Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 44 History is always surprisingly similar

Mu Deyuan, wrapped in a dark grey coat, walked slowly into the courtyard of the villa, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a long shadow behind him.

He glanced at the crew busy finishing up in the villa, and his eyes finally settled on Wu Chen.

As an experienced director, I can tell what the crew is like just by looking at the division of labor and the finishing touches.

Zu Feng and Hu Jing were chatting, apparently still discussing the plot.

The lighting, props, and recording staff were each packing up their own equipment, while Park Song-il and others were busy working around the crew.

Even Guan Yue and Yin Xu helped out.

Mu Deyuan narrowed his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

The crew is very harmonious and they work willingly, which is a reflection of the good operation of the crew.

"Teacher, you are here." Wu Chen put down the work in his hands and took two steps forward.

"I wanted to see how your filming went, but I didn't expect it to be so smooth. Are you done with your scenes today?" Mu Deyuan said with a faint smile.

"Well, it went pretty smoothly, thanks to the great help from my senior brothers and sisters!"

"Okay, I was worried that there was something you couldn't handle. This way I won't have to come here as often in the future." Mu Deyuan finally felt relieved. At least Wu Chen had become the absolute core of this small crew.

Thousands of miles away, on the Xianling Island set, the afternoon scene had just finished. Liu Yifei, still in costume, her light gossamer skirt trailing like clouds under the moon, her slender figure reflecting the setting sun, as beautiful and bright as a new willow in spring, wrapped in a shawl, leaning in a corner of the set;

Rubbing his sore eyes, he quickly took out his flip phone to check Penguin News.

Today's filming schedule was so full that she even ate lunch hastily and continued filming, and only had some time until this moment.

In the start-up photo taken by Zhou Yang, Wu Chen stood in front of the ARRI camera, wrapped in a black coat, with a slight smile on his lips, and withered vines and snow behind him, he had a unique calm demeanor.

"Wow!" Liu Yifei's face lit up, and she muttered to herself, "Junior brother, this aura... well, it must be because Zhou Yang is so good at taking pictures."

"I have to save this photo. I can show it off when he becomes a big director!" Liu Yifei chuckled, her fingers quickly typing a message: "Junior brother, good luck on the start of filming!"

At this moment, Liu Xiaoli came over, which scared Liu Yifei. She patted her chest gently with her little hands.

"What are you doing? Why are you so anxious?" Liu Xiaoli was confused.

"Nothing." Liu Yifei shook her head, and suddenly her eyes lit up. "Mom, is it time to change the scene?"

"Well, Director Li said that the location will be moved around mid-March. What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to go back to school that day." Liu Yifei blinked quickly and glanced away.

"Is there something going on at school? The purpose of the relocation is to give the actors a break. It's only two days, and it's too much trouble to go back and forth." Liu Xiaoli felt sorry for her daughter and naturally didn't want to go back and forth like this.

"Mom!" Liu Yifei said coquettishly, and suddenly an idea flashed on her mind. "It's mainly because I've been away from school for too long. I thought I'd take this opportunity to go back and ask my teacher what kind of acting lessons I can take."

Liu Yifei felt that her brain was simply amazing at this moment. She actually came up with such a good reason.

Seeing that her daughter was so hardworking and motivated, Liu Xiaoli finally agreed reluctantly.

On the other side, Wu Chen took a quick look and counted the number of people. When he came today, the shabby bus carried 17 people, and now there were exactly 17 people in the hall.

The driver was already shouting outside the door.

"Coming!" Wu Chen responded, "Everyone, now that you've packed up, let's get in the car."

"Okay!" everyone responded.

"Do you want to go back and develop the photos today to see the results?" Mu Deyuan asked, a little curious about the pictures Wu Chen had taken today.

"Yes, teacher, I have this plan too." Wu Chen nodded and whispered to Mu Deyuan about the shooting details.

Wu Chen was the last one to get on the dilapidated bus, as Mu Deyuan drove there himself.

When getting on the car, Wu Chen always felt as if he had left something behind. He glanced at the people again and saw that the male and female protagonists and their staff were all there.

