The director starts by learning from the abilities of renowned directors.

Hainan, Shimei Bay film set.

"Director, the person has arrived."

Shen Qing turned around and saw the assistant director walking towards her with Huang Wen and three young beauties. Shen Qing went to greet them.

Huang Wen introduced the three beautiful women beside Shen Qing one by one:

"Director, this is Ms. Kawano Ai. She started surfing at the age of 9. This time, she came to China with surfing enthusiasts from her country to explore new surfing spots. She can speak Chinese."

"This is Jessica Wang, a Chinese-American surfing enthusiast. We met her on the way here. She heard that the film crew was looking for a stunt double who could surf, so she came along to check it out."

"This is Lee Min-ji, a surfing enthusiast from South Korea, who is here in Hainan for vacation."

"Hello, Director"

"Hello, Director"

"Hello, Director"

"Hello, three beauties"

The three beautiful women greeted Shen Qing, who responded with a smile.

Huang Wen is a native of Hainan. After the film crew arrived in Hainan, they needed to find a surfing instructor and a female lead's stunt double, and someone recommended Huang Wen, who is considered the number one surfer in China.

Finding a female surfing double in China is not so easy. According to Huang Wen, he has never heard of any local woman who knows how to surf, let alone a professional one, not even an ordinary enthusiast.

Where is Yang Mi?

"They're here!"

No sooner had Shen Qing finished speaking than Yang Mi appeared out of nowhere.

"You stand between the three beauties."

"Yes, sir!"

Yang Mi winked playfully and obediently stood at the very edge of the three. Shen Qing circled the three of them twice, then asked the cameraman, producer, and assistant director beside her.

Which one do you think looks most like it?

"Ms. Kawano Ai, please."

"Yes, Kawano's profile is indeed the most similar."

"Ms. Kawano's upper body figure is also the most similar."

Shen Qing carefully observed the popular Kawano, and found that the girl's legs were not as good as Yang Mi's, and were a bit bow-legged, but her breasts were much larger than Yang Mi's.

Overall, it's quite suitable.

Shen Qing leaned close to the production manager's ear and whispered, "Let's keep Ms. Kawano. If the other two are willing, they can stay too and film some surfing scenes."

The production manager nodded, walked over and said something to the three beautiful women, who then cheered.

Shen Qing has already gained considerable popularity in Europe and America, as well as Japan and South Korea. Hearing that they could collaborate with Shen Qing on a movie, the three girls couldn't help but feel excited.

……

"All departments, prepare."

"Filming is on."

"Recording started."

Scene 3, 2 shots, 1 takes.

"Three, two, one, go!"

Yang Mi, dressed in a super hot swimsuit, ran towards the sea with a surfboard between her legs.

"Click!"

Shen Qing walked over and personally demonstrated for Yang Mi.

"Don't start running right away. Walk slowly like I do, then gradually increase the speed. Don't go too fast. Keep your eyes on the ocean ahead, feel joy, freedom, and the essence of nature, and laugh from the bottom of your heart. Get ready, and let's try again."

"Understood, Director."

Shen Qing sat back down on the monitor, and Yang Mi returned to her original position with her surfboard.

"Scene 3, Shot 2, First take."

"Three, two, one, go!"

Yang Mi had just taken her first step when she cried out and fell down.

The staff quickly helped her up.

Yang Mi smiled awkwardly at Shen Qing: "Sorry, Director, I forgot to tie my ankle ropes."

"It's okay, let's get ready and try again."

……

Scene 3, 2 shots, 3 takes.

"Three, two, one, go!"

Yang Mi first straightened the leash connecting her surfboard, then slowly started walking, and after a few steps she began to jog.

The camera crane moved to a position directly in front of Yang Mi, who smiled at the camera.

"Click!"

Shen Qing stood up from the director's chair and walked to Yang Mi's side.

