Chapter 56

"Ha ha ha, Bella, you little fool! Have you forgotten what I taught you before? When I bend down..."

In front of the camera, Anna was teasing Bella, who didn't react when she bent down. Instead, Bella just wagged her little tail happily and rolled her round eyes. Anna then laughed and said her lines, bending down again, "And now, jump!"

Hearing the command to jump, the well-trained Bella leaped up to jump over her, but Anna suddenly stood up, and they collided again.

"Ha ha!" Anna fell onto the grass, laughing, while Bella licked her face. She laughed and tried to dodge, "Hey, you haven't brushed your teeth yet!"

This line wasn't in the script; it was a natural reaction, just like in real life, without any need for thought, expressing genuine emotion.

Beside the camera, Ye Wei watched intently, his eyes fixed, like a statue from Easter Island.

Pete glanced at him. According to the plan, this shot was already finished, but as long as the director didn't call "CUT," everyone had to continue filming, and the actors had to keep improvising. Ye Wei had already taught Anna to do this, so she continued, standing up with Bella in her arms, kissing her affectionately, and then letting her go, continuing to play and chase.

Everyone was increasingly surprised by her performance, which was beyond their imagination! Not only was it completely different from the initial rehearsal, but she also went beyond the script!

Such an Anna was undoubtedly an excellent film actress. Her innocence, liveliness, and natural beauty all came through.

When Anna and Bella played far away from the foreground, Ye Wei finally called out, "CUT!!!"

Pete turned off the camera, and Anna stopped and walked back. Everyone looked at Ye Wei, tense. He raised his fist high, "Great performance!!"

"Anna!" He laughed and shouted, putting aside any notion of directorial authority for a moment. He gave Anna a hearty high-five and lavished praise on the clever girl, "You're a little genius! Remember what I said, you'll become a great actress, you absolutely will! You'll make those who look down on you drop their jaws, they're finished! Because you performed so well, you cute little monkey! Ha ha, take, take, take!"

"Yay!" Anna cheered, her heart filled with sweetness. Passed! The director said, passed!!

Bella barked excitedly, and not far away, Toto also barked, struggling to run over.

"Wow." "Really great performance." "Amazing!" Everyone was laughing and praising, amazed by the effectiveness of Ye Wei's direction. Anna's performance was perfect! The most astonished were Janet and David, who were the most aware of the changes in Anna's acting. She had really improved!

"Oh my..." Janet covered her mouth, almost choking with emotion, excited by the renewed hope!

If Anna could maintain this, it wouldn't just be about whether the audition for "It's All Daisy's Fault" could change; her future auditions for other films could yield very different results!

"I got some great shots too." Ye Hao, looking at the DV screen, smiled.

"Should we do another take?" After the laughter, Darum asked Ye Wei. There were three reasons for a "Good-Take" to have another take: one, for insurance, in case the film was damaged; two, to enrich the footage, giving the editor more options; three, if the director made a mistake and didn't want to admit it, they would use the first two reasons to cover it up.

Ye Wei smiled without speaking, fiddling with the portable TV monitor beside the camera, replaying the footage they had just shot. This was the "What You See Is What You Get" feature of the Sony HDC-F950, and why people loved digital shooting. If it were film, they wouldn't see the footage until the next morning, and before that, they could only look at the video recorded by the camera.

Everyone gathered around, and there was a hierarchy to watching the replay. Those on the production line were in front, and those off the line were in the back. So Anna didn't need to push; she stood beside Ye Wei, looking forward, her big eyes blinking, eagerly awaiting further evaluation.

"Everyone, take a look and tell me, do we need another take?" Ye Wei loudly praised, giving Anna more confidence, "This line, 'You haven't brushed your teeth,' and then she kisses Bella. Look at that smile! This is why I say Anna is a genius, it's a miracle!"

"Then we don't need another take for insurance?" Darum wanted a clear answer.

"Insurance take? Is it because you want to see Anna's genius performance again? Then quickly prepare for the next shot, hurry, hurry!"

