Qin Xiaobao, screenwriter, fat director, producer Mr. Zhou, Xiang Yang, scholar of the Republic of China...
This trip to Guangdong has a huge lineup. Not only the director wants to see it, but everyone else also has their own work.
Although he couldn't remember where on earth this movie was filmed, he searched on the Internet and the photos came out.
Gangningwei is an extraordinary place. There are 5 watchtowers in total, 3 of which stand along the river. The Gangningwei arcade, which is composed of a "T"-shaped straight street, has experienced decades of wind and rain, but it is still standing. One day in 1927
The fire destroyed Gangningwei, and overseas Chinese funded its reconstruction.
Before this, Qin Xiaobao tried to look for it, and it must be said that Jiang Wen had a good sense.
There are many places with the architectural features of the Republic of China across the country. Taking into account various factors such as scale, completeness, overallness, and photography, Gangningwei is the most suitable.
On the minibus, Qin Xiaobao held the information in his hand. Someone had come to inspect it before, and this time he was ready to finalize it.
After various efforts, Uncle Ge and Jiang Wen have confirmed to join the cast, but their remuneration has been increased a bit.
When the investors learned that Qin Xiaobao had taken care of the two big guys, they were very happy to receive the money.
None of them are fools, Leslie Cheung, Ge You, Jiang Wen, Hu Ge, just these four people, coupled with Qin Xiaobao as the director, the anticipation is immediately high.
Moreover, Jiang Wen took a lot of advantage when he made this film. Chen Kun and others were almost paid zero for their roles. He couldn't do it. Although it was impossible to pay according to the market price, he still had to pay him. It took half a year to film.
The time is not short.
The lineup has not been officially announced yet, and the script has been submitted for review. After it is approved by the radio and television, a large-scale press conference will be held. It is currently under confidentiality.
Sitting by the window was Zhou Tao, the producer, looking out the window with a frown.
It’s not a good job!
The budget investment for "Let the Bullets Fly" has reached 165 million. The shooting has not even started yet, and only 100 million is left.
He has talked many times with Qin Xiaobao, screenwriter, set designer, and prop master, and has also been to Gangningwei in person. Just the preliminary preparations, I don’t know how much it will cost, it is also a big trouble for a big director, a big actor, and a big production.
For a long time to come, I probably won’t be able to eat well.
Behind Lao Zhou were the screenwriter and the fat director, holding the script and discussing something.
Xiangyang sat in front of Qin Xiaobao. He was sleeping. It was quite a long way here, so it was normal to feel sleepy.
When we came to Guangdong, everyone was a little uncomfortable. We had already put on two pieces of clothes in the city, but we got a surprise when we got off the plane. It was so hot, and now the air conditioner is on in the car!
The producer had enough of the scenery and turned his head: "Director Qin."
Qin Xiaobao put down the information: "Mr. Zhou, what's wrong?"
"We'll probably arrive in the evening, and we won't really see the scenery until tomorrow. The hotels in town are in average condition, so don't worry about it."
"It's not my first time making a movie. It's okay. The shooting is just to see the changes in 24 hours a day. Hey, have you contacted the local government?"
"We've been contacted. We are very welcome." The producer felt that it was too tiring to turn around and talk, so he sat next to him and said, "I came back last time and told you some ideas about the renovation. As long as it doesn't damage the building, there will be no problem.
.
Gangningwei has received some theater crews and has experience, and the villagers have also worked as extras."
Qin Xiaobao smiled and said: "It's a good thing, our drama still needs a lot of extras. With the help of local people, it saves worry and effort."
"Indeed, but Director Qin, you said that city gate..." The producer hesitated.
"It must be done!" Qin Xiaobao knew what he was going to say.
"However, during the Republic of China, there were so many small towns without city gates. Did they need such a grand setting?"
"First, ours is a movie, adapted from history, so it will definitely be different," Qin Xiaobao explained patiently: "Second, Huang Silang can be said to be the emperor of the earth. His watchtowers are magnificent. In troubled times, they must be built.
To protect your words and consolidate your sphere of influence, you must have a city wall.
But you can be more flexible. The main entrance and the extension of about five meters to the left and right are real city walls, and beyond that, just use foam or other materials to paste the same wallpaper."
"But the city gate also costs a lot of money!" As a producer, the main task is to save money.
"Let me make this clear first. There are people at the top who want to give close-ups. If you cut corners and create special effects for fifty cents, I won't agree to it."
As a director, Qin Xiaobao wants to improve the quality of the film. He doesn't care how much it costs, even if Kiwi has investment.
Is there pressure from the producer?
Haha, ignore it and call the investors directly to ask for money.
Although Qin Xiaobao is young, Lao Zhou doesn't dare to argue with him. It hasn't started yet. Don't make the relationship tense.
The crew is actually a microcosm of society. As long as there are people, there will be conflicts and disputes. They stay together for several months, have to live and eat together, and have to work, so there must be some bumps and bruises.
Qin Xiaobao is the director and the head of everyone. He must establish prestige. This is also the knowledge learned in school.
In the past, when arranging movies, I always had familiar actors to help support the scene. My brother, Chen He, Lin Xue... gave me a lot of help.
There are over a hundred or dozens of staff members at this conference alone, and the largest scene has hundreds of people.
