Chapter 469 Landing in Dunhuang

Chapter 469 Landing in Dunhuang

Chapter 469 Landing in Dunhuang
Among the filming locations for "Ball Lightning", the crew was supposed to have the Qilian Grassland, one of the six largest grasslands in China. However, due to the season, there was nothing to shoot there at this time, so they gave up.

Of course, even if the Qilian grassland is removed, Wang Hao and his team’s filming mission in the Northwest will not be easy.

These special scenic spots and landforms are not close to each other. After Wang Hao and his team arrived at Dunhuang Airport by plane, they had to first take pictures of the nearby scenic spots here, and then they had to split into several teams and drive to several places.

When they arrived in Dunhuang, as soon as the plane landed, the second-in-command of the local government and the leaders in charge of investment promotion, culture and tourism held a grand welcome ceremony for them.

Obviously, when the local government learned that Wang Hao, an international director and president of a large film and television company, would arrive in Dunhuang, they immediately realized that this was a rare opportunity. They knew that a big-budget movie like "Ball Lightning" could bring huge publicity and economic benefits to Dunhuang, so they attached great importance to the arrival of Wang Hao and his party.

"Director Wang, welcome to Dunhuang!"

Under the banner that read [Welcome Director Wang Hao and the crew of "Ball Lightning" to Dunhuang], local leaders enthusiastically shook Wang Hao's hands with smiles on their faces.

"Dunhuang's scenery and culture will definitely add a lot of color to your film. We will fully support the crew's filming and provide all necessary help."

Wang Hao responded with a smile:

"We are very grateful for the support of the Dunhuang government. We came here not only to shoot a movie, but also to show the beauty and charm of Dunhuang and the entire Northwest to the world through the camera, and make a small contribution to the overseas promotion of Chinese culture."

The handshake scene between the two sides was captured by local media reporters who had been waiting for a long time. After a brief interview, Wang Hao and others got on the bus and checked directly into the best hotel in the area.

In the evening, a sumptuous welcome dinner is naturally inevitable.

In the hotel banquet hall, seven or eight tables were already full. Local leaders, the main creative staff of the crew, and local cultural figures gathered together, and the atmosphere was warm.

Wang Hao sat at the main table, accompanied by local city leaders. At the tables below, local staff were responsible for greeting the crew members at each table.

On the table, there is a wide variety of Dunhuang's local specialties. Dishes are served one after another, and the aroma is everywhere.

Nine-color divine deer, camel bells on the Silk Road, three dishes of Yangguan, Lezhuan rare mushrooms, Hu people's roasted rice, Yuequan shrimp, Mingsha steamed buns, lotus-flavored lamb, Yuguan Youhe, stone-roasted fat jade, Jiangshui vegetarian bird's nest, Dunhuang flower steamed buns...

Both the names and the appearance of the dishes are beautiful. The exquisite and elegant dishes seem to have "walked out" from the paintings, making people feel as if they are on the ancient Silk Road.

"Director Wang, this is our Dunhuang specialty food, you must try it."

The local leader enthusiastically introduced the dishes to Wang Hao, with a hint of pride in his tone.

"This dish, 'Camel Bells on the Silk Road', is made from wild Hericium erinaceus from the Qilian Mountains that has been soaked in water.

This dish is "Snow Mountain Camel's Paw". Among traditional dishes, the method of braised camel's paw is quite common, but it is rather sweet and greasy, which does not suit the taste preferences of the Northwest. "Snow Mountain Camel's Paw" creatively combines camel's paw with magnificent scenery. It has distinct colors, beautiful shapes, and a salty, fresh and slightly spicy taste, killing two birds with one stone.

......"

Wang Hao smiled and nodded, picked up a piece of braised camel's paw and put it in his mouth, savoring it carefully.

On the ancient Silk Road, camels were the main means of transportation. They could travel long distances in the Gobi Desert mainly relying on their four sturdy paws.

Camel's hooves are four soft hooves that are as big as cushions. They are the most active tissue in the camel's body, so their meat is extremely delicate and elastic, like tendons but softer, and has high nutritional value.

However, camels have a long lifespan and are rarely slaughtered, so camel paws are hard to find and very precious. They have always been as famous as bear paws, bird's nests, and monkey heads and are one of the four famous Chinese dishes.

The dish Wang Hao tasted was "Snow Mountain Camel's Paw", which was made with Korean paste made from egg whites to make snow peaks and placed on a plate. The cooked and boneless camel's paw was cut into slices and placed between the snow peaks, and then fresh soup and seasonings were poured over the meat tendons to season it.

