Chapter 57
Although according to the film industry process, everyone should only do their job well.
For example, the director should sit behind the monitor and keep an eye on the situation on the scene, while the actors should perform well and follow the director's instructions.
But that is Hollywood after all, a highly specialized and specialized industry.
Even if Qiao Yiqiao didn't want to act and just wanted to sit behind the monitor, he couldn't find so many actors willing to participate in the pre-shooting.
Relatively speaking, the requirements for actors in pre-shooting are actually completely different from those for actors in formal shooting.
During pre-shoots, actors wear motion capture suits and helmets that capture their expressions and lip movements.
Not only do they need to complete the performance, but they also have to move in fixed positions - to a certain extent, they are more like "robots" who need to complete stable and dozens of identical performances, unlike real actors who can perform differently in each scene.
The requirements for their performances are very high, and their final performances will not be presented in the finished film. The workload they put in is greater than that of real actors. They can be called heroes behind the scenes.
It's not that Qiao Yi Qiao has never thought about spending a lot of money to hire a few special actors who are professionally trained in acting or have rich acting experience to perform, but he is afraid that the actors invited in this way will have no sense of faith at all and will just treat this as a one-day trip. Moreover, he would have to explain to them what pre-shooting is and the film industrialization process, which would actually take up more time.
After all the considerations, he decided to do it himself.
The whole movie has four main actors: Xiaowei, grandfather, father and mother.
There are also about forty extras.
Qiao Yiqiao decided to perform all the roles himself.
Another advantage of performing the show himself is that he knows exactly what he wants, saving huge communication costs.
But Qiao Yiqiao still has the heart to train professional pre-shooting actors.
Because he believes that after exploring this path, more and more films will choose the process of pre-shooting before formal shooting, and by then, more special actors who can professionally complete pre-shooting will be needed.
At present, there is no specific general name for this type of actors, so Qiao Yi Qiao gave it a name, called "pre-shooting actors."
He wanted to train a group of pre-shooting actors, and the large number of actors in Hengcheng provided him with the fertile soil for training.
To this end, he asked Xiao He and Yang Yang to contact an old friend
——Huang Quntou.
I was a scalper before, but later
The little old man with the temperament of Wong Fei-hung who changed his career to become the person in charge of extras.
He asked Huang Quntou to help him find a hundred special actors and extras who were very passionate about acting and could accept that their performances would not appear in the official movie. He paid them a daily salary at the market price and asked them to come to the filming site.
They didn't have to do anything but watch Qiao Yi Qiao and the others do the pre-shooting.
Qiao Yi Qiao also assigned the second executive director from the director group and asked him to stand next to the extras and answer their questions at any time.
Xiao Rong has always been with Qiao Yi Qiao and is very familiar with the entire virtual shooting process. He is also a kind person and is very suitable for this role.
When the extras first entered the studio, many of them exclaimed in surprise.
Da Huang is one of them. After graduating from high school, he failed to get into any good school, so he came to Hengcheng Film and Television City to be a migrant worker. However, he has an ordinary appearance and no outstanding skills, so he could only be an extra and barely make a living.
The main reason I came this time was because I didn't have to do anything and could still get paid.
As for virtual shooting and pre-shooting, he had no idea about it.
The same was true for many of his extras who came with him.
But as soon as he entered the shed, he found that it seemed different from other sheds.
Why is there no set, only a huge LED screen playing content?
This immediately aroused his interest, and he started pestering Xiaorong and asking him questions.
On the other side of the studio, Qiao Yiqiao had already put on the motion capture suit and helmet.
The LED screen also switched to the scene of the protagonist's home.
He had to play four roles by himself to complete the scene.
The first role I played was the grandfather. The actions of this role were relatively simple, and I just had to sit and draw the mask.
Qiao Yi Qiao took a deep breath and began his performance.
This was his first time "acting", so he couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
But he quickly got into the role.
Acting seems to be in his DNA. After all, he has been playing a role almost every day in the past few years...
One scene was finished very quickly.
Qiao Yi Qiao came behind the monitor and watched his own performance.
