thousand cups

The shooting and post-production of the movie took Jiang Mo a year.

During that time, he encountered numerous difficulties.Repairing the cowshed for the uncle is a trivial matter, and they have encountered more serious blows.One day when they were filming in the mountains, they encountered a landslide. Two staff members had their legs bruised and one of the machines was destroyed.

Chief photographer Lee is a person who cherishes the machine very much. At that time, when he watched the dead body of the camera crying, he was so sad that he almost collapsed.

Life is such a fucking thing, that camera is the most expensive one in the whole crew, it is worth a lot, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the lifeblood of the crew.

How desperate, how desperate.To be honest, Jiang Mo really wanted to howl with him that minute, how can people be so unlucky?So unlucky? ?

But he still remembered the most important thing, grabbed Lee's shoulder and asked, "Did you export all the previous shots?"

Otherwise, all previous efforts will be wasted.

Lee sobbed, "Most of them came out."

The luck of the misfortune.

As long as the road is not completely blocked, he can still shoot.

Anyway, there is no unparalleled road, so Jiang Mo just pretended that God had a problem for himself. Whether he answered well or not depends on his ability. This is also a process of self-improvement.

According to the progress of other groups, the filming of this film is estimated to be finished in two months, but Jiang Mo forced the entire crew to grind for nearly a year.For some shots, one shot is enough, and that kind of rough sense of reality is needed, but for some shots, Jiang Mo dare not be ambiguous, so he can only shoot over and over again.

What worried Jiang Mo the most was the condition of the actors. He found that Ming Zheng was a little too involved in the drama.This actor's empathy ability is very strong, he completely substitutes himself into the acting, and presents more like his own inner world. The confusion, bewilderment and pain in him have touched Jiang Mo behind the camera countless times.

But because the tone of this film is very depressing from the beginning to the end, Jiang Mo has always had a headache whether there will be something wrong with the lead actor in this film.But the tangled thing is that the state of the actor is exactly what Jiang Mo wants, so he can only worry about it while filming.

When an actor is fully committed to making a film, the state is very dangerous.It is a consuming process, which is too nerve-wracking and depletes one's mental state.

I walked over all the way, but the filming was still over.

After the whole film was finished, Jiang Mo didn't feel that he had let go of any burden at all. He rushed back and started editing the film behind closed doors for post-production. He was busy with various things and was devastated every day.

He wants to rush to produce the film by the end of the year and apply for it. If he does it neatly, he can still make it in time for the application in Berlin in December.

The completion of filming is just the beginning. In many cases, the later operation, publicity, and distribution can determine the fate of a film. Will the later copyright purchase be able to pay back?Can this film be appreciated in other markets?These issues are unknown, and the follow-up investment is also a huge sum of money. Is the current budget enough?During that time, Jiang Mo worried about these things every day.

After he came back, Shen Chaowen received a very special gift.He flipped through a large hard-opened book, and on the title page was Jiang Mo's handwriting, which read - "Olive" work notes.

A book full of handwriting.

Jiang Mo explained to him: "In fact, I don't like to write this stuff...but you always say that you don't feel worried about me filming outside, so I just want to write and record the content of my daily work for you, so you can know What do I do every day." After a pause, "That's what it means."

When writing, Jiang Mo’s consideration was to record and integrate his own work on the one hand, and to use another method to leave some fragments of memory for Shen Chaowen, who was unable to participate in his work.

Shen Chaowen hugged him with the notebook in his arms, and was so moved that he couldn't speak.

It is because of that notebook that Shen Chaowen roughly understood what the director needs to do every day from Jiang Mo's words, what he said about that movie, and felt that he was closer to Jiang Mo's thoughts.

His record is rather loose.Mostly what happened on set, just documenting his work.Sometimes it’s just recording that day, just like writing a diary, and the content is very funny.

About life-

April 4st, April Fool's Day, rain, little drunk.

Bad weather, no work started.Playing cards with Mingzheng, Yang Ao (Associate Director), and Lee (Chief Cinematographer) in the room, I lost money, a lot.Mingzheng beat the three of us by himself, I can't figure it out, I suspect he cheated, but I can't find any evidence.

It was still raining heavily outside during dinner, so I went to eat under the eaves for a while, watched the rain, and took the opportunity to tell Ming Zheng how to shoot the three rain scenes.He stared at Yufa in a daze for a long time, and didn't know if he listened to it. It took him a long time to say something to me, Director Jiang, I'm homesick.

