Huayu: I rely on hit-movie tactics to interweave...

Chapter 79 Start-up

On July 1st, Liu Yu woke up at six o'clock in the morning.

He lay on the bed staring at the ceiling for a while, going over the schedule for the day in his mind: start filming at 9:18 sharp, offer incense, take photos with the media, conduct a group interview, and then start the first scene.

The process is short, but the timelines for each task are strictly controlled.

He got up, washed up, changed into a clean white T-shirt, and put on a light gray linen shirt, leaving it unbuttoned.

I looked in the mirror and thought it was alright; not too hot, but not too casual either.

Before leaving, he poured himself a glass of cold water and stood by the kitchen window looking down. The trees in the neighborhood were motionless, their leaves drooping listlessly in the sunlight, as if they hadn't woken up yet but had been woken up by the sun.

The filming location was a studio in Huairou, and the set was built three days in advance.

When Liu Yu arrived, the entrance to the photography studio was already bustling with activity.

Several staff members were adjusting the lights, and the props team was moving equipment. A young stagehand carrying a stack of cardboard boxes stumbled over, shouting "Make way, make way!" as he ran, almost bumping into a stylist who had just come out of the dressing room.

The air was filled with a smell that was a mixture of paint, glue, and sunscreen, a smell that Liu Yu always smelled on his first day on set, like a certain kind of opening remark.

When he walked in, Sammo Hung was already there, wearing a loose gray short-sleeved shirt, standing next to the main set and explaining something to the action crew.

He saw Liu Yu and waved, "Director Liu, come here, take a look at the action and positioning over here. The first scene today is an action scene, and I'm afraid they haven't gotten used to the positions yet."

Liu Yu went over to take a look. The main scene was a replica of an underground passage. The lighting technician was adjusting the color temperature of the ceiling lights. There were anti-slip mats on the ground and several bouncing points marked on the side walls.

Sammo Hung had the stuntmen from the action team demonstrate the movement and positioning, starting from the starting position, stepping on the wall, using the momentum to turn around, and landing and rolling.

The movement was executed very smoothly, and there was almost no sound when it landed.

"Not bad. We filmed the first scene like this," Liu Yu said.

Sammo Hung nodded, patted the stuntman on the shoulder, and said, "Did you hear that? The director said it was good. Keep it up."

Wu Xing gave a simple, honest smile and retreated to the corner.

Just as Liu Yu turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of a young girl in a black T-shirt squatting next to the prop box, holding a thermos in her hands. She took a sip, then another.

The cup was so big that it almost covered half of her face.

He looked closely and saw it was Liu Yifei.

She had already done her makeup, her hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, and she was wearing a costume.

He wore a gray sports vest and black cargo pants, with black ankle boots on his feet.

It looks completely different from usual.

He walked over and knelt down beside her. "Nervous?"

Liu Yifei looked up and screwed the lid of her thermos on. "A little bit. I didn't sleep well last night. I tossed and turned until 2 a.m. I woke up before the alarm went off this morning. After waking up, I lay there listening to the cicadas chirping until the alarm went off."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to touch behind her ear, "The makeup artist said I had heavy eye bags, so she applied two extra layers of foundation."

"I can't tell," Liu Yu said.

"Are you trying to comfort me, or can't you really tell?"

"I really can't tell."

She placed her thermos on the box next to her, stood up, dusted off her pants, and then stretched her shoulders and neck. "I'm ready. Teacher Hong said the first routine today isn't difficult; he just told me to perform it like I did during training."

Liu Yu also stood up and stood beside her, watching the crew making final preparations not far away. "After the opening ceremony, we'll do a rehearsal first, no need to rush to film. If you're not familiar with the scenes, do them a few more times."

"OK."

At 9 o'clock sharp, a lot of people had already gathered at the entrance of the photography studio.

Reporters in the media area had already set up their equipment, their long lenses and microphones aimed at the incense table set up inside the tent.

The altar was set up in the center of the photography studio, covered with a whole piece of red cloth, on which were placed three statues of gods, and in front of them were fruit plates, fresh flowers and several rows of neat incense sticks.

