Ronald's shooting plan was quickly approved by Saab's senior executives. They were very satisfied with it and specially allocated some extra filming expenses so that Ronald could find a lighting expert from London to achieve the best of his vision.
Effect.
After applying to use the hangars, warehouses and runways of Balkabi Airport for filming, Ronald moved to the airport and began to guide the technicians in the hangar to set up scenes.
The lighting expert called David Watkin came from London. He is a typical British man in his fifties. He has a big nose and messy hair.
Watkin has just finished shooting a movie in Canada as a photographer. The main reason for coming to Stockholm this time is to travel, earn some extra money to buy his favorite classical music records, and help an acquaintance of "Hollywood"
"The young director who came here" solved some minor problems.
Ronald gave his hotel suite in downtown Stockholm to Watkin and moved it to a small hotel near the airport. This made Watkin very happy, and he spent a whole day exploring the centuries-old lower town.
I took a lot of photos...and then came to the hangar to help solve the lighting problem.
"Mr. Watkin, I want a spotlight effect that puts all the attention on the Thor fighter. Just like the spotlight on the main character on the stage." Ronald is based on Diane in "Fury"
The lighting ideas of "street" are used to design the advertising scenes.
Watkin nodded frequently, then tilted his head and looked at the location of the fighter jet. He stretched out his palm and made two gestures.
"My camera will be arranged here, I want a..." Ronald then stood at the door of the hangar, and then told about the shots he needed.
"No, no, no..." David Watkin put a finger in front of his mouth and made a silent gesture, "I will light the scene according to your requirements, but don't tell me how you shoot it, how
Shooting is your business."
"Ah?" Ronald raised his eyebrows slightly. Why didn't this director of photography act according to common sense? He didn't know where the camera was placed, and how to arrange the lighting? At that time, he was at the scene of "Endless Love".
I have met this old man, but I have not had any communication with him. I only know that his level is very high.
"When you are shooting, I don't even need to be here. My experience is that as long as the lighting is done, 95% of the time, you don't need me anymore. Place your camera wherever you want.
You can set up as many cameras as you like."
"Okay," Ronald thought, believing Niceta's long-distance call from Los Angeles, that David Watkin was the best director of photography he could find within his budget, if not for being in Stockholm.
Moreover, the workload is not large, so it is absolutely impossible to hire this master who served as the photography director for "Endless Love".
"The spotlight is very simple." David Watkin hired local Swedish technicians to arrange the lights according to his own ideas. A small light with a warm color temperature highlighted the cockpit glass of the fighter jet, and then
A cold-toned spotlight was placed on a bracket on the ceiling, creating a mysterious and blurry effect amid the usual smoke of British photographers.
Ronald retreated to the position where he was going to place the camera. In a haze of smoke, the Thor fighter lay there quietly like a war hammer, waiting for the pilot to wake up.
"Bang", David Watkin signaled to turn off the spotlight, leaving only a small light on the scene, and the fighter jet became more mysterious and quiet again.
"Pa", the spotlight was turned on again, and now about two-thirds of the aircraft appeared like the goddess of victory, while her wings were still in the shadow, giving people unlimited reverie.
"Very good, put the camera here." Ronald directed the camera team to start setting up, and the actor playing the pilot also put on his flight suit and sunglasses to give Ronald a look.
"Okay, I'll go to the nearby warehouse to continue lighting. If you have any problems, just solve it yourself. If you can't solve it, ask someone to call me." David Watkin said and walked out of the hangar.
Ronald was not impressed by Watkin's casual attitude. Powerful experts always have various quirks. This lighting is indeed very good, allowing his intentions to be fully realized.
"action!"
When all parties were ready, Ronald called to start filming.
The camera, which shoots in slow motion, makes a louder motor sound than usual. Fortunately, this commercial does not require simultaneous sound recording, so it does not hinder the shooting.
"Brush!" The light from the overhead spotlight seemed to find its own path, like a bucket of milk poured onto buttered bread, covering the Thor fighter jet.
A man dressed as a pilot took firm steps out of the darkness outside the wing, walked step by step to the vicinity of the boarding ladder, and climbed into the cockpit.
"cut!"
Not only Ronald, but all the technicians present and the marketing manager of Saab applauded vigorously. This shot is full of the beauty of metal machinery. If the fighter department needs to promote fighter planes, it will show the effect of this paragraph.
It must be good.
After shooting a few more shots inside the hangar, Ronald moved the camera outside the hangar, facing the door.
This time, a real pilot got on the plane and slowly drove the Thor fighter out of the hangar.
"action!"
Ronald used the radio to give instructions, and the assistant in the hangar repeated the instruction to start filming. Then the staff pressed the button and the two doors of the hangar slowly opened to both sides.
The Thor fighter was like a huge iron bird, parked there quietly. The pilot slowly closed the canopy cover. The light from outside the shed slowly shone in, and the fuselage was slowly lit up.
"Brush", a yellow light suddenly lit up, illuminating the fighter tires in the darkness, the pilot started the engine, and the aircraft began to slowly slide out of the hangar.
Next, Ronald moved to the side of the hangar door. The fighter pilot let the aircraft slowly slide out of the hangar. The pitot tube pierced the boundary between the hangar and the vast world outside, then the cone of the nose, and finally
It was the cockpit. The driver slowly closed the cabin cover while turning, and a ray of yellow light from the light left a highlight on the cabin cover.
"cut!"
The large team of people finished shooting the fighter jets in the hangar, and then rushed to a small warehouse nearby to shoot shots of the Saab 900turbo car.
David Watkin had already arranged the lighting in the warehouse. He was seen holding a square transparent box and said to Ronald, "I have already thought of the shot at the door. You ask them to hang this up."
