Chapter 184 Are you kidding me?
The next morning, Lu Yanhe got up very early and went for a run.
This is what Huang Kairen told him: if there's a scene the next day that requires you to show great energy and spirit, go for a run in the morning, and your condition will be completely different.
Lu Yanhe didn't originally have the habit of jogging in the morning.
He is very different from Yan Liang.
He wasn't very passionate about sports.
But since I'm going to be on camera today, I'll listen to Huang Kairen and go for a run to improve my condition.
At six o'clock, Lu Yanhe went back to the hotel to take a shower, ate two slices of toast and a boiled egg at the restaurant, and arrived at the hotel entrance downstairs at six twenty o'clock sharp to board the shuttle bus.
The drive from the hotel to Nanhe University takes forty minutes.
Because we leave early, there's no traffic congestion on the road, and we won't be stuck in rush hour traffic.
At 7:10, the car drove into Nanhe University.
It's summer vacation now, and two-thirds of the students are gone from the campus.
However, many students knew that "The Golden Era" was going to be filmed here, so when the crew was recruiting extras as volunteers, they signed up and stayed.
The first scene we filmed this morning was the first encounter between Yao Yu'an and Guan Zhu in the drama.
Yao Yu'an walked in from outside the classroom and Guan Zhu fell in love with him at first sight.
Because director Law Yu-chung wanted to use natural light for this scene, filming was scheduled to begin at 8:30.
Lu Yanhe followed the crew to the third floor of a teaching building, where there was a large lecture hall at the end of the corridor.
The classroom had already been set up by staff who arrived early yesterday.
Tracks are being laid in the classroom for the camera to move and film later.
Several classrooms next door were borrowed to be used as dressing rooms and dressing rooms for the actors.
As soon as Lu Yanhe arrived, he was called over to get his makeup done.
Few actors actually appear on screen without makeup.
When appearing on camera without makeup, it's easy to look tired, have uneven skin tone, and look unwell.
The costumes for today's scene were decided long ago.
By the time Lu Yanhe had changed his clothes and styled his hair, it was already 7:50 in the morning.
At this moment, Luo Yuzhong, looking exhausted as if he hadn't slept, also arrived.
He first called Lu Yanhe over and had someone guide him through the positioning process.
Today is Lu Yanhe's first day of acting, and Luo Yuzhong has specially arranged for him to play roles that are not too difficult.
For example, in the first scene we're shooting today, Lu Yanhe only needs to walk in.
He doesn't need to make any expressions, just his face is enough.
Once Lu Yanhe knew his movement route, Luo Yuzhong saw him and was about to talk to him when he suddenly frowned.
"Who drew your eyebrows? Why are they so thick? Get them redone."
Lu Yanhe was at a loss, but someone immediately took him there.
Rework your eyebrows.
By the time he finished fixing his eyebrows and came out, Jiang Yuqian had already changed her clothes and arrived.
She was dressed in a very student-like style today, a typical good student outfit.
Her hair was completely combed back, revealing a fair face.
"It's 8:14!" someone announced.
Upon hearing the time announcement, Luo Yuzhong's first reaction was to glance at the rising sun outside the window.
The extras, arranged by Mo Zhi, entered one by one through another door and took their seats in accordance with the instructions of the staff.
They were all original students of this school, playing college students in their natural state.
When they saw Lu Yanhe and Jiang Yuqian, especially the latter, their eyes lit up.
This is real-life witnessing of a celebrity!
Lu Yanhe glanced back at them, which immediately drew gasps from some of them.
"He's so handsome in person!"
"He looks much more handsome than he does on camera!"
"And he's so tall."
...
Such discussions arose one after another.
Jiang Yuqian suddenly whispered to him, "Don't let these sounds bother you, concentrate."
Luo Yuzhong discussed with the photographer how to move the camera and capture the light, and then instructed Lu Yanhe: "When we shoot you for the first time, we'll capture the moment when the sun rises right behind you, and shoot this shot from Guan Zhu's perspective."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Luo Yuzhong said to Jiang Yuqian, "Yuqian, you can sit there in a bit."
He pointed to a spot where a person was standing, indicating the location to Jiang Yuqian.
"After we've filmed Lu Yanhe's scenes, we'll film you next."
"Okay." Jiang Yuqian nodded.
Actually, Jiang Yuqian didn't need to participate in these shots specifically filmed on Lu Yanhe.
Because she won't be in the shot.
She could have waited until after filming Lu Yanhe's scenes before coming over.
