Chapter 382 I'm Professional in Shooting Commercials
"This line is a classic in the entire film. It has the same line at the beginning and end, echoing from beginning to end. Truman leaves the false world and returns to reality. I think there should be a strong contrast."
Zhou Xingchi analyzed his thoughts unhurriedly, "The emotion of the last line can be basically determined. It is the real Truman's reaction, sunshine and cheerful smile, which represents the beauty of real life in the future.
So at the beginning, it should be the complete opposite, sunny and cheerful with a sense of irony. If the smile is exaggerated and nonsensical, it will appear more absurd to fit the artistic conception."
The nonsensical style is the typical early performance style of Zhou Xingchi. Zhou Xingchi has too much say in this aspect.
While Zhou Xingchi was analyzing, the crew also stopped, and everyone looked at him with strange expressions.
Tong Liya is not the only one who has this worry. After Zhou Xingchi joined the cast, everyone on the crew was slightly worried.
There is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Even elementary school students understand this truth.
Although Li Qian is already one of the best directors in China, Zhou Xingchi is among the top in the country both as a director and an actor.
More importantly, Li Qian is too young.
The two of them are on the same level when it comes to coffee positions. If there is a disagreement, it may be difficult to resolve.
But no one dared to say anything. Deng Chao stood aside and glanced at Zhou Xingchi, then at Li Qian. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't understand it.
Guo Fan saw that Li Qian didn't have any displeasure on his face and didn't say a word. He knew Li Qian very well.
Anyone who has worked with Li Qian knows that Li Qian is famous for his good temper, but sometimes there is no room for negotiation on key issues.
Since there is nothing unhappy about Li Qian, it means the problem is not big.
Li Qian was indeed not unhappy. He had even anticipated the current situation since it was confirmed that Zhou Xingchi would join.
It is normal for the crew to have different voices. In "Red Sorghum", Jiang Wen and Zhang Yimou were at loggerheads, and at one point they even wanted to fight.
During the filming of the previous month, some people had their own ideas and told Li Qian. Like Zhou Xingchi, the difference is that Zhou Xingchi is a bigger celebrity, almost at the same level as Li Qian.
If there is any controversy, we can discuss it. Moreover, comedy is Zhou Xingchi’s specialty, so we can also learn from it and learn from it.
Moreover, Stephen Chow is also right. Echoing from beginning to end is a commonly used technique in many movies. The more distant ones include "The Searchers", the best western film in film history more than 50 years ago, and the more recent ones like "Let the Bullets Fly", as well as Chow Sing-chi.
My own "Shaolin Football".
The same goes for "The Truman Show". The same line at the beginning and end is enough to be called a classic.
However, the echo from beginning to end is correct, but how to echo it and at what angle, Li Qian disagrees.
Maybe there was a lot to say, so Li Qian picked up the cup and took a sip of water in advance.
Putting down the water glass, Li Qiancai smiled and said, "Director Zhou is right. Truman left this false world and returned to reality. This scene echoes the beginning and the end. It is used in many movies. It often starts with questions, anger, and anxiety.
Finished, the ending is revisited with regret, satisfaction, and doubts.
Just like in the classic spy movie "The Bourne Supremacy", Bourne is floating in the sea at the beginning, and the end of the third film is also floating in the sea. In the same scene, the former is full of questions and despair, but the latter is full of hope.
In the future, transition from one emotion or state to another."
He actually agreed with Zhou Xingchi's words, which surprised everyone.
Even Zhou Xingchi was a little surprised that he agreed to his plan so easily?
Li Qian turned around and said, "However, although Truman will move from falsehood to reality, Truman has not changed from the beginning to the end. He is still the enthusiastic, cheerful, and laughing Truman. No matter what the environment is, he is still the true one."
The Truman."
In Li Qian's setting, this scene is not as absurd as Zhou Xingchi said. Even the smile and sunshine on his face are satirical, satirizing this false world and the plot that follows for more than an hour.
I just smiled and greeted my neighbors with a bright smile. Compared to the ending, my smile was just a little brighter and simpler, not overly exaggerated or sarcastic.