On either side of the incense table stood rows of crew members. At the front were Liu Yu, Liu Yifei, and Sammo Hung, followed by the director of photography, lighting technician, and art director, then the heads of various departments and the main actors. Scarlett stood in the second row, slightly to the left, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, holding a bottle of water, looking very relaxed.

Luo Jing stood next to her, wearing a brand new black short-sleeved shirt, his hair neatly combed.

At 9:18, Liu Yu walked to the front of the incense table and picked up three sticks of incense.

"Colleagues, filming for 'Lucy' officially begins today."

His voice wasn't loud, but the entire studio fell silent. "I won't say much more. Everyone, just focus on filming. After this one, there will be many more films waiting for us. Come on, let's offer incense."

He was the first to insert the incense into the incense burner. A staff member next to him handed over the incense, which Liu Yifei took. Following his movements, she bowed three times and then inserted the incense into the burner, her movements very steady.

Sammo Hung followed behind, his hand on his chest, muttering something under his breath.

The sound of camera shutters clicking filled the media area, and the flashes made the fruit plate on the altar look like it was plated with silver.

After the incense offering ceremony, there was the routine media photo session.

Liu Yu stood directly in front of the incense table, with Liu Yifei on his left and Sammo Hung on his right, surrounded by Scarlett Johansson, Luo Jing, and several other main actors.

A reporter from the media shouted from below, "Director Liu, move forward a bit, the light is hitting your face."

Liu Yu took half a step forward, landing precisely on the center point of the ground marking.

The shutter clicked for almost two minutes. Reporters shouted, "Look this way!" "Smile!" "Okay, one more shot!" The whole scene resembled a performance that was rehearsed but not dressed.

After the photo session, the group interview with the media began.

The reporters formed a semicircle, raising their recorders and microphones in unison.

The first question unsurprisingly fell to Liu Yifei.

"Liu Yifei, this is your first time starring in a Hollywood blockbuster. How does it feel?"

She stood behind the microphone, holding it without her hand shaking.

"I feel honored, but also nervous. I've been training for this role for over two months, and I hope I can showcase the results of my training in front of the camera."

"I heard you train for four to six hours every day. Could you share your training process?"

"The training was really tough. Coach Hong had high standards; every movement had to be done perfectly to pass."

As she said this, she turned her head and glanced at Sammo Hung, "Mr. Hung never praises me, but every time I do something right, he nods. That nod is the greatest affirmation for me."

Sammo Hung chimed in from the side, "She has a good foundation and learns the moves very quickly." He paused, "Actually, at the beginning, she was stretching her legs until she was grimacing, and I saw that she was in so much pain that tears were almost coming out, but I didn't tell her to stop."

The reporters laughed, and Liu Yifei laughed too. "Teacher Hong, you promised you wouldn't say anything."

"I'm telling the truth."

The next question turned to Liu Yu.

"Director Liu, 'Lucy' is your third collaboration with Lionsgate after 'The Man from Nowhere' and 'The Witch.' What stages did this project go through from its inception to the start of filming?"

Liu Yu took the microphone, "The preparation period was about six months, during which we went through casting, training, scene design, and special effects pre-production."

Acting, etc. Hollywood's production process is more systematic than China's; each stage has a dedicated department, making it very efficient.

The reporters asked several more questions about the script, special effects production, and release plans. Liu Yu answered them one by one, saying as much as he could and smilingly avoiding the questions he shouldn't have asked.

When answering the last question, he said, "The special effects for this film are handled by Industrial Light & Magic, and their team has already completed the initial concept design. Post-production is expected to take eight to ten months, and if everything goes smoothly, it will be released next summer."

As the group interview ended, the reporters were gradually led out by staff, and the noise in the studio immediately subsided, changing from a noisy buzz to a few scattered sounds of movement and conversation.

Liu Yu stood beside the incense table, took a bottle of water handed to him by a staff member, unscrewed it, and took a sip. He looked at the busy crowd inside the studio, who were removing the tables, chairs, and cables from the media area and restoring the setup of the filming location.

