Global Film Emperor

Chapter 313 News leaked
Three days after the press conference held on the 14th, on September 17th, the long-awaited film "Rise of Mankind: The Shadow of the Wasteland" officially began filming at the Magic Cube Special Effects Studio.

Since this is a special effects blockbuster that will last for more than two hours, the crew has a staggering number of more than two hundred people. For a regular war movie, two hundred people is not much, and there are crews with three to five hundred people. But for a special effects company to have more than two hundred people working there is a very large number.

Due to the large number of people, the scene appeared chaotic, but in reality, everyone was doing their job in an orderly manner. The props team was busy setting up the scene, like assembling building blocks, laying out the outline of the scene.

Inside the dressing room, all the actors were wearing professional motion capture suits, their bodies and faces covered with white spots. After tidying up his clothes, Lu Ze sat down to read the script.

Because the initial concept was that humans were very weak, basically just bones covered by skin, such a design is not something that can be detracted from the overall image. If someone were to starve to that extent, they would probably die.

Therefore, the characters still need to be created using special effects. It wasn't until the second and third installments that the character designs improved. But we're getting a bit off-topic now.

"Brother Lu, let's go, I'm all ready."

Looking back at Li Jianni, she was dressed the same as Lu Ze, with a hood covering her head and her hair inside. Her face was covered in freckles. With this look, it's unlikely anyone would say Li Jianni was pretty anymore.

Lu Ze nodded and left the dressing room with her. They walked over to Bai Xiqun and found a place to sit down. They each started reading the script. The first scene was to be performed by Lu Ze and her. To be honest, Li Jianni felt a lot of pressure because she hadn't acted with Lu Ze for several years.

"Director Yang, when will the set be ready?"

Lu Ze picked up the walkie-talkie and asked Yang Chen, the director of "Forensic Doctor Qin Ming" and now the assistant director of "Yin Huang". Lu Ze felt sorry for Yang Chen, who had joined Qian Shi Jia earlier than him, but had never done very well.

Perhaps it was bad luck, or perhaps it was his own lack of ability, but he never produced a stunning work to prove his worth, causing the company to gradually lose hope as they waited. In the end, he could only make a living by filming TV series or even web series. Among the veterans, he was the only one who ended up like this.

Out of nostalgia, when the company was choosing an assistant director, Lu Ze recommended Yang Chen. In any case, Yang Chen was capable of handling the job, and this film could also be considered a valuable experience for him. If Yang Chen really had the opportunity to break into the film industry, "Yin Huang" would be a good stepping stone.

"It will probably take another ten minutes, but I guarantee it will be finished within fifteen minutes. Xiao Wang! Wait a minute! Be careful! What if you hit someone? Be extra careful with this thing hanging high up."

He placed the walkie-talkie on the table, shook his head, took out a cigarette case and handed it to Bai Xiqun. After lighting a cigarette, he lowered his head and started looking at the script again, drawing different lines on it with a pen.

"Brother Lu, you still haven't broken this habit? It's so easy to read scripts and annotate on a tablet now, it seems like you've never used it before?"

Li Jianni placed the tablet in front of Lu Ze. Indeed, the annotations on it were much neater than the annotations Lu Ze had drawn by hand, and much cleaner than Lu Ze's script.

"I'm not used to it, and I don't know how to use that kind of thing. It's easier to remember things by hand. Paper books still feel better than high-tech gadgets."

Li Jianni didn't know how to comment on Lu Ze's old-fashioned habits, so she could only give a perfunctory nod and then remain silent until Yang Chen informed them that the set was complete and they could start filming. Only then did the two of them put down their scripts, stretch their limbs, and walk into the film set.

"All departments, get ready! All departments, get ready! We're about to start filming. All unauthorized personnel, leave. Props team, give the props a final check. Filming crew, check the tracks and cameras. Any obstacles, report them immediately. Over."

"Props team OK, Over."

"The film crew has finished their inspection. Over."

Upon hearing the reply, Bai Xiqun waved to the script supervisor beside him. The script supervisor quickly entered the scene, stood in front of the camera, and slammed down the clapperboard with a crisp snap, followed by a shout.

"Act One, Scene One of 'The Wasteland'! Begin!"

Instantly, Lu Ze focused all his attention on himself and Li Jianni, looking directly into her eyes and waiting for her to say her first line.

"What's this?"

"It's light."

"Light? I think I've heard people say that the sky used to glow. Is this it? It feels so warm. I like this."

"No one dislikes it, after all, it no longer exists, it's dead, only this little bit of light remains here with me."

"Dead? Then... can I eat it? I'm very hungry and cold. Will eating it fill me up? Will it warm me up?"

Although Lu Ze was focused on acting, he was dissatisfied. He kept waiting for Bai Xiqun to say "cut," but he didn't hear it for a long time, which puzzled him.

The previous lines were quite ordinary; any actor could have delivered them. However, when Li Jianni recited them, Lu Ze found them extremely affected, even greasy, like a child reading a textbook. There was emotion in them, but it was undeniably awkward to listen to.

Lu Ze's gaze fell on Li Jianni's face. She didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with her lines and continued acting. Since Bai Xiqun didn't call a stop, Lu Ze could only continue acting out this scene that made him very uncomfortable.

"It can't be eaten; it can only be used for warmth and lighting here."

“That’s a pity.”

"stop!"