The snow-capped mountains look white, the Silk Road is winding, and the camel's paws are pale yellow and crystal clear.

The meat tasted tender and tender, salty and delicious, and Wang Hao couldn't help but exclaim in praise:
“The taste is indeed unique. Dunhuang’s food is indeed well-deserved.”

The local leaders were very happy about Wang Hao's praise. Both sides raised their glasses and drank together. Halfway through the banquet, the local leaders once again expressed their support for the crew:
"Director Wang, Dunhuang not only has beautiful natural scenery, but also rich cultural heritage. We hope that through the film Ball Lightning, more people will know more about Dunhuang and fall in love with it."

Of course Wang Hao understood what the other party meant, but the plot of the movie "Ball Lightning" had already been determined, and their crew came here just to shoot the scene. The local leaders' thoughts were likely to be in vain.

However, at this time, he couldn't say such a spoiling thing, so he raised his glass and said sincerely:

"Thank you for your support. The scenery and culture of Dunhuang will definitely add a lot of color to our film. We also hope that through this film, we can show the charm of Dunhuang to the world and contribute to the spread of Chinese culture."

The leaders clinked glasses with satisfaction, and both the host and the guests were in great joy.

After the dinner, Wang Hao returned to his room and stood in front of the window, gazing at the night view of Dunhuang. The Mingsha Mountain in the distance was looming in the moonlight, as if telling a thousand-year-old story.

In the next few days, the "Ball Lightning" crew filmed at multiple scenic spots around Dunhuang City.

Because the plot of "Capturing Ball Lightning" involves helicopters, which are military helicopters, Wang Hao contacted the military before coming to Dunhuang.

Thanks to the previous "Wolf Warrior 1" and "Wolf Warrior 2", Wang Hao has an excellent relationship with the military. Soon, two of the latest military helicopters were transferred from the nearest base to cooperate with Wang Hao and his team's filming work.

……

In the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake Scenic Area, in the early morning, the air is filled with a strong chill, and the distant skyline is slightly white, indicating that the sun is about to rise.

The scenic spot, which should have been bustling with people, was unusually quiet at this moment. Because a film crew was filming here, the scenic spot, which was supposed to receive tourists at 7 o'clock, had its opening time delayed by one and a half hours.

The crew of "Ball Lightning" got up at four o'clock when it was still pitch dark. After breakfast, they came here early and began to busy themselves with setting up equipment and adjusting camera angles to ensure that they could capture the most beautiful sunrise scenes.

These even include several large-scale aerial photography drones specially developed by DJI and equipped with professional photographic equipment. They are lifted into the air under the control of professional technicians to cooperate with shooting on the ground.

The helicopter that would serve as the main subject of the filming had already arrived at the scene. After the officer sent by the military communicated with Wang Hao, he cooperated with the crew in conducting several rehearsals to find the most suitable shooting angle.

"Director Wang, the equipment is ready, we can start shooting anytime."

Director of photography Liu Yin, who joined Wang Hao's team for the first time, walked up to him and reported in a low voice.

Wang Hao nodded and looked at the sand dunes in the distance: "Okay, we'll start as soon as the sun comes out." As time passed, the eastern skyline was gradually dyed with a layer of golden red.

The red sun slowly rises, and the golden sunlight shines on the sand dunes of Mingsha Mountain, dyeing the entire desert golden. In the morning light, Crescent Lake is like an emerald inlaid in the desert, sparkling with charming light.

"Action!"

At Wang Hao's command, photographer Liu Yin controlled the camera, and the lens slowly moved up from the sparkling Crescent Lake at the bottom of the sand dunes, first showing the magnificent panoramic view of Mingsha Mountain.

The golden sunlight shines on the sand dunes, forming a series of light and dark shadows, as if it were a beautiful pattern drawn by nature's brush on the desert.

Then the camera turned to the distant sky. Against the backdrop of the red sun, the black silhouettes of two armed helicopters were flying side by side, more than a hundred meters apart.

Later, a long arc of electricity will be added between the two helicopters, as if two fishing boats were dragging a fishing net through the air, capturing the mysterious and dangerous ball lightning.

Wang Hao looked at the images on the monitor, was silent for a moment, and shook his head.

"No, it still lacks the shocking taste that can hit people's hearts at first sight."

The crew members’ dissatisfaction with director Wang Hao was not surprising. That’s how location shooting works. There will always be various influences.

Weather, wind speed, cloud thickness, air quality, light intensity... these will all affect the quality of shooting. Sometimes, in order to capture a satisfactory natural shot, some directors will even choose to wait for several months.

