Huayu: I was immediately ensnared by Jing Tian as soon as I entered the industry.

After seeing Lu Yang off, Wang Xuan asked the class teacher for leave.

Investing in movies definitely requires funding from a company or studio, as the tax rate for personal investments is shockingly high.

Wang Xuan looked around the school area before finding a storefront that he was quite satisfied with. The space was over 100 square meters, with good ventilation and lighting, which was more than enough to serve as a temporary studio.

As for company registration, I directly hired an agency to handle it. I even thought of a name: Xuancheng Film and Television.

After waiting for a week, Lu Yang brought good news: the script had been approved.

The specially made coffin prop was also completed, with a thickened wooden lid that made it look realistic when the actor pushed it hard. A sliding rail was also designed to allow the camera to shoot around the lead actor 360 degrees.

The most important filming equipment was an ARRI 435 rented from the Qingying Film Studio, using 25mm film, which greatly ensured the quality of the dark scenes.

The production team was thus assembled. The voice actors for the other actors who did not appear on screen would be dubbed after filming was completed.

Being able to get the script approved and the production team assembled within a week—that's the feeling of having a powerful backer.

In late October, a crew of about ten people gathered at the Beijing Film Studio for the start of filming.

Wang Xuan didn't want to get involved in feudal superstition; he just wanted to start filming immediately. According to his plan, the film needed to be completed before the deadline for submissions to the Berlin Film Festival.

However, given the special nature of the props used in the shoot and the fact that it was Lu Yang's first time directing, he wanted some reassurance and prepared a start-up ceremony well in advance.

Wang Xuan, dressed in a black casual outfit, solemnly lit three incense sticks and bowed deeply to the statue of Guan Yu.

"[Buried Alive] Auspicious Start!"

"Filming went smoothly!" Lu Yang stood behind him, his expression serious, his hands clasped together, his voice more sincere than anyone else's.

The entire crew consisted of about ten people, probably the smallest crew in the film industry. They were all from the film academy, so the atmosphere was incredibly harmonious, and they worked very diligently.

Most people didn't have the chance to join the crew and were still stuck in the theoretical knowledge from school, so they cherished this opportunity even more and dug the hole with great enthusiasm.

To create a sense of suffocation in the enclosed space, Wang Xuan lay down in the coffin beforehand.

Bring in the emotions as much as possible, empty your mind, and awaken your subconscious.

Half an hour later, Wang Xuan felt something. He knocked on the coffin lid and shouted into the pre-existing ventilation opening:

"Director, let's begin."

"On your marks! [Buried] Scene 1, Shot 1, Action!"

The best effect of this movie is achieved in one continuous shot, with the actors performing seamlessly and the camera never stopping.

This is the ideal situation, and the most likely effect that the movie "Buried" could achieve, but reality often doesn't allow it.

Wang Xuan's acting skills are not good enough to sustain a single take; even a Grand Slam winner of Best Actor awards would find it difficult.

In a confined space, when the brain is deprived of oxygen, a person will gradually feel anxious and panicked, and then suffocate and faint... It is too difficult to perform everything in a limited time.

Inside the coffin, Wang Xuan's head began to spin. His panicked emotions were genuine and didn't need to be acted out.

···

According to reports, after two postponements, "Lust, Caution" has been rescheduled for release on November 1st, with approximately 13 minutes of explicit erotic scenes cut from the final version.

This film just won the Golden Lion at Venice, and audiences who enjoy art films are eagerly anticipating it.

However, some viewers have expressed doubts about the adaptation of novels that glorify traitors, citing issues such as historical perspective and content.

Just a few days later, the Golden Horse Awards announced its nominees.

"Lust, Caution" received 11 nominations, leading all others, while Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises" was nominated.

Mainland actress Li Binbin was nominated for Best Actress for her role in "The Knot".

Fan Binbin received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in "The Ghost Inside".

In recent years, it has become an open secret that the two Binbins have been competing with each other in many aspects, including film and television resources, endorsement products, and awards.

···

The crew of "Buried Alive".

Wang Xuan was pale and soaking wet when he was pulled out of the water. He didn't even have the strength to stand and needed someone to support him.

Lu Yang asked with concern, "Junior, are you feeling alright?"

Before filming began, he was worried that Wang Xuan wouldn't be able to play the role well, but after a few days of filming, Wang Xuan proved with his actions that he could play the role well.

Before each shoot, Wang Xuan would bury his head in water to quickly induce a state of suffocation. The coffin was also chosen to be the most airtight to maximize the authenticity of the scene.

Lu Yang saw Wang Xuan's pale face, which had turned deathly pale due to lack of oxygen, through the internal camera, and his heart was in his throat.

He was genuinely afraid that Wang Xuan would ruin him.

This relentless acting style completely won over Lu Yang.

···

"Have you heard?"

"What did you hear?"

"You guys didn't know?" In class, Chai Biyun shared the information she had learned with her classmates.

"Wang Xuan from our class is filming a movie; I heard he's performing inside a coffin."

"Oh, really?"

"Is this film crew legitimate? Do they have such strange filming methods?"

The students were all surprised. Some envied Wang Xuan for making a movie so early in his freshman year, while others were curious about how he could act in a coffin.

Many people speculated that he was playing a corpse!

Students majoring in performing arts don't have the same close relationships as students in other universities. From the moment they enter the performing arts department, they are in a competitive relationship with each other.

After all, resources in the entertainment industry are limited. There are only so many films that start production each year. If you get one opportunity, someone else will have one less.

"Biyun, how do you perform inside a coffin?" Jing Tian's bright eyes were full of curiosity.

"I don't know either." Chai Biyun shook her head, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "Let's go visit the set and see, then we'll find out."

"Can the film crew allow set visits?"

"Of course we can, we're classmates."

Chai Biyun patted her bare chest and said confidently, "If Wang Xuan dares to refuse, see how I deal with him."

Jing Tian nodded, thinking about Wang Xuan's reckless and unruly demeanor, and how he was actually willing to act in such a play.

···

Students majoring in acting will immediately feel the difference between theory and reality after joining a film crew for the first time.

In school, you only need to imitate the performance as much as the teacher teaches. But when you're on a film set, facing the camera lens, the direct pressure can easily make mistakes for those who aren't in a good mindset.

Therefore, the Department of Performing Arts at Taipei Film Academy places great emphasis on both theory and practice, and encourages students to join film crews.

Acting in one scene on set is more effective than attending ten classes.

"Tian Tian, ​​were you nervous in front of the camera when you filmed your first movie?" Chai Biyun asked gossipily.

I'm incredibly curious about this fellow villager who released an EP and even made a movie before he even enrolled in school.

At the same time, he knew very well that someone with such resources was no ordinary person, and he unconsciously wanted to get along well with Jing Tian.

"I'm not nervous!" Jing Tian thought about it seriously. Whether it was shooting music videos or filming "Anaconda," the director would only call "action" when she was in the right state of mind.

The two walked and talked. It was only a ten-minute walk from the Beijing Film Academy to the Beijing Film Studio.

The staff glanced at the two students' student IDs and let them through without any problems.