Chapter 1,348 How wonderful it would be if there was no helpless separation in the world
If a film like "Obscurity" does not require local adaptation, it would be much simpler to shoot.
Compared to other movies, Li Yi prefers this kind of family theme.
This movie may not be considered a classic, but it is indeed a representative work.
It may be difficult for this kind of movie to have a high box office, but the tear-jerking index of this kind of movie is definitely not low.
Every director has a different understanding of movies at different stages.
For a while, Li Yi also thought about whether to achieve some goals through movies, but now he has no such idea at all.
Movies may have specific side functions like that, but this kind of subject is too big and complicated. Sometimes your original intention may be good, but it may often backfire.
After Li Yi finally screened the male lead in "Obscurity", he chose Hollywood actor Maury Darren, recommended by Dean Films.
The main reason is that Maury Dahlen is a father himself, and unlike many Hollywood actors who have a chaotic private life, he is considered a Hollywood actor with a relatively good reputation.
Of course, some people may say that there seems to be no particularly big connection between acting and actors’ personal issues, right?
But in Li Yi's opinion, there is still a certain connection.
At least, for the male protagonist in "Obscurity", you couldn't hire an actor with a bad record and a messy private life to play the role, right?
It's easy to cause drama in that way. It's not a question of whether you perform well or not, but the audience will naturally feel it's inappropriate.
In fact, from this aspect, it might be better to find an unknown actor.
Another one is that Maury Darren is also a father himself, and he is a father who loves his children very much.
On the American side, when you say that family ties are weak, you really don’t say it casually. At least in Hollywood, there really shouldn’t be too many such bullshit things.
And having a good father play the role of the father in "Obscurity" is a very good entry point, because it allows the actor to perform better and more stably.
Of course, there is another key point, that is, if you choose Mori Darren, you can directly buy one and get one free, because Mori Darren's son is only four years old this year.
So after seeking the consent of Maury Darren, the father and son will star in this film together.
This can save a lot of trouble. After all, if they are not really father and son, they will definitely need to cultivate their relationship.
After Maury Darren signed on, his father in the film, John, was a window cleaner.
So the first thing Maury Darren needed to do was learn about the job of a window cleaner.
I have to say that the types of work here in the United States are really divided into very fine details.
For example, window cleaners, in China it is hard to imagine that someone specializes in this job.
It’s also interesting here in the United States. Because labor costs are so high, men in many families are forced to become all-rounders. Many of their families can do things like roof repairs themselves.
.
Back to business.
After all, "Obscurity" is not a big production, so the preparation time is not long. After the most critical actors are selected, the film can start shooting soon.
Morrie is a very humorous person, but what Li Yi never expected was that he actually fell in love with this job during his experience as a window cleaner.
According to his words: "It's very interesting. Many times, if we stare at people all the time, it will make people feel very uncomfortable, but when you become a window cleaner and wipe the glass, through the transparent glass, you will feel very uncomfortable.
It’s a very interesting experience to be able to look at everything in the glass window openly.”
To be honest, Li Yi couldn't get enough of Morrie's weird hobby.
Li Yi did not delve into whether John, as a window cleaner, had any other meaning in the original version of "Obscurity".
But after hearing Mo Li's words, Li Yi couldn't help but think about it more.
The movie was soon ready to shoot.
The first scene is actually very simple, it is to introduce John’s profession and his work!
"Morrie, it's time to show off your newly acquired skills!" Li Yi smiled at Morrie Darren, who was dressed as a window cleaner.
"Of course, you will be satisfied!" Morrie said confidently.
There is nothing special about this shot. It is mainly about John cleaning the glass seriously, interspersed with some scenes of different families and different places seen through the glass.
This kind of lens is the simplest lens for both a veteran actor like Murray and the photographer of the film crew.
As the first opening shot of the movie, it is naturally very appropriate.
Hollywood also pays attention to a good start.
This is probably because the world is unified.
In fact, the father John in "Obscurity" is very similar to many fathers, but he is not like him.
The similarity is that they all love their children, but the difference is that he is very calm and has been holding back and restraining himself. He almost never loses his temper with his children and rarely sheds tears. This is very different from his childhood experience.
Relationship.
This way of expression can be said to be different from ordinary people.
But Li Yi likes this method very much. His sadness, his reluctance, and his despair are not expressed through crying or hysteria, but through his eyes!
The filming of the first half of the movie went very smoothly.
Because John's emotions don't fluctuate much, the movie touches John's emotions more through a certain moment, a certain sentence, or a certain thing.
How to express this emotion is the key.
The first turning point, which was also the most difficult point for my father John, was in the social welfare institution.
It can be said that it was also from here that he began to change his original idea.
What were his initial thoughts?
He didn't want his son to know the cruel fact that he was abandoned by his mother, his father died, and he was adopted. He only wanted his son to have an ordinary and warm home.
He didn't even want his son to know the meaning of death, because he felt that the child was too young and it would be too cruel to him.
This scene is also a very crucial scene. In the film, John only has a few scenes where his emotions fluctuate greatly.
""Obscurity" scene 32, first shot, first time, ACTION!"
As the sound of the clap fell, this crucial scene officially began.
Li Yi sat in front of the monitor and watched.
This scene is a manual given by the social welfare agency to parents like John who are dying soon, on how to teach their children the meaning of death.
John looked over and over.
Li Yi didn't tell Mori how to act in this scene. He wanted to see if there was a better way.
Morrie began his performance.
He put down the manual and took a long breath.
He shook his head and faced the two adoption agency staff.
"I don't want him to...understand death!" he said, shaking his head.