"Your smile is a bit fake. You need a genuine smile that comes from within. Imagine the azure sea, the warm sand, the freedom, and the seagulls in the sky. You need to make the audience truly feel your joy."

"I'm sorry, director," Yang Mi said cautiously.

Shen Qing patted her and said, "Don't feel pressured. I can feel that you have talent. As long as I'm patient, you're dedicated, the crew has film, and the crew, you, and I all have time, then we can slowly work through it and definitely shoot some really moving scenes. Let's get ready for another take."

"it is good."

"The makeup artist touched up the actors' makeup a little."

"Okay, director."

Shen Qing sat back in the director's chair and picked up a bottle of mineral water to drink.

"Assistant Director Zhang."

"Yes, Director."

"Please make sure people don't litter, and arrange for someone to clean up the site every day after filming."

"Okay, director."

Yang Mi later ruined herself by acting in a formulaic way, but she actually had natural talent in the early stages. What Shen Qing just said is also true.

Even if the acting is a little lacking, as long as the actor isn't truly incompetent, and the production team and the actor have the time and patience to slowly refine it, they can always make a good film.

Yang Ying's acting skills are terrible, right? She only knows how to stare when there are scenes where she has to have an emotional outburst. But her performance in "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon" received a lot of praise.

The problem is that the condition that the actors in the production crew all have time and patience seems simple, but it is actually not simple at all.

For a typical film crew, they might spend millions or tens of millions of dollars, but the actors only have one or two days available. Once their time is up, they leave immediately. Who would dare waste time trying to persuade them? After the actors leave, what happens to the rest of the film? Do they rely on green screen effects or just put up a cardboard cutout of a person like those in a shopping mall on set?

……

The crew filmed in Hainan for three weeks, and also rented hot air balloons to shoot a lot of overhead and long-range shots. They preferred to use up unnecessary footage rather than have too little. Then they headed back to Beijing to continue filming.

It's quite slow; almost 90% of the film's scenes were shot in water tanks in the studio.

On the plane back to Beijing, Yang Mi was very excited and whispered in Shen Qing's ear, "It was so much fun, it felt like we went on a honeymoon."

Shen Qing replied, "Me too."

……

The interior of a large water tank in a China Film Studio.

The area was surrounded by a green screen, and in the center of the constant-temperature freshwater was a huge model of a whale carcass.

Yang Mi was wearing a swimsuit, and the makeup artist had drawn horrific wounds on her thighs, with blood flowing freely.

"Scene 44, Shot 2, First take."

Snapped!

The clapperboard fell.

Shen Qing, holding the walkie-talkie, shouted, "Three, two, one, go!"

Yang Mi lay on the whale carcass model, frowning, then sat up abruptly, looking down at her thigh, where she felt as if something had just bitten her.

"what!"

She finally saw the horrific wound on her thigh and screamed.

"Click!"

Shen Qing stood up, stepped over the platform set up for the photography system, and onto the whale carcass model, squatting down next to Yang Mi.

"You were just knocked over by a big wave, bumped against the seabed and rocks several times, finally climbed onto the surfboard, and then were pulled into the sea by something. Then everything in front of you turned blood red. You struggled to climb onto the whale carcass. Now you are in excruciating pain all over your body, especially your thighs, and you are still in shock."

As she spoke, Shen Qing lay down on the whale carcass to demonstrate for Yang Mi.

"Look closely, I'm lying face down now, still shaken, and my whole body aches, especially my thighs. At this point, you should 'huff', but you need to control the rhythm and go a little slower."

Then Shen Qing "forcefully" sat up and saw the huge wound on her thigh. At this moment, her "humming" rhythm quickened.

"You're scared, hmph... hmph... hmph... At this point, you should let out short, sharp moans to show that you've panicked after seeing the wound. Your hands tremble slightly as you instinctively press the torn flesh together, and when that doesn't work, you quickly untie the rope from your ankles, tie it around your thighs, tighten it forcefully, and shout: 'Ah!' Do you understand?"