I didn't answer him anything, I was a little speechless, because I was also a little homesick.

……

May 5, sunny, drunk.

I didn't start work, but I drank highland barley wine, which tasted good.

……

May 5th, light rain, drunk.

The camera was malfunctioning, Lao Wang knew how to fix it, and watched him fix it while drinking, and learned two tricks.

……

May 5, sunny, half drunk.

Halfway through drinking with Lee, the field manager informed us that the olive tree was here.Yunnan olive trees are shrubs with round fruits. [attached manuscript map]

The tree was found, and we transplanted the tree outside Zhang Xu's cabin together for the set.

Let's plant a tree together.

Hopefully the tree will survive after the filming is done.

……

About the movie-

June 6rd, heavy rain and drunk.

A major rain show.After two weeks of filming, I was not satisfied with Mingzheng's state. I guided him over and over again. Including today, we filmed 40 times.

The film consumption ratio exceeded expectations. Tang Li talked about this issue with me seriously, saying that the budget for this kind of filming would not be able to survive.I was not feeling well, but I insisted on this working method, and I would shoot again and again if I felt that it was not good enough, and I couldn't let it go.

Only now did Mingzheng vaguely understand that I want him to play two roles, two Zhang Xu who were split from his self, pulling in his body, and one wandering in the Yubeng rain with nowhere to go, Like a ghost, with no home, no tomorrow, drifting past many people.The other is Zhang Xu, who is eager to be rescued. He has found many ways to try to get close to the truth of life and find some faith.Is Faith Worth Trusting?I am skeptical that one should believe in oneself.

Zhang Xu tried to find the remaining connection between himself and the world. He searched a lot, but he couldn't find a reason that could hold him back.

While filming, I gradually discovered that bravery, in a sense, seems to have some self-destructive power. He must have the kind of courage to let himself go in without hesitation, knowing that it would be dangerous to approach the truth. Sometimes, Bravery is brutal.

It is difficult to photograph a mountain, and it is even more difficult to photograph the mountain in a person's heart.Zhang Xu is an ordinary little person, he has many confusions and contradictions, I want to present the state of his pursuit.What can hold a hopeless man?I asked myself this question, and I didn't find the answer. Some things don't need an exact answer, and movies can't answer this kind of question.I don't want to sing about suffering, about redemption, about growth, that suffering itself isn't a great thing, we all go through it.

What I want to make clear is an emotion, but I can't define that emotion, but I am fascinated by it.

I said this to the photographer, he laughed and told me, director, you said that kind of indefinable emotion is generally called love.I don't know how Lee, who doesn't like to shave and usually reticent, suddenly has such an off-line feeling, because the focus of this film is not love.But I still toasted him with a glass of wine, saying that it made sense.

That day I asked Mingzheng to stand in the rain, and when I felt something, I looked back at the camera. Lee captured that second, and I saw the bewilderment in Zhang Xu's eyes.

I have a hunch that from that moment on, Mingzheng really understands this play, and he will surpass his own life because of this play.

...

July 7, sunny, light drunk.

Today, Zhou Manyun finished.

The supporting role that is too brilliant is worthy of being someone who once competed with Zheng Guanyu in Li Zhiyuan's "Day and Night" for awards. The sense of drama is very good. Although the aura of the year is missing, the overall performance is still very memorable.

This time I asked him to play a man who broke into the camera suddenly, a thief who was just starting out, and a thief who somehow became friends with Zhang Xu. His name is Lao Jun.He brought Zhang Xu a beautiful love story, a strange story that he didn't know the truth of, and after telling it, he disappeared and stole all the money from Zhang Xu.

Zhang Xu knew that Lao Jun's love story might be fake, but people were like that sometimes, knowing it was fake, but still willing to believe and listen to it.For the most important scene, I asked him to perform three levels. At the beginning, he told the story in the tone of telling a joke, gradually, told it in the tone of telling a fairy tale, and finally, told it in the tone of telling a myth.progressive.

Zhou Manyun asked me, director, is your love story a joke, a fairy tale or a myth?I answered him, both are a little bit, but my love is mainly contradictions, and I find contradictions very charming.He stopped ringing.

After the filming of Zhou Manyun's scene, I was a little emotional.I chose to tell him that you are so suitable for movies, no matter what age you are, please don't give up in the future.He lowered his head, grabbed my shoulder and cried for a while, saying nothing.

