Huayu: Enjoy Yourself

Chapter 32 The Scenery of the Central Plains.

Central Plains.

Having finished his exams ahead of schedule, Chen An brought the film crew to the village where they were filming.

The nearest county town is half an hour away, so the film crew rented several cars to make it easier for them to travel together.

Hot summer.

Even in the north, it feels quite hot.

After getting off the bus, Chen An talked with the local villagers about renting houses and farmland.

After all, it's needed for filming.

It's almost time for the second planting season, so we can catch it just in time.

The house to be photographed was a house standing on a small hillside, next to a forest with no other houses nearby.

She sat there alone, the wind blowing from afar rustling the leaves around her, creating a unique sense of loneliness, just like the heroine's inner world.

Chen An was very satisfied and then arranged for people to inspect and renovate the interior of the house.

The children in the village will play the roles, and the payment will be the cost of the clothes they wore during filming.

We also prepared some candy during the shoot to help them cooperate.

When the parents in the village heard that gifts were being given away and that the filming was taking place in the village, they all sent their children over to see it.

Chen An picked out a quiet child among them, with big, dark eyes and delicate features.

The adaptation of the plot for "Little Forest" was not difficult.

Taking photos is challenging; to capture picturesque scenery, it's impossible to recreate the same effect as in my past life.

Even if you have the original image in your mind, it doesn't mean much to the present.

Chen An also wanted to incorporate his own filming ideas into the project.

After the opening ceremony, Chen An quickly began filming.

"Brother Le, I'm counting on you this time. The filming period is a bit long."

Chen An, who was preparing to start shooting the first night, approached the photographer he had personally invited and spoke to him.

Lu Le, who was checking the camera, smiled and said, "It's nothing to be able to work with you, Director Chen. Besides, your script this time is different from others, so it's a completely new experience. It's worth a try."

After chatting for a while, Chen An went to find his senior sister, Yu Jinghong.

After changing into Chen An's clothes, she wore shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, slippers, and a beige coat. She also wore a straw hat, and the makeup artist was applying moisture to her face.

It has a strange beauty to it, a kind of purity in its unruliness, which is very much like Chen Anyao's style.

"Director Chen, your clothes are a bit too big."

When Yu Jinghong saw Chen An approaching, she held up her coat and said to him.

"Really? As long as it doesn't smell, that's fine. A bigger one would be even better; it creates a contrast and looks better!"

Standing in front of him, Chen An looked at Yu Jinghong's heroic yet delicate appearance and thought it was very beautiful, so he couldn't help but praise her.

Upon hearing the answer, Yu Jinghong laughed and said, "Really? Men's hobbies are really quite unique."

"That's right, never a small man's x cough cough, get ready and we can begin."

Chen An, who almost let something slip, quickly stopped himself.

"Director Chen, that's about it," the makeup artist said from the side.

"Let's begin."

The first scene that Chen An filmed is also the very first scene of the movie.

Consider it the beginning of everything.

The introduction to the village, as shown in the later dubbing, depicts Chen An filming a scene where the female lead, Lin Shi, is riding a bicycle on a country road.

The cicadas chirping at midday, accompanied by the lush green trees lining the road, are gently swayed by the breeze.

The female protagonist slowly rides her bicycle in the middle of the road, her fair, long legs moving as she pedals, appearing in the frame.

A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, brushing against her beautiful face, where she was glistening with sweat. The bottom half of her oversized coat was billowing backward in the wind.

The country road stretched as far as the eye could see, with only a beautiful woman riding a bicycle in the middle.

Dressed simply, wearing a straw hat and slippers, there is a kind of contrasting beauty.

Once the presentation is complete, this scene is considered filmed.

"Pass!"

The first scene wasn't difficult, and the voice-over was done in post-production. Chen An chose to pass, hoping the subsequent filming would go smoothly.

After filming stopped, Yu Jinghong also stopped the car, and the makeup artist immediately went to wipe her face with moisturizer.

We began changing filming locations.

This film mainly tells the story of...

Unable to face the city, the female protagonist returned to her hometown, constantly choosing between her hometown and the city, unable to confront her true self.

