radicalducati Chapter 54 Happy Zhang is a great help
Chapter 54 Happy Zhang is a great help
The three main songs—"Fairy Tale," "The First Time," and "Running"—were recorded one song a day, and were completed in three days.
Old Sun said Li Si'an has a good voice and solid basic skills, so the recording went smoothly. The original plan was to record one song every two days, but now it saves both time and money.
The remaining seven filler songs were recorded even faster, taking only two days. Old Sun wasn't too picky about these songs, often getting them right in one take.
After all the recordings were finished, Li Si'an rested at home for a whole day.
He realized for the first time that being a singer is also physically demanding.
Saying it's physically demanding isn't entirely accurate. Recording songs doesn't actually require much effort; you just stand there, sing into the microphone, and that's it.
But they sang the same line over and over again.
Just after he finished singing one line, Lao Sun called out to stop in his earpiece, saying, "You didn't hold your breath, let's start over."
If they say, "The resonance is off," start over. If they say, "The emotion isn't right, do it again," then you have to do it all over again.
As he sang, he felt like a machine, his mouth just uttering the same lyrics, and after he finished singing, he would wait for Lao Sun to make a move.
My body isn't tired, but my mind is.
On July 18th, Li Si'an got up very early. The night before, he called Zhang Ziyi to find out where she was filming.
Zhang Ziyi sounded a little listless on the other end of the phone, but she immediately perked up when she heard that he was coming to visit the set.
He flagged down a minivan on the roadside and asked the driver to go around to the entrance of a small shop. He got out, picked up a case of bottled water, and then picked out a bag of apples and oranges.
In his past life, he heard people in the entertainment industry say that when visiting a celebrity on set, they would bring milk tea or coffee. But where can you find those things these days? Bottled water is the most practical; everyone needs it on a hot day.
The car drove east along the North Third Ring Road. The Beijing Film Studio is located on the middle section of the North Third Ring Road. It has a fairly large entrance with gray and white walls and a sign that reads "Beijing Film Studio" hanging at the main gate.
There were security guards at the entrance, and everyone had to register to enter or leave. Li Si'an gave Zhang Ziyi's name and the film crew, and the security guard opened the registration book, had him sign it, and then pointed inside.
Upon entering the compound, he found it to be more organized than he had imagined. Two rows of locust trees lined both sides of the road, and several bread carts were parked under their shade.
A police cordon was set up in front of a building in the distance, and filming was underway inside. You could vaguely hear people shouting "Action!" and "Stop!" Several prefabricated houses had been erected in the open space, serving as temporary offices for the film crew.
Li Si'an carried bottled water and fruit, and walked around the courtyard for most of the time before finally finding Zhang Ziyi at the corner of an old building.
She sat in a folding chair, wearing the white shirt from the play, her hair tied in a ponytail, and her face made up, idly flipping through a magazine.
Compared to how tanned I was in Yunnan a few days ago, I've recovered quite a bit now.
"Hey, Zhang, you're having a good time." Li Si'an walked over. "You seem to be having a lot of free time."
Zhang Ziyi looked up, saw it was him, and her eyes lit up. Then she saw what he was carrying, and her eyes lit up even more.
"You actually came!" She stood up, reached into the plastic bag, pulled out an apple, wiped it on her clothes, and took a big bite. "I've been hanging around here every day, my mouth is practically tasteless."
"Aren't you filming? Why are you acting like nothing's wrong?"
"Hey, the scenes in Kunming were filmed a long time ago, and there are only a few scattered shots left in Beijing."
Zhang Ziyi chewed on an apple and mumbled something.
"What street scenes, establishing shots, the protagonist's back as they walk—we can only shoot a few takes a day. Most of the time is spent waiting. Waiting for the light, waiting for the shot, waiting for the director to yell 'action.' I've been sitting here all morning."
She swallowed the apple and glanced at Li Si'an. "What made you decide to come here? Just to see me?"
"It's one thing that I care about you," Li Si'an said, "but there's something else I'd like to ask you. Could you introduce me to the director of your film?"