Zhou Xingchi said, "However, the previous Truman was not complete. During the thirty years, there were countless coincidences and accidents. In fact, Truman had already discovered something was wrong.
It's just that he didn't have the courage to break everything he was born to accept, so he deceived himself and others to live, covering up, sarcasm and venting his words every morning by saying "good morning, lunch and evening".
Until the end, he changed from weak to more determined, from timid to strong, and these negative emotions generated in the false environment faded away, so I think the absurd performance at the beginning is more appropriate."
"The Truman before was also Truman, not an incomplete Truman. Those shortcomings were also the real Truman's character." Li Qian shook his head.
"No, that's not the real Truman." Zhou Xingchi interrupted Li Qian.
Li Qian didn't take it seriously and said with a smile, "For example, I was waiting to go to a restaurant to eat, but the food cooked by the chef turned out to be very unpalatable. The owner of the restaurant was very aggressive and said that I had poor taste. As a result, I immediately became popular.
, asked hundreds of people to smash up his shop, and broke three of the boss's legs.
This impulsive, irritable, and bad-tempered me is different from myself. I am a very easy-going person, but that state is also real. Like Truman, it happened under certain circumstances."
Rough words but not rough reasoning, this strange metaphor left Zhou Xingchi speechless.
"Actually, everyone has different periods. I believe you, Director Zhou, also experienced that period in the movie where your laughter could knock down the ceiling. Looking at you now, can you say that it was incomplete and false?
"?" Li Qian continued.
Zhou Xingchi sighed secretly. In fact, he was still himself, but the environment and other people had changed, and he had changed accordingly.
If there were still people and things from back then, would I still be the same person I was back then?
Shaking his head, he put down this unrealistic idea for the time being.
Zhou Xingchi still insists on his own thoughts, "The necessary exaggeration and absurdity in the previous part are also to express the irony of Truman's current situation. If this shot is too peaceful, it will not have much effect."
Li Qian smiled and asked, "How did Director Zhou feel after watching Brother Chao's performance just now?"
"Although it's not quite there yet, the shot itself has a very ironic meaning." Zhou Xingchi said.
"That's right. Just now, Brother Chao, it was just like when we went out to say hello to our neighbors. It wasn't too exaggerated or ridiculous. Don't you think it's ironic after reading this?"
"But this is how I felt when I watched it again after reading the script and understanding the movie."
"Yes, the audience will recall the opening scene after watching the movie. Even if Truman's smile is just ridiculous and not ironic, they will find it ironic."
"..." Zhou Xingchi was stunned again.
Li Qian continued, ""The Truman Show" itself is an absurd and ironic story, so there is no need for the characters to deliberately express the absurdity and irony, otherwise it will be superfluous.
Because after watching the movie, the audience will naturally find that even a normal performance will become extremely ridiculous in the entire story.
This is just like a comedy. It is a funny story in itself. Even a serious performance is still funny. If the story itself is not funny, then the actors must use exaggerated lines and body language to make the story, which is not very funny, become
funny."
"A funny story can still be funny even with a serious performance, but a story that is not funny needs actors' lines and body language to make it funny?"
Zhou Xingchi chewed on this sentence over and over, and after a few seconds he suddenly smiled and said, "Director Li's style is indeed as simple and unpretentious as the rumors say."
In fact, when I took on the role of producer, in addition to really liking the story, I was also curious about Li Qian.
Every famous director has his or her own unique style, and Li Qian certainly has it too, but this style is not that special, but it is very special.
Except for "Frequency of Life and Death", all of them are very creative stories with straightforward narratives.
From a technical point of view, it is no exaggeration to describe it as ordinary.
However, this style is able to sell well time and time again and is well received by the audience.
Now I understand that the reason for using the most ordinary narrative method is because the story itself is good enough and there is no need to show off his skills, not because Li Qian does not have this ability.
Looking back on this day, Li Qian's thoughts on every shot are extremely detailed, whether it is the camera position or the actor's performance.
