CH 7

While the film crew busied themselves arranging the set and replacing props, several young male extras boldly approached Jiang Se and tried to engage her in conversation.

“Hello Miss, did you come here to see the movie king, too?”

Jiang Se glanced back silently, shook her head, and retreated backwards, unhappy with the sudden attention.  

The men were not put off; instead, they only became even more unscrupulous as they surrounded her and Lu BaoBao, prodding her with random questions and cajoling her to speak with them.

Jiang Se sternly refused and tried to ignore them as much as she could. However, her efforts were in vain. Just as Jiang Se was about to rush out from the encirclement with Lu BaoBao, the sound of a car and its piercing honks suddenly broke through from the right side. The young men were startled, and they quickly stepped back, spun around, and looked nervously in the direction of the sound, with signs of guilt and apprehension on their faces. The short reprieve allowed Jiang Se some breathing space, and she immediately moved away.

It appeared that no one had noticed the slight commotion. Instead, a few crew members began to move quickly in the direction of the car. It seemed like someone important had arrived. The entire set came to life, and the director, who had been sitting in his chair the entire time, promptly got up and walked over.  

At that moment, a person emerged from the passenger seat. Lu BaoBao, who had been despondently sulking, jumped up from where she crouched and started yelling, “Oh! My! God! Ah! That’s Zhang JingAn! That’s the main director Zhang JingAn! Why is he here?!”

Lu BaoBao was excited beyond words and was bouncing on her feet as she held onto Jiang Se’s arm and hissed into her ear, saying, “Coming today was definitely the right decision, SeSe!”

Jiang Se could only shake her head in exasperation and disbelief at her friend’s exuberant display. Just a moment ago, Lu BaoBao was virtually wilting from disappointment and regret, but in just a split second, she had become a veritable firecracker.

“The main director? You mean the director in charge of the whole movie? Then who was the one sitting in the chair before?” Jiang Se asked, puzzled by this information.

She was sure she heard the crew call him ‘director’ several times, and she could have sworn even the script supervisor addressed him that way.

“The one sitting before was a unit director or the second unit director. They are usually assigned to film scenes where none of the main actors or supporting actors are needed, just like the one we are filming.”

One of the men, at some point, turned around and moved closer to Jiang Se. In order to impress the pretty girl, he magnanimously shared all that he knew. He had some experience from running in this circle and being a walk-on extra several times, and he wasted no time using this to show off.

The man flashed Jiang Se a smile and continued to explain, “Most film crews have one or two unit directors. They are the ones who film supplementary scenes or are in charge of the arrangements and production of scenes not in the main storyline. Given the budget this movie was allocated, there should be a few such ‘directors’ assigned. In many cases, these unit directors were also called executive directors as they often took charge of filming group actors or panoramic views and such. The question is, why has the main director come here?”

The man then took another step closer to Jiang Se, offered out his hand, and said, “The name’s Wang ChuJie. I’ve been around several film crews for a while now, so I know a thing or two about these things.”

Before Jiang Se could react, a mocking laugh came from one of the other men nearby. “Aren’t you bluffing too much there, buddy? You’re a walk-on hire for group acting, and you take your wages on a daily basis. ‘Been around a lot of film crews’ he says, ha!”

Wang Chu Jie blushed furiously at the man’s ridicule, and a resentful look crossed his face. “What does it matter if I’m just a walk-on? Group actors are also a kind of specialization!”

When he retorted, his eyes kept sliding towards Jiang Se, anxious to see her reaction. “Besides, group actors can also become famous one day! Who knows if some director or producer might take a liking to my skills? Some of the biggest stars today also played small roles once!”

Jiang Se was not unaware of the guy’s intentions and actions, but she could do nothing except politely and detachedly express her thanks. Tensions were a bit high, and she neither wanted the attention nor did she want to encourage him to do anything else. 

Nearby, the script supervisor began calling for all those who had exploded their blood bags and rushed them to change into a fresh set of costumes. They were to redo the scene, so their clothes, hair, and makeup needed to be fixed fast. Fortunately, the makeup and wardrobe people were always close by and were very good and efficient in their work.

Jiang Se also made her way towards the makeup team, and it just so happened that she passed by the crowd of people by the car.

Zhang JingAn was still positioned next to the car’s door and could be seen conversing with someone inside. As they passed, Lu BaoBao, who was standing on tiptoe, suddenly tightened her grip on Jiang Se’s elbow and froze in place. “SeSe, it’s Liu Ye!”

The sudden appearance of Liu Ye undoubtedly caused a commotion. Not only were the extras eager to see him, but some of the staff members were as well. Plenty of people hoped to get his signature or even a picture, so he was immediately surrounded. Liu Ye’s bodyguards and assistants quickly got to work and politely but sternly fended off the excited crowd.  