Liu Yifei walked over, still holding the thermos. "During the group interview just now, did you teach Scarlett the part where she spoke Chinese?"

"No. She practiced it herself. Her agent said she learned a lot of Chinese for this role, and she's been practicing greetings and self-introductions for over a month."

"He's better than me. I've studied English for so many years, but I still don't dare to speak too much in public."

"You don't say it because you're afraid of making a mistake. She's not afraid, so she speaks more naturally than you. If she makes a mistake, people will laugh, but they won't think she's bad; they'll just think she's cute."

Liu Yifei thought for a moment, "You're right. I'll try it next time."

"No need to rush to try it." Liu Yu put down the water bottle. "Let's finish filming today's scenes first."

She nodded and turned to walk towards the main filming location. Halfway there, she stopped and turned back to look at him. "Brother Liu, is the opening ceremony over already?"

"That's it. What else did you think there would be? A ribbon-cutting ceremony or a lion dance?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I didn't think about anything special, it's just that—it started so quickly."

"That's fast," Liu Yu said. "Let's go, first scene."

At 9:30, all the lights in the main set were adjusted. Liu Yu sat behind the monitor, holding a walkie-talkie, and looked at the screen.

The set in the underground passage appeared darker in the photos than it did on location, with the ceiling lights having a cooler color temperature, and the interplay of light and shadow at the edges perfectly highlighting the texture of the walls.

"All departments in position. Liu Yifei, proceed to the starting position. Attention all departments, prepare for live filming."

She stopped at the entrance and took a deep breath.

Sammo Hung whispered from the side, "Relax. Just like in training."

Liu Yifei nodded to him. Liu Yu looked at her profile on the monitor. "Attention everyone. Real footage."

"start."

Footsteps echoed in the passageway. She started running, stepped on the wall, used the momentum to turn around, and landed with a tumble.

The movements were executed very smoothly, even smoother than her best performance during training.

Liu Yu stared at the continuous footage on the monitor and pressed the intercom button. "Pass."

She stood up, patted off non-existent dust from her pants, glanced at Liu Yu, and smiled slightly upwards.

"First scene, one take," Sammo Hung said from the side. "Director Lau, you've chosen a good leading lady."

Liu Yu didn't speak, but instead looked away from the monitor and onto the slightly tiptoeing steps she took as she walked back to her starting position.

On the first day of filming, the temperature in Beijing soared to 38 degrees Celsius. Even with the air conditioning in the studio on full blast, the area near the main set was still as hot as an oven.

After filming the two scenes in the morning, Liu Yu called for a lunch break. The staff members dispersed in twos and threes, some to collect their boxed lunches, and others to sit on prop boxes and fan themselves.

Luo Jing slumped in a folding chair in the corner, fanning himself with a copy of Esquire magazine. After fanning himself a couple of times, he put the magazine down, turned his head to look at the stage assistant next to him, who was also sweating profusely. The two looked at each other, neither of them said anything, and then turned their heads back.

Liu Yifei sat on the steps next to the main scene, with a boxed lunch in front of her.

She opened the lid and looked inside: shredded pork with green peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, rice, and a small box of mung bean soup next to it.

She picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of shredded green pepper and pork, chewed it twice, then took a bite of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. She put down her chopsticks, reached for the box of mung bean soup, unscrewed the lid, and took a sip.

Liu Yu walked over with a lunchbox and sat down on the steps next to her. "Not good?"

"It's not that it tastes bad, it's just too hot, I don't have much of an appetite." She put the lid of the mung bean soup back on. "Why did you only shoot two scenes this morning? I thought there would be many scenes today."

"No need to rush the schedule on the first day."

Liu Yu picked up a piece of braised pork and chewed slowly. "Let's get you guys used to the pace of the set first. We'll speed things up starting tomorrow. If you break people down on the first day, how are we going to get through the next two months?"

