Chapter 323 Special Props and Final Shooting
Chapter 323 Special Props and Final Shooting
"Uncle Han!"
Wang Hao, who was directing the on-site art and props staff to restore the set and prepare to start filming the next shot, looked up and saw Han Sanping who came to visit the set, so he took the initiative to say hello.
Han Sanping looked at the busy scene, walked to Wang Hao, nodded at him with a smile, and then asked with some concern:
"Yes, it is indeed a big deal, a big production. You must be very tired recently. You look much more haggard. You must make sure to rest."
Wang Hao waved his hand indifferently, as if he didn't care about what Han Sanping said.
This is how movie shooting works. "Inception" is expected to be released at the end of January next year, which is also the Spring Festival, so they don't have much time left for shooting and post-production.
In addition, Leo is a big Hollywood star after all, and his schedule is very tight, so the time he can allocate to the "Inception" crew is limited.
So they had no choice but to work overtime. It was common for the filming crew to work overnight and rotate in two shifts.
Even while filming, the post-production special effects department has to process the previously shot materials, which also requires director Wang Hao to devote some energy to pay attention and worry about it.
In other words, Galaxy Pictures has now basically established its own film industrialization system. All business operations of the entire crew are subdivided and managed from top to bottom, and responsibilities are fully implemented, allowing Wang Hao to only focus on the source.
Otherwise, if Wang Hao were to continue managing the thousands of people working on "Inception" in the same manual workshop mode as before, he would probably be exhausted to death.
"I'm fine, but the guys on the crew are the ones who are really working hard. If this happened in Hollywood, with overtime day and night, I'm afraid the crew would go on strike."
Wang Hao made a joke and said:
“And I also want to set an example for my colleagues in Hollywood. If Galaxy Film wants to grow and develop, it will not be enough to rely on domestic projects alone. We need to attract more overseas projects.
How to attract? Our manpower is our advantage!
If the "Inception" project was done in Hollywood, it would take at least three or four months. Now it is being done here in our Galaxy Studios, where the staff is of good quality, obeys management, is hardworking, and will not be harassed. This can greatly save time and reduce filming costs.
A project that originally took three months to shoot can now be completed in more than two months. For a large project, the savings of more than ten days is not a small amount of money when converted into funds. "
After hearing what Wang Hao said, Han Sanping couldn't help but nodded and sighed.
"Well, that's what I said, but this will be hard work for you and the people behind the scenes who are involved in the production."
Wang Hao also sighed when he heard this.
“There is no other way. If we want to catch up and develop our film industry, we have to work harder to compete with others. This is also a necessary price.
All I can do is to do my best to help the people below me get more opportunities, and try to give them higher salaries and better protection.
Those brothers who are currently working overtime are paid 1.5 times their salary.
They can make more money in a shorter time, and if you really ask them to stop, they might not be happy about it.”
Han Sanping looked at the busy staff on the scene, who looked a little tired but in high spirits. He knew that Wang Hao was right, so he didn't say anything else. Instead, he started to talk to Wang Hao about the new technologies and equipment used in their film.
The 3D movie has a loud name, but this is the first time that Han Sanping has seen how this movie is shot.
The extremely expensive 3D cameras and mounting systems, as well as various set props used by the crew of "Inception" really opened his eyes.
At the same time, when leaving, Han Sanping also specifically told Wang Hao that his visit to the set was just a preliminary visit, and that leaders from the Film Bureau and the Propaganda Department would come to inspect later, so he asked him to prepare well.
Well, it seems that Wang Hao’s previous words about not being disturbed by anyone were said too early.
But this is understandable. After all, his "Inception" can be regarded as a significant contribution to the entire history of Chinese cinema.
This kind of science fiction film project, which has invested more than 1 billion yuan and is said to be comparable to "Avatar", is a key cultural project.
Moreover, the filming location happened to be in Beijing. How could the leaders of the corresponding departments not come to inspect, take photos and publish news?
Anyway, this can be considered as a form of publicity. CCTV Channel 6 will also send people over to interview us.
The crew of "Inception" did not make any changes because of this news. Everyone is still busy and hard every day and is involved in the intense filming work.
Two days later, just as Mr. Han San said, several buses drove into Galaxy Film City and stopped in front of Studio No. 1. The crew also took a rare half-day break.
Wang Hao, chairman of Galaxy Group and director of the movie "Inception", personally received relevant leaders from higher authorities and introduced them to this 3D science fiction blockbuster with an investment of more than one billion yuan.
"The film Inception has many innovations in photography and setting. In most cases, the surreal feeling in the film comes from the environment and photography techniques rather than special effects."
"We don't want the dream sequences to feel surreal, but rather to make them as solid as the real world, so our approach is to make the dreams feel real."
“Sometimes the characters don’t know that what they’re seeing is a dream, so the visual connection between reality and dream must be seamless, except at certain specific points where we want the audience to know the difference.”
“By maintaining a sense of realism, we believe we can create a subtle sense of wonder or unease when needed, without taking the audience out of the story.”
“Unlike our previous works, this film will also use a lot of high-speed photography, which is an indispensable part of the film.
Because the temporal relationship between the dream world and the real world is so unique, we wanted to use high-speed photography and the dramatic changes in speed for narrative effect, not just for aesthetic effect.”
In the large empty studio, Wang Hao accompanied the leaders, carefully explaining to them the various features of the filming process of "Inception", and also took them to see the spectacular sets that had already been built.
These include a horizontal elevator, a hotel bar scene that can tilt 30 degrees, and a 1:1 hotel corridor built on a giant "Universal Ring" device that can rotate and tumble.
