Chapter 574 Movies no longer need to wait for the cloud to arrive
"Cut! Check the camera, okay, passed."
Sure enough, the Xiangjiang martial arts masters hired by Ronald pulled the tightrope steadily and well. As long as Tom Hanks focused on his performance, they would naturally match his pace and pull the weight of Mykelti Williamson.
Most of it has been removed. Otherwise, unless Schwarzenegger plays Forrest Gump, no one can hold a strong man like him and run away.
After the filming was completed, the people from the special effects team hurried to the scene and marked various places. These places were the various locations where the actors ran. They took a lot of photos and used them for positioning during post-processing computer processing.
"I want to feel like people are being blown away. This is the detonation point. The two soldiers were blown up and flew backwards. Their upper bodies flew up quickly, and their lower limbs had no time to move. Their whole bodies were pulled backwards.
fall……"
Ronald stood at a location and made demands on the Hong Kong martial arts masters. He asked them to pass the rope tied to the actor and suddenly pull it back to create the effect of being blown up. Various requirements were stated in detail.
"That's it? Don't you want to put an explosion point here?" The Xiangjiang martial arts masters looked at each other, a little confused by Director Ronald's request. The soldiers were blown away, but there was no explosion. How could the audience buy it?
"No, we'll shoot the explosion separately..." Ronald pointed to the other side of the golf course, where a team in charge of pyrotechnics was making preparations.
The two martial artists felt that their IQs were running out. It was like magic in Hollywood. Could the explosion and the stunt of people flying out be filmed separately?
"Does it matter?"
"The dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are all very different. It's probably because of some new technology."
The two stopped talking and began to tie a rope around the chests and backs of the two actors who were wearing army uniforms and lying in the trench holding automatic rifles.
"Action!"
The two actors were lying there shooting, and suddenly, the two of them were pulled away by the rope. The reaction of the whole person was very sudden, because they themselves did not know when they would be pulled away.
The level of Xiangjiang martial arts is very good. The method and position of their rope tying are very particular, so it will not look strange when they pull it off. The strength and speed of their pull also rely very much on experience. The force on the two ropes is just right.
The center of gravity of the actors was lost, so the two actors seemed to have been blown away by bombs.
"How are the preparations going here?"
"Everything is ready"
"Then let's get started, prepare to clear the place, countdown to thirty seconds..."
"Action!"
After shooting the explosion scene, Ronald went to the explosion special effects site on the other side. The staff here prepared a small explosion. The explosion point placed was not violent, but the effect was amazing.
After an explosion point was exploded, many red light bombs prepared inside exploded along the designed trajectory. After a bang, they were all captured by the camera.
"What do you think?" Ronald asked special effects supervisor Van Fleet, who was filming with a home video camera.
"No problem, as long as the height and circumference ratio of the splashing fire reaches the explosion scene of an aerial bomb during the Vietnam War. For the rest, we can use the special effects software Inferno to match this explosion special effect."
"Okay, let's do it again."
It was also Ronald's first time to shoot a movie with so many complex special effects, so he had to work closely with the special effects team during the shooting. The explosion spots on the scene, the flying postures of the people who were blown away, and the time sequence of the explosions
, it has to be photographed according to their design and perfectly.
Otherwise, it will cause a lot of trouble in post-production. Secondly, the cost will increase. The most important thing is to waste a lot of time and increase the uncertainty of the film's release.
The large-scale use of computer post-production special effects shooting is still a new thing in Hollywood. This explosion scene was shot for a whole day. Later, the special effects team will combine the actors' movements, the explosive explosion, and the final computer-generated explosion flames.
Then the sound of the explosion is also produced, and finally a synthetic explosion is generated on the screen that is almost invisible to the real explosion.
If we use traditional methods to shoot, such as Coppola throwing napalm bombs to explode the tropical jungle at the beginning of Apocalypse Now, not only will it take more time to prepare, but many details will not be able to be precisely controlled.