She thought about it and agreed. "When you filmed your first movie, how many takes did you do on the first day?"

"We filmed four takes for 'A Moment to Remember' on the first day. Three were unsuccessful, and one was barely passed."

"Worse than me?" A hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.

"It was my first time directing back then, and I was very unsure of myself. When I stood in front of the monitor, my mind went blank. After each take, I would sit in front of the monitor for half a minute before deciding whether to do another take."

"And then what happened?"

"You'll get used to it after filming a lot." He picked up another bite of rice. "You're nervous now because you're not familiar enough with the character. By the tenth day of filming, when you stand in front of the camera, you won't be thinking about how to act," you'll just be thinking, "I am this person now." Then you won't be nervous anymore.

She lowered her head and ate two mouthfuls of rice, as if she were chewing on his words and the rice in her mouth.

"So, on which day of filming can I stop calling you Director Liu and just call you Brother Liu?"

He glanced at her. "Aren't you already shouting?"

"I don't shout in front of the camera. It sounds more professional to call you Director Liu in front of the camera." She said, taking another bite of rice with a slight smile on her lips.

We took a one-hour break at noon, and the afternoon filming started at 2 p.m.

The first scene in the afternoon requires Luo Jing to appear. It's a dialogue scene where the two meet in an abandoned underground passage.

Luo Jing stood at the main entrance, wearing a black leather jacket and carrying a prop file bag. His expression seemed more relaxed than in the morning, but his shoulders were still slightly tense.

Liu Yu, sitting behind the monitor, called "Start." Luo Jing walked in from the entrance, his gaze sweeping around the corridor. He stopped when he saw Liu Yifei standing in the shadows, his tone somewhat cautious.

"Did you get it?"

Liu Yifei turned around, her expression indifferent, as if listening to a trivial echo. "Got it. But someone was following us. Did you clean up properly on your way here?"

Luo Jing's lips twitched slightly. "It's been cleaned up. Not sure if anything was missed."

This scene was filmed in two takes.

The first Luo Jing spoke too fast, and the ending felt rushed.

Liu Yu called "cut," walked over, and explained to him, "You paused in the wrong place. Pause one beat after 'cleaned up,' and then continue, but I'm not sure if I missed anything." He gave the audience some time to understand the hesitation in his words.

Luo Jing nodded, took a deep breath, and was noticeably more steady on the second take, pausing at just the right moment.

Liu Yu called out.

Luo Jing breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the side, grabbed a bottle of water, took a big gulp, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and asked the prop assistant next to him, "How was my performance just now?"

The props assistant was a young woman who had just started working. When he asked her that question, she blushed and stammered for a while before saying, "It's fine, I think it's fine."

Upon hearing this, Luo Jing smiled and his eyes narrowed.

The afternoon's filming wrapped up at 5:30.

The sun was still in the sky when the lights in the studio were turned off one by one. The staff began to pack up the equipment, dismantle the tracks, reel in the cables, and move the props back to the warehouse one by one.

Liu Yu sat in front of the monitor, reviewed the three scenes filmed that day, and only after confirming that there were no problems with the footage did he turn off the monitor and stand up.

Liu Yifei had already changed into casual clothes, a white T-shirt and denim shorts, and her hair was down, draped over her shoulders.

She walked over with a backpack and stood next to Liu Yu. "Director Liu, we've finished filming today. When do we start work again tomorrow?"

"Makeup starts at 7 AM, filming begins before 9 AM."

"Okay. I'll go back and go to bed early, and try to have less dark circles under my eyes tomorrow."

She finished speaking and chuckled, "Um, does the mung bean popsicle thing still stand?"

Liu Yu paused for a moment before remembering what happened yesterday. "It's a deal. I finished work too late today, I'll buy it for you during my lunch break tomorrow."

"No need for noon, morning is fine," she said. "The popsicles won't melt in the thermos, I've tried it."

Liu Yu looked at her and nodded. "Okay, I'll bring it to you tomorrow morning."

She walked a few steps with her backpack on, then turned back and said, "Brother Liu, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."