Carlos Berland, located in the eastern Caribbean Sea near the British Virgin Islands, covers approximately 200 acres and is surrounded by clear blue waters and beautiful coral reefs. The island boasts lush vegetation and a year-round spring-like climate, making it an excellent holiday destination.
Xiao He had already seen the overall shape and building layout of the island from the helicopter, but when he landed on the helipad, he had a completely different feeling.
A salty sea breeze carrying a faint floral scent wafted by, and they were standing at the highest point of the island, easily overlooking the scenery below. Xiao He's gaze passed over the woods at the edge of the helipad, and the first thing that caught his eye was the stunning view of the sea and sky merging into one in the distance, while the waves near the shore, carrying a touch of emerald green, crashed onto the golden sand and turned into a puddle of foam.
Closer up are magnificent buildings with white walls and red tiles, exuding a foreign exotic charm, nestled in a dense forest, shining brightly under the overhead sunlight.
Xiao Chen opened a large black umbrella and shielded Xiao He from the glaring sunlight, while Liu Rulan directed the servants behind them to place their luggage on a luggage transfer cart and take it directly to their room.
Xiao He and the others planned to go to the film set first.
Xiao He and his group arrived at a relatively late date; almost everyone else in the crew had already arrived, including Director Ning Jiaqi.
Although doing so might leave a bad impression on others, Xiao He and his team really had no other choice. There were too many things going on with "Law of the Jungle," and "Silent Search" had also caused quite a few troubles. It was already the limit for Xiao He and his team to handle these matters and get over as quickly as possible.
I just hope the other crew members won't hold a grudge against him again because of this...
The group boarded the shuttle bus directly.
Outside the helipad was a well-maintained mountain road, and the shuttle bus slowly carried Xiao He and the others down the mountain along the road.
The woods and resorts gradually disappeared from view as they were taken by shuttle bus to the other side of the island, where Xiao He first saw an open-air arena.
Although the entire venue is built against the mountain, it is exceptionally flat and open. Pure white # Nоvеlight # guardrails follow the mountain's contours to define the appropriate space and area, separating this venue from the ordinary roads in the forest and mountains. Only the guardrails, dazzling in the sun, and the asphalt track radiating heat from the ground, showcase the captivating charm of passionate competition and speed.
The shuttle bus brought them to a smooth stop at the entrance of the racetrack area. The person who came to greet Xiao He and Liu Rulan was Xu Fuxue, the assistant director they had met once during the audition.
Xu Fuxue was acting alongside Xiao He when he was the one who almost got carried away by Xiao He's lines and acting skills. So he was very familiar with Xiao He's true abilities and had no ill will towards him. On the contrary, he admired Xiao He very much.
Upon meeting people, he immediately inquired about the box office performance of "Law of the Jungle".
"Things have been going well lately, the momentum is quite strong," Xiao He replied with a smile, without going into more detail.
There's no internet outage on the island, so these things can be found online. Xu Fuxue's statement was just a casual remark.
Xu Fuxue did not continue to ask this question. Instead, he nodded and said with great admiration, "It's a pity that we arrived on the island too early and couldn't see the finished product. Actually, I personally quite like the battle royale genre."
"It's okay, there will always be an online version later, and maybe before we even finish filming, 'Law of the Jungle' will already be released here."
It's certain that "Law of the Jungle" will be exported overseas, but getting Chinese films to go global has always been a difficult task.
Upon hearing this, Xu Fuxue was once again moved.
Ning Jiaqi has been famous for many years and is now a very well-known director in China. However, his high box office and high-quality works are basically limited to China or a few countries and regions nearby.
Although some works have achieved some success abroad in order to cater to foreign award mechanisms, they still cannot circulate in the global market as well as works from Western countries.
This is not only a pain point for Director Ning, but also a pain point for other directors in the Chinese entertainment industry.
They walked and talked, and then Xiao He followed Xu Fuxue directly into the rest area next to the racetrack.
The lounge had long since been converted into a dressing room, and the makeup artist had been waiting for a long time.
Xu Fuxue immediately started talking about the next arrangements: "Director Ning is already on set preparing for the filming and debugging. Once you've finished your makeup and styling, we'll start filming the first scene of the racetrack."
Xiao He was astonished by this efficiency: "So fast?"
He's just landed!
Xu Fuxue misunderstood Xiao He's meaning, his expression changed slightly, and he hesitated: "Is there a problem?"
Could it be that Xiao He lied to them about his driving skills, and that he actually can't drive?
Oh no, if Xiao He really can't drive, then they'll have to find a stunt double. Luckily, there are professional instructors at the racetrack, so they should be able to fill in temporarily...
Xiao He was unaware that Xu Fuxue had already strayed off course, and instead explained, "What I mean is, we're already quite late this time, and we haven't even had a chance to say hello to Director Ning and the others yet, and we're already starting filming?"
The first scene at the racetrack mentioned by Xu Fuxue should refer to the first meeting between the male protagonist Shu Yuxiu and Qi Xinyue.
This scene mainly features him acting alongside Ding Wanyu, the actress who plays Qi Xinyue.
But he and Ding Wanyu have only met twice so far.
One reading session, one startup.
He and Ding Wanyu were not really familiar with each other.
Shouldn't we give each other some time to communicate?
Xu Fuxue finally caught up with Xiao He's idea, but he didn't answer Xiao He's question immediately. Instead, he confirmed first: "We've prepared the race car, but in a little while, you'll need to drive around the track a few times and then enter the parking lines we've marked out in advance... Is that alright with you?"
"No problem, so does this mean we'll start filming the whole time, and then I'll just get out of the car and follow the script?"
"Yes, yes, it's good that you're okay."
Xu Fuxue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He misunderstood; he almost thought that all the skills Xiao He told Director Ning were lies...
Xu Fuxue has encountered actors like this before. They would say during the audition that they could ride horses and had even participated in equestrian competitions, but just before filming started, they would say that they were actually afraid of horses.
This outrageous move is infuriating!
In the end, Director Ning forced the actor to learn basic horseback riding on the spot, and with the help of a stunt double, the filming was finally completed successfully.
However, after that, Director Ning permanently blacklisted the actor.
This kind of lie not only delays the filming schedule, but also really affects people's moods...
Therefore, Xu Fuxue didn't care how much exaggeration there was in Xiao He's claim of "being able to drive race cars." As long as Xiao He could drive, Xu Fuxue felt that it was all fine.
So he raised his hand and patted Xiao He on the shoulder, and said seriously, "There are a few technical assistants here, all of them are professional race car drivers. They will cooperate with your speed. Do your best, and of course, pay attention to safety."
Are there other professional race car drivers?
Xiao He was a little nervous, and nodded, saying, "Okay, I understand."
Then he'd better drive carefully!