I have to say... I still feel a little ashamed.
Fortunately, with the help of the PreViz (visual preview) system, he only saw a humanoid model in the scene after the performance, and he could only see it in the real shot of the camera.
Your own face.
The biggest advantage of pre-shooting is that you don’t have to “guarantee one take”.
After all, everything has become data and is stored in computer cloud systems.
With the time saved, Qiao Yiqiao can play another role.
This almost made up for the time he had to spend playing multiple roles, and the filming progress was still very fast.
He played the role of the father again.
This character just sits there smoking and drinking non-stop.
This is also very simple.
Qiao Yi Qiao had observed too many middle-aged men and quickly portrayed the essence of the role.
Then comes the mother...
It just so happens that Qiao Yiqiao is also good at cooking.
Finally, there is Xiaowei himself.
This role is quite difficult because it requires walking around the room and the scheduling is quite complicated.
However, Qiao Yi Qiao was surprised to find that he seemed to have entered a state of excitement.
Even though he tried many, he had no complaints and even found it very fun.
This doesn't feel like a movie.
It's like a role-playing game.
He doesn't have to worry about camera position or lighting.
Just get into the scene and act it out.
It is unlikely that there is a director who has no addiction to acting.
Every time he sees an actor not doing something well, he wants to try it himself.
This pre-shooting almost completely satisfied Qiao Yiqiao's acting desire.
There is only one word left: awesome!
It took him a whole day to complete the filming of this scene.
Then he sat behind the monitor, watching the scene after the visual effects preview, and thought over and over again what lens should be used to shoot this scene.
At this moment, Qiao Yi Qiao took off half of his motion capture suit, took off his helmet, and was sweating profusely.
Like a swordsman who had just finished a battle.
But his eyes were shining and he was completely focused on what was on the screen.
I look at the dynamic preview for a while, and then look at the actual shot. Then I think about how to adjust the lens and lighting according to the actual shot effect and the constructed scene...
Qiao Yiqiao enjoyed it.
Dahuang and the others were stunned.
I have never seen such a lot of energy in one person.
It's like this director never gets tired.
This is
A real “fun” movie!
Qiao Yiqiao stared at the screen and thought for a while, then called Xiaorong over: "Today's pre-shooting is almost done, let the extras go back, and remember to give them food allowance and daily wages."
Xiao Rong nodded: "No problem."
After saying that, Qiao Yi Qiao raised his eyes and glanced at the one hundred extras.
His eyes scanned them one by one.
Some of them had normal expressions, some were distracted, but there were also people like Da Huang who were staring at it all intently.
Qiao Yiqiao smiled slightly.
That's enough.
However, he also found an unusual guy among this group of people.
Qiao Yi Qiao frowned, then called Xiao He over. The two whispered for a while, and then Xiao He left.
The next day, pre-shooting continued.
There were a dozen fewer extras today than yesterday. Xiao Rong went to ask group leader Huang about the general situation. These people all felt that pre-shooting was meaningless and so they decided not to come.
This was completely within Qiao Yiqiao's expectations.
What we are going to shoot today is more challenging.
We want to film the scene where grandfather, father and mother perform an exorcism ceremony around Xiaowei.
The Nuo opera performance required big movements by all three people.
This was also a challenge for Qiao Yi Qiao, after all, he had only been learning Nuo opera for a short time.
To this end, he found a Nuo opera teacher to come to the scene and help him watch.
The Nuo opera teacher originally thought that Qiao Yi Qiao would dance in a mess, but unexpectedly, when the drum beats started, Qiao Yi Qiao first danced the grandfather's part, and he performed it very well.
The teachers all exclaimed: "This child has such a strong learning ability. It's a pity that he doesn't become a Nuo opera actor!"
His exaggerated performance not only impressed the teacher, but also impressed many extras who came to watch the show, including Da Huang.
This was their first time seeing Nuo opera. Although Qiao Yi Qiao was still wearing a motion capture suit and a helmet, they could already feel the wild and weird feeling of Nuo opera from his body language.
