r18novel Chapter 8 Rehearsals and Filming
Chapter 8 Rehearsals and Filming
After reaching an agreement with the middle-aged man, Lin Ruiyang took a car from Zigong back to Jincheng early the next morning.
When we finally got back to Yanjing by changing trains, it was already the afternoon of the following day.
He didn't go back to his dormitory, but went straight to office 301.
"Knock knock—"
"Enter."
Lin Ruiyang pushed open the door and went in.
Liu Yibing was looking down at the documents when he looked up and glanced at him: "You're back?"
"Um."
"Have you found the venue?"
Lin Ruiyang nodded and handed over the prepared notebook: "We found a suitable courtyard in the area to be demolished, and the spatial structure is suitable for the one-shot filming technique."
Liu Yibing didn't take the notebook, but just leaned back in his chair and looked at him: "Then tell me, is there any problem?"
Lin Ruiyang paused for a moment:
"First, the site environment is uncontrollable, and there are many people in the area, so there are many variables."
"Secondly, there are no fixed usage rights, and on-site coordination is required."
"Third, the local lighting changes rapidly, so we may have to cut down the shooting time."
He spoke slowly, but very clearly.
After listening, Liu Yibing nodded: "Not bad, at least you know where the problem lies."
"So, how do you plan to solve this?"
Lin Ruiyang didn't hesitate: "Control the number of people in the crew, rehearse in advance, and do our best to familiarize ourselves with all the scheduling so that it becomes muscle memory. We'll strive to get it right in one take on the day of filming."
Liu Yibing looked at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.
How many people are in your crew?
"There are four of us in our dorm. Jin Yan is the photographer, Li Li is the sound recordist, and Fatty is the script supervisor and logistics manager."
Liu Yibing didn't say anything more, and took out a form and a bank card from the drawer and handed them to him.
"The school has approved the funding. This is for the project only, a total of 5000. Don't exceed it."
Lin Ruiyang didn't say anything and put the card into his bag.
"I've already spoken to them about the equipment. You can go and register directly. Jin Yan and Li Li know the process."
"Thank you, teacher."
"Don't thank me," Liu Yibing waved his hand.
"We'll talk after you and Li Ming get the medical reports filmed. If they're not good, don't come looking for me next time."
"clear."
When I got back to the dormitory, it was already dinnertime.
The fat man was hunched over the table eating bread when he saw him enter and paused for a moment.
"Old Lin, you're back! Did it go smoothly?"
"Not bad, it's settled."
With just a few words, the fat man immediately sat up straight: "Really?"
Lin Ruiyang didn't answer, but glanced at him and said, "Hey Fatty, do you want to come?"
"Me?" The fat man coughed twice, took a sip of water, and swallowed the bread.
"What could I possibly do there?"
"Script supervisor and logistics staff."
Without a second thought, the fat man agreed immediately: "Fine! I'm definitely sticking to your coattails."
The pace quickened dramatically over the next two days.
After Jin Kai and Li Li finished preparing their graduation materials, they officially joined the group. The four of them went over the script and plan together in their dorm room for the first time.
Lin Ruiyang didn't dwell on his emotions, focusing instead on positioning and rhythm. He couldn't possibly notice every detail on his own, so he needed someone to share the workload.
On the third day, the group set off with the borrowed equipment, as well as some simple set design and props.
When they arrived at Zigong's place, it was already afternoon of a new day.
That courtyard is still there, and it hasn't changed at all.
The man didn't ask any questions after seeing them, but simply emphasized that they shouldn't be too noisy and disturb others.
The group wasted no time and divided the tasks clearly: the fat man went to find the extras, while they set up the setup.
First, after determining the location, mark the location.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it would feel crowded once it was full of people, so as the director, he had to walk through it himself first. After considering the effects of the shots, he would make rough adjustments, and then check the actual situation one by one once the others arrived.
