Smile

After other matters of the movie were prepared, the movie Emily officially started in New York.

Because the child actress for Emily still needs to grow up a little, and Bale is trying his best to use the local accent of New York better, the highlight of the pre-shooting of this movie naturally falls on Winona Ryder. As the absolute protagonist of this movie, Emily has many parts that are a one-person show. These parts do not require much cooperation from others, and it is enough for Winona to perform by herself.

Moreover, Winona herself can't wait to start working; it's already March, and they have to hurry up if they want to release the movie in the summer schedule. The film's post-production will take about two months, and the film's shooting must be faster.

"Actually, you don't need to be too anxious. The movie will be released this year anyway, so why bother to rush it in summer?" Levi didn't forget to say a few words to Winona when he was filming the movie. She still felt a little too anxious. Of course, he also knows that if the movie can be shown in the summer schedule, it will get better income. However, the shooting of this movie is not easy, and Levi doesn't want to ruin the film because of being too anxious.

Levi still attaches great importance to this movie. Although there is not much to pay attention to for the actors in this play, it is different for the director. Many things in this play are more complicated than in the previous one because this movie is a fantasy-style movie.

A film with an intense fantasy shade will undoubtedly be more challenging to shoot. In the movie The Lives of Others, in order to shoot a voyeuristic effect, many cameras are used with their positions fixed, and it is not difficult to shoot the same scene repeatedly. However, this movie is different. Using rotation to show observation is the basic application of this film, those 360-degree rotating shots with actors as the core. It is a big challenge to the director's ability to control.

[T/N: Matrix-style 360-degree camera shot.]

Moreover, in this movie, there are still many things that need to be done with special effects. During the shooting, the key that will flash, the cloud that will turn into a rabbit, and the person can see the beating of the heart through the chest; the design of these scenes is all fantasy. Stunts are not difficult to do, but how to create stunts so that people can find a balance between reality and fantasy is very difficult.

And large green, blue, and yellow collocations, from the studio to the exterior, use colorful filters and scenery to complete the color collocation and even the bright and saturated lights. The accordion soundtrack used throughout the movie, and even the deliberate pursuit of spotless roads, are all fantasies.

All these things caused trouble for the filming. How to make the color of the photographed work not too greasy and give people a cheerful and fun; this also needs to be processed by the art director.

"I still hope that it is better to shoot faster. You invested in the movie. You will suffer losses if our movie does not do well at the box office. You also know that the box office of my movies has never been very good. I think rushing for a summer release is very important."

However, Winona insisted that the movie be shot sooner.

There was nothing Levi could do about it.

Above all these fantasies, the most necessary thing is to have an actress with enough imagination and enough ideas. If the actress herself looks dull or sophisticated, then this movie cannot be shot at all.

Fortunately, Winona is neither of these types of people. She is not a vase woman with a dull expression who can do nothing but scream, nor is she a person who has been tempered and has sophistication in her eyes. Years of acting career gave her very good acting skills, and years of star life allowed her to retain her innocence still. Her expression is the best for filming this movie.

Since she wants to release sooner, then he can hurry up.

However, during the actual filming, Levi soon discovered some minor problems.

"Your expression in this place is wrong." While shooting the movie, Levi once again shouted in dissatisfaction, "Your smile still doesn't work." The first thing Levi wanted to shoot was Winona standing in place, and the camera rotates 360 degrees around her as the axis. This part requires more shooting skills than fast-tracking and chasing shooting, and it is also what Levi wants to try first.

However, it was this lens that ran into trouble.

"I don't understand. Why do you have to say that my expression is not good enough? Do you think my face is not good enough?" Winona was also a little dissatisfied. She noticed that the camera turned to capture her face every time Levi stopped shooting.

"Because this place needs Emily to show a smile. Are you smiling?"

"Go and look at the camera yourself. What is my expression other than a smile?"

"I'm not talking about your expression on the camera. I'm asking you: Are you smiling? In your heart, are you smiling?"

"It's not important." Winona frowned, "I have shown a smile in front of the camera; this is enough."

