Future Pet Shop

Chapter 319: Chapter 319: How About I Give It a Try?

"Come on, back to the movie set. There are only three days left. Hah’Er, just hang in there for a few more days. When we’re done, I’ll take you all out to have some fun!" Shen Yibin opened the car door and let Hah’Er into the passenger seat. Although the contract specified Hah’Er’s daily working hours, such a long period of filming had still left him a little tired, and it pained Shen Yibin to see.

Thankfully, the first phase of shooting was nearing its end. In just three more days, this stage of filming would be complete. The next round of shooting wouldn’t begin until the seasons changed. According to Director Kong’s script, some scenes were set in the autumn, so they had to wait for the leaves in Yunzhong City to turn yellow before they could start filming.

The scenes set in Shanghai wouldn’t be filmed for another two months. After they finished shooting here, Director Kong would take the logistics team to Shanghai first to handle communications, rent filming locations, negotiate street closures with the government, and build sets. Only when everything was ready could Shen Yibin take Hah’Er over. Until then, they could enjoy a good, long rest.

"Mmm!" Hah’Er patted his head, seemingly full of anticipation for the upcoming outing. As for Maphario, the little fellow was still huddled in Hah’Er’s pocket, CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH, munching on melon seeds.

"Bin! Hah’Er! Good morning! Come, let me walk you through today’s scenes..." The moment they arrived at the outdoor set, Director Kong greeted them enthusiastically. He always personally briefed them on the scenes. As for actors like Fang Yuanshan, Murong Li, and Fang Yun, an assistant director was sufficient.

Shen Yibin and Hah’Er followed Director Kong into a tent and sat down to listen to him explain the day’s scenes. "...Today, we’re mainly shooting action scenes. Hah’Er, just like the last few days, you need to maintain a slightly clumsy feel during the shoot. That’s what will create the comedic effect..."

Director Kong wouldn’t dare have Hah’Er perform any dangerous stunts. His action scenes were mainly for comedic effect. The special effects team would add all sorts of dazzling effects in post-production. As for Fang Yuanshan and Murong Li, their job was to look cool, using all kinds of awesome action sequences to draw in the audience. This was a specialty of Xiangjiang cinema. To that end, Director Kong had brought in Xiangjiang’s most famous martial arts choreography team, which was more than capable of handling any high-difficulty stunt.

Of course, Fang Yuanshan and Murong Li couldn’t perform these difficult stunts themselves. They required stunt doubles during filming. The doubles on this crew were among the best in the world, absolutely capable of achieving the effect Director Kong desired.

The actors from each group finished with their makeup, and Hah’Er appeared once more in his ridiculous costume. The crew members all took their positions. With a command from Director Kong, filming began. Hah’Er clumsily threw a punch and kicked a leg, and the supporting actor playing the villain immediately let out a wail and fell to the ground. The first sequence of shots was completed quickly and smoothly.

But when it was time for Fang Yuanshan’s scene, an accident occurred. While performing a difficult stunt, Fang Yuanshan’s double accidentally fell and twisted his ankle. Judging by his pained grimace, it was clear he couldn’t continue filming.

"Director, he’s fractured a bone. He’ll need to rest for at least a month." The on-set doctor examined him and delivered the unfortunate news. It looked like filming couldn’t continue for the day.

"Is there anyone else who can fill in?" Director Kong frowned, looking at the head of the martial arts choreography team. Filming had been going smoothly from the very beginning, so he never expected an accident like this right as they were about to wrap up this phase.

"The others could probably pull off the stunt, but their builds are too different. If we force it, the audience will easily spot the swap!" the head of the choreography team replied glumly. "Normally, a move like that wouldn’t be a problem, but he happened to land on a small rock. That’s what caused the accident."

"You should have backups, right? Get someone from Xiangjiang on the next flight. Have them here by tonight. Don’t let this delay our production schedule," Director Kong ordered immediately. He had already scheduled meetings in Shanghai for next week and couldn’t afford to waste any time.

"Our team has two other guys with a similar build, but neither of them is in Xiangjiang right now. One went with the big boss to shoot a film in Hollywood, and the other is in Europe working on another major Hollywood production. Even if they could get leave from their current projects, I doubt they’d make it here in time," the team leader replied, frustrated. His team was one of the best in the world, so they were naturally busy. He couldn’t believe he couldn’t even scrounge up a replacement.

"Go ask the other stunt teams if they have anyone suitable. Tell them I’m the one asking. Whoever can fill this spot, I’ll make it worth their while," Director Kong said, displeased. Although the team leader was reluctant to let outsiders in on his project, he didn’t dare anger Director Kong, so he hurried off to make some calls.

Unfortunately, there were only a handful of stunt teams in Xiangjiang at that level, and all of them were fully booked. As much as they wanted to help Director Kong, they couldn’t just walk off a set in the middle of production, could they? If they did that, their careers in the industry would be over. So, after a long time on the phone, the team leader came up empty-handed.

THWACK! Furious, Director Kong threw his hat on the ground. The last three days were all action scenes; they absolutely couldn’t proceed without this particular stunt double. They were well and truly stuck.

"Ah, Bin, it looks like I’ll have to ask you and Hah’Er to wait a few more days," Director Kong said, dejected. "I’m going to give Long a call in a bit and ask to borrow one of his people. We’ll resume shooting once the replacement gets here." Given his friendship with Long, borrowing someone probably wouldn’t be a big problem. The issue was that the person would have to finish their current shoot before coming to Yunzhong City, which meant a delay of several more days.

’If that’s the case, won’t Hah’Er have to work for several more days?’ Shen Yibin looked at Hah’Er, his heart aching. ’Sigh... I promised I’d take you out to play in three days. It looks like that’s off the table now.’

’Huh? Wait a second...’ Shen Yibin subconsciously glanced at the unlucky stunt double and noticed something. ’This guy’s height and build... they’re about the same as mine. Could I take his place and finish the shoot? If I did, our trip in three days could still happen!’

"Director Kong, why don’t you let me try?" Shen Yibin asked, carefully recalling the few moves the stuntman had performed. ’I should be able to do that, right?’

"You want to try?" Director Kong didn’t quite understand what he meant.

"Yeah. I was watching, and those moves didn’t seem that hard. I think I can do them. How about you let me be the stunt double?" Shen Yibin said earnestly.