novellhall Chapter 6: Film Crew Preparation
Chapter 6: Film Crew Preparation
The week-long MV shoot flew by, and when Ning Hao called it a wrap, everyone cheered, though there was also a touch of reluctance.
There's no other way, where can you find a job that's both easy and pays well?
Even Jing Tian felt somewhat reluctant to part with it.
"Great photographer, can I have your phone number? It'll be easy to find you later."
Jing Tian bit her lower lip and said calmly.
"Alright, then I'll have to rely on Miss's care from now on and give me more work."
Gu Qing smiled and exchanged contact information with the other party.
During the week on set, besides filming, they spent their time joking and having fun together, and their relationship quickly grew closer.
Gu Qing possessed a mature yet witty and humorous charm. While not strikingly beautiful, he was certainly handsome and dignified.
Coupled with her impressive vision and planning, this was naturally an experience Jing Tian had never had before.
He also enjoys dressing up pretty girls. In this short five-minute scene, he changed Jing Tian's clothes four times, which she naturally appreciated.
"Hey kid, you've got your eye on that girl, haven't you?"
"Brother Hao, what are you saying? How could that be?"
Gu Qing rolled her eyes at the other person, speechless.
If he spends all his time chatting with men, that would be the most worrying thing.
"Hey, I was just saying, her connections are more complicated than I thought, I was just reminding you."
Ning Hao smiled but didn't say anything more.
Gu Qing remained silent. He was naturally aware of the other party, who was known as the person with the most resources in the entertainment industry, and he also felt helpless about the other party's fate of not being able to become famous.
Jing Tian's album "Who Are You" contains three songs, all of which were produced by Zhang Yadong, a well-known musician in China.
The production of the music videos was handled by Ning Hao.
Later, people said that Zhang Yadong had tricked Jing Tian by giving her songs that were actually works by interns, but that's pure nonsense.
Gu Qing had heard the demo during filming; the lyrics and melody were catchy and full of classical charm. To call it an intern's work would be too disparaging of Zhang Yadong.
But some singers are famous for their songs but not for themselves, while others become famous as soon as they sing. Sometimes this industry really depends on luck.
With the music video shoot completed, Gu Qing began working on her short film project.
He earned 100,000 yuan from a short film, plus his own savings of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, which was enough to get started.
The short film he was going to shoot was called "STALLED," a 2022 American thriller science fiction short film.
The panoramic view is just a public restroom, and there is only one person in it.
The story revolves around a company executive who mysteriously finds himself in a time-space distortion in a restroom, and through trial and error, finds a way to escape.
There are more than a dozen "selves" involved in the appearance, which is why Ning Hao couldn't quite figure out the script even after reading it all night.
The concepts of time loops and parallel universes have appeared frequently since then, from early works like Groundhog Day to later ones like Triangle, Source Code, and Edge of Tomorrow. But in 06, they were still quite novel.
"Ah Qing, let me be your photographer this time, and let me indulge in some science fiction."
Ning Hao said, somewhat impatiently.
Although he always wanted to make art films and win awards, he became famous for commercial films in real life, but this kind of science fiction film is the romance of men.
"Brother Hao, you should finish editing the music video first. My pre-production work will take about a week."
Gu Qinglue said with a wry smile, "Assembling a production team is no easy task. Just finding actors is enough to keep me busy."
"Then you must wait for me, we promised."
Ning Hao clicked his tongue in amazement. In his heart, he was also somewhat envious of his younger brother's intelligence. He would definitely ask him to write a script for him sometime.
If he were to write a screenplay, it would be no different from writing "Dream of the Red Chamber".
It was reviewed and revised five times over ten years.
Sigh, it's all tears when I talk about it. He needs to hurry up and edit the video to deliver it, and then study the script.
After seeing Ning Hao off, Gu Qing stayed alone in the rented room, also carrying out overall planning and calculations.
As for the venue, all you need is a commercial office building, and if he only needs to use it at night, the price will be much cheaper.
As for equipment, the props company we just worked with is the top choice.
During this period, film cameras were still the preferred choice, but for a short film, which did not require much image quality, a regular digital camera was sufficient.
In addition to renting equipment such as lights, recorders, and tripods, it would cost about three to five thousand a day.
This is just the cost of shooting a short film; the cost of a full-length film is astronomical. Most directors use rental methods to shoot movies, which is why there is a saying that if production stops for a day, they lose money for a day.
The remaining task was to find the actors.
This short film demands the same level of acting skill from its actors as Ryan Reynolds did from "Buried".
Among the younger generation of actors, Gu Qing knows that only Fu Dalong has the acting skills to give this opportunity a try.
With the help of a teacher from the photography academy, Gu Qing successfully entered the office of the performing arts academy.
"So you're looking for actors?"
Before Gu Qing could speak, she heard a questioning voice.
The teachers in the office also put down what they were doing and listened attentively.
Gu Qing could feel several gazes on him, but he wasn't too flustered.
"Are you Professor Zhang Hua? I'm Gu Qing. I'm looking for a talented young actor from the Beijing Film Academy to star in a short film. Could you recommend a few?"
Zhang Hua is a professor in the acting department. He has superb acting skills and a very high teaching level. People like Jiang Wenli, Huang Lei, Jiang Qinqin, and Chen Chuang are all his students.
The other party also participated in the scriptwriting of "Farewell My Concubine".
"Gu Qing, right? Old Yang told me about it on the phone. But I'm curious, how did you, a photography student, suddenly decide to make a short film?"
Upon hearing this, many teachers in the office lost interest.
Forget about short films, and this person even graduated from a photography academy? How could they possibly make a good film?
"Everyone who carries a camera wants to be a director, right?"
"Ning Hao is my classmate. We even filmed a movie together back then, Teacher Zhang. If you don't believe me, you can come and see for yourself when my film crew starts shooting."
Gu Qing didn't hesitate to use his connections, knowing his own strength but fearing the other party would think he was just joking.
"That's not what I meant. You were introduced by Lao Yang, so of course I trust you."
"Tell me, who are you looking for?"
Zhang Hua waved his hand dismissively.
He wasn't too worried about the authenticity of the film crew; he was just curious. After all, no one from the photography academy had ever asked their acting department to shoot a short film, though they did shoot quite a few bad ones.
After obtaining Fu Dalong's contact information from Zhang Hua, Gu Qing set off immediately, eager to finish filming as soon as possible.
No sooner had Gu Qing left than the office became lively.
"Professor Zhang, this guy said he wants to make a short film? Is it likely to come to fruition?"
"Hey, didn't he say he's classmates with Ning Hao? Maybe he's pretty good?"
"Sigh, now anyone can make movies. If this continues, the industry will probably fall into chaos."
"Why are you meddling so much? Producing more directors would be a good thing for us. If we can't catch any fish, we can't blame it on the water quality, can we?"
After being choked, the teacher who had complained earlier also looked distressed and didn't say anything more.
That makes sense. If someone has the ability to organize a gathering, it doesn't matter if they're from a photography academy or a photography department.