thefictionvixens Chapter 22 Interviews and Filming Start
Chapter 22 Interviews and Filming Start
May 15th, 10:00 AM.
A large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the residential compound. A simple red cloth backdrop had been set up, with the film title and production information printed on it.
Compared to the launch events of big-budget productions, this place seems rather shabby.
This press conference was not only Lin Ruiyang's first interview after winning the award, but also the first public appearance of the lead actors.
After the host gave a brief introduction, it was time for the group interview.
A reporter in the front row immediately raised his hand and asked, "Director Lin, isn't it a bit too rushed to start filming so soon after returning from Venice?"
The first question wasn't particularly pointed, but it did carry a hint of probing.
"It's not rushed. This project started preparations before I went to Venice, and starting filming now was planned long ago."
Lin Ruiyang took the microphone without hesitation.
Some people in the audience were taking notes, while others were sizing up the young director who had just returned from Venice.
The second question was then raised.
"Director Lin, after winning the Silver Lion at Venice, are your expectations for 'A Separation' even higher? Are you feeling the pressure of winning awards?"
"Short films and feature films have different evaluation systems. Winning a short film award does not necessarily mean that a feature film will win an award. What we need to do now is to shoot every scene well."
There was a reporter in the back row wearing glasses, whose tone was noticeably sharper.
"Director Lin, there is an actor in your cast who is currently considered one of the most difficult to work with in the industry. There has always been a saying in the industry that he has very high demands on directors and may even interfere with the creative process."
As a new director, how would you handle this situation?
The atmosphere at the scene paused slightly after the question was raised.
Although the reporter's question did not name names, everyone knew who he was referring to, and most people's eyes were on Li Baotian.
"If you mean having high standards for acting, then I think that's a good thing. When actors are serious about their roles, they are also being responsible to the work itself."
The reporter pressed on, asking, "But what if it's interfering with the director's expression?"
That means I didn't express myself clearly enough.
As soon as he said that, someone in the front row gave a soft "Oh".
He continued, "If the so-called intervention refers to actors setting higher standards for the script and their performances on screen, then I think such intervention is something any good production team should welcome."
Everyone on the crew was working towards the same goal—to create a good film. Therefore, I don't see it as an adversarial relationship.
Lin Ruiyang was speaking to the reporters, but also to everyone present.
Having been reborn, he knew that Li Baotian was a veteran actor who was dedicated to the quality of his performances. The rumors of him being a "tyrant on set" stemmed from Li Baotian's refusal to accept the rampant practice of padding his performances for money, which led to him being slandered by companies in the industry.
Even though the court ruled in his favor, he was subsequently blacklisted by those companies, which affected his acting career. He was forced to take a two-year hiatus from acting until his comeback in 08 with "The Lawyers of the North and South".
At this moment, Li Baotian, who had been sitting quietly in the actors' seats, straightened his back slightly.
The old man didn't stand up, nor did he take the microphone; he simply looked up at the reporter.
"When you say you're interfering with the creative process, do you mean I made the other actor rehearse his lines because I thought they weren't delivered properly, or did you mean I mentioned that the director's camera angles were inappropriate?"
No one responded.
"If it's either of those two things, then I did interfere, and I've been interfering ever since I started acting."
The atmosphere at the press conference suddenly changed.
Lin Ruiyang secretly gave Li Baotian a thumbs up without saying a word.
The interviews that followed went much more smoothly.
The reporters stopped focusing on the "tyrant on set" topic and turned their attention to the filming schedule, location selection, and the other actors' role preparations.
Guo Xiaodong, Hao Lei, and Yan Bingyan all shared how they prepared.
During the free interview segment, Li Baotian was surrounded by the most reporters.
The old man leaned back in his chair, his face expressionless, but he answered all the questions asked.
When a reporter asked him what he thought of the label "drama tyrant," he thought for a moment and said something that left everyone speechless for a moment.
"I don't know the Li Baotian you see elsewhere. The Li Baotian you see on this set is the one who came to see me."
The press conference ended a little later than expected.
While the reporters were packing up their equipment, the fat man approached Lin Ruiyang.
"Old Lin, your statement just now, 'It means I didn't express myself clearly enough,' sounded really good to me."
"It's not about being pretty, it's the truth. If the actors really feel something is wrong, it must be because I didn't explain my intention clearly."
Once the director clearly explains his ideas, the actors will understand and there won't be so many disagreements.
Before the fat man could say anything more, Lin Ruiyang had already walked towards the actors' seats.
Li Baotian remained seated in the same spot, the cup of tea in his hand now completely cold, but the old man didn't replace it, just held it there.
Seeing Lin Ruiyang approach, he raised his chin:
"You don't need to shield me from that reporter. I've been the subject of countless rumors in my life, so don't worry about it."
"I'm not trying to protect you, I'm just telling the truth," Lin Ruiyang said, sitting down beside him.
"Besides, if I don't take good care of you, my teacher will hold me accountable later."
Li Baotian didn't say anything more, but the smile on his face became more and more obvious.
At 2 PM, the first scene, first shot, began filming. The living room, the couple sitting facing each other, side camera angle, medium shot.
Under the guidance of experienced craftsmen at the Qingying Film Studio, Jin Kai laid out the camera track and added a half-layer of diffuser paper to the outside of the window to diffuse the hard light into a cloudy, diffuse reflection.
On the monitor, Guo Xiaodong sat on the sofa, holding a piece of paper in his hand, without making any extra movements. The slumped part of his right shoulder was exactly the same as during the audition.
"Go ahead," he said.
Hao Lei sat on the other side of the table, not glancing at him once since she sat down. The camera slowly zoomed in as she held her breath and tensed up.
This scene was filmed five times. The first two takes were due to the first time working together, and the crew made mistakes. It wasn't until the third take that the scene was up to standard.
Then I added two more, just in case.
The first day of filming was short, and we wrapped up in the evening.
Wang Hai briefly summarized the arrangements: "Tomorrow's event will be a bit bigger, so everyone should get some rest tonight."
Lin Ruiyang and Fatty were squatting by the roadside eating their freshly bought boxed lunches. Fatty was shoveling rice into his mouth while scrolling through his phone when he suddenly stuck his chopsticks into the lunchbox.
"Old Lin, do you know what the top entertainment news headlines are tonight?"
The cast for the new version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" has been finalized, with Huang Xiaoming and Liu Yifei making their debut in Xiangshan.
"Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi went to Yinchuan to participate in the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival."
The discussion forum exploded immediately after the report was published.
The fat man watched for a while, then sighed, "Our popularity... is a bit pathetic."
"That's normal. For an art film like ours, it's good enough if we even make it into the news."
"You were right." The fat man handed over his phone.
The entertainment section of the Beijing News gave us a short news item with the headline "Venice Silver Lion winner starts filming new movie, Li Baotian responds to controversy over domineering on set".
The other companies only issued press releases. We weren't even mentioned in the top 30 trending searches on Baidu.
"Trending topics are for things that generate buzz. For a low-budget family drama to compete with the star-studded cast of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' for attention is just plain stupid."
Lin Ruiyang stood up and dusted off his trousers: "Let's go, we have to get up early tomorrow."