Even if Qin Xiaobao is usually good-tempered, he must keep his face down and maintain his dignity. Otherwise, it will be difficult to manage such a large crew.
Before Xiang Yang set off, he discussed with him whether he should stage a bitter trick, deliberately cause some problems when filming started, and then scold him.
Qin Xiaobao also thought about it carefully and thought it was feasible. He would look at the situation and decide again.
"Director Qin, I heard that you are going to hold several fan clubs next?" As a producer, you must know the schedules of people in various departments, including the director.
"Yes, but don't worry, it won't delay your work."
"I misunderstood," the producer laughed along with him: "It's still early to start shooting the movie, so why worry about this? We're just chatting."
Lao Zhou feels a little uncomfortable, this director is so difficult!
"They are all small concerts, and they won't take too long before and after," Qin Xiaobao said with a smile, "You can call us if you need anything at that time."
"Director Qin is indeed an all-rounder." The producer gave a thumbs up.
"Don't dare!"
At ten o'clock in the evening, the minibus arrived at Gangningwei. When they got off the bus, everyone sighed unconsciously and picked up the cameras in their hands.
Two neat rows of poplar buildings first come into view. The mottled exterior walls and moss seem to tell a piece of history.
Inside the polder, there is a straight street and three parallel side streets formed by foreign-style buildings.
Each western-style building is two stories high. On the first floor, there are two square pillars supporting the front seat on the second floor. It becomes a Western-style arcade to protect against rain and sun. It has a long corridor and has different paintings on the bottom of each arcade.
Beautiful patterns. In the front seat of the second floor, the windows on each floor have various shapes, including Chinese rectangles, Romanesque round arches, and Gothic pointed arches. The lower wall of the second floor is carved with strange patterns and workmanship.
It is exquisite, with plum blossoms blooming, interlocking flowers, carps playing in the water, drooping curtains, and geometric figures; the square or round-arched windows on the second floor are carved with different lines or patterns around them.
The town staff came up to greet them and led them on a road full of the atmosphere of the Republic of China.
"In the 1920s and 1930s, most people in Gangningwei were engaged in oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, rice, candy, tobacco and alcohol, hardware, mountain products, Huayang groceries, etc. The area was full of restaurants, gold and silver jewelry stores.
, stationery department store, etc., there are all kinds of shops, making it the most prosperous town in the nearby area.
But then it didn’t work out..."
Obviously, the staff did not want to say too much about the future: "At present, most of the residents in the town immigrated overseas in the early days, and now there are only a dozen families left."
Qin Xiaobao listened carefully. Although it was not kind, it was good news.
When filming, I definitely hope to do it in a relatively quiet environment, where there will be less interference, which can improve efficiency.
With more than a dozen households, there is no need to worry about onlookers, and work can be done easily.
"Hey, I heard that we have filmed before, so where did the extras come from?" Qin Xiaobao came to the first floor and stood under the arcade. He touched the pillars and saw that they were all covered in dust. He turned around and motioned for the fat director to take a few pictures.
photo.
"Oh, it's from the next town. It's only about ten kilometers away. It's very close." The staff pointed in a direction: "Don't worry, Director Qin, they are all experienced. When the time comes, we will unified management to ensure that there will be no
Adding chaos."
For a small town with not many people, having a film crew come to film is a big deal. Every time the filming is completed, it will attract tourists to visit and travel, stimulating the local economy.
It’s also a good thing for ordinary residents, who can make some extra money.
Especially, Qin Xiaobao is here this time. It is a big production, and the local department attaches great importance to it and requires that the accompanying staff must be well entertained.
"Thank you!" Qin Xiaobao clapped his hands and pointed to the door: "Can I go in and have a look?"
"Of course!" The staff member took out the key.
As soon as he opened the door, dust fell down. Seeing Qin Xiaobao waving, he quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, Director Qin, it's been uninhabited for too long. I'll ask someone to clean it up."
"No, no, no," Qin Xiaobao said with a smile, "I'll take a look first, and don't rush. If it's going to be filmed here, just leave all the work to the crew."
"Okay, okay!"
The unoccupied arcade was empty. Occasionally, some tables and chairs were missing arms and legs and were lying on the ground. The calendar on the wall was still two thousand years old and had already turned yellow. The ceiling was covered with spider webs.
After going up to the second floor, which was full of bedrooms, Qin Xiaobao came to the room along the street. The setting sun happened to shine over him. He carefully opened the window and stuck his head out. He could easily see the square at the end of the street.
"Hello, may I ask!" He looked around and pushed the window: "Can this window be knocked down?"
"Yes, the windows were all reinstalled after the 1980s," the staff member understood what he meant: "They are not protected items and can be removed, but walls, for example, cannot be damaged."
Qin Xiaobao dusted off his hands: "Okay, thank you. Hey, where is the largest watchtower here?"
"Oh, it's about six kilometers from here, but it's probably a bit late to go there now. I'm afraid it'll be dark when we wait."
"Well, there's no rush. Let's take a closer look here." Qin Xiaobao nodded.
These two rows of arcades are very important shooting locations. Preparations for the final battle were done here.
When I was watching the movie, I thought that the watchtowers where Huang Silang lived were together, but I didn't expect that they were several kilometers apart, so I would have to pay attention when the time comes.