Rebirth 02, the Celestial Being Told Me to Stop Pretending

October in Harbin is already bitterly cold.

Lu Chen came from Beiping wearing short sleeves, but changed into a down jacket as soon as he landed.

On the first night the crew assembled, Lu Chen convened a meeting with the crew for discussion.

Someone asked how to photograph body parts.

"A long shot," Lu Chen said, "not a close-up."

"What about the murder scene?"

"Treat him the same way. When Liang Zhijun killed Xiao Wang, he only filmed his upper body."

Zhao Bo flipped through the script, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. "You've cut way too much."

"How can it pass censorship without deleting anything?" Lu Chen said. "It needs to be both profound in its humanity and safe for censorship."

In the original version, Rongrong had inappropriate feelings for Wu Zhizhen, but Lu Chen changed it to a boss taking care of his employees.

Instead of filming suggestive scenes, the film focuses on everyday details such as Rongrong handing Wu Zhizhen a tissue and sewing on a button.

In the original ending, Zhang Zili sets off fireworks across from the prison, conveying an inexplicable sense of absurdity and sorrow.

Lu Chen kept the scene, but added a shot: after the fireworks ended, Zhang Zili turned and left, the sunlight shining on his face, he squinted his eyes, as if he had finally let go of something.

This plan passed domestic review on the first try.

For the Berlin Film Festival version, Lu Chen only retained a few scenes with humanistic metaphors: the interrogation in the Ferris wheel, the kiss on the ice, and the bloodstains on the leather coat.

The runtime is kept at 115 minutes, which is in line with the screening pace of the Berlin Film Festival, while also taking into account the viewing experience in domestic cinemas.

Most importantly, he crossed out the passionate scene between Zhang Zili and Wu Zhizhen on the Ferris wheel.

It seems like some domestic directors can't make a movie without sex scenes. Do they lose their ability to tell a story after the characters take their clothes off? Do they have to film sex scenes every time the relationship between a man and a woman progresses?

Lu Chen doesn't play that game.

All of Liu Yifei's revealing, nude, and intimate scenes have been deleted.

"She is an actress, not a prop," Lu Chen said at the script meeting. "The charm of the character Wu Zhizhen is not in her body, but in her eyes."

For example, in the scene where the two are in the Ferris wheel, after embracing, they sit in silence with the night view of Harbin outside the window, and Zhang Zili hands Wu Zhizhen a cigarette.

The original script had the two playing cards on a Ferris wheel, isn't that insane?

Lu Chen retained the scene where the two fell and kissed on the ice, but only filmed two blurry shadows overlapping on the ice.

"Intimate scenes aren't off-limits, they just need to be filmed aesthetically pleasing," Lu Chen said. "Intimacy isn't about taking off clothes, it's about eye contact."

On the day filming began, Lu Chen stood on an open space by the Songhua River, looking at the gray-white river surface before him. His breath condensed into a cloud in front of him before being quickly dispersed by the wind.

The temperature is close to zero degrees Celsius.

There was no red carpet, no media, and no opening ceremony. The crew of about thirty people stood by the river, wearing thick coats and stamping their feet to keep warm.

Lu Chen was wearing a military green overcoat with two sweaters underneath, and military cotton boots that Wang Yan had brought from Beiping.

Even so, the cold air still crept up from the soles of my feet.

"Listen up, everyone." Lu Chen walked in front of the camera, his voice not loud, but everyone heard him clearly. "With this film, we're aiming for one of the top three in Europe."

No one spoke.

The wind howled as it swept across the river.

"I know it's cold," Lu Chen continued, "and I know the conditions are tough. But we're pressed for time. Once we're done filming, we'll go back to Beiping for hot pot. If we're not finished, we'll freeze to death here."

Someone laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Lu Chen turned around and saw Xiao Zhao, a young man in his early twenties, whose face was red from the cold.

"Director Lu, the way you're saying that sounds like your last words."

"Then take this as your last words," Lu Chen said. "I hereby announce that filming for 'Black Coal, Thin Ice' has officially begun."

When filming "Stone," conditions were limited, but now the "Black Coal, Thin Ice" crew is fully professional, including a Hollywood-style set management system.

The production crew strictly followed the schedule, with call sheets, storyboards, and daily shooting plans detailed down to the minute.

When Wang Yan received the first call sheet, he looked at it over and over for a long time before finally blurting out, "Brother Lu, this is even more professional than a China Film Group production team."

The notice included the day's light intensity, temperature, and wind speed.

From 7:30 to 9:30 in the morning, the light angle is 32 degrees, which is suitable for shooting outdoor scenes; from 9:30 to 11:00, the light becomes harsh, so it's time to switch to indoor scenes.

From 3 to 4 pm, the lighting was soft, so we continued with the outdoor shooting.

"Going through the proper channels saves money."

When it came to saving money, Wang Yan's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the budget.

"Twelve million for an art film?" His voice cracked. "We can't just squander money, bro."

The original budget was 12 million, but now the main difference is that the actors' salaries are lower, while other production costs have increased.

"We're not making an art film." Lu Chen didn't even look up. "We're aiming for awards. Getting a nomination is a win. And if we actually win, we'll definitely make a profit."

"Brother Lu, are you sure?"

"We don't talk about bags, we talk about being determined to win."

Wang Yan looked at the budget sheet several times. The actors' salaries, venue rentals, props and costumes were all within the normal range.

"The marketing and distribution alone cost a little over three million?"

"Focus on the three major European cities," Lu Chen said. "Berlin, Cannes, and Venice—whichever we can get to, we'll do the public relations for then."

Wang Yan swallowed.

From "Crazy Stone" to "Chinese Paladin," including the variety show "Super Girl," Wang Yan has seen his share of big events.

But spending 12 million to make an art film is something I've never heard of before.

The male protagonist is self-reliant and was once a criminal police captain. He is straightforward and not good at expressing himself in a subtle way.

He lost his job due to injury and arresting the wrong suspect, and ended up working as a security guard in the security department of a factory.

Liao Fan was handpicked by Lu Chen to play the male lead; he didn't audition.

Liao Fan is from Hunan Province. His father was the head of the provincial drama troupe. He was admitted to the Acting Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1993, graduated in 1997, and joined the National Theatre of China.

Meng Jinghui praised his performance in "Half a Lifetime Romance" as "one of the highest levels of contemporary Chinese drama performance".

Lu Chen personally went to the National Theatre to invite him.

After rehearsal, Liao Fan came out wearing a faded sweater and with messy hair.

"Director Lu?" He was taken aback when he saw Lu Chen.

"Teacher Liao." Lu Chen stood up and handed over the script.

Liao Fan took it, flipped through a few pages, and became somewhat engrossed. "This character... is very complex."

"He was a criminal investigator who was demoted to the security department due to injury. His wife divorced him, and he lived alone. Then a case came up, and he got involved."

"right."

Liao Fan glanced down at the script again, then looked up. "I'll take it."

"The pay isn't high," Lu Chen said.

Liao Fan waved his hand.

"Don't mention the pay; you're already doing me a favor by coming to me."

Liao Fan closed the script and patted it in his hand.

"This role is interesting, so I'm willing to play it."

Lu Chen smiled and extended his hand, "It's a pleasure to work with you."

"It's a pleasure working with you."

"When will you turn it on?"

October. Ice City.

"Okay." Liao Fan stood up. "I'll go back and prepare."