I really don't want to make bad movies!

Under Xia Ming's guidance, the filming of the second act was quickly completed.

Just as I was about to clean up the scene, I saw two men walking towards me from a distance.

Xia Ming was wondering if another film crew was going to use the loess land for filming when Yang Kai rushed forward.

"Brother Zhang! What a coincidence, you're nearby too!"

Zhang Jun frowned as he looked at his cousin, thinking to himself, "Didn't you ask me to come?"

But seeing Jiang Xixi standing gracefully to the side, and Xia Ming reviewing the materials, he could roughly guess what was going on.

Knowing that his cousin had a bad temper, Zhang Jun sighed inwardly and could only continue to play along with him.

"Yes, I just finished my photoshoot next door and I'm heading back now."

"Who is this?" Xia Ming looked up, not recognizing Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun extended his hand and said with a smile, "My name is Zhang Jun. I wonder if you've heard of me before, junior."

Before Xia Ming could speak, Yang Kai burst into laughter: "Who doesn't know that Brother Zhang's film, 'The Orange Warm Light of the Arctic Ocean,' was bought by the Arctic Ocean for 150,000 yuan to be used as a promotional video for GG!"

Xia Ming understood, shook hands with Zhang Jun, and smiled, "Senior is amazing."

Zhang Jun smiled and shook his head: "Not at all, the future still depends on you young people."

"You're joking, senior. You look younger than me!"

Xia Ming exchanged a few polite words, but then noticed that Zhang Jun was standing still, smoking a cigarette, clearly not planning to leave.

At this moment, Yang Kai chimed in, "Brother Zhang, it's such a coincidence that you're passing by. Why don't you take a look at how the filming is going and help us improve the quality of our movie?"

Then he looked at Xia Ming and said, "Director, Brother Zhang's photography skills are very high. I just happened to be passing by today, so I had the opportunity to give you photography guidance."

"Others who want Zhang Ge's help, even if they're willing to spend thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, have to wait in line for ten days to half a month!"

Yang Kai became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.

Zhang Jun, standing to the side, was too embarrassed to speak and could only keep smoking.

Liu Zike, who was traveling with him, stepped back and covered his mouth to suppress his laughter.

"That's not true."

Zhang Jun couldn't help but interrupt Yang Kai, waving his hand: "If you want to improve the quality of the shots, junior, I can help you take a look. If it's inconvenient, then forget it."

Xia Ming then realized that these two were putting on a show.

"That's great! Our cheap film crew really can't find a director of photography. Senior, could you give us some pointers?"

Xia Ming wanted to see what the third-year film students would say about Hitchcock's camera work.

Zhang Jun, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, rolled his eyes at Yang Kai before taking the Canon from Xia Ming.

"It's not about giving guidance, it's more about exchanging and learning from each other."

As he spoke, he surveyed the scene; the film crew in front of him was incredibly rudimentary.

Aside from the sets provided by the school, there were only a few handheld light sticks, a mirrorless camera, and a few actors in casual clothes.

The cameraman wasn't from the photography department, but rather a freshman from the directing department.

With Xia Ming's help, Zhang Jun found the video footage and pressed play.

Liu Zike also became interested and stood behind Zhang Jun, staring at the small screen of the camera.

The scene begins with establishing footage shot by Xia Ming.

"Not bad, junior, your hand is really steady."

Without a track, without a gimbal, without even a stabilizer, the smoothness of this handheld operation was so impressive that Zhang Jun immediately praised it.

"You're filming a story where the protagonist is attacked and abandons his car to escape?"

"Senior has a good eye."

Zhang Jun smiled and continued watching: "Not bad. The opening shot of the attack scene, using a wide-angle lens and a panoramic deep-focus shot, creates a sense of security for the audience. The basic skills are very good."

Xia Ming accepted the praise with a smile.

The camera then zooms in, gradually narrowing the shot until the main characters squeeze into the car, the space becoming increasingly cramped and the atmosphere growing more tense.

Jiang Xixi and the others also gathered behind Zhang Jun.

After all, their scenes are coming up next.

Actors cannot see the camera's view while performing. It was only when they walked behind Zhang Jun that Jiang Xixi and Li Junlin truly felt the presence of the camera.

It seems... the filming was really good?

In the video, Zhang Jun's face immediately fell the moment Yang Kai spoke.

Can my cousin's acting skills be considered acting-related?

The tension I had just created is completely gone.

Zhang Jun couldn't help but glance at Yang Kai standing next to him, who awkwardly turned his head away.

The scene continues.

After Yang Kai's awkward dialogue, the scene shifts to Jiang Xixi nervously facing the camera.

Jiang Xixi was genuinely nervous in this scene.

Her slight biting of her lip and the beads of sweat on her forehead drew the camera back into focus.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard on the screen!

Zhang Jun was startled, his left hand trembled, and he almost dropped the Canon on the ground.

Then the zombie chase scene begins, and Xia Ming demonstrates his smooth one-shot technique, with no continuity errors in the frame.

Although the first-person perspective is shaky, it smoothly advances the story, with all the characters appearing one by one according to the story's logic, and the staging is perfect.

Zhang Jun pressed the pause button, looked up at the sand and gravel around the pickup truck, and mentally simulated the camera movement and character positioning.

The longer he thought about it, the deeper his brow furrowed.

"How many times did you film this scene?"

"I passed it in one go, senior," Xia Ming replied.

Zhang Jun raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Yang Kai.

After receiving an affirmative nod, Zhang Jun remained silent, lit a cigarette, and pressed play to continue watching.