Moreover, explosions often have accidents. The direction of some explosions and the shape of the mushroom cloud after the explosion may not be in line with your ideas. Explosions produced in computer post-production can be expressed completely according to the artistry of the director's thinking.
For example, the week before, Ronald filmed little Forrest Gump and little Jenny praying in the cornfield. When they were hiding from little Jenny's father in the cornfield higher than themselves, the camera lens would zoom out and pan.
Climb up and take a panoramic view of the entire countryside.
When the camera rose, some staff members released birds to the left of the two young actors. A large flock of birds rose from the ground and flew to the left of the actors, filling the empty sky on that side.
This was originally a designed lens, and the direction of the bird's flight had to be arranged in advance to match the beauty of the entire lens. However, after three attempts, the bird did not fly in the predetermined direction.
Ronald also discovered that no matter how good a bird trainer is, it is impossible to make a large group of birds follow the flight direction set by him.
So he immediately decided to change this shot to special effects. After filming, little Forrest Gump and little Jenny prayed together, and Jenny wanted God to turn herself into a bird and fly away from this outrageous family.
The special effects team will superimpose a group of birds on the original film, and then let them fly away in groups according to their own design, along the direction where she is praying. Together with the pious posture of little Jenny, it feels like she has also flown away together.
This is something that was very difficult to achieve in Hollywood's real-life shooting method. With complicated camera scheduling, it would only happen by chance with God's blessing.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! The most famous example in the movie is probably when Bogdanovich was filming "The Last Movie", the male protagonist and the supporting actor were having a conversation by the river.
After telling an intimate conversation, a cloud dispersed, the fog dispersed, and a ray of sunshine directly hit the actor's face, illuminating everything.
It is said that Japan's Akira Kurosawa often waited a whole day for a cloud to arrive at the desired location. This was also the main reason why Toei didn't want to invest in Akira Kurosawa in the later stages. Such filming would be too expensive.
However, if you want to take similar shots now, you don’t need to wait for the cloud to arrive.
"Are the tracers ready?"
"Okay, but I guess the muzzle velocity of the M16 rifle and M60 machine gun used in the Vietnam War will not show tracer traces on the film."
The head of the firearms team came over to explain to Ronald. The explosion had been shot for several days, and today it was finally time to shoot the most important scene of the Vietnam War scene, the scene where Forrest Gump and Babu's company were attacked.
Ronald's idea was to highly condense Forrest Gump's experience in the Vietnam War in his memory, leaving only two parts: a rain and a sunny day after the rain. When the clouds cleared and the sun shone,
It is directly converted from the state of marching to the state of engaging in battle.
This is also a common part of the memories of many Vietnam War veterans. Many times you can't see where the enemy is, and suddenly you are involved in a close-range firefight.
Ronald also wanted to scare the audience at this time, so that they, like Forrest Gump, were shocked by the cruelty and horror of the Vietnam War. In this way, the words Jenny's Forrest Gump said to him before going to Vietnam made him touch
When you encounter a danger that you cannot handle, you must remember that running quickly has a realistic basis.
Of course, with the help of Van Fleet's computer post-production special effects, in the second half of 1993, Ronald did not have to wait for the weather to be kind like Bogdanovich or Akira Kurosawa.
When it gets dark at the beginning and it rains heavily, you can solve the problem by lowering the brightness of the entire image and the saturation of the color in the later stage. When it stops raining, you can return to the normal image brightness under the sun to perfectly present Forrest Gump's memory.
The scene of the attack.
"Let's give it a try. If the tracer bullet can't be caught, then we'll still use post-production special effects, but we need to understand what kind of trajectory the tracer bullet will leave behind when it flies through the sky..."
Ronald shook his head. When shooting tracer bullets in movies, that is, the previous alliance, some directors tried it when they could rent troops to help with the shooting, but it was a long shot, unlike what Ronald shot, which was a long medium shot and a long shot.
Close shot.
Whether you can see the trajectory of the tracer bullet can only be tested by doing experiments.