Zhang JingAn nodded at Liu Ye and led the way as he walked over to where the directors’ chairs were. It seemed that today the Director was going to supervise the filming himself.

Jiang Se fought to pull Lu BaoBao into the wardrobe, and by the time she was ready, most of the extras had finished changing their costumes, and Zhang JingAn was in deep discussions with the unit director. The two of them were huddled over the video camera screen, reviewing what had been filmed so far today. From time to time, the unit director would say a few words and explain the ins and outs, wiping his sweaty forehead with his hand as he did so. However, the frown on the director’s face never diminished.

While the two were busy, Liu Ye sat relaxed by the side. He looked suave and refined in his dark sunglasses, a sharp contrast to the anxiously perspiring unit director beside him.

Zhang JingAn said a few more words to the unit director and then made a hand gesture. The next second, the script supervisor took out the clapperboard and waved the woman and Gao Rong towards their places.

Obviously, the Director was not satisfied with the woman’s performance and wanted to go through it again.

The woman had been nervously watching all this time while her makeup was being done, so when she saw that she had to redo the scene again, she bit her lip hard and walked stiffly towards her assigned spot.

Most of the extras had just about finished getting ready as well, and Jiang Se and the others were once again tied by ropes. The blood bags were placed and the cameras adjusted, and in just a few short moments, the scene was ready.

The unit director nodded his head, and the clapperboard clattered.

Gao Rong immediately got into character and performed his lines; his delivery was good, and his diction was articulate. The woman, however, was in a dilemma. Perhaps it was the psychological pressure or the anxiety of having to do it all over again—not to mention someone like Zhang JingAn was here in person—but the woman looked very unnatural, and she only stared forward in a daze. There was a look of fright on her face, and every bead of sweat and shallow breath was magnified on the camera screen.

Consequently, before she could even do anything else, the unit director again called out, “Cut!”

The script supervisor, this time, did not burst into a tirade but instead glared down unhappily at her—which, in her opinion, was an even worse response than when he berated her.

The Director also did not comment, and the unit director could only instruct someone to do another take.

Like this, time flew by, and it was already midafternoon. Jiang Se was once again drenched in sweat and was feeling utterly uncomfortable. Not only were the clothes smelly and unpleasant to the skin, but even her mouth and lips had gone dry.

Lu BaoBao, too, was not feeling well. She was still tied around a wooden pillar and looked like she was near tears. If it were not for the film crews and other extras suffering along with her, she would not have held on this far.

One failed take after another, the woman still could not get a pass from the Director. Although he did not erupt into angry shouts but his brows never once smoothed out. Finally, he waved the unit director over and expressed his desire to change to a different person.

The female extras, hearing this, immediately tidied themselves. They stood on their tippy toes and jostled forward, but the Director never looked their way.

The script supervisor rearranged the set, and the scene where the villagers were to be killed was put on first.

Several people from the props department came over to Jiang Se’s group and rearranged the blood bags on their bodies. The blood was no longer on her shoulder but was now on her chest, and an additional tiny device was attached to it. Although confused, Jiang Se did not question it. The crew would never offer an explanation to an extra like her.

The enemy group’s props were also replaced, and instead of bayonets, they were now holding guns.

The weapons master immediately went forward and inspected each gun. Because this was the real thing, the crew and weapons master were especially careful.

To Jiang Se’s surprise, the weapons master also checked over the blood bags and the devices on the captive group’s bodies. They checked for safety now that gunpowder was involved and did some measurements.

The script supervisor and some of the other staff briefly explained what they were supposed to do. Much like the previous instructions, once the guns ‘go off,’ Jiang Se and the others are supposed to manually explode the blood bags and then fall into the river.

Everybody nodded in acknowledgement, and the scene was cleared.

“…take two!”

Clack!

As each member of the enemy group delivered their lines and raised their weapons, loud gunshots pierced the air. Smoke and sparks came out of the muzzles of the guns, startling everyone on the scene.

Jiang Se was also frightened, but she had always kept the instructions in mind and immediately detonated the blood bag. Jiang Se heard a soft click, and the front of her chest ‘exploded,’ outward. Fake blood spurted out from her chest, spraying all over her body. The recoil of the explosion rebounded off the left side of her chest, and despite the thick clothes, there was a dull pain.

Jiang Se visibly winced, her face twisting in pain, and at the same time she pulled the cord on her rope and fell into the river.

Jiang Se stayed under for a short moment before she started swimming towards the shore. One of the rescuers met her halfway and guided her forward.

Once safely up on her feet, she wiped her face and started wringing her clothes as she said thank you to the people on standby.

Suddenly a commotion broke out when someone used the megaphone and yelled in her direction, “You there, come here!”