"Master, everyone is here, we can start driving."

The vibrations from the car engine caused everyone in the car to shake slightly.

Guan Yue was leaning against the window, drowsy. This shock seemed to make her remember something. She widened her eyes and slapped her thigh fiercely: "Oh! Xuan'er is still in the secret room!"

Everyone in the car was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Wu Chen couldn't help but slap his forehead: "Oh my god, I really forgot!"

"Director Wu, have you forgotten about our heroine?"

"If this gets out, Beijing Film Academy will laugh for a whole year."

Everyone ruthlessly finished off the enemy.

Wu Chen hurriedly got out of the car and rushed back to the villa with Guan Yue and Yin Xu. The three of them laughed as they ran.

Arriving at the door of the villa's secret room, Guan Yue knocked and shouted, "Xuan'er, are you alive? We are here to save you!"

As the door opened, Dong Xuan came out with messy hair and looked at Wu Chen and the others with a resentful look:

"Have you forgotten me?"

"Senior sister, that's not true at all. Look at your expression now. The next filming will definitely pass in one take. This method works, very effectively." Wu Chen lied with his eyes open.

Guan Yue and Yin Xu nodded silently, feeling a little guilty.

You can't admit that you really forgot!
Dong Xuan looked at the three people suspiciously.

"Let's go, let's go, the bus is waiting for us." Wu Chen quickly changed the subject.

But when they got back to the car, the truth could not be hidden. Dong Xuan looked at the three of them with resentment all the way.

After returning to Beijing Film Academy, Wu Chen took Park Songri and others straight to the college's developing room.

Mu Deyuan arrived an hour later.

Film development is a delicate job. First, the 35mm film is taken out of the ARRI, placed in a dark bag and sealed, and then sent to the darkroom.

The rinsing process consists of three steps: soaking in developing solution for 5-7 minutes to allow the image to appear;

Let the fixing soak for another 3-5 minutes to fix the image;
Finally, wash and dry it, and after about half an hour, the "hair piece" will be formed.

Wu Chen stood outside the darkroom, staring at the film machine, and whispered, "This batch of rough films is ready."

Mu Deyuan nodded: "Film is the best way to show your skills."

After half an hour, the hair pieces are dried and hung in front of the light box.

Wu Chen, Mu Deyuan, Pu Songri and others stood around and watched quietly.

The backlit shot of Hu Jing by the window, with its broken halo, is like a poem; the tired look in Zu Feng's sofa scene is clearly layered; the rotating shot that lasts from start to finish has a rhythm like a dance.

Mu Deyuan watched without blinking, and after a while he said, "Your son, this picture is tasteful. It's better than mine back then. You didn't waste much film, and you didn't learn any bad habits."

Wu Chen grinned. Of course he knew what bad habits Mu Deyuan was talking about.

The "notorious" habits of Jiang Wen and Wong Kar-wai are well-known in the industry.

"Teacher, you've given me an award, but I still need to polish it."

Pu Songri and the others stared with wide eyes: "Brother Chen, this is the material we shot? Why didn't we feel it when we were on the set?"

"You still need to practice more." Mu Deyuan glanced at Park Songri and the other two, then looked at the rough cut. "There are still a few scenes left. There's quite a lot to shoot."

However, at this time, Park Song-il and the other two were each working on the experimental products.

There was an obvious slight shake in the picture, so much so that even Zu Feng sitting on the sofa had obvious flaws.

When Mu Deyuan saw the picture, he immediately became furious. "Who, who took this photo? How could they make such a stupid mistake? Damn it, do they know how expensive film is?"

He knew at first glance that this picture was not taken by Wu Chen, and it could only have been taken by the three next to him.

Park Song-il and the other two trembled when they heard this.

Then there were two more identical scenes. Mu Deyuan's face turned black at this moment. He stood up and roared:

"Who filmed these two clips? Why are they exactly the same? Tell me, why?"

Chu Tianshu and Xiang Zhuo looked at each other, and finally Xiang Zhuo silently responded:
"Teacher, because history always repeats itself."

(End of this chapter)