After Qiao Yi Qiao finished dancing his grandfather's part, he started dancing his father's part.
Everyone has different personalities and habits, and Qiao Yiqiao has made different adaptations to the Nuo operas performed by several people according to his own ideas.
Even though Dahuang doesn't understand Nuo opera, he can still see the differences between each character.
The Nuo opera teacher also gave some guidance on the specific movements that could express different personalities.
Qiao Yiqiao performed it over and over again until
Sweating profusely, I finally completed it successfully.
Then, Qiao Yi Qiao called the photography team leader and the lighting organization.
The three of them began to design the shots based on everyone's actions in the scene.
Qiao Yiqiao had to decide on the rhythm and scenes of this scene. Should he use a panoramic shot or be detailed and use rich close-ups and closeups to express the arrogant atmosphere?
The photography team leader will then choose the lens and equipment to be used for this scene based on Qiao Yiqiao's general conception. The lighting must also be coordinated with the photography. Should we use ceiling lights or corner lights? LED or floor lights, etc...
The three of them kept discussing until it was almost dark before they made a decision.
Qiao Yi Qiao had originally asked all the extras to leave, but many of them, such as Da Huang and others, did not leave. Instead, they gathered around the three people and listened.
Qiao Yi Qiao did not stop them from listening to their conversation.
After all, they have all signed a confidentiality agreement, and these contents will be reflected in their performances.
The same thing happened on the third day, the fourth day, and the tenth day.
Qiao Yiqiao filmed during the day and discussed at night.
Although there were fewer and fewer extras, in the end there were only about twenty left.
But the extras who stayed behind became more and more devoted.
In the end, Da Huang and others even joined the discussion.
Qiao Yiqiao has always liked to listen to various opinions, not to mention that what they say is very reasonable. As a bystander, he can see certain things much more clearly than he, the person involved.
This made Qiao Yi Qiao even more convinced that pre-shooting was the right choice.
The so-called pre-shooting is to find the best one among ten thousand possibilities of experimental films.
In addition to enjoying acting, Qiao Yiqiao also felt a sense of satisfaction.
That's the satisfying feeling of eliminating redundant wrong answers.
He couldn't even imagine how he would have conceived the film without pre-shooting.
The effect is bound to be several levels worse than it is now.
By the twelfth day of filming, Qiao Yiqiao had completed all the scenes for the main character.
After that, he will start to play the role of extras one by one.
Although there are a lot of extras, compared with the protagonists, each extra's role is relatively easy.
Qiao Yiqiao began to conceive of metaphors represented by each extra, and then perfected them based on the movements designed by the Nuo opera teacher.
But changes always come suddenly.
Early that morning, several men in firefighter uniforms walked in.
The leading man asked, "Who is the person in charge of this set?"
Xiao He and Qiao Yiqiao answered at the same time: "Here."
Then the man said, "We are going to conduct a comprehensive safety inspection of your studio. Please stop work and cooperate."
Xiao He asked: "How long will the shutdown last?"
The man said, "The entire inspection will take about a week. If we find anything that does not meet the standards, you will have to continue to make corrections."
After hearing this, Xiao He glanced at Qiao Yi Qiao.
A one-week suspension of work means that the progress of the entire crew will be greatly slowed down.
This is unacceptable to any crew.
Qiao Yiqiao asked directly: "Please show me the relevant documents."
The man looked impatient, took out a certificate from his pocket and waved it in front of Qiao Yiqiao.
After completing this action, Qiao Yi Qiao exchanged glances with Xiao He.
But the man did not notice the change in the expressions of the two men, and instead asked his men to investigate everywhere.
It took them just five minutes to pull out a Fire Safety Inspection Record Form.
The man said, "There are serious problems with your wiring. You must stop work and production until the wiring is completed and we check that it meets the standards. Only then can we continue."
Qiao Yiqiao was devastated: "But we don't know anyone who can reroute the route! What should we do?"
Xiao He was also very anxious: "Yes, we never knew there was such a problem. Comrade firefighters, what should we do?"
The man said indifferently: "I can give you the contact information of a circuit contractor certified by us."
