jing Tian becomes a "disqualified person".

The chosen filming location was a farmhouse park within Hengdian World Studios.

Father Xu Zheng led his "disqualified" daughter to escape from the chaotic town and ran to the old home of his grandmother Cai Ming. On the way, Xu Zheng discovered that his daughter had been bitten by a very young disqualified person. When they arrived at the farmhouse, Jing Tian had already turned into a zombie.

The grandmother, played by Cai Ming, was quite surprised to see her son return. Xu Zheng rubbed his head and told his mother that his daughter was sick.

Grandma got anxious and asked where she felt unwell. She ran into the house, saying she wanted to give her granddaughter something delicious to eat, and looked very worried.

The next second, Jing Tian transformed into a husky, turning the entire house into a complete mess.

Cai Ming truly lives up to her reputation as a veteran actress; the emotional shift from anxiety to bewilderment took only a moment.

Enraged to the point of wanting to hit someone, Cai Ming grabbed her back scratcher, ready to fight Jing Tian to the death.

Cai Ming's mouth twitched because she was about to hit someone.

Jing Tian, ​​however, showed no remorse and bared his teeth menacingly, as if he wanted to bite someone, which only fueled Cai Ming's anger.

"How dare you glare at me?" Cai Ming retorted angrily.

Afraid that his mother would be bitten, Xu Zheng shouted for her to be careful, and seeing that things were not going well, he immediately rushed forward.
However, Cai Ming's back scratcher first attacked the left knee, then the right knee, and then a flying grass-like attack hit Jing Tian squarely in the head, knocking him unconscious.

During the attack on the forehead, Shen Ao used a B camera to capture Jing Tian's close-up expression, as required by the script.

Then I was completely convinced.

"Jing Tian doesn't have much acting skill to begin with, but after his eyes and face are made up, no matter what kind of performance he puts on, it all looks right!"

Because Jing Tian wasn't playing the same person at all!

The subsequent plot unfolds logically. Initially, Cai Ming is unaware of the outbreak of the "disqualified person plague," which creates a humorous and conflicting dynamic between her and the granddaughter of a disqualified person.
After learning about the relevant information released by the "CDC" through the Changhong color TV at home, I realized that the CDC hoped people would not hide infected individuals.
Cai Ming also captured the grandmother's fear and hesitation very well.

Later, when Xu Zheng peeked through the crack in the door, he found Jing Tian squatting in the corner where she used to play as a child. Her stiff fingers and expressionless face seemed to hold memories of playing there as a child.

Xu Zheng excitedly told Cai Ming that his daughter might still be alive, and that there was definitely hope for her.

Soon, Jing Tian's reaction proved this point. After being hit by Cai Ming's flying grass, Jing Tian developed a fear of Cai Ming. Moreover, when Xu Zheng played music, Jing Tian's muscle memory would cause him to dance according to his previous movements.

The jumps were just very stiff.

The filming on the first day proceeded very quickly, with only a few scenes involving Jing Tian's eyes being stopped by Shen Ao.

He was very strict with Jing Tian, ​​requiring him to convey hesitation and humanity through emotionless eyes and action scenes.

This really put Jing Tian in a difficult position.

Cao Zhong had a solution, he said to Jing Tian.

"Just think of yourself as a little dog that wants to bite but is afraid of getting beaten up."

Jing Tian: ? ? ?
Strangely enough, after listening to Cao Zhong's explanation, she instantly felt a connection.

The road administration staff visited the set on the first day and, after watching the first day's filming, were completely impressed.

He pulled Cao Zhong aside and thanked him, saying, "Director Cao, you've really gone to a lot of trouble!"

"Jing Tian's greatest fortune is knowing you."

Luzhengdao,
"I watched it today. Jing Tian, ​​as the female lead, didn't have a single line throughout the entire film. All she did was 'hehe' and make exaggerated gestures. This completely avoided Jing Tian's weaknesses."

In the dance segment, Jing Tian, ​​who had previously studied dance and possesses good flexibility, was completely captured by the camera due to her stiff movements. This drew all the audience's attention to her, which was fantastic for her popularity!

In fact, Cao Zhong didn't expect that this role would be such a good fit for Jing Tian.

As for Jing Tian's acting skills at this stage, the lack of acting skills is precisely her best acting ability. Because she is so unnatural, her movements and actions in front of the camera are almost like those of a zombie.

Even Cao Zhong himself couldn't hold back anymore—"I'm really just an ordinary genius."
Jing Tian's performance as the lovable zombie, Bu Fangren, reached the pinnacle of acting that Cao Zhong had witnessed in both his past and present lives.

Cao Zhong stayed with the film crew for another three days.

The footage and storyboards shot for the Olympic bid were very consistent, and the techniques and skills were gradually improved.

Xu Zheng helped adjust the narrative rhythm and comedic moments during filming, Shen Ao grasped the overall direction and layout, and Lü Yue also offered suggestions to maintain the aesthetic composition of the shots. The three of them worked together more and more closely, and the results were getting better and better.

Within this house, a hierarchy has formed: grandmother, granddaughter, and father. The disqualified daughter fears her grandmother but always wants to tear her father apart.

Afterward, the father began to record his daughter's information and habits. He discovered that although his daughter no longer liked the foods she used to like, she preferred to eat strong-flavored foods such as offal and intestines. Moreover, after eating her fill, her desire to tear and bite would completely decrease.

