The next day, Lin Zheng arrived at Jialong's film set in Xiangjiang's Yuanlang District at dawn.
This was also the main filming location for Zombie.
A lonely and dangerous building stood there. 90% of Zombie's plot took place in this building, so it saved a lot of money.
Lin Zheng played the role of the last heavenly master, a waiter in a rice shop tea restaurant. The shop was just below the dangerous building.
Today was the opening ceremony. If the filming started, it would start in the afternoon.
This was mainly to let the actors quickly enter a state of mind, and it was not considered real filming yet.
Tomorrow, they would officially start filming. As for accommodation, it was a four-star hotel nearby.
This was the supporting facilities for filming. Food and accommodation were included.
"Yo, young man, you're here so early?”
Lin Zheng was observing the filming location when he heard a teasing voice. He turned around and saw an old man staring at him without blinking.
"I'm a prop master, you can just call me Uncle Jian!”
Uncle Jian chuckled as he spoke. Lin Zheng nodded at her."Uncle Jian!"
" Yes, it's your first time filming, right?"
Uncle Jian seemed to have seen through Lin Zheng at a glance. Lin Zheng was a little surprised."Yes, Uncle Jian, how did you know?"
"Hehe, isn't that simple? Veteran actors who have filmed before won't come so early because the opening ceremony has to be held on an auspicious day!”
"It basically only starts at 9 or 10 o'clock!”
"Although the notice was at 7 or 8 o'clock, it was to prevent you from getting stuck in traffic!”
Uncle Jian was like a veteran, chattering with Lin Zheng. Soon, a few more elders arrived. They were all the staff of the " Zombie " production team, including the lighting technician and stage supervisor.
A temporary table was built.
These people had come so early to set up the venue for the opening ceremony and to decorate the red carpet.
Shooting a supernatural film was different from other films. The requirements for the opening ceremony were very high, so it had to be set up in advance. It also required prayers and worship to heaven and earth in order to prevent some unnecessary supernatural events from happening.
Back then, Mr. Zombie had many problems.
The screenwriter, Huang Bingyao, died suddenly. A year later, Huang Ying, who was also the screenwriter of the film, was severely injured and died after owing a loan shark. Later, Uncle Ying also died of cancer. Xu Guanying also died. Qian Xiaohao was caught secretly taking photos. Wang Xiaofeng, who played the female ghost, went crazy and almost killed her husband. It was scary to think about it.
Therefore, the filming of the supernatural film was especially important.
Lin Zheng was also helping out at the side. It wasn't until past 8 pm that the lead actor Qian Xiaohao, the four-eyed Taoist priest Chen You, and a few others arrived.
A group of reporters from Xiangjiang City came with them.
As for the opening ceremony, many entertainment media would rush to report on it. Most importantly, they would receive red packets for the opening ceremony, which meant that it was a good sign.
The originally deserted venue suddenly became lively.
The reporters surrounded the red carpet, and the actors had already arrived at the stage for the opening ceremony.
It was only when Qingshui Chong and Mai Junlong arrived that the opening ceremony officially began.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you for your support!"
Mai Junlong was wearing a red Tang suit, and he cupped his fists at the reporters.
Kacha! Kacha!
The film was shot as if it was free. Mak Junlong let the main actors line up and let them take pictures.
The opening ceremony was about an hour away.
They all needed to choose an auspicious time and burn incense to pray to the gods for the production team to finish filming safely and smoothly.
This was the most important start of a movie, so they couldn't be careless at all. The time of the ceremony had to be calculated by a Taoist priest. It was definitely impossible to randomly choose a smooth time like 10:18.
At 9:16, Zombie started filming.
The stage manager had already prepared all the long table red packets needed for the ceremony and covered them with red velvet.
A roast pig was placed in the middle, along with fruits, bananas, and an incense burner.
The camera for filming was placed at the front and covered by a red cloth. This was to suppress evil, and the " start " of the opening ceremony was to remove this red cloth.
Since the 1980s, when Xiangjiang movies were being filmed, a ceremony had to be held. It was to burn incense and worship Buddha, offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, and cover the camera with a red veil.
This series of actions had become an unwritten rule in the film industry.
"Alright, everyone stand in your positions!”
"Reporter friends, you can start filming now!"
Hualala!
A group of reporters who had been waiting impatiently for a long time suddenly squeezed in front of the director and the lead actors.
"Keep smiling!"
Qian Xiaohao's voice rang in Lin Zheng's ears. Lin Zheng hurriedly squeezed out his white teeth. He realized that everyone was smiling. It was indeed not easy for the reporters to take photos.
"Burn incense!"
Uncle Jian, the prop master who had been chatting with Lin Zheng earlier, was directing the cameras to turn on.
Immediately, Mai Junlong took the three joss sticks that he had handed over and kowtowed sincerely. He prayed to the heavens, earth, and people, hoping that the heavens, earth, and people would bless him to successfully complete the filming.
He was even muttering to himself, praying for good weather and everyone's mental health during the filming!
The actors also stepped forward one by one, looking extremely pious.
Lin Zheng also followed suit.
Amidst the cheers of the reporters, Mai Junlong picked up a long knife and cut the roast pig on the table in one go.
This signified a good start and a smooth ending.
The sound of firecrackers rang out as the directors and actors began to pay their respects to Guan Yu.
……
After this process, it was almost time for the opening ceremony.
The reporters and the lead actor were waiting there until the auspicious time arrived. The director and the lead actor pulled open the red silk cloth on the camera and said,"Good luck with the filming!"
Whoosh!
The opening ceremony officially came to an end.
"Thank you, everyone!"
"Thank you for coming, everyone. Go to the stage manager to get a red packet.”
The director pressed his palms together and said to the reporters. These guys were all targets to curry favor with. Who asked them to be the uncrowned kings? If you offended them, there would be no good consequences. Even if they were white, they could be written into black.
"Good!"
"Good luck, Director McGonagall!"
"The new show sold well hotcakes!"
A group of entertainment reporters clapped their hands and the atmosphere was quite lively.
Lin Zheng sighed in his heart.
Without attending the opening ceremony, you would never know how much effort the behind-the-scenes and staff put into a movie.
You could really feel that this was a wonderful way to bring everyone together.
In fact, the opening ceremony created a sense of ritual in the hearts of every actor: I'm serious about doing this. I'm not letting myself down, I'm not letting my conscience down!
This was the meaning of the opening ceremony.
Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!
The light rain of early spring fell without warning, wetting everything silently. However, all the people who participated in the opening ceremony revealed a hint of joy on their faces.
A truly auspicious time would usually not have heavy rain!
If it happened to be drizzling when the machine was turned on, it would be excellent.
"Congratulations!"
"A good sign!"
"This movie will definitely sold well at the box office!”
The entertainment reporters took the red packets and did not forget to suck up to Mai Junlong. Lin Zheng also received a red packet for the opening ceremony. It was not a lot of money, only 1000 Hong Kong dollars, but it was very meaningful. This was a treatment only the actors and staff who participated in the opening ceremony received.
"Alright, everyone, go back to the hotel and rest. In the afternoon…the filming of 'Zombie' will officially begin. The main actors and actresses must all be present!”
Mai Junlong said to the crowd and then walked towards a bus.
Lin Zheng didn't follow them. Instead, he walked towards the hotel where they were staying. After attending the opening ceremony, it was time to officially start filming.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]