"It's not yet time!"
"He, he's too young!" At this point, his eyes flickered and hesitated a little.
"He'll want to do it again, in his new home, with everything around him..." He pursed his lips.
"And then he thinks, he's going to die too, I mean, what kind of childhood is this going to be?"
At this time, the person from the adoption agency said: "John, everyone's memory is different. It may not be used now, but it will be needed in the future! His new parents will need it too!"
Another young girl from an agency also said: "He may miss you every day for a period of time. He needs something to start with, something concrete and real... that he can connect with and build up."
Mori's mood suddenly became violent: "Establishment? Is it written in the manual, or did you just take the exam?"
"Xiao Na is right. It may not be needed now, but it will be needed in the future, especially when he is eighteen years old. Then he has the right to know who his biological parents are!"
Mori's tone also began to change, becoming a little aggressive.
With a hint of sarcasm: "Does he have to know he's adopted? We'll find him a home that will be his family, his only family, and he won't even have to remember how incompetent his parents were, his
His mother abandoned him, and then his father died, I mean, that would definitely make him die!"
"CUT! Morrie, come and take a look!" Li Yi shouted to stop the filming and asked Morrie to come over and watch the playback.
"What do you think?" Li Yi asked.
Mori shook his head and asked: "You are the director, you have the final say!"
"Tell me what you think and why you act like that." Li Yi said with a smile.
"The adoption agency's procedures and manuals tell him that he needs to leave a time capsule for his child and tell him what death is. This is too difficult for a father!
He doesn't understand, or I think, although at this moment, he already knows that his life is not long, but he has not yet reached the last moment.
He loves his son, so he feels that this is a particularly cruel thing for his son. He hopes that the child will have a brand new home, and the existence of his biological parents will allow him to live in the same way in the new family.
Can't be happy.
I think he actually knew in his heart that he would have to face all this sooner or later, but he hoped, or in other words, he tried to convince himself or deceive himself that it was not the right time yet!" Morrie said.
Li Yi nodded. He felt that Mo Li's understanding was almost the same as his own.
But he still said: "The layering you just acted was too clear, or the mood swings were too high. What kind of person is John?
He is not a person who is good at expressing himself, unless it is the person he cares about, his son. This scene forces him to consider whether to tell his son all this, and his heart must be tangled.
He believes that his existence with his wife who abandoned the child is not good for the child's growth.
He said these words not so much because he wanted to convince the people at the adoption agency, but actually because he just wanted to convince himself! He did not really accept the fact that he was about to leave his son!"
Mori was silent for a moment and said: "I understand, I want to try again!"
"ok!"
In fact, Li Yi's request for this scene does not mean that it must be the same as the original one, but what he needs to see is John's entanglement and helplessness as a father who is about to leave his son, and is about to leave his son forever.
!
This is actually a play that forces him to recognize his current situation!
Before that, although he had begun to prepare to find a suitable home for his son, he was actually not that anxious because he still had time.
But when he saw "death", he had to wake up. He didn't have much time.
He didn't have that much time to think about these issues, but he had to, had to think about these issues.
Because Xiao Na is right, her son doesn't need it now, but that doesn't mean he won't need it in the future.
It sounds like a lot, but when performing it, it doesn't last long. It may even be just a tone of voice, a rise in tone, a teardrop rolling in the eye, or a subtle movement, etc.
This is what he wants to see.
Although "Obscurity" is not hysterical or heartbreaking, everything flows quietly like a winding river - sad, powerless but full of unyielding power.
But there is a sense of hierarchy, but this sense of hierarchy is magnified to the entire film.
That's why he felt that Morrie's performance just now was a bit "too much".
What Li Yi hopes is that in the movie, when his father John goes to meet each adoptive family, his mood will gradually change.
From meeting the first family, he knew that although the family's conditions were very good, the couple did not care about the child's feelings. They hoped to arrange everything for the child.
Even if the child may not want it.
In other words, at the beginning, he was actually full of expectations, thinking that his own departure might bring new life to his children.
But at that moment, he was disappointed because he suddenly discovered that everything would not be as beautiful as he had imagined.
So, he became impatient.
His contradiction is that for his son, he hopes that Mike can forget his father and be healthy and safe in the new environment!
But at the same time, I hope he can remember his father, who once lived hard and bravely.
This kind of entanglement is progressive.
The filming of the movie started out very relaxed, but gradually it started to become heavy.
And similarly, this is also a progressive process for father and son to understand each other.
After he met the last couple, what he said to Xiao Na in the restaurant was the final step forward.
Because the last couple made him completely sober, and at the same time, he gradually realized that although his son was only three years old, he did not understand everything.
Even his little mind has begun to understand everything.
This made him extremely distressed, but there was nothing he could do.
So, he must make a choice!
Li Yi's favorite drama is the synchronized drama between father and son.
To be honest, Li Yi himself felt a little autistic after patting him.
Because, the more he continued to shoot, the more he could feel the despair in it.
The number of shots in the movie is limited, so every shot actually has a meaning.
From needing a reminder from his father to cross the road to the child taking the initiative to ring the bell, from holding an umbrella and following his father with his head down to leading his father across the street, the child is also growing silently, carefully picking up a glass of water for his father, and gently serving his father.
Covered with a blanket that is longer than himself... It is heartbreaking for a father to make careful plans for his child, and it is even more heartbreaking for the child to take care of his father silently. These scenes all convey that even if the father does not say anything, the child feels that his father is about to leave.
He himself secretly sighed in his heart, how wonderful it would be if there was no helpless separation in the world.