Anyway, this is only their first time shooting, so they can do it a few more times to accumulate experience. If that doesn’t work, they can pick a suitable one and do some color adjustment and modification later.

But no matter what, after shooting the early morning sunrise scene once, there will definitely be a chance to shoot it a second time.

So the crew quickly packed up their equipment and prepared to move to the next filming location, Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark, which is more than 180 kilometers away from the center of Dunhuang, nearly a 4-hour drive.

Wang Hao and his friends set off quickly now, and they would be there just in time for lunch.

"Director, how are we going to shoot on the helicopter?"

On the bus to the Yadan National Geopark in Dunhuang, the main creative members of the crew sat together and discussed the afternoon shooting plan.

Wan Qian asked seriously, but she referred to Wang Hao by his title.

Although their relationship was no longer awkward, she was still very polite when interacting with Wang Hao in public.

If someone doesn’t know them well, they definitely wouldn’t know that they are ex-boyfriend/girlfriend.

Wang Hao, on the other hand, kept a straight face and pretended to be serious when he made a joke.

"The crew sent the detailed shooting plan to the group yesterday. You didn't read it or prepare for it? Are you nervous?"

Wan Qian was not afraid, but smiled and said:

"I'm not afraid of anything. I've never ridden in a military helicopter before. I'm just a little excited."

She was still wearing the military uniform from the play, and she looked very heroic, with a unique charm.

"There's no weapon on that helicopter, why are you so excited?"

Wang Hao ignored him and instead told the actors who needed to be on camera that afternoon, including Li Jian who played the young Dr. Chen, Zhang Chenguang who played Dr. Zhang Bin, and the photographer:

“Although I have said it many times, I still want to continue to emphasize that safety is the top priority!

Listen to the instructions of the comrades in the army on the helicopter. It doesn't matter if you can't shoot successfully, just try a few more times. Don't be afraid of wasting time, understand?"

Several people nodded.

“In addition, the Yadan landform is a rare and non-renewable natural heritage in the world, with important scientific research, popular science and tourism value. During the filming process, we must pay attention to environmental protection, not damage the environment when setting up equipment, and abide by the rules of the park.

In addition, after the shooting is completed, the scene must be cleaned up and no garbage or waste should be left behind.

After all, we have the best film industrialization system in the country and the top team. We can’t learn from some ‘big directors’ who leave a mess after making a movie.”

After Wang Hao finished saying this, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out in the car, filling the air with a happy atmosphere.

Previously, when the company was developing the film industrialization and training behind-the-scenes members in turn, it emphasized the rules during filming and talked about environmental protection.

During this process, the deeds of several great directors were brought out and publicly criticized.

For example, when the great poet Chen was filming the movie "The Promise" in 2004, there was not only lunch boxes, wine bottles, plastic bags, raincoats and other garbage scattered all over the Bigu Tianchi in Shangri-La, Yunnan, but there were also more than a hundred piles driven into the Tianchi. A concrete and steel frame monster still stood by the lake after the filming was completed, and a dilapidated wooden bridge split the Tianchi in half. All these caused serious damage to the natural vegetation in Shangri-La.

In 2005, Zhang Huzi's crew of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" staged a "brutal act" in Jiuzhaigou. Not only did they pollute the water resources there by filming in the water, they also "ravaged" the famous Pearl Beach Waterfall and even seriously damaged the two major natural landscapes of the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area - the Fairy Pool and the Calcified Waterfall.

In 2008, when Gao Xixi was filming the new "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", the crew was shooting on location at the Yangxi Reservoir in Yongkang, Zhejiang, leaving behind a large amount of domestic garbage and oil pollution, which affected the drinking water source of nearly 30 people in Yongkang. The Yongkang Yangxi Reservoir Management Department urgently stopped the filming.

There are countless similar news reports. Although other crews are not as famous as these crews, environmental damage still occurs from time to time during filming. This also fully demonstrates that there is no strong correlation between the moral level and cultural identity of those older generation directors.

The crew of Galaxy Group must take this as a warning. Whether they are in an interior studio, a film and television city, or a natural location, they must take the environment and hygiene into consideration and clean up properly.

After more than three hours of trekking, they arrived at the destination. After having lunch, they did not rest. After determining the venue and scope, they directly started filming the scenes where the protagonists observed and captured the ball flash in the plane.

In the following days, the "Ball Lightning" crew traveled back and forth to various scenic spots around Dunhuang to incorporate the most beautiful local natural scenery into the film story.

Of course, they did encounter some difficulties during the filming process.

(End of this chapter)