Chapter 384: The First Film
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.