I really don't want to make bad movies!

The next day.

The production team of "The Swindler" is working normally.

With the funding secured, Xia Ming first upgraded the monitor model.

It was replaced with a high-end model that can provide real-time feedback on the color temperature curves and light reproduction of both cinema cameras.

They also asked Zhao Fei and the film studio to help them find and hire a senior DIT team, including a colorist, two editors, a sound mixer and a technical director.

The entire team needs to stay with the group throughout the process to ensure that the color temperature of all display devices in the group is balanced at the same level to prevent color banding.

After the day's filming is completed, a rough cut of footage will be made according to Xia Ming's requirements.

The lighting has also been fully upgraded to ARRI's surface lights, which complement ARRI's cinema projectors perfectly.

After the first day of rehearsals, the actors clearly got into character, showing less stage fright and more naturalness.

Xia Ming, script in hand, sat in the director's chair observing the monitor, when he suddenly shouted.

"Click!"

The five lead actors and several extras turned around and looked back, their relaxed mood instantly lifted.

Another mistake?

Xia Ming got up from the director's chair and went straight to Chen Kun.

"Brother Kun, I think this part of the dialogue could be improved."

Chen Kun frowned: "What's the problem?"

Xia Ming answered truthfully: "Shao Zhuang needs to have a kind of composure that 'sees through everything'. When reciting lines, you can speak a little softer and don't need to pronounce them too heavily."

"Are you saying the performance is a bit too overt?"

"Yes. I think it's better to be more relaxed."

"I think this is the first time I've sparred with Xiao Bao, so emphasizing my tone helps to highlight Shao Zhuang's caution, which is more in line with his character."

"No, this is your first appearance. You must establish the character's prestige so that the audience will look forward to your future performances."

"..."

The two of them stood in the center of the set and engaged in a heated discussion about the character Shao Zhuang.

The lead actors and extras watched with bated breath, exchanging glances and not daring to utter a sound.

That's Chen Kun!

In this makeshift team basically composed of college students, Chen Kun was the de facto emperor.

Whether it's the film industry or the entertainment industry, status and influence are what truly matter.

If an actor is more famous than a director, would the director dare to boss the actor around?

Kong Xun pulled Li Junlin aside and whispered, "Director Xia is too bold, isn't he?"

"Chen Kun has probably acted in more plays than Director Xia has seen, how dare he give orders!"

Although his opinion of Xia Ming had changed and he knew that Director Xia was quite capable, there was still an insurmountable gap in seniority between Xia Ming and Chen Kun.

Li Junlin shook his head: "I think Director Xia is right."

He spends his free time reading scripts and writing character reflections, which are exactly the same as Xia Ming's opinions.

"Are you crazy?" Kong Xun asked in surprise, then turned to Zhao Lang. "What do you think?"

Zhao Lang also shook his head, not daring to speak at all.

All the crew members stood around, silently watching the two argue their case.

If Jiang Wen had directed this scene, no one on set would have dared to object.

Xia Ming had no works to his name and was only a sophomore in college. Everyone wanted to know how he would convince Chen Kun.

After spending a day together, everyone could see that Xia Ming had very high standards and strict requirements.

They wanted to see how long this young director could argue with big stars in order to create the character he envisioned.

That's what happens when a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger!

However, the discussion lasted only ten minutes.

Xia Ming wrote annotations on the script and handed it to Chen Kun: "Here's what we'll do, Brother Kun, we'll shoot two takes, one according to your idea, and one using my method."

"You can choose a suitable take after the whole film is finished."

Hearing Xia Ming say this, Chen Kun also expressed his agreement.

The production crew still has work to do and can't wait for the two of them to keep discussing the characters.

"Okay, take a picture of mine first."

After saying that, the two returned to their posts, ready to resume filming.

The crew members exchanged glances, all finding it somewhat unbelievable.

The anticipated clash between the arrogant director and the haughty movie star never happened.

Just as the tone was getting heated and the atmosphere was about to escalate, Xia Ming stopped the discussion in time.

He knew that he was not on par with Chen Kun in terms of seniority and that it was impossible for him to completely control Chen Kun's performance.

As a top-tier actor, Chen Kun also has his own insights into acting.

Arguing in this situation will only create discord within the production team and affect the filming schedule.

"What are you all standing there for? Let's get to work!" Xia Ming shouted through a megaphone.

The rest of the crew then realized what was happening and began operating the machines in their hands.

While they were working, they were also having their own doubts.

Is Director Xia really a sophomore director?

She wasn't intimidated by Chen Kun at all, always keeping the crew in control and ensuring that everything was geared towards the filming schedule.

Unlike those pretentious new generation directors, he has more of a mature commercial director's style.

We must balance artistic pursuits with efficiency!

This little incident made the crew more obedient to Xia Ming.

Nothing unexpected happened until the evening, and the day's filming was completed smoothly.

The crew gathered together to eat boxed lunches, while Xia Ming and Zhao Fei sat in front of the monitor, checking the day's footage.

The upgraded monitor displayed more complex information, but it wasn't a difficult task for Zhao Fei.

After adjustments by the DIT team, there is no longer any color difference between the projector and the monitor, and the image can perfectly reproduce the lighting effects on set.

"I think it's fine." Zhao Fei reviewed the materials, nodded, and said, "Are you satisfied on your end?"

Xia Ming watched it once, and then checked it again using the remote control in reverse, but still couldn't find any flaws.

"That's right, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Haha, okay then, let's go eat!"

Just as Xia Ming was about to get up, a stirring award ceremony song suddenly rang in his mind.

He was startled. How could he have gained 15,000 followers so quickly?

[Congratulations! You have reached the milestone of 100,000 followers across all platforms!]

[Reward: Akira Kurosawa's cinematic color aesthetics and application]

[Next milestone: 500,000 followers]

[Reward: Stanley Kubrick's logic and application of light and shadow]

A flood of cinematic color aesthetics suddenly rushed into Xia Ming's mind, causing him to pause in his movements.

The bold use of color in "Chaos" and "Dream," the technique of highlighting characters with highly saturated colors against a somber background without appearing jarring, and the concept of giving colors symbolic meaning—all these elements were instantly integrated into his thinking.

Xia Ming was amazed by the exquisite skills and exclaimed that Akira Kurosawa was indeed a role model for Zhang Yimou.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Fei asked, turning around when he saw Xia Ming standing there in a daze.

Xia Ming snapped out of his reverie, patted his temples, and a flood of thoughts about color suddenly came to mind.

"It's alright, Teacher Zhao, you go and eat first, I'll take another look."

The story is set in modern times, and the filming locations are modern urban photography studios, so it's not feasible to drastically rebuild the sets.

The part that best leverages the advantages of color and delivers immediate results is the post-production color grading stage.

By drawing on Akira Kurosawa's aesthetic sense and color matching, Xia Ming can now set the color tone and create a set of LUT templates.

"Um—" Xia Ming thought for a moment about the colorist's name, then called out loudly, "Brother Chen, are you finished eating? Could you come over here for a moment?"

Colorist Chen Yuan put down his chopsticks and jogged over to Xia Ming.

"What's wrong, Director?"

Xia Ming smiled and pointed to the monitor, "I have a color grading scheme here, try to reproduce it."

Chen Yuan was stunned, and even forgot to wipe the corner of her mouth.

Didn't you say you asked me to do the color grading? Why are you testing me instead?