But Jiang Yuqian didn't hesitate to take the photos without saying a word, and she didn't act coy at all.
Luo Yuzhong personally led Lu Yanhe through the process, explaining how to act, and then had Lu Yanhe act it out himself.
He didn't say anything, just nodded and said, "Very good, keep this feeling."
Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
The photographer, who had been observing the sun's movement, suddenly shouted, "Director Luo, the light is OK!"
Luo Yuzhong immediately went to his seat.
Lu Yanhe was already waiting outside the classroom.
"Okay, let's start filming!" Luo Yuzhong's voice rang out.
Lu Yanhe immediately took a step forward.
Too hasty.
Luo Yuzhong frowned slightly, but did not call a halt.
Lu Yanhe opened the classroom door and went inside.
All the students in the classroom looked at him.
"Wow—" One of the girls in the audience couldn't help but exclaim.
He himself was slightly lost in thought.
"Okay, click!" Luo Yuzhong shouted. "Yan He, slow down, you're too hasty. You're the campus heartthrob, you need to be more composed."
Lu Yanhe nodded and returned to his original position.
Luo Yuzhong came to the classroom with a smile and said, "Students, please be more reserved. Your reactions just now were correct, but because we are filming Lu Yanhe in this scene, the camera hasn't been on you yet. If you react at this time, the camera won't be able to capture it."
The girl who had just exclaimed "Wow!" blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Reshoot.
Three cameras were filming him at the same time.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but pay attention to them.
He himself felt he had messed up his performance, but Luo Yuzhong said, "Not bad, let's do another take."
Lu Yanhe came in third.
He reopened the door, walked into the classroom, glanced around, and then looked at the podium.
"Keep the feeling in, let's do one more take." Luo Yuzhong's tone remained unchanged.
Lu Yanhe started again.
Article 4.
Article 5.
"OK, cut." Luo Yuzhong checked the footage he had just shot and finally yelled "cut."
Five takes were taken, totaling about ten minutes.
Because it's just a five-second shot, there's no need to re-set up the set every time we need to reshoot, which is very convenient.
When Lu Yanhe heard the word "pass", he breathed a sigh of relief.
One shot had to be filmed five times. Lu Yanhe was very anxious, worried that he might affect the filming schedule.
"Yan He, come here." Luo Yuzhong suddenly called out.
Lu Yanhe went over immediately.
Luo Yuzhong showed him the monitor screen.
This is the content captured in the fifth shot just now.
The video has started playing.
On the screen, the light carries the warm hues unique to dawn.
Lu Yanhe's figure could be seen approaching through the glass window of the classroom door.
The door opened, and Lu Yanhe walked in. The golden morning sun shone directly behind him, creating a slightly overexposed background.
His eyes were so clear, he carried a refreshing breeze, and although he didn't smile, his expression was warm—the kind of figure that could walk through every girl's afternoon dream.
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.
He had acted in many roles, imagining what he would look like, but none of them could compare to seeing himself on the screen right now.
Luo Yuzhong said, "This is your first acting scene. Remember it well. We filmed it five times and finally got the perfect take. You won't have any regrets."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
He looked at Luo Yuzhong in surprise.
Luo Yuzhong actually told him these things.
He patted Lu Yanhe on the shoulder and said, "You're putting too much pressure on yourself. Don't be afraid of messing up. Even if you do, Jiang Yuqian and I will back you up. Don't worry about anything. Trust me completely. You'll have no problem playing this role well."
Lu Yanhe's tense mood, which had lasted all morning, suddenly felt like it had received a comforting embrace.
“Director…” Lu Yanhe didn’t know how to express himself. He felt that saying thank you was too hasty and a bit cheesy, but after stammering for a moment, he still managed to say “thank you”.
Luo Yuzhong: "Go prepare for the next scene."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Lu Yanhe entered the classroom and found Jiang Yuqian still sitting in her seat, with the students around her staring at her.
However, no one took out their phone to take pictures, and no one went up to talk to her.
It's likely that the production crew had already communicated with them beforehand.
Luo Yuzhong also entered the classroom.
He's here to instruct the extras.
"Dear students, please just behave like you're in a normal class from now on. Please do not stare at the camera," Luo Yuzhong said. "Thank you all for your hard work today. Filming is different from what you usually see in dramas. In dramas, the scenes look very smooth, but in reality, filming requires shooting one shot at a time. So please be patient. It's normal for each scene to take three or four takes."
Lu Yanhe was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected Luo Yuzhong to be so patient in instructing the student actors on set.