Qiao Yiqiao's expression instantly changed to one of gratitude: "That's great."
They got through on the phone, and soon, two fat middle-aged men came.
When Qiao Yi Qiao saw this, he realized that this was an acquaintance of his, Boss Qiao.
Boss Qiao patted the guy next to him and said to Qiao Yiqiao, "Look, you're still new in this business and you don't know anyone. I told you that there are no safety issues with our circuit layout, but you insisted on terminating the contract. Are you going to stop the work now? My acquaintance said that it will take at least a month to repair it."
Qiao Yiqiao looked helpless: "Then what should we do?"
Boss Qiao said the plan at the right time: "Why not go to my place? I have a studio, you can take this LED screen away and use it. But that studio has
People are using it, so how about this, since we have a good relationship, I will drive that person away and you guys come over, the price will just be a little higher. "
Boss Joe had a good plan.
He felt that Qiao Yiqiao must be desperate and trying every possible means to remedy the situation now that construction was about to be suspended.
However.
Qiao Yiqiao looked indifferent.
"You finally came out," Xiao He said, "Boss Qiao, if you had made good revisions after the problem occurred in your own studio, maybe we could be considered colleagues in Heng City in the future and we could meet each other properly, but if you insist on going this way, then don't blame me for being rude."
Boss Qiao: “Ah?”
Are these two people changing their faces?
Why did you suddenly become like this?
But before he could react, sirens blared outside the window.
Soon, a dozen police officers in uniform came in.
Xiao He pointed at the people in front of him and said, "Officer Hu, it's them. Not only are they pretending to be firefighters, they're also maliciously driving up market prices. Please handle this."
Officer Hu saluted and said, "Received. Thank you for your report."
Then he looked seriously at the group of people headed by Boss Qiao, showed his police ID and the "Decision to Approve Arrest": "Please come with me."
Boss Qiao was dumbfounded.
"What?"
But Officer Hu and his colleagues did not give the group any more chance to react and simply took them away.
The scene was finally quiet.
Boss Qiao couldn't understand why he was thrown into jail just because he wanted to take a little revenge.
Is this director really that smart?
In fact, Xiao He's admiration for his elder brother reached its peak today.
On the first day of pre-shooting, even though Qiao Yi Qiao was so busy directing and acting in the film, he still recognized a receptionist who had worked for Boss Qiao before from among the hundred extras.
The other party obviously came to check out the situation.
They reported Boss Qiao's studio and opened their own studio, which was bound to cause Boss Qiao's dissatisfaction.
But Boss Joe's way of revenge is also easy to predict.
So Qiao Yi Qiao immediately asked Xiao He to invite the fire department to conduct a safety inspection of their studio, and it was found that there was indeed no problem with their studio.
Then the firefighters who came this time must be fake.
Fortunately, Qiao Yiqiao had superb acting skills, and Xiao He was able to take on the role under the influence of his acting skills, and thus lured Boss Qiao out.
Xiao He looked at him with reverence.
Qiao Yiqiao asked: "Brother, how do you manage to handle so many things in your brain at the same time? And handle them all well?"
Qiao Yiqiao shook his bangs and said, "Maybe this is the eldest brother."
Xiao He: “…”
It’s over, it’s over. My brother has been acting for ten days and he’s become so obsessed with it that he can’t even stand the moment. He’s entered a state where he can’t distinguish between himself and the role.
…
After this little episode, Qiao Yi Qiao continued to perform his role as an extra.
However, due to some delays, and the fact that performing with extras took longer than they expected, they had not completed today's scheduled filming until late at night.
Dahuang and the others didn't leave either.
Seeing Qiao Yi Qiao still working so hard to repeat the scene over and over again, they felt bad too.
They all saw Qiao Yiqiao's efforts over the past ten days.
Nothing appeals to them more than a person who is totally devoted to art.
On the one hand, they were impressed by Qiao Yi Qiao's artistic pursuits. On the other hand, during the ten days of getting along with each other, especially after today's little incident, they completely felt that Qiao Yi Qiao was... a pretty good person.
