Chapter 27

"Life is so fragile, fragile to the point of making one's heart tremble. When a bullet penetrates the skull, the blood has yet to hit the ground; when a blade pierces the chest, the heart is still contracting and convulsing, yet life has already slipped away. The traces left behind evaporate as easily as the water stains on one's hand after water slips through the fingers. Stephen used twenty-five minutes to force people to accept this shock—the people in war are like ants under the fingertips."

The filming of "Saving Private Ryan" continued, and Chen Tiandu received more opportunities to shine.

These opportunities were not actively sought by him, and Spielberg would not pay special attention to any individual. Moreover, the crew members were all elites, and they would not favor anyone. However, after comparing the capabilities of the other members of the director's team, he had to admit that Chen Tiandu, this young man, was very capable and was improving rapidly. Most importantly, the scenes Chen Tiandu shot always perfectly matched what Spielberg had in mind, sometimes even making Spielberg doubt whether there really was such a thing as a soulmate.

Tom Hanks had recovered. Although the massage from Chen Tiandu played a small role, it successfully brought him closer to the Oscar-winning actor. Every time they went out for a drink, he would invite Chen Tiandu along.

With the support of a leading actor in the crew, his position became even more solid. What was more surprising was that this young man could not only build a good relationship with the leading actors but also get along well with the extras, becoming the most popular person in the crew.

However, Chen Tiandu did not seek the limelight. Most of the time, he would carry a small notebook and wander around the set, asking questions to the masters in various positions. Lighting, cinematography, props, special effects, and more—faced with a young man eager to learn, the seniors generally did not refuse.

He did not look like a screenwriter or an assistant director but rather like an intern on the set. However, when needed, he could perform better than anyone else, never making a mistake. This was what Spielberg trusted about him. For some tasks that he could not personally handle and needed an assistant to complete, the first name that came to mind was Christmas—Chen.

Chen Tiandu eagerly learned various knowledge. Was there a better opportunity than learning from one of the best directors on the planet?

Director Spielberg, known as the "guarantee of quality for World War II films," clearly understood the nuances of war epic films. Despite spending large sums of money, using numerous special effects, and splashing blood, he did not fall into clichés at the most critical moments of the film.

To increase realism, Spielberg used a documentary-like shooting style for the opening 25-minute landing scene.

He did not think about the story before shooting. After accepting Chen Tiandu's suggestion, he even personally used a handheld camera to closely follow the landing soldiers. Spielberg genuinely felt that Chen Tiandu's method was excellent, making it feel like a war correspondent following the soldiers into battle, capturing the entire landing scene realistically.

The entire film spanned a vast period, but in Spielberg's hands, not a single second was wasted. Seizing the right moments, he often needed only a few camera movements, and the application of various shot lengths was a classic textbook example!

A few vivid lines of dialogue, an unintentional gesture, a classic war anthem—all seamlessly integrated.

"Because war is a human war, and war films are human films."

The master understood this, so his films were living epics; the mediocre did not understand, so they could only blindly focus on "shaky camera" and "weaponry."

Chen Tiandu was assigned another shooting task, a very important scene—the part where "U.S. soldiers deliver the death notice to the family."

This scene could not be filmed on the Irish island set, and Spielberg could not leave, so he entrusted it to Chen Tiandu. By this time, filming had been going on for more than two months, and Chen Tiandu's position in the crew was evident. Entrusting such an important plot to him was a unique honor and trust within the entire crew.

Even the DreamWorks executives took an interest in him, a talented and capable young man who was highly regarded by Spielberg, making him very worth cultivating.

Chen Tiandu led the team and spent a full half-month meticulously filming this short scene. However, it was not over until the film was sent back to Spielberg for review and he nodded in approval. If it was not good enough, Spielberg might personally step in.

In the dark screening room, it was silent, and several members of the director's and production teams were gathered there. The content being played was what Chen Tiandu had shot.

Female workers in the logistics department were continuously typing condolence letters. The dimly lit scene, the sound of the keyboard, was the notification of a soldier's death. A meticulous female worker suddenly noticed that three letters were all sent to the same address, indicating that a family had lost all but one of their sons, a brother named Ryan.

The general decided to bring Ryan back, so the mother would not receive the last death notice.

The scene where the U.S. soldiers deliver the death notice to the family: the mother, upon seeing two soldiers get out of the car and remove their hats, immediately collapsed. Chen Tiandu shot this from behind, not showing the mother's face. In the darkness, this moment was recorded, and the entire process did not include a single line of dialogue from the mother, but a few shots conveyed more than a thousand words, vividly depicting the cruelty of war and the mother's grief over losing her son.

When the group saw this scene, a few of them, including Toby, felt the urge to shed tears. It was not because they were too sensitive, but because the director's team was deeply immersed in the plot and understood what this scene conveyed.

