r18novel Chapter 197 Blind Auction and the Traitor: The Dictator in the Eye of the Storm
Chapter 197 Blind Auction and the Traitor: The Dictator in the Eye of the Storm
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
In the photography studio, news of the blind shoot had already spread.
The camera crew wiped the lens repeatedly, and the lighting crew checked the safety ropes again and again. No one spoke clearly, only exchanging tense glances as they passed each other.
In the film era, shooting blindly put the entire technical team under immense pressure.
Without sample feedback, everyone was groping their way in the dark.
Chen Yan stood in the center of the set.
The next scene is the interior of the underground city's engine control room.
Wang Yuanchao's team used real discarded instrument panels and pipes to build a space that made it hard to breathe.
The metal surface gleamed with a cold light, and the dim light beams fell on the rust and oil stains, giving off an old, industrial feel.
"Lighting crew."
Chen Yan, holding the walkie-talkie, began setting up parameters. His speech was steady, without any noticeable fluctuations. "Main light source, 12 o'clock position, 12K dysprosium lamp, plus a quarter CTO color paper. Auxiliary light, 3 o'clock position, 4K dysprosium lamp, plus a diffuser. Bottom light, an array of cool white fluorescent tubes."
The lighting technician confirmed over the walkie-talkie, his voice trailing off.
"Zhang Yuan, position the camera on the track vehicle."
Chen Yan continued, "Cooker S4, 50mm focal length. Aperture set to T2.0. The light meter should only measure the shadows, not the highlights. I want detail in the shadows and allow for half a stop overexposure in the highlights to create a dazzling industrial look."
Zhang Yuan gritted his teeth and adjusted the camera according to Chen Yan's instructions, his fingers rapidly rotating on the lens ring.
Filming was forced to proceed.
Chen Yan's brain is like a living developing machine. With more than 20 years of experience in handling video games in his previous life, he incorporates the angle and color temperature of every light source, as well as the focal length and depth of field of every lens, into the on-site scheduling.
He doesn't need samples.
On the light-distributing frame on the roof.
Sun Qiang, the lighting assistant, lay on the steel frame, sweat dripping down his forehead and onto the wire mesh below.
The bank card in his pocket was pressed against his thigh, so hot that his palms were sweating.
Ten thousand yuan can buy a human leg, or a human life.
Zhou Ming's request was simple: to create a minor accident on set.
If anyone gets injured, the production crew will face an investigation by the safety supervision bureau, and a work stoppage will be inevitable.
The chaos caused by blind shooting gave Sun Qiang the best opportunity.
He looked down at Lin Qingqiu, who was moving around.
Sun Qiang pulled an adjustable wrench from his tool bag and used it to lock the load-bearing clip that secured the 12K dysprosium lamp.
The lamp weighs forty kilograms and hangs five meters above Lin Qingqiu's head.
Sun Qiang loosened the bolts with force.
The engagement surfaces of the buckle are now only about two millimeters apart.
The lamp will fall if the track vehicle causes even the slightest vibration.
He put away the wrench and climbed down the maintenance ladder, but he couldn't step steadily with each step, and his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't hold onto the ladder beams.
3 PM.
The main event is about to begin filming.
Lin Qingqiu stood in front of the control panel.
The camera will zoom in from her side and rear to capture her pulling the joystick.
"Scene 21 of The Wandering Earth, Shot 1. Clapperboard."
The script supervisor stepped back.
Lin Qingqiu got into the zone.
Her hand gripped the joystick.
Chen Yan stared at the monitor.
Because there was no film processing, the monitor only showed a low-resolution video stream from the camera viewfinder, resulting in a rough image quality and dense noise.
But in Chen Yan's eyes, these noises cannot obscure the physical trajectory of light.
Lin Qingqiu's profile was illuminated by a 12K dysprosium lamp, creating a sharp, defined outline.
The next second, Chen Yan's focus narrowed.
In the monitor footage, the outline of Lin Qingqiu's face showed an unusual flickering.
The light source is in displacement.
Chen Yan's gaze left the monitor and went directly to the real scene.
He didn't look at Lin Qingqiu, but at the shadow at her feet.
The length of the shadow is getting shorter.
The light source overhead is falling.
The thought had barely crossed his mind before he had already dashed off.
"Get out of the way!"
Chen Yan didn't take the walkie-talkie; he just shouted it out.
He kicked away the chair in front of the monitor and rushed towards the set.