Images flashed through his eyes: Yang Kai baring his teeth and brandishing his claws, Li Junlin running with all his might, and Jiang Xixi with a blank expression.

It was a scene that seemed destined for collapse, but Zhang Jun couldn't bring himself to smile.

The actor's acting skills are no longer important to him.

Zhang Jun attempted to deduce the camera's angle from the actor's perspective.

But he couldn't figure it out.

His hand was on the rewind button, and whenever he saw a scene that puzzled him, he would rewind and watch it repeatedly.

Before I knew it, the camera showed me the scene from the very beginning.

Without hesitation, Zhang Jun pressed the play button again.

Even after the video ended, with the cigarette in his mouth almost burning his lips, Zhang Jun still didn't return the camera.

The scene from earlier kept replaying in his mind, and he could only find one word to describe his current feelings.

Surprising!

The actors' performances were disastrous. When they couldn't remember their lines, they would subconsciously glance off-camera, as if they were looking at the script.

The costumes, makeup, and props were practically nonexistent!

Wearing clothes inside out to represent a different character is a technique Zhang Jun has never seen anyone use in his life.

Needless to say, the lighting was also excellent.

What kind of light can two light sticks emit?

but!

Zhang Jun still watched the whole clip.

And I watched it twice.

He oscillated between being pulled out of the scene and becoming immersed in it, watching the entire clip with a furrowed brow.

That's why he found it strange!

It's like a pile of dog poop in a gilded blue-and-white porcelain dish from the palace.

Even that pile of dog poop looked gleaming against the backdrop of the imperial jade.

As a seasoned photographer with countless real-world experiences, he was momentarily at a loss for words to comment on the freshman's short film.

He felt the short film was very sophisticated in its shooting techniques, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what specific techniques were used.

The skillful camerawork and shot presentation vividly showcased the characters' movements, adding a touch of atmosphere to the otherwise shabby visuals.

There is a subtle thread that connects all the terrible characters and scenes, making the story very coherent.

And this was done in one go?

It doesn't seem like something a first-year directing student could make.

Even if you're a cinematographer, let alone a directing major, you couldn't make this!

Zhang Jun pressed the rewind button, rewinding the scene to the moment Jiang Xixi was facing the camera.

He was startled here just now.

With such a rudimentary production, no post-production color grading, no background music, and sound effects recorded by the camera, the film is able to immerse the audience and create a sense of dread through the lens alone.

This is enough to demonstrate the superb shooting technique.

But when asked to explain why, he hesitated and couldn't say anything.

"Senior?"

Zhang Jun was engrossed in watching when Xia Ming spoke up from the side.

"How was it? Did it turn out alright?"

Zhang Jun laughed and raised his hand to put out the cigarette, only to find that the cigarette butt was almost completely burned out.

Before he knew it, he had developed a desire to study the technique used to direct this scene.

"Great! Very well done!" Liu Zike spoke first. He had been standing by and watching the scene, and he had gotten a little caught up in it himself.

"Could you please point out any areas that need improvement?"

Zhang Jun was stunned for a moment, went through the scene in his mind, and couldn't find any fault with the photography.

After thinking about it for a long time, it all comes down to the actors.

Honestly, given these conditions, with a basic Canon mirrorless camera, it would be impossible for him to achieve such results.

Yang Kai urged from the side, "Brother Zhang, hurry up and give us some pointers!"

"What kind of advice am I supposed to give!" Zhang Jun roared inwardly, glaring at Yang Kai.

Who the hell found this freakishly talented monster!

Zhang Jun was glad he hadn't shown off at the beginning, otherwise his face would probably be more swollen than his butt now.

"Haha, I think it's very well filmed!"

Zhang Jun chuckled, thought for a while, and found a way to back down: "I'd better not get involved in you freshmen making a movie, for the sake of fairness in the competition!"

"No, cousin..."

Yang Kai wanted to say something, but Zhang Jun glared at him and shut him up.

Xia Ming nodded: "What the senior said is right. Let us freshmen have fun on our own."

Zhang Jun returned the camera to Xia Ming, said a few words of encouragement, and then left with Liu Zike.

Until the very end, he didn't offer any pointers on Xia Ming's film.

As soon as Zhang Jun left, the way everyone looked at Xia Ming changed.

Apart from Wang Zhengchuan, the other three were all acting majors and had little concept of filming techniques.

However, seeing how engrossed Zhang Jun was just now, the others could tell that Xia Ming's skill level seemed quite good.

Xia Ming stuffed the camera back into his bag, turned to look at the group of people who were standing there dumbfounded, and waved, "What are you standing there for? Take a picture of this scene."

……

At the entrance to the green grass.

Zhang Jun had a cigarette constantly in his mouth, and he looked worried and distressed.

Liu Zike asked curiously, "What happened? Did I see internal injuries on your body?"

Zhang Jun shook his head, stopped, and pulled his friend aside: "To be honest, I think the footage that freshman filmed is absolutely amazing!"

Liu Zike was surprised.

In the years I've followed Zhang Jun, I've only ever seen others call him a genius; I've never seen Zhang Jun call anyone "awesome."

After finishing his cigarette, Zhang Jun's pupils flickered, and he said after a long while, "If I could master the camera movement and shot presentation techniques in that scene just now, my skill level would improve by at least three levels."

"Really?" Liu Zike thought it was too exaggerated.

Zhang Jun ignored him, took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, found a name, and after thinking for a long time, dialed the number.

"Hey? Professor Zhou? I'd like to ask you to help me analyze a film. No, no, it's not from a film festival, it's a short film by a freshman..."