Spielberg nodded, "As always, excellent work, Christmas."

"Thank you, director, it's what I should do," Chen Tiandu smiled faintly.

Another month passed, and Chen Tiandu never mentioned his "Sixth Sense" because he was still working as an assistant director on the set.

Today, they were filming a scene where a soldier dies, which meant the end of an actor's role. Today was the last scene for Giovanni Ribisi, who played the medic Owen Wade. He died at the radar station, with soldiers running over to press down on his bleeding stomach, all with solemn faces. In his final moments, Wade's words were heart-wrenching: "Mom, mom, take me home..."

It was a touching and tear-jerking scene, and everyone who saw it would praise it.

After filming this scene, the crew members all applauded. However, the leading actors were not in high spirits, giving a few forced laughs as they were still immersed in the emotions.

Everyone understood, and Spielberg, with a solemn expression, ordered, "Take a half-hour break before resuming filming. Do not disturb the actors."

The next scene was where Captain Miller quietly walked to the side and sobbed silently.

However, the leading actor suddenly called Chen Tiandu over, "The silent sobbing in your script is a bit complex. Since I'm far away, wouldn't it be more impactful if I sobbed out loud?"

Chen Tiandu scratched his head, unsure whether sobbing out loud or silently was better. After all, this was an Oscar-winning actor with exceptional acting skills. The original version was silent sobbing, but what if sobbing out loud was better? He was a bit hesitant and said, "Idol, how about I demonstrate the silent sobbing for you? I practiced it several times when I wrote it."

"Hey, you've got some nerve, trying out a scene in front of your idol," Vin Diesel walked over, joking.

"Get lost, your death scene is coming up, feeling relaxed now, huh?" Chen Tiandu was not intimidated by him. This guy was naturally optimistic, always had his signature smirk, and his deep voice made him very manly, and he had good relationships in the crew.

"Alright, give it a try," Tom Hanks smiled.

In the distance, Toby Hawkins and others saw the situation and crossed their arms to watch. The director had instructed not to disturb the actors, but Chen Tiandu was called over by Tom Hanks, so they did not go over.

Chen Tiandu responded, took off his jacket to immerse himself in the emotion, then noticed his white shirt was too clean and did not fit the situation. He crumpled it and rolled in the trench, turning the white shirt gray. "Hey, this looks better now."

Vin Diesel and others raised their eyebrows, appreciating his carefree personality.

Because the main emotion in his next film, "Sixth Sense," was deep, unrelenting sorrow, Chen Tiandu focused on practicing this aspect. His deep eyes and ability to express sorrow were very natural. If he had a cigarette at this moment, women would surely be captivated. He knew that there was an Oscar-winning actor in Hong Kong named Tony Leung, who was later known as the "King of Eye Acting," and Chen Tiandu believed he was not much worse.

However, the sorrow was still not enough, so Chen Tiandu struggled a bit, looked at a piece of paper in his hand, and then suddenly distorted his face and sobbed loudly, his body trembling. Strangely, there was no sound on the set. He looked around, afraid of being discovered, quickly wiped his face, stuffed the paper into his pocket, and forced himself to stand up, enduring the pain.

"Clap, clap, clap," Tom Hanks and Vin Diesel clapped to show their appreciation, the latter with a playful smile, "Not bad, just a little worse than me."

Chen Tiandu gave him the finger, "Don't get cocky, I'm better than you. Idol, what do you think?"

"Great, I have an idea," Tom Hanks smiled, "Do you want to act in the future?"

Vin Diesel also said, "As handsome as me, not acting would be a waste."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Chen Tiandu ignored Vin Diesel's narcissism and nodded with a smile, "I do want to act, in fact, I want to direct and act, just like Vin. My first film is already well-prepared, the script and storyboard are ready, and even two-thirds of the main cast is in place, just lacking investment. Hollywood New Image Company found my script in their script library and has already contacted me, showing interest. But I plan to show the script to Director Spielberg after 'Saving Private Ryan' is finished. If DreamWorks can invest, it would be much easier, as I am a Chinese person in America, unfamiliar with the place, and the people I know best are from this crew."

"Oh, do you have the script with you? Let me see it."

"It's at the hotel, I'll bring it to you when I get back," Chen Tiandu was a bit excited.

Vin Diesel nudged his shoulder, teasing, "Buddy, you're about to make it. As long as the script isn't too bad, with the idol's help, getting investment should be no problem."

Chen Tiandu grinned, unable to suppress his joy, and whispered, "Don't get too excited yet, it might end up being a wasted effort."

He knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for months had quietly arrived.

He thought he would have to wait a few more months.

(Please vote and favorite, it's been ten days since the book was released, and it hasn't made the list, I'm sad %>%<%)

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