Chapter 24

"Director, where should I start shooting for shot number 32?" A young cameraman, unsure of his position, foolishly ran over to ask.

He was under the chief cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, but at the moment, Janusz was responsible for over a dozen shots and had no time to deal with such details. Janusz was Spielberg's camera operator during the filming of "Schindler's List," an old partner. For him, it was more appropriate to shoot the main scenes with actors like Tom Hanks, and large-scale scenes were indeed difficult to manage.

If he couldn't handle the opening scene, it would be a waste of Spielberg's trust.

"Everyone is in a hurry, if I'm too relaxed, won't I become a target?" Chen Tian felt he should find something to do, so he took the initiative to stop the cameraman. "Your shot starts from the bottom corner. See the wooden stakes on the beach? Stay 20 centimeters above the waterline to prevent the seawater from touching the lens. When the assault boats come, follow the waves and shoot with a 10-degree range of up and down movement. Got it?"

The young man nodded, grateful, and extended his hand. "I'm Tiger Watson, thank you, Assistant Director."

"Call me Christmas Chen, just Christmas. Do your best."

Turning around, he saw an armless extra still fiddling with his prosthetic arm. "What's the problem?"

Most of the extras were real soldiers. Seeing the work badge on Chen Tian's chest, the man hesitated and explained, "Assistant Director, I'm checking where to throw my arm for the best effect."

Chen Tian looked at him, finding him quite handsome. He glanced around; the ground was too low, and once filming started, there would be a pile of bodies.

After some thought, he said, "Remember, when your arm is blown off, fall to the ground. Count to eight seconds in your head, then get up and walk around in place twice. Then pick up your arm and walk forward."

The man hesitated. "Is that okay? Will the director blame me? Will there be a shot of it?"

"Do as I say, and if anything goes wrong, it won't be your fault." Chen Tian put on a stern face and pointed to a young soldier sitting on the beach. "And you, want to be in the shot? Show me a scared expression."

The soldier, unexpectedly called out, immediately put his hands on his face and staggered backward, trying to look terrified and on the verge of tears.

The performance was exaggerated but somewhat realistic.

Chen Tian had an idea. "Once filming starts, your comrades will fall one by one, and you will die soon after. At that moment, you should be extremely scared, losing the courage to charge forward. Act like that, remember the feeling, and be as realistic as possible. If you can really cry, it will be perfect, and the shot will definitely be in the final cut!"

The soldier nodded, dazed, not sure if he had understood.

Chen Tian quickly turned back to the cameraman, Tiger Watson. "Tiger."

"What is it, Christmas?"

"Shoot the seawater for three seconds, then the assault boats for five seconds. After that, turn 90 degrees and shoot the armless soldier. He will walk in a circle, pick up his arm, and walk away. Then focus on the young man next to him. Got it?"

Tiger gave an OK sign.

Many soldiers saw Chen Tian giving instructions and raised their hands to ask what they should do.

Chen Tian answered them one by one, patiently explaining, "You are all real soldiers, and you should be grateful to be born in a peaceful era. Think about the veterans of World War II. When the landing craft approached the beach, should the soldiers have been excited and charged forward? No, they should have been scared. As soldiers, you should understand the feeling of having a gun to your head. They were exhausted, drenched, and jumped off the landing craft, only to be met with a hail of bullets. Watching their comrades die beside them, all they could do was crawl onto the beach..."

"Guys, don't think about acting. Even to honor the veterans, you should show the spirit of modern soldiers. From now on, imagine you are World War II soldiers, charging onto the beach with bullets flying."

He didn't know how much his explanation would help, but he did his best. He was just one of many assistant directors, more focused on script and writing, and could only handle issues with the extras. The main actors' scenes would be directed by Spielberg himself.

But the beach was small, and his every move was watched.

When filming resumed, it felt like they were really in World War II.

Even the expressions of the soldier extras were more realistic, as if they truly experienced the fear of their ancestors.

The most exaggerated was the young soldier Chen Tian had told to cry, his face streaming with tears, wailing loudly. "Can you be any more fake? But in this scene, with the intense beach landing, it's actually quite noticeable."

After filming, Spielberg, sitting behind the monitor, carefully reviewed all the shots.

"Hmm, why are there so many jump cuts here? Which camera operator did this?" Adam Goodman, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed the issue.

Chen Tian was puzzled. He and Adam Goodman were both assistant directors, but this guy was too arrogant, speaking before the director. Still, he stepped forward. "I asked the cameraman to do it."

Adam glanced at him coldly. "Look, these shots are chaotic and don't capture the center of the battlefield. This one is even worse, a hard 90-degree turn, clearly showing other cameramen in the shot, a blatant mistake. Your job should focus on script and writing. If you have ideas, discuss them with everyone. Don't waste film like this in the future."

"Sorry, I acted on my own." Chen Tian apologized sincerely.

"Was it just one camera?" Spielberg suddenly asked.

"What?" Adam and others were stunned. How could there be only one camera? What kind of question was this?

Only Chen Tian knew what he meant. "Yes, Tiger was unclear about his task for camera 32, so I acted on my own. It was my mistake."

"Hmm..." Spielberg pondered for a moment, then watched the segment again. "These shots are very realistic. What were you thinking? Can you explain?"

Chen Tian felt all eyes on him, the first time since filming began. "I know you want to make it as realistic as possible, which is why you used a timed battle for the first 20 minutes. My idea is, if you want a documentary feel, why not use handheld cameras to follow the action, like a war correspondent, making the most direct and vivid record of the battlefield."

"Wouldn't the shots be too shaky?" Toby Hawkins, his closest friend, added worriedly.

"That would be more realistic. Besides, we have Mr. Kaminski here."

Spielberg asked, "But how do we solve the color issue? Too vibrant colors don't fit the harsh battlefield atmosphere. I need a cold, realistic feel without being too anachronistic."

"Why not ask Mr. Kaminski?" Chen Tian suggested. "He's the expert."

Kaminski quickly ran over to join the discussion. True to his Oscar-winning caliber, he immediately had an idea. "We can try using old cameras, those from the 1940s... No, the lighting is still an issue. Even if we process the film, it might not achieve the cold, stark effect you want."

Everyone started discussing, forgetting to scold Chen Tian.

Chen Tian pulled out his phone, found the camera he mentioned, studied it for a while, and suddenly had an idea. "Mr. Kaminski, what if we remove the protective filter? Would the light enter the lens directly and reflect, making it more diffused and softer?"