The optical viewfinder adjusted slightly to follow the camera's viewing angle, and Alan lay beside it, straining to see the image in the optical viewfinder.
This thing looked too tiring for the eyes. After watching it for a long time, Alan finally gave up trying to find the feeling of sitting in front of the monitor as before. Instead, he chose to trust the photographer. At worst, he could just go back and watch it slowly at night.
…
After a day's shooting, I went home to eat first, then had a massage from the physiotherapist before going to the screening room.
The editor has already made a rough cut of today's shooting, and now Allen can see all the shots he shot today.
In the screening room, watching Meryl's figure being displayed on the screen, there was no doubt that the photographer had indeed shot it according to his own requirements.
From beginning to end...
Alan was embarrassed to find that he seemed to have encountered a problem.
In order to confirm his idea, he called a few maids at home and asked them to watch the rough cut of the shooting with him again.
…
A few middle-aged maids were watching something their young master asked them to watch. The movie was a bit noisy and the story had no beginning or end, but the general idea was simple: a middle-aged woman and a Nigga were pretending to be together in a hotel.
Allen had been observing the maids' expressions while they were watching the film. Looking at the maids whose expressions didn't change much from beginning to end, he asked, "What do you feel after watching this film?"
…
How does it feel?
The maid closest to Allen curled her lips and said, "Half an hour in advance, three minutes to do the job, what can you feel? You're dragging your feet."
“…”
"Master... this black man has a nice body, but I don't remember anything else."
“…”
"Alright, alright...get out, get out."
Seeing that the middle-aged women were tending to discuss the topic of black people's bodies, Alan waved his hand and told the maids to do what they were supposed to do.
The screening room returned to silence, and Alan finally confirmed his guess.
…
Empiricism is killing people!
All the borderline films he had filmed before were for male audiences.
It’s not that people other than men can’t watch it, but the main target audience is men.
During this photo shoot, he was very proud and spoke very convincingly, and the photographer also followed his requirements and took good photos.
But as soon as the semi-finished product came out, Allen discovered the problem.
The target audience of this film is mainly women, but he is now using his old method to shoot it from a male perspective, focusing only on Meryl.
The consequence is...
Even the maid didn't feel anything when she saw it.
Isn't this going to get cold?
I worked so hard to make a film, but even this middle-aged lady didn't feel anything after watching it. How can I attract customers?
His biggest problem is that he should not have shot the film from his own male perspective, but from a female perspective.
Fortunately, the problem was discovered early and he still has room to correct it.
…
On the set of the next day, Allen pulled Meryl over again and quietly explained the precautions for today's filming.
"Meryl, uh...our requirements today need to change a little bit. I need you to actively guide him with your emotions."
Allen reassigned Meryl the task and asked her to change her personality from the shy yet expectant older sister of the past few days.
Although Alan doesn't have a deep understanding of women's psychology, they can be applied to each other.
This thing is like a young man who goes to rescue a poor fallen woman for the first time.
Although he was obviously extremely impatient and anxious, he still tried his best to maintain his dignity on the surface and pretended to be a veteran.
If the fallen woman finds out any flaw in him, the young man will be psychologically devastated. So he applies this kind of male mentality to Meryl.
Meryl and the black actors, their personalities are inherently transparent. It can be said that I know what you want to do and what you need, and you also know what I want to do and why.
It's that simple.
…
Meryl looked doubtful and a little embarrassed.
She had only been in the mood for a few days, and her entire personality suddenly changed.
To change from a reserved and somewhat restrained middle-aged woman to a middle-aged woman who is impatient inside and reserved on the outside?
Looking at Meryl's expression, Allen emphasized: "I'm not asking you to change all your emotions directly, but to add these emotions to the previous ones. Can you do it?"
“…”
"Director...give me some time, I'll try it first."
"Very good! I believe you."
Alan patted Meryl on the shoulder. She had been very obedient these days, fully demonstrating the professionalism of a professional actor. His requests were always met very quickly, which gave Alan the illusion that Meryl could act out whatever he added.
…
He called in the black actors and photographers and continued to explain the key points of the shooting. This time, Allen wanted to take as many shots of black people as possible, especially the black body...
…
"Click! Stop."
Alan frowned, not sure if it was because he had added some random things, but this shot made him feel uncomfortable before he even saw the semi-finished product.
The emotions were there, but they were not what he expected at all, and even made him feel a little fake and unnatural.
"Take a break and try again."
…
“Crack!”
The second time still didn't work. Alan felt that this time it was a little better, but emotionally it still felt a little off.
Let the actors take a break and continue filming!
…
“Crack!”
After several NGs in a row, the atmosphere on the entire set became a little depressing. With Alan's click, he stretched out his hand and hooked his finger, asking Meryl to come over. The staff around them consciously made room for them.
"What's wrong with you? You've done it several times, why is it still not working? Do you need to go back and rest and adjust?"
Although he was a little impatient, Allen didn't get too angry...
This is all very normal. When filming a movie, it’s impossible for everything to go smoothly.
Meryl bit her lip. She was a little in awe of Allen. To be honest, she felt a little uncomfortable with Allen watching her. It was not a question of professionalism, but a question of identity.
Being watched by such a big shot during the filming and having to play such a role, even if she has the best professional qualities, she can't concentrate on it.
What's more, Allen now asked her to play a character who appears to be honest and dutiful on the surface, but is restless inside, and then has to add a bit of impatience on the surface, but can still endure it, and finally wants to **.
If the scale here is not properly grasped, it will not meet Allen's requirements.
Looking at Alan's eyes that seemed concerned but were actually a little cold, Meryl sniffed and said, "I'm sorry... Director, I think I need to adjust a little today."
"Okay! Let's call it a day!"
Allen didn't waste time. There was a problem with the female lead, but sharpening the knife makes the work easier. He couldn't rush her in her current state and had to give her some time to adjust.
…
As the crew on the set were packing up and moving equipment, Meryl, who had been standing still, stood out.
Alan thought he had spoken too harshly just now. After thinking for a while, he walked behind Meryl, patted her and said, "Well...what I said just now was a bit harsh. Don't put too much psychological pressure on yourself, otherwise..."