Chapter 1600 - 804: Official Filming Begins (Part 4)

Chapter 1600: Chapter 804: Official Filming Begins (Part 4)

Tim Lang nodded, his eyes shimmering with emotion.

"I’ve been filming for so long, you’re the first actor to say these words to me before shooting."

Zhou Yun said, "I hope we can create a great movie."

...

On the day "Killing Song" officially started shooting, the first scene was the one where everyone met for the first time in the film.

Shooting indoors, with a green screen.

Zhou Yun put on her bodysuit and arrived on set.

Tim Lang came over to explain what they would be shooting later.

The first scene was a massive one with over a dozen actors present, quite a challenge.

This scene involved Zhou Yun being unexpectedly drawn into a deadly game, meeting other contestants in the game’s main hall, where tensions and rivalries brewed beneath the surface.

In the movie, this scene was also the first appearance for many of the actors.

This was Zhou Yun’s first time working in such a large studio.

Also, with such a large green screen.

When filming "Female Assassin," there were only a few green screen scenes; most were shot on location.

Tim Lang explained that since the setting of "Killing Song" wasn’t modern, it was difficult to shoot entirely on location, so they had to combine set pieces in front of a green screen.

Zhou Yun naturally respected their shooting approach.

How a movie should be shot often depends not only on the creative vision but also on practical limitations and constraints.

The budget for "Killing Song" was limited, so not all ideas could be realized.

Zhou Yun’s costumes in the movie went through many revisions, as they needed to balance aesthetics with practicality. She had to wear these outfits to fight with many people in the film.

For scenes like today, without fight sequences, the costume designer provided her with a set that was exquisitely crafted.

But for later fight scenes, the costume department prepared many less detailed costumes suitable for medium and long shots. Using the best crafted for everything would shoot the costs up, unsuitable for frequent wear and tear during fights.

Tim Lang told Zhou Yun that a complete set of her outfits cost nearly twenty thousand dollars, and the costume team needed to prepare at least five base sets for wear and tear replacements. Besides these five finely crafted sets, many less detailed ones were also needed.

And this was just for one actor’s costumes.

Across the entire crew with so many actors, wardrobe expenditure was significant. ℴ

But it was a necessary expense.

There’s absolutely no room for cutting costs here.

"Hey, Xiao Yun." Hugh Redman walked over to greet her with a smile, "How are you feeling today? Our scene is about to start filming."

Zhou Yun said, "A bit excited."

Hugh Redman nodded and said, "We’ll surely bring this film to life."

"Yes, I believe we will." Zhou Yun asked, "What’s that on your forehead?"

Hugh Redman said, "What thing?"

"Some dust," Zhou Yun replied, "I thought it was intentional, isn’t it?"

Hugh Redman picked up his phone to check himself, "Oh, no, I’m not sure how it got there, I need to find someone to fix it."

He hurriedly left.

"Later, you take everyone to see where each of us stands." Tim Lang told his assistant director.

The biggest difficulty in filming such a massive group scene is coordination.

Of course, for a seasoned director like Tim Lang, it was no problem at all.

The assistant director placed each actor in their positions and then started explaining their character movements.

Tim Lang went to check on the camera setups.

When he returned, the assistant director had briefed them on everything that needed preparation.

Tim Lang then started explaining the camera movements during the shoot, telling everyone how the shots would cut in and when each actor would get their spotlight, explaining what he expected when the main camera focused on an actor. Additionally, several other cameras were shooting from different angles.

The main camera followed Zhou Yun’s perspective.

This scene would follow Zhou Yun as she entered the main hall, observing each person from her point of view.

Tim Lang broke down the details, explaining for nearly ten minutes before saying, "Let’s walk through it once."

The actor playing the staff member leading Zhou Yun into the hall was an unknown young actor. He was tall, wore a uniform, and was quite handsome.

He and Zhou Yun approached the hall entrance together.

Zhou Yun noticed he kept adjusting his expression with his phone.

Some subtle expressions.

He was embodying a spirit of arrogance and aloofness.

Though his role was small and even had no lines, he treated the character seriously.

Zhou Yun even saw him pondering the angle of his clenched fist.

She was quite surprised.

They started the rehearsal.

He entirely immersed himself in the acting environment, glanced at her, and proceeded forward.

Zhou Yun followed.

Her posture was slightly tense and uneasy, with guarded eyes.

After just a few steps, they had to go through a corridor, which Tim Lang didn’t plan to shoot at the moment, so it was skipped.

Zhou Yun entered the hall.

The others simultaneously turned to look at her.

Tim Lang immediately said, "Before Zhou Yun entered, each of you had your activities, so you should not react so uniformly."

These things couldn’t be conveyed in the script alone, so the director had to adjust them on-site.

Tim Lang arranged a set of tasks for each person to handle at that moment.

For instance, Nakajima Hoto was polishing her dagger.

Zhou Yun appreciated the texture that these details brought out.

It made everyone’s state much more realistic.

This scene took nearly an hour just for the rehearsal.

Every actor tirelessly cooperated with everyone through multiple run-throughs.

She sensed that Tim Lang intentionally detailed this scene a bit more for everyone.

When explaining a role to actors, he didn’t just talk about the present but also delved into the character’s traits, past, and more detailed information.

Through this process, actors’ understanding of their roles was aligned with the director’s vision.

It was a smart approach.

Sharpening the axe won’t delay the job of cutting wood.