Lin Qingqiu's reaction was so fast it was almost instinctive.
Upon hearing the command, she abandoned her performance, rolled to the side, and crashed heavily onto the iron plate.
At the same time, the load-bearing clips on the light rack completely slipped off.
The 40-kilogram 12K dysprosium lamp crashed down with a whooshing sound.
A dull metallic clang echoed through the studio as the steel panel was smashed through, sending shivers down the spines of everyone present.
The dynamite lamp smashed onto the control panel where Lin Qingqiu had just been standing.
The heavy steel panel was smashed, leaving a deep crater. The high-temperature light bulb shattered, and glass shards flew everywhere, cutting the nearby cables.
Sparks flew everywhere.
The film set instantly descended into chaos.
Zhang Yuan was so frightened that he sat on the railcar, his face drained of color.
If Lin Qingqiu had dodged even half a second later, the lamp would have smashed her cervical spine.
Chen Yan stopped two meters away from the point of impact.
He stared at the ruins on the ground, his face taut.
Wu Gang walked out from the corner and came to Chen Yan's side.
"It wasn't an accident."
Chen Yan looked at the broken buckle. "The cut is flat; the bolt was loosened intentionally."
Wu Gang didn't reply, but turned and walked towards the maintenance ladder under the light rack.
He crouched down to examine the oily footprints on the ladder, then stood up and scanned the faces of everyone in the lighting crew.
Ten minutes later.
Outside the photography studio, an abandoned underground parking garage.
There are no lights here, only a sliver of light leaking from the ventilation opening.
The air smelled of mildew and urine.
Sun Qiang's hands were tied behind his back by Wu Gang, and he was pressed against a rough cement pillar.
The cold cement rubbed against his cheeks, and cold sweat mixed with dust blurred his vision.
Chen Yan walked down the slope.
Footsteps echoed in the empty garage.
He walked up to Sun Qiang.
"Director Chen, this is an accident, a real accident. The clips were worn out."
Sun Qiang stammered in his defense, his eyes darting to the side, not daring to look at Chen Yan.
Chen Yan ignored his nonsense.
He reached into Sun Qiang's work clothes pocket and pulled out the adjustable wrench.
The wrench jaws still bore fresh scratches from tightening high-carbon steel bolts.
Chen Yan threw the wrench on the ground.
The metal struck the concrete, making a crisp sound.
"Who told you to do it?"
Chen Yan asked.
No, nobody's here.
Wu Gang raised his knee and pressed it against Sun Qiang's lower back.
Sun Qiang let out a short, painful scream.
"Ask one more time."
Chen Yan slowed his speech. "Who told you to do it?"
"Zhou, Zhou Ming! Zhou Ming from Oriental Cinemas! He gave me 100,000!"
Sun Qiang's defenses crumbled on the spot. "He said that if anyone was injured, the film crew would face an investigation. Director Chen, I was wrong! I'll return the money to you!"
Chen Yan looked at him.
"Call the police."
Sun Qiang cried out, "Let the police arrest me! I confess!"
He knew that if he went to the police station, he would only get a few years in prison at most.
But if he falls into the hands of these two people, he doesn't know what he will face.
Chen Yan turned around and walked towards the garage exit.
"Don't call the police."
Chen Yan's voice came from the shadows.
"Wu Gang, teach him some manners. Then throw him at the entrance of the Oriental Cinema headquarters."
Chen Yan walked up the slope.
A dull thud, like a dislocated bone, came from the underground parking garage.
Chen Yan took out his phone and dialed Su Wan's number.
"Su Wan, book two plane tickets to Europe."
Looking at the gloomy sky over the Shougang factory area, Chen Yan said, "I'm going to France. The photo lab has blacklisted us, so I'll go to Paris to do the photo lab work."
Su Wan paused for a moment on the other end of the phone.
"Chen Yan, the cost of printing in Paris is five times higher than in China. The transportation, customs clearance, and overseas settlement are all beyond our financial capacity."
"Do as I say."
Chen Yan hung up the phone.
Li Jianguo wanted to use a scorched-earth policy to starve him out.
Then he shifted the battlefield to the international arena.
It's time to use leverage in Cannes.
Wu Gang walked up behind him, carrying something in his hand.
"Director Chen, these are the call logs we found on Sun Qiang's phone."
Wu Gang's voice was deep, "The person who introduced him wasn't Zhou Ming, but someone from within our production team."