Hearing these praises, Anna smiled happily, the strength in her heart growing stronger. She couldn't let Ye Wei down; she had to do even better! The best performance is—no performance!

Once the director made his decision, everyone got busy again. Behind every shot was a lot of setup work, especially with lighting...

When the remaining shots for this scene were zero, the first scene of the script was completed.

There were still many scenes to be shot in the backyard of the house, where Bella helped Anna regain her confidence. To maximize time, scenes in the same location were usually shot consecutively, regardless of the script order, one of the lies of filmmaking.

But after learning that Anna had been eliminated from "It's All Daisy's Fault," Ye Wei had a new idea. He wanted to finish the first act and then tell Anna the bad news. At that time, her mood would inevitably be low, even devastated, which would be perfect for the second act's emotional needs, and her performance would likely be especially good.

If the scenes were far apart, this idea wouldn't work, but because they were close, he adjusted the shooting schedule the night before. Now they would shoot the second scene of the script, where Anna and Bella move from the backyard to the front yard, a long shot.

Long shots were naturally more challenging, but with a detailed storyboard and Pete wearing a Steadicam, they managed to get it done in three takes.

Anna continued to impress everyone with her outstanding performance.

And Ye Wei kept surprising everyone with his expertise. He was undoubtedly a "pro" in filmmaking.

His commands echoed frequently, making various decisions. At this moment, they were shooting inside the house's hall, and his voice rang out again, "Helly, kill the baby, change the flood (Kill-The-Baby, Change-Flood)!"

Duo, who was watching nearby, immediately panicked and ran to her parents, eyes wide, "Brother wants to kill a baby, you have to stop him!" Ye Hao and Gu Qiao couldn't help but laugh. They didn't understand the terms but knew they were just jargon.

After her parents explained, Duo was even more confused, "What?"

Not just her, but Anna and the actors playing her parents, Pudon and Claire, also didn't understand. What kind of lighting term was this?

The gaffer, Helly Jin, replaced a light bulb on a stand and gave Ye Wei and Pete the thumbs-up, "Done."

In fact, the phrase meant "Turn off the soft light, switch to the flood light." If you weren't familiar with the jargon, you'd have to say it like an amateur, which would invite ridicule in a Hollywood production and undermine the director's authority.

Conversely, when the newcomers heard these cool, unfamiliar terms, they felt a bit humble, knowing they were juniors and had a lot to learn from their seniors, maintaining the order of the film set.

Now, Ye Wei knew both the technical aspects and the jargon, and over time, everyone forgot he was only 15. He was one of them, a filmmaker.

So the college students naturally accepted him as the director, obeyed his commands, and were enthusiastic.

...

Meanwhile, at Harvard-Westlake Middle School, rumors about Ye Wei suddenly swept through the campus like a sudden tornado.

"Have you heard? I'm just saying, I don't know if it's true! VIY wants to take over the company's assets..."

"No way? You better not be spreading lies, I believe in VIY!"

"I don't want to, but someone called my parents, and they're worried. It seems Bruce Willis wants to buy the project, and the previous focus! VIY refused."

"So what's his plan?"

"He's still thinking about being the producer and director of the project..."

"Ah!?"

Lev was patrolling Reynolds Hall and, upon seeing club members discussing, rushed over, his large nose flaring, shouting, "Jesus Christ! That's a lie from Focus Films! Didn't I send you a text? You're spreading irresponsible rumors, you'll ruin Brother Wei! I'm ashamed of you!"

The two boys immediately looked distressed, "What's really going on?" "Lev, just tell us clearly!"

On the other side, in the library, Chen Nuo, adjusting his glasses, calmly explained to a few puzzled boys; Bud, Bab, and others were running around the campus...

Lily was telling the truth to Tris, Connie, and other girls, asking them to help spread it: "Focus is maliciously defaming Wei! They just want to buy the project at a low price, a despicable business strategy, don't fall for it! Wei has his plan, wait until he finishes the short film, and you'll see."

Some club members and other students believed it, while others remained skeptical...

John Williams and others, upon hearing the news, felt like it was Christmas early, taking the opportunity to mock the entire Dream Alliance.