Even when filming, Li Qian thought about the effect of editing, the correlation between the scenes in the movie and the scenes before and after, as well as the overall role and significance.
This kind of meticulous control cannot be described as perfect, it is simply to a level that can be called abnormal.
A touching enough story, a straightforward narrative style, simplified to the detail control of every shot, this should be Li Qian's directorial style.
According to Li Qian's style, there is indeed nothing controversial about this shot. Zhou Xingchi had no objections and was still very impressed.
The verbal battle that everyone originally imagined did not happen, they just discussed their own opinions, which disappointed some people who wanted to watch the excitement.
However, more people breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was just enjoying the meal and not causing any trouble.
Li Qian didn't expect that Zhou Xingchi would give up his idea after just a few words. He didn't seem to be such a difficult person to get along with.
Then let’s continue filming. Zhou Xingchi also directed Deng Chao’s smile in this shot.
Comedy is indeed the genre that requires the most talent. Li Qian is indeed not as good as Zhou Xingchi in terms of how to perform.
This scene requires a smile that comes from the heart, is sincere, contagious, and has a sunny smile, not a funny smile.
Li Qian knew what effect was needed, but how to perform it specifically was a difficult problem. He was not a teacher in the acting department.
Now, with Zhou Xingchi, this is much easier to handle. This is his specialty.
It took more than two hours, almost making Deng Chao laugh so hard, to get this shot right.
Li Qian saw Deng Chao patting his face repeatedly, and couldn't help but ask, "How about Brother Chao, is it okay?"
"It's okay, it's just that my face seems a little stiff." Deng Chao shook his head and rubbed his cheeks twice.
Zhou Xingchi suggested, "Change your plan. In the next scene where Truman locks his wife in the car, Truman has realized something and needs to laugh a little crazy."
"Okay." Li Qian nodded.
Then go back indoors first and shoot the scene planned for the evening, in which Truman drives away with his wife and is sent back by the police midway.
"Get ready. Wang Ou, you will have an ad break later. It doesn't need to be so natural, just be a little more deliberate."
After being warned, half an hour later, we returned indoors to continue shooting.
"Scene 51, one shot at a time!"
"start!"
After his escape plan failed, Deng Chao was sent back by the police and sat on a chair in the restaurant, feeling a little dull.
Wang Ou leaned on the bar in the open kitchen and looked down at him, "Do you know how much trouble we caused the police this time? Can you stop being so willful?"
Deng Chao did not refute the accusation. He turned to her blankly and asked, "Why do you want to have a child with me? You can't stand me at all."
Wang Ou was stunned for a moment, then a professional smile immediately appeared on his face, "How could that be? What are you thinking? I am your wife!"
I emphasized that she is his wife.
After saying that, Wang Ou turned his head. The smile that suddenly appeared just now disappeared suddenly, and his face was expressionless.
I took a box of beautifully packaged Nescafe coffee from the bar, turned around, and the smile from before suddenly returned.
She holds the bottom of the box with her left hand and the upper right corner with her right hand. Her posture is more standard than most shopping guides.
There was still a professional smile on his face, "You are not in a good mood right now, why don't you have a cup of coffee, Nescafe, choose the quality, choose Nescafe, have a mellow experience, you can have it at any time, every moment, Nescafe will be with you."
The camera zoomed in, giving a close-up of her and the packaging box in her hand.
These words were spoken directly in front of the camera, not to Deng Chao. Deng Chao was confused and looked around with some fear in his eyes, "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Who are you talking to?" Deng Chao shouted.
Wang Ou turned a blind eye, still maintaining the same posture, direction, and smile, "Nescafé's new coffee product is on the market. I have tried it and it is very delicious."
Deng Chao stood up and walked towards her, "Who are you talking to? Who else is here?"
Facing the changed expression of Deng Chao, Wang Ou kept retreating.
Deng Chao pressed forward step by step and shouted, "What the hell is going on!"
Wang Ou was already a little panicked, and his smile became more and more forced, "Truman...Truman, you are not in good spirits, why don't you go and rest."
Deng Chao started to laugh, a little crazy, but he stopped yelling and pointed at her and said, "You have a share, right?"
