Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 274 Shooting
"Did I say that? I want wooden railings on the stairs!" At this moment, Wu Yuchen was throwing a tantrum at the production crew, prop team, and even the producer.

"Director Wu, we thought you were referring to the wooden railing..."

"A tall, fence-like handrail, you understand? One side is a wall, the other side is a fence! I want it to fill my frame, looking like a prison cell, understand? Not this traditional stair railing!"

The producer rushed over to apologize: "Director Wu, it's all our fault. We'll find someone to redo it right away, and we'll definitely get it done tomorrow!"

"If I find this mistake again, I'll fire the person in charge!" Wu Yuchen roared.

It's no wonder he was angry. He had specifically emphasized how the handrail of this staircase should be made when we were here before, but I don't know if the people below were distracted or if they didn't think it through, but the result was still completely different from what he asked for.

The producer hurriedly took people to contact the workers, while Wu Yuchen checked other props. He gave the actors five days to prepare, and he also used those days to check the crew's preparations and make any necessary adjustments before filming began.

The fence-like handrail he just emphasized may only appear once or twice in the film, but it is an important part of the striped symbol system he used to construct the film.

The application of a symbolic system involves simultaneously presenting emotions and symbols within the visual image. After repeated exposure, the emotions and symbols become intertwined in the viewer's mind. This intertwined symbolism can then be used to subtly evoke and evoke the viewer's feelings and emotions.

The movie is called "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," and the stripes weren't chosen randomly.

Beyond its literal meaning, stripes also serve as a symbolic metaphor for cages and loss of freedom in terms of graphic technique.

Shortly after the movie begins, after the little boy moves to the suburbs with his parents, various striped symbols will appear.

For example, the barbed wire fence surrounding their villa made the boy look like a small animal trapped in a cage;
For example, after the little boy moves into his new house, he sits alone on the steps. The film is shot from below, and the vertical stripes of the stairwell reflect off him. Combined with the cold atmosphere, the scene, although set in a villa, has a feeling of being in a prison and lacking freedom.
Even the shutters in his room, used to gaze into the distance, have the same metaphorical image of a cage.

These are all things that Wu Yuchen meticulously designed. From the very beginning of the film, striped symbols appear subtly in the visuals, gradually imprinting themselves on the audience's minds. Viewers may not notice them while watching, but their emotions have already been affected.

When the audience sees these things, and combined with the fact that the little boy at the beginning is a child full of curiosity about everything, it becomes natural for him to want to break free from his cage, go to the nearby "farm" for an adventure, and make a good friend.

Moreover, when this stripe is combined with the striped shirts worn in the concentration camp later on, it will bring out more meaning and interpretation. Therefore, making this film is not so simple. Every detail must be done well in order to build a striped symbol system in the film and guide the audience's emotions step by step.

The title "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" will not be changed, as it inherently carries a psychological connotation.

……

"Son, a soldier's duty is to obey orders. I'm working hard to make our country a better place, and I'm trying to give you a better life..."

The scene being filmed is the opening scene of the movie, where Chen Baoguo speaks to his son about moving due to a job transfer. The country he refers to is the puppet state of Manchukuo.

"Teacher Chen, you used the 'er' sound in your lines!"

Upon hearing Wu Yuchen's reminder, Chen Baoguo immediately raised his hand to apologize: "It's my fault, it's my fault. I promise I won't do it again!"

Chen Baoguo is a native of Beijing, and the film and television roles he has played in recent years have all been similar ones, so he has gotten used to speaking with a Beijing accent.

Wu Yuchen smiled, not angry at all. He knew Chen Baoguo would definitely keep his word.

In 86, Chen Baoguo filmed "The God Whip," in which he played a hoodlum named Glass Flower who was blind in one eye. Considering that his eye would definitely blink during the filming, and that his good eye did not fit the characteristics of a blind person, in an era without contact lenses, he found a glass button, thinned and smoothed it, and inserted it into his eye. Even though it was uncomfortable during filming, he never uttered a sound, silently enduring the pain, not wanting to delay the production schedule.

The film was a great success after its release, and his character was so lifelike that it was hailed as a classic. However, after filming, he was sent to the hospital, where doctors said that he had damaged the retinal nerve in one eye and was permanently blind. He later recovered to 0.5 after treatment.