"I'll give it a try," Yang Mi said, somewhat unsure of herself.

"Believe in yourself, you can definitely do a good job."

"Um."

……

"Click!"

"The makeup artist will touch up your makeup; we'll come back again in a bit."

The film "The Shallows" demands a high level of acting skills from the female lead. In fact, Yang Mi was not a suitable choice, but Shen Qing could not help but use relatives and friends.

There was no better way than to demonstrate to her shot by shot, showing her the rhythm of her breathing when in pain, the changes in her facial expressions, her subconscious movements, how to act out despair, how to act out hope, and what expression to give when she was going all in.

Every hard-won "pass" was achieved only after Shen Qing personally demonstrated the scene three, five, or even more times.

……

"Scene 44, Shot 3, First take."

"Three, two, one, go!"

Yang Mi had her thighs bandaged when she saw the car about to drive away on the beach. Panicked, she screamed, "Help!"

Then he struggled to his knees and continued shouting, "Help...help..."

Then he frantically waved his hands and shouted, "Help!"

His voice was hoarse and cracked.

This is the 32nd time I've filmed this scene, and it would be abnormal if my voice wasn't hoarse.

Shen Qing stared at the monitor and shouted, "Click!"

The water tank became extremely quiet, and everyone waited for Shen Qing's next orders.

"That's enough, everyone take a break."

Supported by staff, Yang Mi walked through the narrow passage of the camera system platform to the director's platform and sat down in the chair next to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing said, "Makeup artist, please remove the actors' makeup. We'll be filming scenes where no actors are present, so the actors can rest now."

"Understood, Director."

"I'll remove my makeup later; I'm going to lie down and rest for a while."

"Sister, you can just lie down. I'll remove the makeup from the wound on my leg first."

Shen Qing handed her a bottle of water, but Yang Mi only took one sip and refused to drink any more.

"You're so heartless, and yet I..." She glanced at the makeup artist squatting beside her, but ultimately didn't say the rest.

Shen Qing said, "Don't you feel like you've grown up very quickly? Just think about the flowers and applause you'll receive in the future."

……

Before they knew it, the crew had been back in Beijing for a month. The constant NGs and reshoots had left everyone exhausted.

Shen Qing taught with one expression at a time and demonstrated one movement at a time. The whispers among some crew members eventually reached Yang Mi's ears.

"The director has amazing stamina. She has to direct and demonstrate again and again. She acts it out several times, and the director demonstrates it several times. She still complains of being tired. The director should be the one who is most tired."

"The director really chewed the food up and fed it to her, but it was a pity that it took dozens of takes to get it right."

"That's so stupid."

"If the director taught me like that, I would act better than her."

"As if nobody is."

……

"This scene is very important. The wound is stitched up without anesthesia. We need to use this scene to shock the audience. It needs to be so realistic that the audience can't bear to watch. The screams of pain must be real. Even if we have to film it thirty or fifty times, we will keep reshooting it if it doesn't meet the requirements."

"Understood, Director."

"Filming in progress!"

"Recording started!"

"Scene 53, Shot 3, First take."

Shen Qing said, "Three, two, one..."

On the model of the reef, Yang Mi gritted her teeth and kicked it hard. The pain from her toes was excruciating.

"Begin!" Shen Qing finally shouted the command.

Yang Mi trembled slightly as she inserted the wire into the fake skin on her thigh, but her toes were wracked with real, excruciating pain.

"Ah..." she finally cried out, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

The camera gave her a close-up of her face.

Behind the monitor.

Everyone held their breath.

I never expected this little girl to be so ruthless.

Some people saw her kicking the model rock, and some didn't, but Shen Qing certainly did.

He was a little angry. Actors rely on acting skills and use real pain to portray pain. But what about when acting out death? Do actors actually die?

The right way is to observe and practice more in your daily life.