He heard that big-name directors usually don't instruct their own extras on their film crews.
Luo Yuzhong chatted and laughed with the students for a while, then turned around and asked, "Has Yang Fan arrived yet?"
Mo Zhi said, "Professor Yang Fan is still on his way. There's a bit of traffic. He's expected to arrive in about thirty minutes."
Luo Yuzhong frowned slightly, but said nothing, saying, "Then let's shoot the scenes of Lu Yanhe and Jiang Yuqian first."
"Yuqian, your scene will be filmed later." After Luo Yuzhong finished speaking, he turned to Lu Yanhe and said, "You can rehearse the scene and come back in through the door."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
The meaning of "acting together" here is literally "acting together." The camera won't be focused on Lu Yanhe, but rather on Jiang Yuqian's reaction when she sees Lu Yanhe enter through the door.
Even without Lu Yanhe, Jiang Yuqian could still act.
However, if someone were acting alongside her, Jiang Yuqian's reactions would definitely be more realistic.
Lu Yanhe retreated outside the classroom.
The camera tracks were re-established on site.
According to Luo Yuzhong's plan, this shot will be slowed down for a specific few seconds, so the image quality requirements are very high.
Jiang Yuqian has already begun to quietly make preparations.
Ten minutes later, filming began.
“Begin!” Luo Yuzhong said.
Lu Yanhe opened the door and went inside.
Jiang Yuqian seemed to have truly seen the person who moved her heart; she was stunned for a moment, and her eyes revealed a look of surprise.
Lu Yanhe didn't dare look at Jiang Yuqian, afraid of affecting his acting.
Luo Yuzhong watched Jiang Yuqian's shot on the monitor and gave her a thumbs up.
“Excellent, Yuqian, let’s do one more take, make sure it’s a good one, and show a little more of that look in your eyes,” Luo Yuzhong said. “I shot a medium shot, so give a little more of that look from before.”
Jiang Yuqian gave an OK sign.
Let's go back to the scene.
Another one.
Pass.
Luo Yuzhong filmed several more scenes with the student actors.
Having a large number of student actors has one advantage: there are always a few who are good at being on camera.
Luo Yuzhong used three cameras to shoot simultaneously. After checking, he found the footage and that was it.
"Hasn't Yang Fan arrived yet?" It was almost 10 a.m., and Luo Yuzhong's face showed annoyance. "How long has the morning rush hour ended, and he's still stuck in traffic?"
Mo Zhi looked distressed and said, "Director, I just contacted his team and they said that Teacher Yang had a sudden stomachache and went to the hospital for a check-up. He'll be there soon."
"Bullshit!" Luo Yuzhong suddenly roared, startling everyone present.
Lu Yanhe was also startled.
The roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, suddenly exploding.
This shout also reminded Lu Yanhe of Chen Ziyan's words of advice to him.
Chen Ziyan had warned him that Luo Yuzhong was a very strict and fierce director.
After spending the last two days together, Lu Yanhe felt that Luo Yuzhong was clearly a very gentle director who was also good at guiding actors, so why was he so fierce?
After hearing that roar, Lu Yanhe finally understood what had happened.
However, Lu Yanhe felt that Luo Yuzhong's temper was not without reason.
The actors who were supposed to arrive at 8 o'clock have not yet arrived.
Yang Fan was supposed to play the teacher; if he didn't come, Lu Yanhe wouldn't be able to act in the later scenes.
Luo Yuzhong directly asked Mo Zhi for his phone and called Yang Fan.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Yanhe suddenly felt a little nervous, unsure of what would happen next.
But the call didn't go through.
Luo Yuzhong angrily yelled at Mo Zhi, "Go tell Yang Fan to pack his bags and go home. He doesn't need to come back!"
Mo Zhi was taken aback.
"Aren't you going yet?!"
"Yes." Mo Zhi then hurriedly left.
When he gets angry, the room falls silent.
Lu Yanhe didn't know what to say.
After a while, Liu Zeliang, the director of photography who had known him for a long time, said: "Director Luo, we still need people to shoot the film. Why don't we grab the people first and shoot the film, and then settle the accounts later? Don't delay the filming."
Yang Fan wasn't just there for a cameo appearance.
This teacher has several more scenes later on, and he plays a significant role in advancing the relationship between Guan Zhu and Yao Yu'an.
Luo Yuzhong waved his hand, "Then you'll act."
Liu Zeliang's expression changed drastically. "Are you kidding me!"
(End of this chapter)
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