"I told you, it's a scam! What now? All that money will go into his pocket! Shameless! The school will expel him soon. Short film? I bet he's hiding at home, too scared to come to school. Just wait and see what garbage he'll produce, hahaha!"

...

By 12:00, the "Dance of Angels" crew had worked for four hours in the morning, and it was time for a proper lunch break.

The morning's achievement was almost completing all the scenes at Anna's house, except for Anna's room (Duo's room).

A common situation occurred: the morning had passed, but they hadn't caught up with the planned shooting schedule!

There were only 30 hours of shooting time over three days, and no extra time would be added unless they worked overtime. If they continued at this pace, they wouldn't finish.

The backyard of the house was the base camp, and everyone ate lunch there, sitting on steps and chairs, enjoying the delicious boxed meals and chatting happily, having a good time in the morning.

"What are you going to do?" Darum, as the assistant director, hadn't started eating yet. He was standing far from the dining area, holding the shooting schedule, asking Ye Wei for a solution.

"Damn..." Ye Wei frowned at the schedule. There were a few options: one, adjust the plan, cut some shots from the shot list to make time in the afternoon, but then those shots would be missing.

Two, speed up the shooting in the afternoon, prioritizing completion over quality. Unless a miracle happened, it would be impossible to maintain the morning's shot quality.

Three, work overtime. His control over the set would be reduced, and the big shots would find out eventually.

None of the options were good, and Ye Wei found it hard to decide, muttering, "Why did it slow down?"

"I warned you, 'Gone with the Wind' in the morning, 'Dukes of Hazzard' in the afternoon." Darum shrugged helplessly, the problem was the hall scene, which took too much time.

Now, when he talked to Ye Wei, he no longer worried about whether he understood.

GWTW (Gone with the Wind in the morning, Dukes of Hazzard after lunch) was a common complaint among American assistant directors, meaning if the morning was as slow and meticulous as "Gone with the Wind" (1939, 221 minutes, 11 months of shooting, high production value), the afternoon would have to be as fast and loose as "Dukes of Hazzard" (1933, 68 minutes, a classic low-budget, slapstick comedy).

"What's wrong?" Anna, not eating properly, curiously walked over.

Ye Wei looked at her and smiled, "Darum wants to eat 'Dukes of Hazzard' in the afternoon." He had made his decision, "But I don't want to, guys, we're still doing 'Gone with the Wind' in the afternoon!"

"That's impossible." Darum raised his hands in surrender.

"Why not? We need to maintain quality but also be faster. I don't want to see a shot take 15 minutes to light, 10 minutes is enough, 5 minutes is better!"

Reflecting on the reasons, Ye Wei realized the delay wasn't due to acting issues, changes in the storyboard, or unexpected events. The main problem was the lack of manpower, leading to low efficiency. He continued, "Starting in the afternoon, everyone needs to be less relaxed. Pareira and Amy need to help with lighting and set design, and I'll get some friends to help with odd jobs after school at 4 PM."

"Also, lunch for 15 minutes, break for 15 minutes, back to work at 12:35."

12:35? Darum seemed to want to say something, but Ye Wei already said sternly, "This is an order!" Anna nodded seriously, "The director's order."

"Understood." Darum scratched his freckled face. Who was the god of the set? He turned to the group, shouting, "Everyone, eat quickly, our shooting is behind schedule, we start at 12:35."

"Oh..." Everyone gasped, their boxed meals no longer appetizing. They looked at Ye Wei in the distance, as if seeing a demon, with only half an hour to eat.

"What?" Ye Wei walked over, feigning disbelief, "Half an hour isn't enough? Do you need your mom to put you to bed? That's my sister! Anna has no complaints, don't tell me you can't match a 10-year-old girl's stamina."

Anna made an exaggerated face, rolling her eyes, "I think that's it."

"Alright, got it!" Everyone laughed and shouted, "If I die from overwork, who will tell my family?" "Is there a bonus?" "Ha ha!"

"Bonus? Who will massage my shoulders, I'll give it to them!"

"Me, me, hehe..."

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