Wang Ou had been forced into a corner, groping with his hands on the table, picked up a multifunctional fruit knife, and looked at Deng Chao in horror, "Truman, you scared me!"
"Click, stop!"
Li Qian shouted to stop. There were many subtle emotional changes in this shot, and neither of them had a good grasp of the rhythm.
But they didn’t give any guidance, they both knew how to act.
You don't just know how to act, you can perform it well. You need to shoot more, practice more, and hone it. Once you find the state, it will be fine.
"Director Li, these advertisements of yours are at key points in the plot, and can even promote withdrawal. They are just right. How did you come up with it?" Zhou Xingchi asked curiously from the side.
Ever since I read the script, I'm not surprised that Zhou Xingchi has a lot of interruptions in the broadcast.
However, these advertisements are not simply inserted bluntly, but are perfectly integrated into the plot and promote the plot.
Just like here, Truman drove his wife away, and the director team set up roadblocks in advance, saying that a small volcano on the island was about to erupt.
However, when the fire police greeted them, they skillfully called out Truman's name, not unfamiliar at all, just like greeting an old friend.
This deepened Truman's suspicion, so he got out of the car and ran away, but was caught by the police and sent back.
Up to this point, I was just suspicious of outsiders, but at this moment, my wife suddenly started praising the delicious Nescafe coffee to herself.
It seemed that she was telling him, but she didn't look at him from beginning to end, which aroused Truman's suspicion.
Moreover, when he was holding a knife to defend himself later, he shouted into the air, "Find a way quickly."
This directly led to Truman's distrust of his wife.
At first, he suspected someone was spying, then he suspected the people around him, and now he suspected his family. One step at a time, the key here is the box of Nescafe coffee.
Li Qian smiled and said, "Although there must be advertisements, I tried to find a way to insert the advertisements into the plot from the beginning. It is best not to have advertisements that have nothing to do with the plot. That will also affect the viewing experience. I can't let the audience be sorry."
"Director Li is indeed a director who makes movies that audiences like." Zhou Xingchi nodded and added, "Can I take the liberty to ask, what is the advertising fee for this scene?"
"There's nothing I can't say. I received 15 million from Nestlé."
This scene is more important and has more screen time, which is higher than that of Wallace and Yonghe Doujiu.
Coffee is also a widely used consumer product. Unlike the lawn mowers used to mow lawns, there are too few families in China that have the need to use them. Who has a lawn at home, and Li Qian is too lazy to talk to the brand.
"1500 dollars?"
Even Zhou Xingchi, who has a net worth of more than one billion, couldn't help but shrink his pupils. An advertisement that appears for a few seconds is worth 15 million.
At this rate, the advertising costs for the entire movie will probably be a huge number.
I have been staying in Hong Kong and rarely come to the mainland. I didn't expect that Li Qian's commercial value has reached such a terrifying level, which is almost the same as the 1.6 billion box office of "I'm Not the God of Medicine".
Li Qian said with a smile, "15 million is not much, it is already a reasonable price. These scenes will definitely be discussed repeatedly by the audience after the movie is released. There are tens of millions of viewers, the popularity is high, and the effect is no worse than CCTV advertising."
"
It’s really not Li Qian’s fault. He is a professional in advertising. This advertisement is much better than ordinary placements. There will definitely be a lot of discussion after the movie is released. If the effect is known in advance, 20 million is definitely worth it.
What else can Zhou Xingchi say? I can only admire him. As a businessman, with such a terrifying commercial value, 15 million is enough to hire Cheng Long for his endorsement.
After chatting, we continued shooting.
After this scene was shot, a fight scene was filmed, and then Wang Ou escaped to the door and was caught by Deng Chao. At this time, Zhang Wei appeared at the right time and came to Deng Chao for a drink with a dozen beers.
When the savior came, Wang Ou threw himself into Zhang Wei's arms and started crying, "Help, how can I continue with him like this!"
While crying, he glanced at the camera again without any trace, and cried out with jealousy and grievance, "He is not professional at all!"