"Let's take a shot! All departments are in place!"
Ronald yelled, this is a very complicated schedule.
"Squirt!"
Two large fire hoses started spraying at the scene, and soon it seemed like it was raining heavily on the golf course.
"Attention all departments... Action!"
The camera focused on the road in the deserted grassland. There were green palm leaves on both sides. Amidst the sound of water, a palm leaf on the right swayed. Forrest Gump and his platoon slowly walked out of it.
.
Ronald turned his head and looked at the director of photography. Under his command, a group of awesome guys were working hard to push the camera.
Forrest Gump is in the foreground of the picture, and all the actors are spread out, with their guns pointed downwards and not pointed at each other to prevent misfire.
When they reached the middle of the dirt road, Ronald waved again. At the fire hose, two staff members were quickly turning on the hose.
The water sprayed out gradually decreased. Tom Hanks, like other actors, raised their heads and looked at the sky, as if wondering why the rainy season for half a year passed like this?
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."
Suddenly, a burst of gunfire rang out, and tracer bullets began to be fired from a safe distance, but the sound of the gunfire was clearly identifiable at the scene.
"There's an ambush! Get down quickly and take cover!"
The actor playing Lieutenant Dan started shouting, and Tom Hanks stumbled and fell down, then rolled over and crawled under the roadbed, finding a shelter for himself on the high, flat road surface.
The camera was by his side, shooting this scene, and the scene was very satisfying.
Just as Forrest Gump crawled over, a stuntman suddenly raised his upper body as if he had been hit.
Puff, puff...
Several explosive points buried in danger on the dirt road also fired according to the predetermined time. Some soil was splashed up, as if the opponent's bullets hit the ground.
"Fuck, get the phone right now!"
During the on-site dispatch, Ronald arranged for Lieutenant Dan to direct the soldiers in the platoon by the dirt roadside where Forrest Gump finally hid.
However, except for this military family whose ancestors have sacrificed their lives for America, the other young men who were recruited were frightened and didn't know what to do. They had to raise their hands above their heads and stretch them out without aiming, just facing the opposite direction.
Shoot randomly until all the bullets in the gun are empty.
"Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, are you okay?"
It was a very chaotic scene. Everyone was acting on instinct. Only Babu was thinking about his best friend A-Gump and called his name while shooting.
"Cut!"
Ronald stopped the filming. This sequence of shots was smooth and smooth, and the scene and camera arrangements were very skillful. It can be said that it is the condensation of Ronald's many years of experience as a director.
In fact, there is nothing fancy about this scene.
Some of them just calmly aroused the audience's attention, allowing them to be startled by the sudden firefight and at the same time see Forrest Gump's actions of relying on instinct to dodge bullets in very tense moments.
This series of arrangements are from perspectives that are impossible for ordinary human eyes to see, allowing the audience to pay full attention, follow the camera without daring to blink, and pay attention to the center of the picture - Forrest Gump.
Unknowingly, the audience will be worried about Forrest Gump, hoping that he can turn danger into good luck and escape this disaster.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! This is the reflection of the ability of a skilled director. He does not take over the spotlight or show off his skills, but everything is centered on the audience's attention and perception, making you anxious and making you
I couldn't help but worry, but I didn't take my attention away from the center of the story. I screamed for the director - this shot is so amazing!
If that were to happen, the audience would be separated from the plot, which would destroy the immersion in the movie.
"A very good shot..." Director of Photography Tang was also very satisfied and told Ronald that this was OK.
"Okay, let's take a five-minute break and move on to the next one."
Everyone stood up, drank some water, and did not leave the muddy land.
Ronald wanted them to maintain the feeling of intense adrenal gland secretion so that they could have that live feeling when shooting close-ups.
"Action!"
Filming resumed immediately. Lieutenant Dan got the phone and called the headquarters, "Strong hand, strong hand, we are Lima 6...under, listen, we are under attack in Blue Point Forest, repeat, Blue Point Forest
We were attacked...the other side had rockets and AK-47s, and we suffered heavy losses..."