Zhang Ziyi, biting into an apple, blinked. "Why are you looking for the director?"
"I need some advice."
Li Si'an took out the storyboard drawn by Xu Zheng from her bag, patted it in her hand, and said, "There is a song in my album that I want to shoot a music video for, using film."
I'd like to ask someone knowledgeable about this: what should I be careful about when filming something like this, and how much would it cost approximately?
Zhang Ziyi tossed the apple core into the nearby trash can and wiped her mouth. "Come on, I'll take you there."
She led Li Si'an around the old building and towards a row of prefabricated houses at the back. A handwritten note was pasted on the door of one of the houses, reading "Director's Team." The door was half-open, and the room was filled with smoke.
"Director Sun," Zhang Ziyi knocked on the door frame and poked half her body in, "a friend of mine wants to consult you about something."
A voice came from inside saying, "Come in."
Li Si'an followed Zhang Ziyi into the room. The room was small, about ten square meters, with a folding table against the wall, on which were piled scripts, storyboards, several packs of cigarettes, and an ashtray full of cigarette butts.
A small television and a VCR stood in the corner. A middle-aged man in his forties sat behind the table, wearing a dark gray shirt, his hair neatly combed, and his face carrying a scholarly air.
He was writing something on a piece of paper with his head down when he heard the noise and looked up.
"This is Li Si'an, my friend," Zhang Ziyi introduced. "This is Director Sun."
"Hello, Director Sun." Li Si'an placed the bag of fruit on the table. "This is my first time here, so I brought some fruit. Please have a taste."
Director Sun glanced at the fruit and nodded. "Have a seat. Did you need something?"
Li Si'an pulled up a folding chair and sat down. "Director Sun, here's the thing, I want to shoot a music video, a little over four minutes long, using 35mm film."
I'd like to consult you about what I should be aware of when filming something like this, and approximately how much it would cost.
Director Sun leaned back in his chair, took out a cigarette from his pack, lit it, and looked the boy up and down. He was probably trying to figure out where this kid came from—he looked to be under twenty, yet he was already talking about making film music videos.
"What are you holding in your hand?"
"The storyboard for my music video."
Li Si'an handed over her sketchbook. Director Sun took it, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and flipped through it. The black and white charcoal drawings turned page after page—a hospital ward, a girl, an oxygen mask, a cell phone, a concert hall, a piano.
He flipped through the pages slowly, pausing when he saw the last drooping hand.
He closed the notebook, handed it back to Li Si'an, and took the cigarette out of his mouth.
"That's interesting." Sun Fei flicked his cigarette ash. "I've seen quite a few music videos, and most of them are just the singer standing there lip-syncing."
"Yours has a plot, it has emotions, and the last shot—" He pointed to the sketchbook, "the hand lets go, the phone falls. If it's well-shot, it can move people."
He put the cigarette back in his mouth and glanced at Li Si'an. "Do you have a clear idea of the budget for this project?"
"Not yet. I just wanted to consult with you so I could have a better understanding."
Director Sun nodded and tapped his fingers twice on the table.
"Okay, I'll give you a rough estimate. A Kodak 35mm film roll, 400 feet long, can last for four minutes."
Given that your music video is over four minutes long, one copy is a little short, but two copies would be more than enough. But you can't expect to get it right in one take; you have to take into account the number of takes that were cut or had to be reshot.
经验足的导演，片比能控制在1:5左右，六本到八本怎幺也够了。经验差点的，1:7、1:8都打不住。」
"How much does a roll of film cost?"
"About a thousand and a half."
Director Sun pressed a few buttons on the calculator. "At a 1:7 ratio, seven rolls of film will cost a little over ten thousand. Printing and developing will be separate, probably three to five thousand."
ARRI camera rental, 800 to 1000 RMB per day including lens and body. Lighting equipment is available for separate rental.
You need to hire a team—a director, cinematographer, lighting technician, stagehands—even if you're budgeting, you'll need at least ten people. Labor costs plus transportation and accommodation will bring in at least thirty to forty thousand yuan.