"Oppression and chaos must be under control; that's what he wants." Lin Ruiyang stood in the middle of the courtyard, scanning the entire space.
Jin Yan was fine-tuning the balance of the gimbal, while Li Li squatted in the corner, using super glue to fix the cable along the base of the wall.
"Brother Jin, how much can you charge for the scenery?"
Jin Yan looked through the viewfinder: "From the entrance to the main room, the entire depth is captured, but some blind spots on both sides of the courtyard will be missed."
"If it leaks, it leaks." Lin Ruiyang went over to check.
"Our camera follows the woman's movements, so the audience's attention will always be focused on the old lady's location and direction."
Jin Yan remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
The fat man ran back, covered in sweat, clutching a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.
"Old Lin, we've looked around for extras, and we've found about ten who are willing to come. They're all local residents."
The atmosphere in the courtyard quickly became lively.
People were gradually led in by the fat man; there were men and women, ranging in age from their twenties to their seventies. Lin Ruiyang didn't rush to start, but instead had them put in front of the camera to check their condition.
Everyone was a little reserved at first.
"What should we do?"
"Do we need to memorize our lines?"
Lin Ruiyang shook his head: "Don't be afraid, everyone. It's just like chatting with someone at the market."
He didn't emphasize performance, but kept repeating one word—natural.
That's the core of this film.
Before rehearsal, the four distributed prepared script slips to everyone, all in accordance with the rhythm of the speech.
Only the young reporter and the sole protagonist, the elderly woman, shared more details. However, they only touched on them briefly, as explaining too much to non-experts wouldn't be helpful.
The first day of rehearsals was chaotic. Some people walked too fast and blocked the people behind them, some forgot to speak while walking, and some kept looking at the camera while walking.
Fortunately, Lin Ruiyang had prepared himself mentally beforehand.
"Please note that we will mark the ground with different colored chalk. Just follow the color corresponding to you."
He and the fat man quickly sorted out the markings, noting who entered from where, where they stopped, and roughly where they were speaking, disassembling them bit by bit.
The first day passed quickly; there was progress, but not much.
The situation was a little better on the second day. No one bumped into each other, and their movements were no longer so stiff, gradually becoming more natural.
In the evening, they did a test shoot, not for any particular reason, but just to let everyone in rehearsals see what they looked like on camera, hoping to give everyone more motivation.
The third day, there was no rehearsal this morning.
Lin Ruiyang and the three of them set up the scene for the memorial ceremony, including the pebbles on the ground and the necessary props.
We also made some minor adjustments to the different characters, such as making the villagers and village officials darker and deepening their wrinkles; and giving the reporter simple, light makeup to make them fit the professional image.
The first rehearsal of the day was in the afternoon, and perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, but everything went exceptionally well, including that seventy-year-old grandmother who perfectly met all the requirements.
At 4:15, the sky darkened.
"Senior, look at the sky and the lighting. Is this the effect we wanted?"
Lin Ruiyang asked Jin Yan in a low voice.
"Hmm... I'll try adjusting the parameters."
"Got it!"
"Shall we sneak in for a bit?"
Lin Ruiyang called Li Li and Fatty over, signaling them to officially begin filming, but only the four of them were allowed to participate.
A new rehearsal has begun.
Jin Yan's fingers rested on the camera switch, and Li Li put on his listening headphones.
The leader enters, shakes hands, and speaks; reporters set up their equipment, set up lighting, and conduct interviews; monks chant sutras, and incense smoke swirls around them.
People came and went in front of the old woman, then left. The old woman sat motionless in the middle of the courtyard.
Everyone had left, the courtyard was empty, only the chanting monk remained. The old woman got up, took out paper money and burned it for her deceased son and husband.
Lin Ruiyang stared at the monitor but did not call a halt.
When the paper money was almost burned out, the fat man whispered to his companion, "Old Lin, is it over yet?"
Lin Ruiyang then came to his senses.
"That's enough, let's call it a day."