After the preparations, script reading sessions, and the opening ceremony, the film crew finally began filming.
On the first day, they were supposed to shoot the scenes with the male and female leads.
However, Gu Jiahui wanted to see Sheng Tang’s performance, so the director temporarily adjusted the shooting schedule to first shoot the scenes between the male lead and his sister.
Today’s scene for Sheng Tang was about the younger sister, Li Lan, overhearing the village party secretary and the village head talking about the college entrance examination, intending to go back and tell her sister, but encountering Huang Gen Sheng instead.
The director clearly told them during the rehearsal, "It’s sibling love."
Their eye contact should entirely express deep affection without any ambiguity.
The first scene showed Li Lan walking back quickly, her face a mix of excitement and worry.
When she was alone, her demeanor was cold, with a few traces of harshness, showing the sophistication and professionalism of an adult; but as soon as Huang Gen Sheng appeared, she was like a little sister, her face showing innocence.
This transformation of expressions and body language required a test of acting skills.
After explaining the scene, the director guided Sheng Tang through a few walk-throughs and then adjusted the camera position to officially start.
Between two rows of mud walls, there was a narrow path. The girl walked hastily, her face showing an excitement that was worldly-wise, with none of the naive playfulness of a child.
Her gaze was like that of a lone wandering leopard, fixated forward as if her prey lay ahead. She just needed to reach out her claws to seize it.
Sheng Tang quickly got into character.
After one take ended, Director Wang Sheng called to cut and then said to Sheng Tang, "Very good, very good! The expression in this scene was spot on. Sheng Tang, let’s switch to a different angle and reshoot this scene."
Ai Xiao, who was listening nearby, was a bit surprised.
Honestly, she thought Sheng Tang performed very well. As she observed from the side, she could see that the character, though young, was ruthless internally, greedy yet calculating, completely conniving.
Was the director not satisfied?
At this moment, Gu Jiahui stepped forward and asked Wang Sheng, "Was this take not good?"
"No, I plan to take several shots for selection," Wang Sheng replied.
This was his true thought.
Sheng Tang’s performance was impressive.
After all, she graduated from a professional film academy, and her sense of the camera was strong. She grasped Li Lan’s emotions at this moment accurately and expressed them precisely.
However, any shot lasting just a few seconds couldn’t be completed in one take. The notion of "one take wonder" was just to fool laymen.
No set of shots could be done in one take, no matter how well-acted. The director might have to shoot several takes to select the best one during editing.
Making movies required meticulousness; otherwise, why would the audience buy it?
"Very good, Sheng Tang. Let’s continue." Wang Sheng guided the camera to a new position and restarted the shoot.
This shot was no more than ten seconds, but Wang Sheng filmed it for thirty minutes.
He did over a dozen takes.
Even with Sheng Tang’s consistently good performance and one-take passes, he still shot for thirty minutes.
After it ended, Gu Jiahui asked her, "How do you feel?"
Sheng Tang smiled at him and slightly raised an eyebrow, "Gu Jiahui, you might be making money. This director is very skilled and definitely has relevant work experience. I believe he can make a good film."
In her past life, this film only gained fame. Sheng Tang felt that this director was even more competent and might even succeed financially.
As for Director Wang Sheng, he currently had no significant works. It was the producer who vouched for him, and that’s why he was hired.
But Sheng Tang felt his filming techniques carried the marks of a mature film industry professional.
Moreover, he seemed to be a smooth talker, socially adept, yet he was meticulous and even obsessive about his shots.
The intricacies of filmmaking could overwhelm a person.
A director who isn’t afraid of such intricacies and who has his own taste could indeed create an impressive work.
Yesterday, she had no confidence, but now her confidence had surged, and she no longer felt tired.
"Then I’ll take your word for it," Gu Jiahui smiled.