At least he was different from any director they had seen before.
No wonder he has such a group of brothers under him, accompanying him in filming day and night.
Da Huang suddenly found the courage and raised his hand and asked, "Director Qiao, how about...let us try it too?"
Qiao Yiqiao had just finished a scene and was still panting, but he looked at him with a smile: "Are you willing?"
"Of course!" Da Huang thought for a moment, "I also want to make a small contribution to the film industry. Ten days ago, I didn't know what film industrialization was, nor did I know what pre-shooting was. But seeing that you have been working on it for ten days, I think this seems quite interesting."
"But your performance in the pre-shooting stage will not be reflected in the main film, and no audience will remember what you look like," Qiao Yiqiao said seriously, "Even so, are you willing to be a pre-shooting actor?"
"Yes," Da Huang gritted his teeth, "I know that my appearance is average. Although I like acting very much, 99.9% of people can't make it. It's better to be a pre-shooting actor. At least in this field, I still have a chance to come out on top."
His words aroused the approval of many extras around him, and they all nodded.
"Okay," Qiao Yiqiao smiled cheerfully, "Then you guys come and try it too. Let's all work together and see if we can do it quickly and well."
soon
, more than a dozen extras also put on motion capture suits.
Qiao Yi Qiao designed the performance routes and movements for them one by one.
After watching Qiao Yi Qiao for ten days, they had a general understanding of what a pre-shooting actor should do and quickly got into the state.
But the shoot was not all smooth sailing.
After taking one shot, Xin Nan shook his head behind the monitor.
"Director Qiao, this won't work," Xin Nan said. "There are too many signals. Each of their signals is interfering with each other."
"oh……"
Everyone’s motion capture data is received via the on-site Wi-Fi signal.
The signals from a dozen people were too much of a load for the receiver, and problems arose.
Qiao Yiqiao thought for a moment and said, "Let's start with three people and see how many people our receiver can handle."
"Good." Although she encountered some minor difficulties, Xin Nan was still very happy. "It's great that this kind of realistic problem can be exposed."
Then they slowly began to experiment.
Finally, in the dim light of dawn, they determined that the signal receiver could only receive signals from ten people at a time.
After that, they divided the extras into three shifts according to the number of people.
With more people, the entire shooting process was accelerated a lot.
The only ones who didn't work in three shifts were Qiao Yiqiao and Xin Nan.
Almost neither of them slept more than two or three hours a day.
Fortunately, they completed all the pre-shooting in three days.
Before leaving, more than 20 actors who were in the pre-shooting process asked Director Qiao for his autograph.
Da Huang was even more excited: "Thank you Director Qiao for giving us this opportunity. We can be considered to be at the forefront of film and television."
Qiao Yiqiao smiled and said, "I should thank you."
These words come from the heart.
These pre-shooting actors not only learned the acting techniques in pre-shooting, but also completed the entire pre-shooting process. In the future, they can even guide some crews that have no knowledge of pre-shooting.
Maybe in time, they will become experts in this field.
…
In the next two weeks, Qiao Yiqiao, lighting, photography and art finalized all the details.
The final edited pre-shoot was 23 minutes long, which was just right.
The finished film has been distributed to everyone.
This is much more intuitive than scripts and storyboards, and all creative departments can get started.
Qiao Yiqiao also discovered a unique use for pre-shooting in China
——Passed the review.
After all, horror films are sensitive subjects, and Zheng Mao cannot confirm whether there is any censorship risk.
So, Qiao Yi Qiao sent the pre-shot film to the Film Bureau.
Compared to reviewing after the film is completed, pre-shooting review can not only reduce costs, but also provide guidance for subsequent filming work.
Many problems can be avoided during the actual shooting, which is much simpler than making modifications after the film is completed.
Money saving method +1
Qiao Yi Qiao was even thinking about whether he should publish a book called “Making Movies with the Least Money”.
The Film Bureau gave a reply almost the next day, which is enough to show how much they value this compilation film.
The reply was just two words, concise and to the point.
“Take a picture!”!
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