When I came here this time, I didn’t specify which one was the key point.
The main filming locations for "Let the Bullets Fly" are Goose City and Huang Silang's watchtower in the film. The outdoor scenes are easier to find.
As I said before, surveying a site is not as simple as taking a look and taking a few photos.
The composition, lighting, shadows and other factors in the morning, middle and evening must be mastered. They may not be used in actual shooting, but they must be clear.
To give the simplest example, there are only a dozen or so households in Gangningwei. There are certainly not many places with lights on at night. If you don’t pay attention, it is inconsistent with common sense, because there are many residents in Goose City in the movie, so you must use appropriate lights.
Lighting added.
For another example, Huang Silang's residence is in the county town in the film. In fact, no matter where it is, it cannot be seen. A location must be set so that the actors can talk about it, look at it, and point at it at any time.
Being consistent is all about the details.
Therefore, the late arrival did not hinder everyone's work. They did not have dinner until after eight o'clock in the evening, and then went back to rest.
At five o'clock the next morning, yes, it was really five o'clock, everyone got up, and everyone was yawning.
Fortunately, the weather is not cold and quite comfortable.
We had a short meeting last night, just to distribute the work for the next day. We didn't discuss the filming issue. We planned to discuss it after we get back.
Qin Xiaobao and the producer walked through the streets and alleys of Gangningwei. In fact, it is not surprising that most cities in the country have a history of tens or hundreds of years, but if the architectural style around them does not match this era, the sense of substitution will be much stronger.
Not only the arcades, but also the Weishui River outside the city and the signboards of the shops in the city all highlight the unique charm of this small town.
Maybe after shooting too many movies, Qin Xiaobao was so inspired that he took out his mobile phone and recorded videos while recording. The producer on the side kept quiet and did not disturb him. This was an artistic creation.
Staying until noon, after everyone had a simple lunch, they got on the minibus and went to the large watchtower a few kilometers away.
When the Kaiping Diaolou Group was at its largest, there were more than 3,000, and there are still more than 1,800 existing ones. It is a special type of vernacular architecture, a multi-story tower-style building that integrates defense, residence, and Chinese and Western architectural arts. Moreover,
Each building has its own unique style and is not printed from the same mold.
These more than 1,800 watchtowers are scattered in eighteen surrounding towns. After preliminary screening by the fat director, there are still five that Qin Xiaobao needs to decide on.
On the third day, he smiled when he saw the Mingshi Tower, here it was.
Mingshi Building is located on the bank of the lotus pond. It has six floors in total and a five-story annex building next to it. Outside the building, there is a courtyard wall and a unique balcony on the roof with a wide view.
Once you enter, you will find a completely different world.
Because it is a tourist attraction, it is much better preserved than some of the watchtowers we saw before. Not only that, all the furniture, lights, carpets, etc. inside are decorated according to that era.
Qin Xiaobao and his party don't need to imagine, they can feel immersed in the scene in front of them. It feels similar to that of a film and television city, which saves a lot of trouble.
The accompanying staff also said that almost everything inside is a replica, and the crew can requisition it if necessary.
In this way, a group of people stayed in Kaiping for five days and took thousands of photos and more than ten hours of video.
Before going back, he held a meeting all afternoon. Qin Xiaobao issued tasks to various departments and made relevant summaries and plans based on the information left during the past few days.
Although the contract has not been signed yet and it is said that the film is set to be filmed, everyone knows that Qin Xiaobao is leaning towards this.
In fact, it's not just him, everyone else is equally satisfied.
Complete building complex, sparse population density, once filmed...
Among the several alternative shooting locations, this is undoubtedly the one with the best conditions. We all look forward to settling on it as soon as possible so that we don’t have to travel all over the place.
On the plane...
"Director Qin, how about a few words?" The producer saw that he was not sleepy and said with a smile.
Qin Xiaobao took off his headphones: "I want to ask if I am satisfied or not?"
"Yes!"
"Overall, it's good. However, there are a lot of things that need to be rebuilt. For example, the road in the middle of the arcade is made of cement. It needs to be completely demolished."
The producer's mouth twitched, it was such a waste, but it's understandable.
How could it be possible to pave cement roads in a small county town during the Republic of China? This alone cost hundreds of thousands at least.
First it was demolished and the dirt road was built, and then it had to be rebuilt after the filming.
Not only the roads, but also the windows on the arcades had to be demolished, and some signboards needed to be replaced, all at a cost of money.
"Oh, by the way!" Qin Xiaobao turned his head: "The Echeng Tower I told you before!"
"No need to build it?"
"Haha," Qin Xiaobao smiled: "After an on-site inspection, didn't I tell you before that the edges should be filled with foam or other materials?"
The producer nodded, suddenly feeling an ominous premonition.
"I don't think it's necessary. Everything should be done in kind. Large pieces of bricks and stones cannot be adulterated."
"No, why, doesn't it have to be demolished in the end?" The producer didn't understand.
"Because of the needs of the film," Qin Xiaobao didn't want to explain too much: "Moreover, I also communicated with the local staff. If we build such a city gate, there is no need to demolish it. I estimate the cost saved and fill up the remaining space.
Not too different.”
Seeing his ugly face, he added: "This is also a tourist attraction after all. In the future, every tourist who comes here will see the two characters "Eose City" and be reminded of our movies. Spend some money and become the history of a place.
, a representative building, it should be quite meaningful, right?”
"This..." The producer was a little moved and a little embarrassed.
Things like the city wall cost a lot of money. In the movie, it was probably only shown for less than five minutes. In his opinion, the input-output ratio was seriously unqualified.
It is best to make a model and use a computer to make up for it later to save more money.
However, he is only a producer and does not know the director's thoughts. He can only put forward appropriate opinions and fight for them appropriately.
"Mr. Zhou, I have to trouble you next and keep an eye on other people's work. Before the 15th of this month, we have to confirm the filming location."
"Don't worry about this. I will pay attention to it. It's best to set the shooting schedule." The producer spent these days more communicating with the local department than surveying: "In case there are any other projects
We went to shoot and it would be troublesome if we were delayed."
"Okay, we are currently communicating with the actors about the schedule. I estimate it will be after May. The timeline in the movie is summer. We have to consider the weather. Guangdong gets hotter earlier, so we can advance it appropriately. It mainly depends on the actors."
"I understand. Before I came here, several bosses also said that if you need their help, just ask."
Qin Xiaobao picked up the water glass in front of him: "I won't be polite. There will be a lot of preparation work in the next few months. I hope you will pay more attention to it and wish us a happy cooperation."