On the very day Xiao He and his crew arrived in Grasse, they placed a large order with Mrs. Marshall, a perfume shop. Later, when the crew shared their experiences, they kept recommending the shop to Mrs. Marshall, which is why Mrs. Marshall had a very good impression of the crew from China.
Especially for Liu Rulan.
It is said that during the time Xiao He was filming, Liu Rulan often took time to learn simple perfumery from Mrs. Marshall, preparing to cultivate her future retirement hobby in advance.
So, through their interactions, the two became close friends despite their age difference.
Liu Rulan only asked casually, and Mrs. Marshall offered to provide the film crew with the right to use the booth that day.
Incidentally, she also contacted a few shops she knew nearby, and they ended up clearing out a small portion of the area for the film crew.
Fan Congwen, still grappling with the authorities: ...
It's true that having local connections makes things easier.
This is much more efficient than the local authorities!
Fortunately, the final result was good.
The day of the event arrived quickly.
...
The parade of floats had already begun on the streets early in the morning.
The streets, already filled with a festive atmosphere, were now even more lively. Not only were there many more residents on the road, but also many tourists who had come from far and wide. Shops that don't usually set up stalls outside were also setting up stalls in front of their stores today to promote their products and make their stores look festive.
The central square of the event had already been divided into several areas, with competition areas and shop stalls set up in a categorized manner.
The activity area was the most meticulously arranged, with many small square tables set up in the center, displaying numerous bottles and jars, and even professional perfumery equipment that is not usually seen. Around the perimeter were tables resembling judges' seats, giving it a real competition feel.
On the other side of the passageway, temporary stalls were set up on both sides. Most of these stalls consisted of ordinary carts and temporary tents. There were also many flowers piled up next to the tables on the outside, and the ground was uniformly covered with red carpets.
This scene looks somewhat like the temporary sales point where people used to sell New Year's goods in Xiao He's hometown.
However, there were still many differences, especially the perfumes and other handicrafts related to spices displayed on the stalls. Xiao He walked around and looked at them, finding them quite interesting.
Moreover, perhaps because this area has not yet been "invaded" by Chinese online stores, the items on these stalls are all unique, many of which are handmade by the stall owners and are one-of-a-kind, especially the sachets, soaps, scented candles, and even scented bookmarks to be inserted into books, scented artificial flowers to decorate the home, car air fresheners, and so on.
After reading it, Xiao He had only one thought: the prices of foreign handmade goods are really damn high.
But the female crew members actually fell for it; before filming even started, they were already shopping.
Only Xiao He wasn't very interested. He went to the spot temporarily used by the film crew and watched their preparations.
Since this scene was added on the spot, it wasn't particularly important in a certain sense. The script was all added by the screenwriter. Xie Jingshi and Chen You both received fly pages, with few lines and simple performances.
Xiao He wasn't originally supposed to be included, but based on the principle of filming as much as possible, he was also given a short segment of the tracking storyline.
By this time, the crew had made most of the arrangements on set.
The camera focuses on the back of one of the stalls, where there are not many staff members around, while in the aisle in the distance, there are the extras arranged by the film crew—most of these extras are people found on set.
As for the actor in front of the stall, he was the stall owner himself. He was a chubby old man with graying hair and a long beard. He wore an ill-fitting beret and looked like a comedian.
It is said that this little old man had a good relationship with Mrs. Marshall. After hearing about the film crew's situation, he voluntarily gave up his stall. However, because he was indeed quite likable, Director Zhuang, after consulting with him, decisively arranged for him to be included in the film.
At this moment, Director Zhuang was communicating with the little old man in French about the upcoming performance scene.
Xie Jingshi was also watching from the side, and then couldn't help but whisper to Xiao He, "I really didn't expect that the lady you randomly picked up on the street would have such a high status here."
He pointed to their current location, his expression complex: "I just checked, this is the most prime location in the entire square."
Mrs. Marshall readily agreed to give up her place, and most importantly, she persuaded the other shops along the aisle.
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