He flicked his cigarette ash and took one last look at the numbers on the calculator.
"All things considered, it would cost between 50,000 and 70,000. If you want to shoot something more elaborate, with more scenes and more complex scheduling, it would cost well over 80,000."
If you're overseeing the set yourself, you can save some money on the director and hire a less expensive one. But you need a cinematographer who understands film, and the lighting technician needs to be reliable. You can't skimp on these two.
Li Si'an silently noted it down. Fifty to seventy thousand, which was about the same amount he had estimated last time.
"Director Sun, are there any special things to keep in mind when shooting music videos with a storyline?"
Director Sun stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"You already have the storyboard, which saves a lot of time in the pre-production preparation. The first thing left is the lighting. Film reacts to light differently than a camera, so you can't shoot a TV series with 'full brightness'."
You need to figure out where the light is coming from and where the shadows fall. Second, don't change your mind on set. Film is money; once it's rolled, it's gone. When you're on set, shoot according to the storyboard; don't improvise.
He rummaged through the table, found a phone book, flipped to a certain page, and wrote a number on a slip of paper. After finishing, he pushed the slip of paper over.
"Let me introduce you to someone, Zhang Yibai. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama and started his own studio last year, specializing in shooting music videos and GG (Girls' Love)."
Sun Fei flicked his cigarette ash. "This guy has a lot of ideas. Unlike some directors who just have the singer stand there when they shoot a music video, he likes to shoot videos with a storyline, like shooting short films."
I've seen your storyboard—it has a storyline; he's perfect for it.
Li Si'an took the note and glanced at it. It had a landline number on it, and the words "Zhang Yibai" written next to it.
Zhang Yibai.
When that name came into his view, his heart skipped a beat.
Drug use. That was his deepest impression of the name in his past life. In 2009, Zhang Yibai was apprehended by police in Chaoyang District, Beijing. He tested positive for drugs and was detained for fourteen days.
Back then, news was everywhere. He stayed in his rented room browsing forums, and the screen was filled with headlines like "Director of 'Eternal Love' Arrested for Drug Use."
Later, I don't know how, this person reappeared as if nothing had happened, making movies as usual, and even making patriotic films.
This guy is pretty amazing.
Li Si'an folded the note and put it in her pocket.
"Thank you, Director Sun."
Director Sun waved his hand. "No need to thank me. Just say that Sun Wenxue introduced you; he knows."
As they emerged from the prefabricated house, the sun was already setting. Zhang Ziyi followed beside him, kicking small pebbles on the ground.
"How was it? Wasn't the trip worthwhile?"
"It wasn't a wasted trip." Li Si'an tucked the note into her pocket.
"When are you going to film it?"
"Let's talk about it after the album comes out." Li Si'an glanced at her. "What about you? How long will it take you to finish filming these bits and pieces?"
Zhang Ziyi sighed. "Who knows? The director said it'll be done soon, almost half a month ago. I'm getting restless here every day."
"That's called bedsores."
"roll."
The two walked to the main gate of the Beijing Film Studio. Zhang Ziyi stood there and waved to him.
"Drive carefully."
Li Si'an glanced back at her, smiled, and turned to leave through the gate. He hailed a minivan by the roadside, opened the door, and got in.
The car merged into the traffic on the North Third Ring Road and headed west. The setting sun shone through the car window, falling on his knees. He took the note out of his pocket, unfolded it, and glanced at it again.
Zhang Yibai.
"Eternal Love". He knew all too well how popular this movie was in his past life.
During prime time on CCTV, Li Yapeng and Xu Jinglei's songs were playing everywhere. The show became a hit, the actors became famous, and the songs became hits too.
If I can get to know Zhang Yibai well while filming "Fairy Tale"—whether I act in it or not, when he's about to film "Eternal Love," will I have a chance to get involved in the songs for that film?
He folded the note again and put it back in his pocket. The street scene outside the car window slowly receded, and the setting sun bathed the entire street in a warm hue.
There's no rush. Let's finish filming "Fairy Tale" first, and get the people involved.