Translator: Lan Editor: Efydatia The two crazy men were Director Gus and Director George, who had been sent there by Chuck .
They had used their relations to contact the offices of Columbia University, with the intention to ask leave for Qin Guan in advance .
However, before the stubborn Prof . Martin, the two guys experienced rejection for the first time .
Columbia had granted its professors great power . As a result, they could be as strict as they wished with temporary leave approval .
"Ridiculous! My students are all elite New York residents . As soon as he finishes his courses with me, he could become an economic analyst for stupid rich men in the White House . Why should I ask my good student to shoot silly films with you? Because of your high IQ?"
As a leader of the American academic circle, Prof . Martin had reason to be proud . The two directors were both good negotiators though .
"There are lots of celebrities who have graduated from Columbia . Which one is the favorite of the media though? How many American citizens know their name? Ordinary people could never understand the effort you have put in teaching . Qin Guan could solve that though . Besides, we do not produce silly blockbusters . We aim for the top film awards . "
"Yes, we have applied for the Cannes and George in Venice . They are the most respected prizes for independent films . "
Martin was moved a little, but he still insisted on his opinion . "But will you win the prize? Besides, Americans don’t like indie films . "
Suddenly, the door was pushed open . Qin Guan was standing outside .
"Just in time!" Gus pointed at Qin Guan . "Your student can make the decision . "
Prof . Martin stared at the uninvited guest . He knew that his student deep down wanted to be an actor .
Qin Guan paid no attention to roles . His dream of acting in indie films would come true in the US . It was a chance he had lost in China because of his perfect looks .
"I won't fail my classes . If my score goes down in the next exam, I won't participate in any more films . "
"Your attendance rate will be low though . How will you be able to get an A+? Will you even have time to do your homework?"
"Of course! It won’t take me much time . If I wasn’t slow at typing, homework would only take me 10 minutes . "
"Piss off! All of you!" Having such a clever student was unfortunate .
As he threw waste paper and ink bottles at them, the two old men and Qin Guan retreated from Martin's office . They all smiled at each other .
According to the original schedule, Gus’"Elephant" would be shooting first . The story of the school shooting was very current considering the recent events at Columbia University .
George was still preparing for the film .
Before the first snow, the crew arrived at a public middle school in downtown New York . It was a typical American school, but there was no fence around the campus . The school was one with the rest of the community .
Gus got approval from the principal to get some shots from the students in class . To avoid bothering them, he used DV high-resolution cameras .
On the set, Qin Guan got familiar with Gus’ shooting method .
Each role had an independent story to tell . The cameraman would record the real lives of all the witnesses .
All roles had their own meeting points at the school .
The first character was an American boy with blonde hair and blue eyes . His name was John and he had been born into a dysfunctional family . He had a drunk father to take care of .
He was always late for class because he had to look after his family . The principal often had a talk with him in his office .
John was a gentle boy, so he didn't forget to leave the key for his brother after going out of the office . His older brother had to pick up their dad and take him home .
After all this ended, the boy would cry in the silent meeting room .
A good friend of his gave him an encouraging kiss on the face and cheered him up . He left school in the evening and met Qin Guan and another actor, Alex .
Then the scene changed to show the audience the life of another student, who dreamed of becoming a photographer .
Qin Guan felt dizzy by the shift . That was why indie films were only liked by a minority . They were not telling stories, they were expressing the feelings of the director .
Gus favored slow long shots . He wanted to record every detail of every actor, which made Qin Guan suffer a lot .
It was common for Gus to spend three days shooting the starry sky for a four-minute scene . They shot five takes of Qin Guan’s first scene, not because of Qin Guan, but because the director wanted to feel a sense of balance between the shots .
Note : Please download the sponsor's game to support us!
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login