Go to the shelf in the back."
Ronald looked at the coolies of the camera crew. They took over the square box, carefully hung it on a high place at the back, and then turned on the power.
A soft light shines from the box. There are a total of 14x14 matrix small lights inside, a total of one hundred and ninety-six lights, illuminating the ground very brightly.
The completely dark warehouse was very brightly lit.
Ronald was surprised. Generally speaking, lighting for night scenes is much more troublesome than during the day. Because the lights have to be hidden out of sight, and the attenuation of artificial light sources is very severe. If the actors walk a few meters more, the lighting will be completely different.
, must be relighted.
But this magical box by David Watkin made the lighting uniform everywhere, and there was no difference visible to the naked eye. Ronald walked around on the ground with a light meter, and was surprised to find that the readings everywhere were almost
Same.
"How did you do it?" Gu Meng
"It all depends on the Wendy lamp," David Watkin smiled. "This is my patented invention. Night scenes can also be solved with one lamp. You shoot first, and I will go over there to arrange the car scene."
.”
"Oh, it's so amazing." Ronald felt that today was really an eye-opener. British film technology is indeed unique.
The props placed milky white letters saab on the two doors in the warehouse. The actor in a pilot uniform came diagonally from behind, and the door with the subtitles saab slowly opened.
"cut!"
Then there was a man in a windbreaker. He also repeated the actions of the pilot. The route, angle, and final stance of the two walking in front of the gate were exactly the same.
After filming this scene, Ronald rushed to the place where the Saab 900 was filmed.
David Watkin still completed the lighting in advance and was waiting for him there, "The car is very small, so I only got you a spotlight on it, and I didn't put any special high lights."
Ronald watched Watkin demonstrate the effect of the spotlight switch, which was very similar to the effect produced by two lights on a fighter jet. Probably Watkin's principle is that if it is not necessary, then don't add lights, just one light can do it.
it's the best.
"Okay, all departments are ready." Ronald asked everyone to start preparing for shooting. This shot is almost the same as the shot of the fighter jet just now. A driver wearing a windbreaker and sunglasses slowly walked towards the car and opened the door.
"cut!"
After the photographer turned off the switch, the camera, which was shooting with an upgraded lens, took longer than usual to slowly stop.
"Huh...chi" everyone heard a faint snoring sound.
"David, David" Ronald gently shook David Watkin, who was napping in the corner.
"Um...have you finished filming?" David asked quickly after waking up.
"Yes, why did you fall asleep?"
"Making a movie is very boring. What will you do if you don't sleep? This is the only thing that can prevent you from getting sleepy on the set. Aren't you sleepy on the set?"
"Um... But if you are passionate about movies, you won't lack energy on set, right?"
"Enthusiasm, I still need to work harder. I have no passion for making movies. Listening to classical music suits me."
"Okay, we have one more shot at the end, come and take a look at it for me." Ronald snapped his fingers, "Give Mr. Watkin a cup of coffee? What kind do you want?"
"No sugar, no milk."
David Watkin was carrying a cup of coffee and followed Ronald unsteadily to the runway of the airport.
"I want to shoot a shot where the audience can see a Saab fighter jet taking off from the top of a Saab car."
"Then you need a low camera position and a telephoto lens." David Watkin said without thinking.
"I'll leave it to you. I'll coordinate with the airport and the pilot. We probably only have one chance to shoot." Ronald nodded to Watkin, and then went to discuss the details of the takeoff with the Saab manager.
After a long time, Saab finally confirmed the take-off time. David Watkin led the camera crew and set up a camera head at the end of the runway. Alai's camera was equipped with an extra-large long
Telephoto lens.
"There is no problem in terms of safety. Do you think the picture can produce the desired effect on the Thor fighter jet?"
"Of course, come and take a look." David Watkin stood up and asked Ronald to confirm through the viewfinder.
In the distance between the shots, there is a new Saab 900 turbo car parked. There is as much space as possible above the car to accommodate the taking-off Thor fighter jets.
The afternoon sunlight caused the hot air on the ground to rise, causing air distortion in the telephoto lens. The lens formed by the hot air on the car was a little distorted in the image, like a mirage. Ronald felt dizzy when he looked at the lens.
heat.
"This is the effect we want." Ronald took out the walkie-talkie, "Attention all departments, officially filming!"
In the camera lens, the Saab 900turbo began to slowly emerge from the horizon, and the roar at the scene became louder and louder, deafening.
Suddenly, a huge nose appeared on the horizon, a Saab Thor fighter jet, emerging from the back of the car.
The just-right deformation of the telephoto lens allows people shooting on the runway to see the fighter jet as if it is behind the car.
There was a loud noise, the pilot started the engine afterburner, and the Thor fighter jet began to take off. In the camera, the two wheels of the fighter jet seemed to be just a little bit on the roof of the Saab car, lightly grazing the car and pulling up.
"Cut!" Ronald took out the electric horn and started shouting. After shouting several times, everyone heard the command.
"I heard that you were making exploitation films in Hollywood, but today your shot designs are full of beauty, as if you were making an auteur film, full of artistic energy." David Watkin celebrated the completion of the filming with everyone applauding.
Later, ask Ronald gently.
"This is an advertisement. It doesn't tell a story, it only tells about beauty. I also recently watched a movie that only focused on beauty but not on story, so I came up with this shooting method. Sometimes the audience really doesn't need a story, just a story.
A feeling. Their imagination will automatically complete what I want to express."
"Very good. If you have a chance in the future, you can contact my agent when making this kind of movie."
"What? Are you optimistic about my future as a director?" Ronald said smugly.
"No, movies that don't tell stories are usually terrible big-budget productions, and they pay them very readily."