Global Film Emperor

Chapter 7: I'm now part of the production team!
"How much did you drink to get back like that? You're walking like a goose!"

Yang Dan wanted to laugh as she watched Lu Ze lean against the wall trying to unlock the door. She squinted at the lock cylinder, but couldn't insert the key no matter what she did.

Lu Ming didn't earn a penny today and even spent nearly 300 yuan treating Liu Le to dinner, but he was happy because he finally had a supervisor and was no longer wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly, so he naturally drank a couple more glasses.

"Haha, Sister Dan, I'm so happy today! I'm so excited! Let me tell you, Sister Dan, starting today, I'm someone who's in charge now! Don't you think I'm happy?"

Yang Dan was also pleasantly surprised and genuinely happy for her younger brother, Lu Ze. With a foreman, their income would be guaranteed, and they could take on at least twenty jobs a month. Moreover, their income would be higher than that of ordinary extras. Most importantly, with a foreman, they would have the opportunity to encounter some roles that would allow them to appear on screen, and they might even get to say a line. This was an opportunity that extras without a foreman would never have.

"Really? Well done, Lu Ze. Whose team are you in?"

"Hahaha~ Liu Le, Brother Le, the one who brings the fat guy, the clown, and the old man and woman."

"Liu Le, I know him, he's a really nice guy, that's great. Have you had enough to drink today? How about I have another drink with you? Hey? Lu Ze? Oh my god... he fell asleep standing up?"

Yang Dan poked Lu Ze with her finger, but he didn't wake up. Helpless, she took the key from Lu Ze's hand, opened the door, threw Lu Ze onto the kang (a heated brick bed), took off his shoes, covered him with a quilt, and then left.

"Host detected to be in rest mode, preparing to enter teaching mode, 321"

Lu Ze suddenly opened his eyes, feeling no effects of alcohol at all. He blinked hard, but all he could see was a white blur. He had entered the teaching space again.

"You can still learn even after drinking too much? That's a good thing."

Lu Ze browsed through the courses on the interface, but hadn't decided what to learn today until he saw "Camera Positioning and Shooting Stance Tutorial" and clicked on it without hesitation.

Today's events greatly affected him, and he wondered if he really shouldn't have been lying there. Would things have been different if he had been in a different place?
"Loading complete. Ready to enter the 'Camera Position and Shooting Stance Tutorial' course. Course 321 begins."

The scene emerges from the darkness; it's a small film crew with only one camera recording. Lu Ze then discovers another version of himself in his line of sight, filming the scene with a female co-star.

"Welcome to the course. We will teach you how to position yourself in various types of films, from one camera to multiple cameras. Please study carefully."

Lu Ze watched as his other self and the female lead stood in front of the camera without saying a word. He just stood there. Then the camera crane was put into use, and Lu Ze #2 and the female lead began to change positions.

Then, two cameras are used, shooting twice in total. Then, a jib arm is added, shooting twice in total, three times, four times, and so on, until nine cameras are used and then the process stops.

Then the scene changed again, from an urban setting to an action scene. Lu Ze No. 2 remained the same, but the female lead disappeared and was replaced by a muscular man who fought with Lu Ze No. 2 in front of the camera. Then the camera crane was used again to increase the number of camera positions.

Lu Ze forgot how long he had been watching, but his eyes were already tired. There were all kinds of genres, including urban, action, period drama, science fiction, Western fantasy, and supernatural, and the perspectives were also different. Besides being dazzled, Lu Ze also felt that his brain was not quite up to the task.

"Observation complete. The score for this learning phase is 95 points, which is passing."

Because he was stimulated, Lu Ze really watched seriously this time, so it's not surprising that he gave it a score of 95. As for what to do next, Lu Ze already knows: simulate a real battle!
"Entering the first phase of simulation. The first phase will last 12 hours. Please prepare, host. 321"

Lu Ze No. 2 disappeared, and Lu Ze himself took over. He went to the camera, stood in place, and after about thirty seconds, the camera crane started to move. Lu Ze breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that he had made a good choice in the first camera position.

Then, we took our positions according to our memory of the one-camera setup plus the jib arm, and waited for the two-camera setup to begin.

Before the two cameras could even start, Lu Ze was the first to be whipped. He had obviously stood in the wrong position. His body then moved backward uncontrollably until he was outside the arena. Lu Ze the Second appeared and demonstrated the position again before Lu Ze went back in.

Repeatedly.

"The third phase of the simulation has been completed, with a score of 96, which is excellent. The course has ended."

Lu Ze opened his eyes and sat up abruptly from the covers. Sweat streamed down his forehead, and when he touched the blankets, they were damp.

He endured countless lashes that night, so severe that he felt as if his soul was leaving his body and he nearly died on the spot. The effect was also remarkable; now, with nine camera positions and four cranes operating simultaneously, he can confidently guarantee that his positioning is perfect.