Gary Sinise, who plays Lieutenant Dan, still maintains the tone of a professional soldier. Under the fierce firepower of the enemy, he remains calm in the face of danger. After reporting the situation, he orders everyone to retreat.
"Throw that thing away, we retreat...The enemy's firepower is strong, we are suppressed, we retreat, retreat..."
"Run, Forrest, run!" Babu is Forrest's best friend in the army. Like Jenny, he saw that Forrest was frozen in place because of his lack of intelligence and didn't know what to do, so he started to attack Forrest.
Willing to shout.
Mykelti Williamson, who played Barb, had his face covered with dirt from the explosion. He shouted desperately, not caring that all kinds of dirt would get into his big mouth when he opened his mouth.
At first glance, the audience knows that this is a good comrade who is loyal to his friends. The anxiety on his face and his stress reaction in emergency situations on the battlefield are all very similar to his performance.
A camera was shooting a close-up on him. Ronald watched from a distance. He could only pray that these actors would not waste the immersive feeling of the first shot. If they could capture it, it would definitely be the best.
Performance.
Another camera was shooting a close-up of Tom Hanks. All kinds of soil and grass roots were jumping around him, and Hanks had an inexplicable look on his face. This scene was beyond Forrest Gump's ability to understand.
A-Gump wasn't afraid, he just didn't know what was going on and didn't know whether he should stay where he was or run with Babu, because Lieutenant Dan didn't give him any orders.
"Retreat, Forrest!" Lieutenant Dan shouted at him, but amid the sound of gunfire and the excessive secretion of adrenaline, Forrest might not have heard it.
Lieutenant Dan became anxious, strode over and grabbed Forrest Gump's collar badge, "Run, Forrest Gump, run the hell away!"
Finally, Forrest Gump remembered Jenny's instructions to him and ran away when he encountered a problem he couldn't handle. He stood up and ran towards the back with the speed of a college football all-star running back.
"Cut!"
The filming went smoothly, Ronald required almost no guidance or communication, and the actors automatically found the right acting method.
Especially Tom Hanks, who captured Forrest Gump's various emotions during the war, the panic and fear brought about by human instincts, the ignorance of not knowing what was going on, and the deep-rooted feeling of Forrest Gump following other people's orders.
Gan's inner tendencies manifest themselves just right at the right time.
"Damn it, this is a movie-level performance."
The next day, when Ronald came to see the samples early in the morning, he sighed.
Unfortunately, the tracer bullet was not captured because it traveled too fast. Ronald had to discuss with Van Fleet how to use computer special effects to simulate the trajectory of the tracer bullet across the screen.
"Aunt, I'm glad that you are here to accompany me to shoot the Vietnam War scenes, but we will go to DC to shoot in a few days."
After breakfast, Ronald came to see Aunt Karen and wanted her to go home first. Below are the shots of Forrest Gump returning to the battlefield several times and carrying many comrades and the dying Babu out of the danger zone.
These are too similar to the experiences of his uncle who died in the Vietnam War and Ronald's father. Ronald himself felt that it was a bit too personal. For the sake of his aunt's emotional stability, he came to persuade her to leave first.
"Ronnie, I'm leaving first. I'll wait until you go to DC to film. It just so happens that Donna and Little Doug are also going to DC. Let them accompany you then..."
Yesterday's scene was too real, it evoked memories that Aunt Karen had buried for a long time, and it was a bit unbearable.
"Let's continue the scene from yesterday!"
When it was time to start shooting in the morning, Ronald stood in the mud again. The team of makeup artists tried their best to restore the actors to their dirty look from yesterday, and then put blood stains and bandages on some people.
Although today's weather is different from yesterday's lighting conditions, with the guarantee of post-production special effects, Ronald does not have to wait for the same sunshine conditions as yesterday before taking pictures. Technology is beginning to make shooting easier.