But she had already kicked, so Shen Qing couldn't just call "cut" right away, otherwise her kick would have been for nothing.

"Click!"

"This one is approved."

Shen Qing stepped across the platform and squatted down next to Yang Mi. Before he could speak, Yang Mi spoke first.

"Director, how was that take?"

Shen Qing touched her foot with a dark expression and asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Yang Mi feigned ignorance: "What do you mean by 'painful'?"

Shen Qing gently touched her thumb, and she immediately gasped.

"Ouch! That hurts, that hurts..."

"You still feel pain, huh? It's already bruised. Let's call it a day then," Shen Qing said.

"Director, was that take good?" Yang Mi persisted in asking.

"It's alright. We can take it slow. I'll teach you ten or twenty times, and you'll learn it ten or twenty times. We'll get about the same results. There's no need to do it like before."

"Understood, then... let's not do it again?"

"Um."

"Director, is it tiring filming my scenes? You always have to demonstrate."

"You're much better than the seagull; at least you can understand human speech. Filming the seagull's scenes was the most tiring, so I'd like to show the seagull how to do it."

Pfft...

The staff around laughed, including the professionals who were training the seagulls.

That's right, the seagulls used are real seagulls. CG effects are mediocre, expensive, and slow.

……

On the afternoon of September 28.

"I hereby announce that filming for the movie 'The Shallows' has wrapped up today!"

After filming the last scene, Shen Qing spoke loudly into the walkie-talkie.

Cheers erupted on set; everyone was happy. After nearly two months of filming, everyone was exhausted and wanted to get some rest.

"There's a wrap party tonight, everyone should come if possible."

Yang Mi walked up to Shen Qing and said, "I feel like I can actually act now."

Shen Qing nodded: "If you put this much effort into every film and every film has a director like me who can thoroughly guide you, and every production team and you have ample time, then your progress will be very fast, and winning Best Actress awards in the future will be no problem."

"Ah, if every film is like this, that would be too tiring."

Shen Qing sighed, "It's really not cost-effective."

Yang Mi laughed and said, "I found your filming both tiring and enjoyable. As for other directors' films, I'm fine with just that."

Shen Qing said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

……

The day after filming wrapped, Shen Qing went to the Beijing Film Studio to check on the editing progress of "Mr. Donkey," which was in its final stages. Shen Qing is currently in discussions with the distributors, China Film Group and Enlight Media, regarding scheduling, with October being a possible choice, but nothing is finalized yet.

After leaving the Beijing Film Academy, I went to the company for a walk, chatted with Zhao Hongwei and Wang Damin next door, and then went back to my chairman's office to surf the internet.

Unknowingly, she clicked into Shen Qing's forum, where a post caught her attention.

It's a trailer for "Taken 1" made by netizens.

With Taken 2 almost out, this trailer for the first movie is clearly just netizens entertaining themselves.

But after watching it, Shen Qing felt that it was really well done, even better than the official trailer when "Taken 1" was released.

Now that Taken 2 is coming out soon, maybe we can give the trailer to this netizen to make?

"Xiao Chen!"

Chen Fang, the company's administrator, pushed open the door and came in. Shen Qing called her to the computer and pointed to the post, saying, "Try contacting the netizen who posted the 'Taken 1' trailer and see if he's interested in making an official trailer."

"Yes, Mr. Shen."

Chen Fang turned and left, but less than half an hour later, she pushed the door open and came back in.

"Mr. Shen, we've found out. The company that released the trailer is called 'North and South Brothers Culture Media Co., Ltd.' There are two founders, Chang Song and Xiao Yang, both born in the 1980s. They are currently moving."

"move place?"

"The company is currently located in a luxurious loft office outside Chaoyangmen. After nine months of high spirits, we have now reached the point where we can no longer afford the rent there and are preparing to move to a 9-square-meter two-bedroom apartment in Xiaoxitian."

……

Happy Lunar New Year's Eve! Wishing you and your family good health and all the best.