Looking back on where I lay yesterday, I realized there wasn't much wrong with it, but I did lie a bit too casually. It was unwise of me to lie right in the path the male lead was running towards.

"I've learned something."

Lu Ze murmured something, reached for his phone by the bedside, and opened it to find that Liu Le had sent him a WeChat voice message thirteen minutes earlier.

"Aze? Are you awake yet? There's a scene today, it's also a war drama, about carrying hand grenades, can you do it? Get back to me in twenty minutes, or I'll replace you. Filming starts at 7:30, if you can come, get back to me first, then hurry over."

Lu Ze was overjoyed. He hadn't expected to get work so quickly. It was definitely good to have someone to guide him! He immediately replied, "No problem, Brother Le. I'll be at the door in twenty minutes."

He quickly dressed, washed up briefly, slung his bag over his shoulder, locked the door, and ran out of the yard. With only thirteen minutes left, he might not make it even if he walked or ran. Luckily, there was a Mobike on the side of the road. Lu Ze quickly unlocked it and pedaled like crazy, arriving at the entrance of the film studio in just eight minutes.

"Ha~ha~ha~Brother Le, I'm here."

Seeing Liu Le squatting by the roadside eating dan dan noodles, Lu Ze, covered in sweat and panting, greeted him. "Filming starts at 7:30, there are still more than twenty minutes left. Couldn't you just give me a reply and come over? Look how tired you are, did you even eat breakfast?"

"No, Old Liu! Get me four chive buns and a cup of soy milk!"

Sitting by the roadside, he called out to the old man selling steamed buns that he knew well, then put his hands on his hips and panted heavily, only to be slapped on the head by Liu Le next to him.

"Who the hell are you calling 'Old Liu'? That's my dad!"

Lu Ze glanced at Liu Le, then at Old Liu, and realized they did look quite alike. Feeling a bit awkward, he could only grin sheepishly and offer cigarettes to Old Liu and Brother Liu to ease the tension.

After finishing his meal, Liu Le glanced at his watch, got up, dusted himself off, and led Lu Ze to the entrance of the film studio, shouting, "Nineteen men! Over forty years old! And able to run!"

This was the first time Lu Ze had ever seen so many people rushing towards him. Thinking back to how he had run over there the day before, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Soon, after Lu Ze had finished choosing from twenty men, Liu Le led them into the film set. The costumes were no different from yesterday's, and Lu Ze even wondered if he had worn the same clothes yesterday.

Then the production assistant explained the scene to the crew. The job of carrying grenades was simple; all they had to do was carry the box and run. The production assistant finished speaking and left quickly, while Lu Ze and the others found a place to sit down and wait for their scene to start filming.

By the time they started filming, it was already past nine o'clock, and the temperature was gradually rising. They called out, "Extras, get on!" They had to quickly put on their thick cotton-padded coats and then carry the wooden boxes to prepare to run.

"start!"

At the director's command, a group of extras carried boxes and ran desperately through the trenches, but this scene was difficult to film due to the location.

The trenches were so narrow, and there were extras crawling around shooting guns in front of them. There really wasn't enough space, and it was easy to trip over something.

So this scene wasn't filmed in one take. The director was very angry, but also helpless. The extras had to take half the blame, and it was fair to blame the other half on the location. If he were in their shoes, he might not have been able to run as well as the extras.

So once, twice, three times.
Running around in the sweltering heat, wearing cotton-padded coats, is unbearable for anyone. The group of extras looked like they had fallen into a river, and when they were pulled out, they were covered in sweat.

However, Lu Ze did notice something: while running, he had actually developed a habit of maintaining the best stance.

As the director watched the extras run around, he gradually noticed something. He realized that only Lu Ze stood out among the group. Almost the moment you saw the screen, your eyes would be drawn to Lu Ze. This is the benefit of knowing how to position yourself.

On the fifth take, the scene was finally done. The extras excitedly took off their clothes and hats, feeling incredibly cool. Just then, the director beckoned to Lu Ze.

"Hey, you extra in the gray vest, come here for a second!"

"I?"

Lu Ze looked at the others, then pointed to himself with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, it's you. Come here."

Yesterday's events left Lu Ze with some psychological trauma, and he was now a little hesitant to even see the director. He walked over cautiously and whispered, "Director, what's wrong?"

"Have you studied acting?"

"No."

"Then how did you know their positions?"

"I've read two books."

"Don't bother looking for work tomorrow, just come to my place. It's 5:30, can you come? It's 350 a day, meals included."

"what?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Lu Ze then realized that he was being asked to do something! Overwhelmed with joy, he turned red with excitement.

"Yes, yes, thank you director, thank you director!"

The director didn't seem to mind, stopped looking at Lu Ze, and waved his hand, saying, "Let's go."

"."

(End of this chapter)