Chapter 477 The First Play

Hu Xiaoxiao watched the crew members work carefully, and slowly went through the knowledge he had learned some time ago and the entire Hollywood process in his mind, trying to integrate them into his mind.

Then, I referred to the production methods in Baogang and began to think about how to learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses and develop a unique production method of my own.

Hu Xiaoxiao was immersed in her thoughts. Dong Peiyu and Ye Zhini, who had been with her for several years, considerately lowered their voices so as not to let outsiders disturb Hu Xiaoxiao's thoughts.

The silence on the set allowed John, who was immersed in the role, to find his feeling more easily, and the degree of completion was higher than expected.

John's acting skills are already very good, and he performed exceptionally well here, making the filming process very smooth, and this part of the plot went by very quickly.

The director gave this scene several shots, using John's sight to exaggerate the atmosphere of the bookstore, creating a mysterious and ancient atmosphere.

Soon it was Hu Xiaoxiao's turn, marking the first time that lead actress Li Lin appeared on camera. The crew put considerable effort into setting up the set, and the lighting technicians went through several iterations before settling on the lighting method. They even chose this particular time of day to film the bookstore scene because the weather provided the lighting they were looking for.

Even the choice to shoot after John's scene was because it was afternoon, the sun outside the library was slanted, and part of it shone into the library, which made the shot more natural.

Director Edward looked at his watch, then looked out the window at the west-facing sunlight, calculating how far the light had traveled. "Wait another twenty minutes, Miss Xiaoxiao, you can get ready."

Hu Xiaoxiao nodded and began to make preparations.

The makeup artist came over and re-applied Hu Xiaoxiao's makeup, while the costume artist adjusted Hu Xiaoxiao's clothes and checked them carefully.

Hu Xiaoxiao first walked to the sofa chair at the end of the bookshelf and sat down, adjusting her sitting posture. Then the costume director of the crew came over and personally adjusted the curve of Hu Xiaoxiao's skirt to ensure that every frame of the shot was perfect.

After he sat down, the hairstylist came over to style Hu Xiaoxiao's hair again, making sure not even a single hair could be wrong.

Edward glanced at the sun's rays, which were already slanting in through the window panes. He told the photographer and the other staff to begin immediately, and said to Hu Xiaoxiao, "Miss Xiaoxiao, it's best not to spend too much time on this shot, or we'll have to wait until this time tomorrow to reshoot. If the weather isn't good tomorrow, we'll have to wait a few more days."

Hu Xiaoxiao already understood the lighting requirements for this shot. When the sun shines into the library, the light shouldn't be too weak, otherwise the contrast between light and dark won't be strong enough. Similarly, the light shouldn't be too strong, as it would appear too bright and conflict with the overall film's visuals.

"I'm ready, director." Hu Xiaoxiao began to immerse herself in the world of the script. At this moment, she was Li Lin.

Following the director's call for action, the photographer began.

After Noah walked into the library, he asked a few times, but heard no response and saw no one. After hesitating for a moment, he walked into the library.

He walked past rows and rows of bookshelves and headed deeper into the forest of books.

The wooden bookshelves exude an ancient atmosphere, and some places even show signs of cracking from the years. The books on the shelves are mottled and yellowed, the corners are slightly curled, and the gold-embossed titles are a little blurred.

The quiet library, in the dim light, seems to hide countless stories.

Noah finally reached the end. He first saw a ray of light shining obliquely in from outside the window, and countless dust particles were floating in the light.

Then, through the dust, he saw the woman in black sitting in front of the window.

She sat quietly on the retro sofa chair, holding an ancient book in her hand, looking down and immersed in the book.

A few tiny rays of light fell on her black skirt. Her slender white fingers gently turned a page of the book, and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

Behind her was still darkness, but she sat before the light, possessing a tranquility and elegance unlike any Western woman. In Noah's eyes, everything seemed hazy and dreamy.

Noah called out again, and she finally raised her head. A beautiful oriental face appeared in front of Noah, and Noah's eyes could not help but follow her.

"Hello, Miss Li Lin." Noah subconsciously knew that she was the person he was looking for.

She put down the book in her hand, stood up gracefully, walked towards Noah, walked out of the darkness, crossed the light, and came in front of Noah.

A pair of all-seeing eyes stared at Noah quietly for a moment, then said: "Hello, Mr. Noah."

The picture remained still for a few seconds, and Director Edward finally called out "cut" with satisfaction, "Very good, passed."

This scene was passed in one take.

Prepare for the next one.

Ye Zhini immediately brought some warm water over for Hu Xiaoxiao to drink, and then the hairstylist and costume designer continued to fix Hu Xiaoxiao's makeup and clothes.

There was even an assistant who came forward, half-knelt on the ground and wiped Hu Xiaoxiao's shoes clean, leaving them spotless.

Emily looked at the group of people surrounding Hu Xiaoxiao and served her. She felt a little jealous and almost couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks. Fortunately, she remembered that Philip was sitting there, so she suppressed all the words she wanted to say, even the half-rolled eyes.

Philip stood up, clapped his hands a few times, and said to Hu Xiaoxiao with a smile: "Miss Xiaoxiao, you got your first scene right in one take. This is a very good sign."

Hu Xiaoxiao stood still, letting the costume designer straighten her slightly wrinkled skirt. "It's all thanks to the crew. Their thorough preparation allowed my scenes to go so smoothly."

But Hu Xiaoxiao's good acting was the key to the smooth progress. Philip was in a very good mood and did not watch the subsequent scenes. He decided to visit the crew again when they were filming the secret realm scenes.

The scenes in the secret realm were all filmed against a green screen, mostly without props, which is when acting really demands the most. They're all action scenes, many of which require wirework, which are often the most challenging for actors to pull off. Some of the more challenging scenes even required a body double.

The crew had already prepared action actors with similar body shapes to serve as stand-ins for them, and if they failed to complete the task, the stand-ins would take over.

But that’s a story for later.

After Philip left, the crew started the next scene.

How Noah persuaded Li Lin to go to the secret realm together to find a way to destroy the magic contract and repair the space-time rift.

Hu Xiaoxiao had memorized all the lines long ago and had thought about them many times before. Now the filming was much easier and he completed the shooting smoothly.

Hu Xiaoxiao's scenes were finished that day, but the male lead, John, still had to continue filming the evening scenes.

Originally, this scene in the evening was to be performed by Hu Xiaoxiao, but Hu Xiaoxiao was unwilling to shoot it, so this scene was given to the second female lead Emily.

This is a passionate scene.

Since the heroine doesn't want to, let the hero and the second female lead go ahead.

In short, this play is full of passionate scenes that attract the audience.