Apart from her grayish complexion and prominent veins on her face, and her stiff body, the daughter is no different from an ordinary person.

Jing Tian is also not a picky eater; he eats heartily and doesn't care about his image at all when he's in the middle of a performance.

Guo Tao then entered.

Guo Tao plays Xu Zheng's childhood friend, who is also a large-scale duck farmer outside the village. Hearing that Xu Zheng has returned home, he comes to visit his eldest niece.
The father and grandmother wanted to refuse, but their childhood friend was their best friend and they were too close. This guy treated Xu Zheng's house like his own home, and he opened the door to go find his eldest niece. Then he discovered that his eldest niece was already a "disqualified person".

To prevent Guo Tao from reporting him, Xu Zheng had no choice but to tell Guo Tao what he had seen and heard and what he had kept in mind during this period.

"The best way to restore Xiaoya's memory and stop the spread of the virus is to train her and turn her into a normal person."

Guo Tao was shocked: "Disqualified person, what kind of training are you going to do?"

"What parent would abandon their own children? Would you abandon your child?"

"I'm not even married, how could I have a child?"

Xu Zheng and Guo Tao have great chemistry, and to ensure comedic effect, they put on a lot of subtle facial expressions.

Even with very simple lines, the two of them can still make the film funny.

But as a brother, Guo Tao still decided to go through fire and water for Xu Zheng and his niece. So the two of them started training Xiao Ya to "not bite" on the beach, starting with shaking hands, then walking and running. In the middle, due to Jing Tian's character's actions and biting instinct, a series of funny stories were created.

Although there are other conflicts and plot twists later on, Cao Zhong knows that they have completely grasped the key points.

On the fifth day, seeing that filming was on track, Cao Zhong decided to leave the crew.

He was very satisfied with every shot produced by Shen Ao and Xu Zheng's team. Some comedic scenes were even better refined by the comedians Cai Ming, Xu Zheng, and Guo Tao.

Therefore, Cao Zhong felt at ease letting Shen Ao and Xu Zheng act boldly.

As they were leaving, everyone came to say goodbye to Cao Zhong, but Jing Tian's mind was in turmoil, and his gaze towards Cao Zhong held a strange quality.

She didn't have a deep understanding of the script when she was reading it.

When Jing Tian actually took on the role, she realized how much effort Cao Zhong had put into her.

Before she knew it, she had developed a fondness for Cao Zhong.

When Cao Zhong was around, she was completely unaware of what was going on. If she had something to ask about the Olympic bid, she would ask Cao Zhong instead.

After leaving, Jing Tian felt a void in his heart.

However, Jing Tian was rather simple-minded, and simply found himself seemingly unable to extricate himself from Cao Zhong's handsomeness and talent, as well as his painstaking efforts towards him.

She constantly reinforced the image of Cao Zhong staying up all night writing scripts for her without rest.

The more I think about it, the more heartbroken I become.

I think of him when I'm filming and I miss him when I'm not filming. I think of him when I'm not closing my eyes at night, and I miss him even more when I'm closing my eyes!

"Ahhhh!"

Jing Tian was pushing her too far! She didn't know why, but just thinking about Cao Zhong made her itch both up and down.

I felt an unbearable itch, as if thousands of ants were crawling all over my body; it was so uncomfortable.

……

After leaving the film crew, as the weather grew colder, Cao Zhong revised the latest version of the script for "We Live in Nanjing".

He had already given Han Sanpin a copy of the script, and Han Sanpin was quite excited, but he also made some demands of Han Sanpin.

Since we're going to make this film, we must ensure that all the necessary safeguards are in place.

Two days later, Cao Zhong finally received a call from Han Sanpin.

"I've arranged all the times during this period. First, I asked around for you, and Dante Lam is willing to be your assistant."

Secondly, regarding Xiantao Digital Technology, I contacted their CEO, Zhu Jiaxin, who recommended Zou Zhisheng, a member of their company.
But I felt that one person wasn't enough, so I asked Wei Ming from MORE VFX and also contacted Nie Huajun, the chief special effects artist for the newly started 2D animated film "Storm Rider".

At the same time, I also brought in Sichuan Tianfang Computer Special Effects Co., Ltd., one of the earliest film and television digital special effects companies in China.

These people are at your beck and call at any time.

Han Sanpin sounded excited; he had finally helped Cao Zhong.

Cao Zhong was somewhat surprised to hear about "Storm Riders," as the film's visual effects had some flaws.

But it was indeed the only Chinese film that could be considered the pinnacle of Chinese animation back then.

Even after the release of "Ne Zha 1" in its previous life, there were still people debating which of the two films was the pinnacle of Chinese animated films.

Movies like "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" are omitted entirely.

"They even managed to poach the chief special effects artist for this movie." Cao Zhong exclaimed in amazement, feeling quite impressed.

"Thank you, Chairman Han," Cao Zhong said. "You've been a great help to me."

"I didn't just help you a lot; I considered everything in advance," Han Sanpin said smugly.
“I kept this group a secret. I just used the name of China Film Group to ask them to come and listen to China Film Group’s orders. I didn’t mention your name at all. Now, apart from Dante Lam, no one else knows what movie they are going to make.”

Cao Zhong smiled and said, "Chairman Han, you've gone to a lot of trouble. Actually, from another perspective, you've also helped them a lot. It's their good fortune to be able to participate in this project."

Han Sanpin remained silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"That's the truth."

(End of this chapter)