Lu Ze still hadn't heard Bai Xiqun call a halt. He genuinely didn't understand why they weren't stopping the performance when there were such serious problems with the dialogue. If acting like this could pass muster, then what was the point of having actors?
"Brother Lu, what's wrong?"

"There's something wrong with your lines, and the emotion is too superfluous. Don't sound off-key, Director Bai, didn't you notice the problem?"

Ignoring Li Jianni, Lu Ze immediately focused his attention on the director, who seemed to be just a figurehead. Was he deaf? Or was his earwax blocked? Why wasn't he calling a stop?
I don't see any problem.

"Huh? You call this no problem?"

"Wait, wait, Director Bai, I did feel there was a problem with Li Jianni's lines just now. They were a bit too exaggerated. It's okay, we've already stopped. We'll just do another take. Jianni, tone it down a bit, don't be nervous." Yang Chen had to step in and play the peacemaker. Besides, he owed Lu Ze a favor, so he should speak on Lu Ze's side. Moreover, he had also noticed the problem with Li Jianni just now, so it wasn't exactly taking sides.

"Okay, I understand. Director Bai, let's do one more take. I'm sorry, Brother Lu."

Seeing that things had calmed down, Bai Xiqun called the script supervisor back onto the set. The first act did not get off to a good start, which disappointed everyone, but what was even more disappointing was yet to come.

"Dead? Then... I can eat you."

"Stop, it still doesn't work. The lines are too plain and dry this time."

"Dead? Then... I can eat you."

"stop!"

"Dead? Then... I can eat you."

"stop!"

Fourteen times already! This simple scene has been stuck fourteen times, wasting over an hour. Lu Ze didn't know what Li Jianni was thinking. Had she forgotten all her professional skills? Or was she just teasing him? He could only suppress his anger and look at Bai Xiqun.

What angered him even more was that the director, despite being stopped so many times, acted as if nothing had happened. After each take, he didn't complain or make a fuss. What was he doing sitting in his seat? Playing on his phone!

"Director Bai, what's going on?"

Lu Ze looked at Bai Xiqun and spread his hands to show his incomprehension. This time, even Yang Chen kept quiet and just smoked one cigarette after another.

"Oh? Oh, there was a little mishap just now, sorry Jenny. Please be serious, let's try to get it right in one take, okay? Script supervisor!"

"Dead? Then... I can eat you."

"Stop! What are you doing! Can't you even say two simple sentences? You've been acting for six or seven years and you're getting worse? I'm talking to you! Look at me!"

Lu Ze finally snapped during the seventeenth take. Looking at Li Jianni, who was still lost in thought, and Bai Xiqun, who was playing on her phone as soon as the shoot was over, what angered him was not Li Jianni's poor performance, but their lack of respect. Only Lu Ze himself was serious, while they treated him like a monkey.

"Brother Lu, it's me."

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, ' what do you mean, ' ''' "'"'"

"I don't have a self."

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Lu Ze, calm down and sit down first. Why are you getting so angry? It's bad for your health. Zixuan, make Lu Ze a cup of tea to calm him down. Sit down and have a smoke. Don't be angry."

Seeing Li Jianni looking so wronged after being scolded by Lu Ze, the entire crew didn't dare to breathe loudly as Lu Ze lost his temper. Helpless, Yang Chen, the peacemaker, had to step in again, put his arm around Lu Ze's shoulder and press him into his seat. It was also the first time Wang Zixuan had seen Lu Ze so angry on set. Hearing Yang Chen's words, she quickly ran to make tea for Lu Ze.

But after suppressing his anger for so long, Lu Zezhen couldn't control himself anymore, especially when he saw Bai Xiqun staring at him silently. Instantly, a spoonful of hot oil was poured over Lu Zezhen's heart again.

"Director Bai, you're really something. You haven't said a word until now. Do you think I, Lu Ze, am an idiot who doesn't know what you mean? I've been running around doing this and that, owing a ton of favors, and you're trying to trip me up! You're something else. Fine, you don't want power? Here you go. I'd rather not bother with this crap! We'll see."

"Lu Ze! Lu Ze, where are you going?!"

"What can I do? Change my clothes and go home!"

Ignoring Yang Chen's obstruction, Lu Ze went into the dressing room to change his clothes and strode towards the door. Wang Zixuan turned around and stared at Li Jianni, not understanding how Li Jianni, who had been in such dire straits that she could only share a room with her, the assistant, had become like this. In the end, she shook her head silently, picked up her bag, and followed Lu Ze away.

The end result was that the crew, after filming for less than two hours, completely broke up and went home to nurse early.

On his way home, Lu Ze had already composed himself. He first took Wang Zixuan home, and then went back to his own place. He opened the door, took a shower, and went straight to bed to rest.

"Meow"

Seemingly knowing that Lu Ze had lost his temper today, the cripple, who was never clingy and would not go anywhere if given a meal, took the initiative to enter Lu Ze's bedroom, jumped onto the bed, and lay down next to Lu Ze.

Feeling comforted by the cripple, Lu Ze's mood improved somewhat. He reached out and touched the cripple's forehead wrinkles. The room was quiet, and the two of them fell into a deep sleep, sleeping until after eight o'clock in the evening when Lu Ze was awakened by a sudden phone call.

"Hello? Aunt Han, what's wrong?"

"Aze, who did you tell about your mental illness?"

"Me? I didn't tell anyone, what's going on?"

"Think about it carefully, the media has reported on your illness!"

"."

(End of this chapter)