I have to say I admire these veteran actors; they were truly willing to go to any lengths for acting!
You can basically rest assured about Gong Li and Chen Baoguo. Whatever effect you want, as long as you describe it, they can bring it to life. The key is actually the two young actors.

Wu Yuchen has acted in films with children before; in the movie "My Brothers and Sisters," he played the lead role as one of several child actors. If they weren't all too old, he would have actually wanted to work with those child actors from that film again.

Fortunately, the two child actors chosen this time are both very talented, especially Fang Xi, whose personality is very similar to the character. Therefore, with just a little guidance, Wu Yuchen was able to achieve the effect he wanted.

One point that Wu Yuchen specifically emphasized was that the two young actors should not be told about the film's ending, nor should they be given any preconceived notions of hatred towards the Japanese. This is because what he wanted to show in the film was a child observing the world through their own eyes, and the reactions that should occur from a child's perspective.

If you instill a lot of things in the child actors before filming, it will be difficult for them to show their childlike innocence.

……

The boy, Fang Xi, looked over and saw his older sister chatting and laughing with a young, handsome officer at the gate of the courtyard. They were speaking Japanese, and he knew that this was one of his father's soldiers.

In reality, many of the puppet troops were actually infiltrated by Japanese soldiers. Many generals had a Japanese advisor by their side, and sometimes this advisor wielded more power than the general himself. This was to ensure the puppet troops wouldn't rebel; otherwise, Japan wouldn't dare use them without taking any measures—that would be truly foolish.

The young officer played by Huang Xiaoming is a Japanese officer under Chen Baoguo. When Huang Xiaoming sees his superior's son arrive, his expression is very amiable.

"Crack!"

Wu Yuchen called Huang Xiaoming over:
“Xiaoming, your expression just now was off. The officer you're playing is a very tough character. You were only trying to make a kind expression and tone because he's your superior's son, but you weren't really showing that you like children. That would ruin the tone of your character.”

"I'm sorry, Director Wu, I need to get back into the swing of things!" On set, Huang Xiaoming dared not call him Teacher Wu anymore.

He also understood what Wu Yuchen meant: to be kind, but not really kind; the character had to be tough, but the temperament couldn't be lost. It wasn't easy to grasp the right balance, so Huang Xiaoming could only quickly find the right state of mind.

"Crack! Xiaoming, unleash your power! What's the use of shouting loudly? I need an explosion of your entire aura!"

"Action!"

The camera turns back on:
"I want to make a swing out of old tires."

“Swing, listen, it’s great!” Huang Xiaoming forced a smile and said to Fang Xi in somewhat broken Chinese.

Then he said to Shuchang in Japanese, "Your younger brother should learn Japanese; he shouldn't be speaking such inferior language anymore." Shuchang immediately replied, "My father has already hired a tutor, who will be over in the next couple of days."

Huang Xiaoming nodded, then turned to look at a spot not far away, where an old servant in a striped shirt was trimming flowers and plants. He shouted, "You Chinese pig, come here!"

The old servant threw down the shovel in his hand, turned around and staggered over. It was clear that his legs were not very good, and his whole body was somewhat weak. He walked with a frail and weak gait.

However, his attitude displeased Huang Xiaoming, who immediately changed his demeanor, revealing a fierce expression, and roared, "Baka! Hurry up!"

This angry shout not only made the old man tremble and quicken his pace, but also startled the little boy Fang Xi. He turned to look at Huang Xiaoming with a slightly frightened expression, and involuntarily took a step back, trying to distance himself from him.

After the old man ran over, he was half-bent over, looking terrified as he waited for Huang Xiaoming's instructions.

"Take him to the backyard, use the old tires, and make him a swing, understand?"

The old man nodded hurriedly, barely daring to breathe. Huang Xiaoming then turned to the boy, a smile returning to his face: "Kid, go!"

"Pass!"

This scene was filmed back and forth for quite a while. At first, it was Huang Xiaoming's problem, but later Huang Xiaoming did find his rhythm. However, because there were too many takes, the little boy's performance started to look unnatural. His stress response to Huang Xiaoming's outburst was weakened, which is why it took so long.