Seeing that the leader was very interested in two of the large scenes, Wang Hao naturally focused on introducing the latter two.
“The setting is a hotel bar.”
Wang Hao pointed to the room on the huge platform and said, "By adjusting the gears under the platform, the entire room will tilt accordingly, creating the illusion of changing gravity in the camera.
At the same time, there is a green screen outside the house, which will be replaced with a real street scene in the later stage. With the help of special effects, the weather outside can also change rapidly, creating an absurd feeling of dream. "
“This is a 1:1 hotel corridor set, mainly used for shooting another zero-gravity scene.
It is built on a universal wheel and can rotate 360°. The actors need to perform by hanging inside it with wires.
For this set, our Galaxy Studios prop company specially invited a professor from Tsinghua University to design a pulley brush system to provide power for this corridor.
In addition, there are supporting power transmission systems and dimming systems, which are specially designed new operating solutions.
In this kind of scene, the actors also have special action scenes, which are shot with high-speed cameras. The final result is bound to be an interesting mixture of surreal and bizarre, but with an amazing action rhythm. "
Wang Hao introduced it carefully, and the big boss looked at the props and scenes that were different from those of ordinary crews, and nodded with satisfaction.
“Yes, you really put in a lot of effort. The domestic film industry really needs more filmmakers like you who are willing to study hard and work hard to improve their skills.
But you should also note that safety is also very important during the filming process.
I see this scene is rotating, and the actors are performing action scenes inside, so it is inevitable that they will bump into things and bump into the walls, so you must take protective measures!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Hao immediately assured: "Don't worry, leader. Our company has been promoting the development of film industrialization, and safety control is also an important part of it."
As he spoke, he took out the safety management manual compiled by Galaxy Pictures and handed it to the senior leader next to him.
"In the past, most film shoots were done in a workshop mode, where the emphasis was on mentoring and teaching, and safety issues were more dependent on personal instruction.
However, the industrialization of the film industry is different. It is more like turning filmmaking into a project similar to civil construction and industrial production to be managed, which is more scientific and efficient.
For example, at the beginning of designing this scenario, we will evaluate its safety, identify the source of danger, and then propose targeted solutions.
For example, the actors may easily get hurt in it. We, like you, have thought about this and have specially replaced all the materials in this corridor with light and soft ones.
In addition, all actors involved in the filming process also received training and physical examinations in advance, and everyone, whether the protagonist or an insignificant supporting role, purchased sufficient life insurance. "
The big boss was very satisfied with Wang Hao's answer, and then he started chatting with Wang Hao about the topic of "film industrialization", expressing his desire to vigorously promote Galaxy Pictures' advanced experience in the entire film and television industry.
Of course, all this was done under the lens of reporters and photographers.
After touring the entire 10,000-square-meter studio and accumulating enough material for the news to be released, the big boss patted Wang Hao on the shoulder, said goodbye with satisfaction and left.
In the next few days, some leaders would come to inspect the work from time to time, punch in and take some photos.
The crew of "Inception" didn't have to stop working for these things. At most, Wang Hao stood up to greet them.
In addition to the leaders, a reporter from the movie channel also came to the "Inception" crew for an interview. This time, Wang Hao took out some time to have a brief interview with the reporter, mainly to promote his own film.
When the interview on the movie channel was released, fans of the Galaxy Cinematic Universe became even more excited for Wang Hao's new movie, and they were almost eagerly waiting for it.
With the anticipation of many movie fans and the day and night efforts of a group of creative staff, the "Inception" crew finally ushered in the final scene.
This scene was also very difficult, as it required capturing the effect of a large amount of water pouring into the room from all directions, in order to echo the scene in the upper dream where the male protagonist falls into the water tank.
To this end, Wang Hao and his team built a real indoor scene in a large studio, and then prepared 20,000 liters of water in advance, which they poured into the magnificent palace using a high-pressure water gun.
This is also the reason why this scene was placed in the last scene, because after the water was filled, they could slowly clean up the scene.
Thanks to the repeated calculations and designs in advance, the opening and closing scenes were filmed quite smoothly. After only two repetitions, Wang Hao's "cut" was successfully achieved.
When the voice rang out, Leo, who was standing in the middle of the messy scene, couldn't help but wave his fist.
The filming work during this period was really torturous for him, even though as a Hollywood superstar, he had the special treatment of not having to work overtime day and night.
However, the tense atmosphere around him and the continuous, time-sensitive pace of filming still made him extremely nervous.
After all, everyone is in a hurry, and if the work is delayed because of his acting skills, the guilt would be huge.
Fortunately, the film has finally been completed, and the next work pressure will be more of a part of the film's post-production department.
Leonardo breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense spirit finally relaxed. He just felt sore and weak all over, as if he had run a 40-kilometer marathon.
"Damn it, I'm going to have a pool party when I get back, find some blonde, long-legged young models and relax!"
Wang Hao, who was walking over, happened to hear what Little Leo was muttering, and was very envious of his elegance.
It’s a pity that while the actors can rest, the director himself can’t. He still has to worry about post-production and promotion.
"Hey, Leonardo, before the pool party, I thought you might want to experience our Chinese wrap-up banquet and try our Chinese famous liquor Maotai."
The wrap party for "Inception" was very lively, and representatives from relevant investment companies were all present.
At the same time, news that Wang Hao's new movie had been completed was also spread through the media.
Movie fans are delighted by this, but there is still some time before "Inception" is officially released.
Fortunately, they were able to enjoy some appetizers before the main meal.
(End of this chapter)