I'm so thankful that he's here to make this drama.

...

There are also some contents that are incomprehensible and appear to be rather loose.There are a lot of text in the notes, some illustrations, and sometimes a few lines pop up.Foreign language Jiang Mo can speak English, French and Japanese. Most of the notebooks are written in English and Chinese. Occasionally there are a few French poems. The words and sentences that can be understood are very interesting to read.

Scene: on the way to the mountain

【Storyboard】

Lines——

- "Is the road ahead still long?" (Mandarin)

- "The weather is so nice." (Tibetan)

- "What will happen after crossing this mountain?" (Mandarin)

- "Ah Mani Padme Moo." (Tibetan six-character mantra) [Kneeling and worshiping]

(They seem unable to communicate, but seem to understand each other.)

Jiang Mo's handwriting is very beautiful, very beautiful Xingkai.During the time when he was editing the film, Shen Chaowen often worked beside him after get off work, while reading his work notes, reading two pages, and then looking at him a few times.

Even though he hadn't seen the video, Shen Chaowen was able to piece together a complete story from the fragments of his handwriting and records of his work that year.He seems to understand the romance that belongs to the movie, the indescribable romance.

The last thing I wrote was the finale day.

On September 9, it was sunny and drunk.

The last play.

Pai Mingzheng walked alone, went back outside the hut, looked at the olive tree outside the house, picked one, ate it, picked it again, and ate it again.Backlighting, the camera is farther away from him, and further away, I want some sense of distance.

During filming, the set was so quiet that I seemed to hear Mingzheng's steady heartbeat.I never called cut, and he kept acting.

I was very uncomfortable at that moment, and I hope this drama can last a little longer, so that this story does not end.

The staff members were considerate of me and waited and waited with me.I couldn't say "cut" until my eyes got sore.

The set was quiet, no one cheered, no one celebrated, we watched the olive tree quietly.At that moment, I felt the sacredness of the film, sad and happy, and I found that it seemed that the film was supporting my life.

Turn another page.

A single page, with no work recorded, contained a dried orange flower.

He added a sentence: I picked a beautiful Gesang flower for Chaowen.

Flowers bloom and fall, birth, old age, sickness and death are all experienced with him.

When they read that page, they were at home.Jiang Mo was checking the rough-cut film with his earphones on, while Shen Chaowen was reading the notebook next to him.

After finishing watching, Shen Chaowen finished drinking the tea in the cup, turned his head to look at Jiang Mo's side face for a while, didn't bother him at first, and went out to feed the cat.

After feeding the cat, he came back, imitating what Jiang Mo used to do to him, and patted his brother's head gently.

"..." Jiang Mo, who was watching the movie with tears in his eyes, was interrupted, took off his earphones and stared at him speechlessly, "What are you doing!"

Shen Chaowen glanced back at him: "Why didn't you seal the cat food bag after feeding the cat at noon? How many times have I told you to seal the opening, and just now your Chaplin was hungry, so he went to steal the bag again!"

Jiang Mo: "...I forgot."

Shen Chaowen folded his arms and looked at him with an unpredictable expression.

Jiang Mo sat down obediently, ready to wait for him to quarrel with him, but what he waited for was:

"Did I tell you I love you before?"

"..."

Jiang Mo was stunned for two seconds, and immediately covered his ears exaggeratedly: "Shut up! Don't say such words!" It's so disgusting!

Shen Chaowen bent down with a smile, and said loudly in his ear, "Brother, I love you!"

Jiang Mo: "..." Kill me.

"I love you."

"...Stop talking."

"I love you so much."

"Stop talking!!! Shut up! Shut up!"

Mouth is closed.Because he was pushed into the chair and kissed so dizzy that he couldn't speak.

The movie on the screen was still playing, he didn't bother to pause and let the screen play.

Kissing and kissing, Jiang Mo found that Shen Chaowen was trembling slightly while holding his hand, but when he held him, it was still light and gentle, and that kind of affection was passed on, with a shocking power.

Although he didn't understand what happened in the other party's heart, Jiang Mo chose to accept the tenderness at this moment.The person in front of him is real and specific, and it seems to belong to another level compared to the movie.For no reason, he thought of what Chief Photographer Lee said, what can't be defined, what we don't know what it is, we generally call it love.

At that moment, Jiang Mo felt that this sentence was correct.