Shu Chang and the old man's performances were mostly fine. The actor playing the old servant was Zhu Xu, who has acted in films like "The Last Emperor," "The King of Masks," and "Shower." He's a true veteran actor; his acting skills are superb, and his appearance is perfectly suited to the role. This old servant is also an important supporting character in the film.

……

In the scene, the boy Fang Xi is sitting on the table, and the old servant is bandaging his wound. He had just fallen off the swing and his knee was bleeding.

"Should I go to the hospital?" the boy asked.

"Need not."

"But I'm in a bit of pain, it might be quite serious."

"It's nothing, just a minor injury."

"How do you know? You're not a doctor." The boy looked at the old servant who was squatting down beside him peeling potatoes after bandaging him.

The old servant stopped, paused for a moment, then lowered his head and murmured, "No, I am."

"You're lying, you're the one who peels potatoes!" Children are straightforward and don't hide their emotions.

The old servant resumed his work, peeling potatoes as he spoke:
“I used to be a doctor, before I… before I came here.”

The boy laughed and said, "Your skills must be terrible, otherwise how would you be able to peel potatoes?"

Hearing the little boy's words, the old servant lowered his head and chuckled. But when he slowly raised his head, the boy noticed that the old servant's eyes were red and swollen, tears streaming down his face. He looked at the boy with tears in his eyes, a profound sadness emanating from him and filling the entire room. At that moment, the camera focused on Zhu Xu, capturing every detail of his face.

"Cut! Excellent! Teacher Zhu Xu's performance was superb, and so was Fang Xi's!"

Wu Yuchen was full of praise. The scene of Zhu Xu looking up and crying just now had a silent power that was very touching. Anyone who saw it could feel the bitterness and sorrow in the old servant's heart. That's what acting is all about!
However, after praising them, Wu Yuchen did not let everyone rest. Instead, he took advantage of their good condition and quickly filmed the next scene.

The camera, after being turned on, was focused on Fang Xi again. He looked puzzled, wondering why the old man was crying.

The old servant composed himself, smiled, and asked the boy, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Before the boy could answer, he answered his own question, "I know, you want to be an explorer!"

The boy asked again, puzzled, "How did you know?"

The old servant laughed, but this time his smile was different from the one before; it was a genuine smile from the bottom of his heart. Only when facing such an innocent child could he dare to laugh, like a kind old man teasing his grandson.

The little boy could sense the old man's kindness and asked him a question his parents had never answered: "Is the farm beautiful?"

The old man looked up again, a puzzled expression on his face. "A farm?"
Just then, the clatter of high heels on the floor broke the warm atmosphere in the room, and both the elderly woman and the young boy looked towards the door. Gong Li immediately dropped the shopping basket she was carrying and hurried to her son: "Xi Xi, what's wrong?"

It was clear that while she was concerned for her son, she was also looking at the old servant with a wary and scrutinizing gaze, filled with distrust. The old servant immediately reverted to his previous cautious demeanor, lowering his head completely and avoiding eye contact with Gong Li.

After learning from her son that the other party had bandaged his wound, Gong Li couldn't help but look at the old servant in surprise. After she sent her son back to his room, the old servant stopped peeling potatoes in the shot, and a look of fear and unease appeared on his face as he lowered his head, afraid that he would be blamed.

As Gong Li took the vegetables out of the basket, she glanced at the old servant several times. It was clear she was hesitant and conflicted; she even took a breath, opened her mouth, then closed it again, finally fixing her gaze on the old servant: "Thank you!"

The old servant paused slightly, wanting to look up, but ultimately gave up and continued peeling potatoes. After saying thank you, Gong Li felt an awkward silence and left.

Only after Gong Li left the room did the old servant dare to raise his head and silently watch her retreating figure...

"Pass! Good, good, good!"

Although it was just an ordinary scene, the sense of layering and atmosphere in the scene was fully expressed, and the characters became three-dimensional and full because of the various details in the scene.

Wu Yuchen was overjoyed. He thought it would take several days to film, but it was all done in half a day. Inviting Teacher Zhu Xu was definitely the right decision!

(End of this chapter)