Life in my hometown was mostly filled with hesitation about my choices and comparisons with memories of my time with my mother. Finally, with the help of conversations with friends and letters from my mother, I made up my mind.

The shooting is divided into indoor and outdoor shooting, and outdoor shooting can only be done according to the season.

Indoor scenes are much simpler, but shooting indoors is tough on the actors. The beginning is okay, but later they have to wear clothes that are not suitable for the season.

Chen An also made changes to the types of dishes he prepared. If he hadn't changed the dishes, he was afraid he would have been criticized to death by the audience.

Why film so many delicious Chinese dishes instead of those that even Chen An himself can't understand? He might as well hang himself from a crooked tree.

Therefore, Chen An first focused on filming indoor scenes.

I thought it would be easier than scouting locations outdoors, but I didn't expect this woman to be completely clueless about cooking.

In his haste, Chen An could only teach her how to operate the equipment step by step. Fortunately, the camera didn't need to capture the entire process in a panoramic view, otherwise, things would have been disastrous.

The footage was also partially shot; only a few scenes were captured in the panoramic view, leaving room for manipulation.

Apart from shots of chopping vegetables filmed on camera, all other scenes of cooking were done by Chen An himself.

"Senior sister, I never expected you to be so clueless and incompetent, having never lifted a finger in your field."

After finishing a segment of filming, Chen An stood next to Yu Jinghong and couldn't help but complain.

Yu Jinghong, with an innocent expression on her beautiful face but a sly glint in her eyes, said:

"There's no rule that all girls have to know how to cook. When you approached me, you said you liked my image, so you can't go back on your word now. So you're going to spend more time teaching me."

After saying that, she winked at Chen An.

Immediately, everyone around burst into laughter at Chen An's expression of barely suppressing his laughter.

Chen Wei, standing behind the camera, was laughing so hard he was convulsing. Duan Long, unable to contain his laughter, also lowered his head. Tao Hong, standing next to him, laughed and couldn't help but pat Duan Long's shoulder.

The world where only Chen An was injured was thus achieved.

There were many indoor shooting plans, but they weren't all filmed at once.

Filming also required accompanying the villagers during the planting season.

Chen An had also done this before and had some understanding of it.

But no matter how much you learn, you can't understand it as well as the local villagers. Following them to plant and film is like receiving guidance from real professionals.

After protecting the filming equipment, the crew went down to the fields to start sowing.

There weren't many shots taken in this section, but the fields still needed to be cultivated properly.

Since the property has already been rented, once the harvest is complete, everyone can eat it themselves. If they can't finish it, they can sell it or take it home to eat themselves.

Chen An also personally went to the fields to sow seeds, while the villagers who were watching the excitement gave him pointers. When they got tired, they sat together and chatted.

After working in the fields, Chen An, feeling a bit tired, sat back down by the field to rest.

As soon as he sat down, a small hand covered in dirt handed him a glass of cold water. Chen An turned his head and saw that it was his leading lady, Yu Jinghong.

"What, you don't like it? If you don't want to drink it, fine."

Yu Jinghong looked at Chen An, who had turned his head and was staring at her, and said in an annoyed tone.

His originally fair face was now covered in dirt, making him look somewhat comical.

Realizing what was happening, Chen An quickly took the glass of cold water in front of him: "Drink, of course I'll drink."

He gulped down the entire cup of water in one go.

"I really didn't expect that you, such a young and talented director, could not only cook but also farm. You are truly multi-talented."

Sitting next to him, Yu Jinghong suddenly became curious about the famous director who was drinking water in a hurry.

Chen An placed the water glass beside him, put his hands behind his back, looked at the field in front of him, and said with a smile:

"If I hadn't chosen to apply to the Beijing Film Academy, what I'm doing now would be my job and my life, not being a director."

"Instead, during the off-season, if I have spare money, I can go to town and buy a pirated DVD to watch a movie made by someone else."

"Then I sighed, wishing I could make one myself."

Everyone in the fields was busy at work. A warm breeze blew by, and the two of them stopped talking and quietly watched the scene before them.

Thank you for your support, boss. I'm willing to do anything.

(End of this chapter)