"A smile from the heart and a smile that is forced are two different things. Take a look at the shots you took. Where is the real smile from the heart? This is basically a forced smile." Levi pointed at the camera, "Look for yourself. Is your smile warm enough?"

"I don't know that a smile can tell whether it's warm or not."

Winona spoke a little angrily, but Levi looked at her differently. Let her know that Levi didn't even bother to refute this sentence. This expression made Winona want to say something, but when she thought of Levi's forced smile, she didn't know how to defend herself.

"I think I can act well," Winona said in a low voice.

Levi sighed: Maybe Winona herself thought she was ready: she came here, wanted to make a movie, and thought she was ready for everything. However, in fact, she was not as prepared as she imagined. Her people did come here, and they also studied the movie carefully, but in the final analysis, she just envied the Emily described in the movie and didn't know what to do to become Emily herself.

Simply put, she floated outside the play when acting instead of immersing herself in character. This kind of performance is just relying on acting skills to perform the characters, not the real Emily.

"Winona, you can't act like this." Regarding Winona's performance like this, Levi sighed and persuaded her, "Your acting skills are very good, and you can indeed play the character in the movie. But if you can't fully sink into the character or fully understand the character's mood, the film still can't succeed."

"I don't think there's a difference." Her voice dropped. How could she not know that, really? She just couldn't do it.

"No, there's a big difference." Levi retorted, "A smile of joy from the heart. It's a different thing from a disguised joy. These two temperaments are completely different, and the audience has seen these two kinds of smiles in their lives many times, and they can tell the difference. You are just putting on a smile, and such a smile is not enough to reflect Emily. Emily is an optimistic, positive girl. Even if life is against her and is very unfair, she has always faced life optimistically, and her smile is not forced. And a forced smile cannot move people. Her happiness must come from the heart."

Winona raised her eyes. After watching Levi carefully for a long time, she lowered her head again when she confirmed that Levi really wanted her to act better instead of deliberately making things difficult, "I can't act as you said. I only know how to act according to my own method."

"You're being angry." Levi shook his head. "I know you can act. Winona, what I need you to show is the lively and lovely girl in Edward Scissorhands, not the woman in Little Women."

"Edward Scissorhands is a movie from many years ago." Winona retorted, "It's been so many years. I'm much older, and many things are different. How can I still act the same as before?"

"That's why I need you to recall your feelings back then."

This sentence seemed to touch Winona's sore spot. Levi had reprimanded her for a long time just now, and she didn't overreact but raised her head angrily this time. Her voice was obviously higher, "Do you think it's really that easy to go back to the past?"

That's right. For her, going back to the past is indeed not very easy. In the past, she was the spokesperson for Hollywood's pure and beautiful girls and the most popular star in Hollywood. But now she is constantly working hard to find a way out for herself, and she is far behind the previous her.

It is indeed a bit too much for people to recall the past like that. Recalling those glorious days in the trough, who is willing to do it?

"I didn't mean to make you sad." Winona's emotional changes made Levi also have to comfort her, "I know you have experienced a lot of things and may not be willing to recall them. But, Winona, I just want to make the movie better. This movie is your movie, and if you play well, this movie will be good. It depends on your performance, and I hope you can perform better as Emily."

"You are telling the truth," Winona turned her head and said with a bit of anger.

"I don't need to lie to you - I said before the filming started, I think about the movie first, and I will put the movie above you. Everything I do is for the better of the movie, not for you."

"I know," Winona replied softly. She stared at the river bank in the distance for a long while without focus and then said again, "I know you are not targeting me, and I also know that I have a problem... But I don't know how to fix my mood. Can you chat with me? Don't blame me anymore; just chat for a while. Maybe my mood will be much better."

Emotional woman... Levi sighed in his heart, but since an emotional and sensitive person plays Emily, he can only accept this reality. He responded immediately to this request.

"I'd love to. I just don't know what you want to talk about?"

*****

Thanks and kudos for my patreons

Cherif Doghri

Adam LV

Danny York

Scott DePaepe

MMMCMXCIX, or 3,999

The Main Man.

Sandra Torres

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