novellhall Chapter 174 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire [5000 words]
Chapter 174 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire [5000 words]
Chapter 174 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire [5000 words] (Seeking monthly votes)
To accommodate Chen Xun's schedule.
The Chen Xun segment in the second season of "2 Broke Girls" is progressing very quickly.
Chen Xun's attributes all increased to level 5, his panel was upgraded, and all his attributes were merged together.
During filming, Chen Xun was clearly the one setting the pace, and Katie and Beth's emotions all followed his lead.
The audience was also very supportive.
The entire studio was immersed in the storyline.
The director later compiled statistics showing that the number of takes for scenes involving Chen Xun was very small, and the scenes were always very entertaining.
The final scene of the second season of "2 Broke Girls" has been filmed.
Chen Xun sat in the restaurant setting for a while longer.
Kate came over and handed him a cup of coffee.
She specifically asked her assistant to buy it from outside.
"Reluctant to part with it?"
She sat down opposite him.
"A little!"
Chen Xun readily admitted to the woman with whom he had shared intimate relations.
His feelings for Han Li were unique.
This can be said to be the first role tailor-made for him.
This is also his true main role.
Kate's face showed complete agreement.
The same applies to Max.
With this role, she went from a minor supporting role in movies and a participant in low-budget films to a big star in sitcoms.
That's Hollywood for you.
You have to keep climbing!
"The internet is buzzing right now. Those who said you wouldn't come back to film sitcoms now that you're famous are getting proven wrong."
Kate looked like she'd seen a joke and showed it to Chen Xun on her phone.
Chen Xun smiled.
He took out his phone and swiped it.
really!
This is being discussed on Twitter and Weibo.
"Chen Xun showed us what it means to stay true to your original aspiration with his actions, unlike some actors who said they had scheduling conflicts after finishing the first season, when in fact they were complaining about the low pay."
Someone replied below: "Are you talking about those guys from 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'?"
"Don't name names! Watch out for lawyer's letters!"
The comment section was filled with laughter.
Some people even posted a timeline comparison chart of Chen Xun's journey from an extra in "Thor" to the lead role in "Green Lantern": "In just one year, he went from that Asian face to the Chen Xun universe, but he still remembers to go back to the small restaurant in Brooklyn. That's what a true superstar is."
Chen Xun reposted this message with a simple caption: "Grateful."
Two words, and it garnered another wave of positive reviews.
After finishing filming the second season of "2 Broke Girls", Chen Xun immediately joined the cast of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire".
Now he began to understand what it felt like for the actors he had seen in his past life to be constantly flying around in airplanes.
In his previous life, he had never been on an airplane.
He feels nauseous at the mere mention of airplanes now.
The filming of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" took place at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Chen Xun thought he had arrived on another planet.
Looking out the porthole, the entire landscape appeared black.
Black volcanic rock spread across the land like solidified waves, and white clouds floated on the distant Mauna Kea volcano, but those clouds looked as if they had been dyed with volcanic ash, exuding a sense of apocalypse.
The hatch opened.
A wave of heat hit us.
Holy crap!
He almost choked.
"Welcome to the gateway to hell!"
Upon meeting Chen Xun for the first time, Jennifer complained while joking, "Just a heads up, the humidity here is 90% and the temperature is 32 degrees Celsius, but we have to wear full tactical gear for filming. Congratulations on officially joining the Hunger Games sauna experience program."
Seeing that Chen Xun was having trouble breathing, she handed him a bottle of ice water.
Chen Xun took the water and gulped down a large mouthful: "Worse than North Carolina?"
"These are completely different concepts."
Jennifer rolled her eyes: "It's cold in the mountains over there, but it's like a sauna here. Every day after filming, my clothes are soaked with water!"
I'm practically turning into a boiled girl.
"I suffered from heatstroke three times last week, and now I feel like throwing up whenever I see sports drinks."
Jennifer looked completely blank.
Robert, who was following behind Chen Xun, also felt as if he had eaten shit.
This time, he volunteered to film with Chen Xun.
He wasn't there last time, and then the Rio incident happened.
Now, Robert has become Chen Xun's shadow, following him wherever Chen Xun goes.
On the bus that picked up the film crew from the airport, the assistant director handed out a thick survival manual to everyone.
The cover prominently displays the four characters: "Survival Manual".
"Look carefully, everyone."
The assistant director was a tanned middle-aged man, clearly a veteran who had spent years filming in the wild: "First rule: drink at least four liters of water every day. It's not about drinking whenever you want, but drinking regularly and in measured amounts. Last week, a lighting assistant was dehydrated and had to be sent to the hospital; he's still not back."
Chen Xun flipped through the manual, which was filled with densely packed entries:
• Do not enter rainforest areas alone, as there are wild boars.
The waves at the black sand beach are dangerous; three people have already been swept away.
• There are toxic gases in some areas of the Volcanoes National Park; please pay attention to the signs.
If burned by lava, immediately rinse with cold water and call for medical assistance.
"Is this a movie shoot or a wilderness survival competition?"
Chen Xun couldn't help but complain.
"Yes, they are!"
Jennifer didn't look up: "Director Francis said this film needs to be extremely realistic, so we'll really film it in the most extreme environments."
Gary, the director of the first film, had to withdraw from directing this film due to scheduling conflicts, and Francis Lawrence took over.
I've heard of this director, Chen Xun.
He is the director of "I Am Legend".
He is particularly adept at creating grand scenes and dark aesthetics.
After a two-hour drive, we arrived at the filming location near Volcanoes National Park.
Despite being called a base, it's really just a large area of temporary tents and trailers, with huge green screen tents and lighting rigs visible in the distance.
As soon as Chen Xun got out of the car, he saw a strange sight.
Dozens of workers were carrying large white bags and dumping things onto a black sand beach.
The liquid poured out was blindingly white in the sunlight.
It's salt!
What is this doing?
Chen Xun was curious.
"That's a salt flat scene."
The production assistant came over to explain: "In the original story, there is a deadly salt flat in the arena where people will get burned if they step on it. We tried using special effects, but the director was not satisfied and said the texture was not right."
He pointed to the bags: "We simply ordered twenty tons of edible salt from the salt factory and spread it on the bags."
"As a result, the sea breeze blew it all away, and we had to lay it all down again."
"This is the third time already. This item on the budget is called 'consumable landscaping materials,' and we've already spent 300,000!"
The assistant complained, but his expression remained calm, clearly used to it, since it wasn't his money anyway.
Looking at the staff sweating profusely in the heat, Chen Xun suddenly realized that Lionsgate was making money!
The first season was nothing like this; back then, people would tear every dollar bill in half.
The production crew provided him with a trailer house.
This is so much better than the previous prefab dormitories!
There's no air conditioning, just a buzzing electric fan.
It's true that we should save where we should and spend where we should.
The money saved on actors isn't even enough for those capitalists to spend in one night.
Chen Xun had just put down his luggage when someone knocked on the door.
It was directed by Francis.
The British director was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, but surprisingly, he also had a small scarf around his neck.
It has a strong British feel.
"Chen, welcome to hell."
Francis started his speech with this line, it seems that the word "hell" has become the standard welcome phrase for the crew: "Your scenes mainly focus on two locations: the jungle chase and the salt flat confrontation. The action director will start training you tomorrow." He was holding a small handheld fan and handed another small fan to Chen Xun.
It seems they're suffering quite a bit from this sweltering heat.
Chen Xun took the fan.
turn on.
A gust of hot wind blew.
The temperature didn't drop, but the air circulation improved, and the smell of sweat from Francis dissipated somewhat.
This can be considered an indirect improvement in air quality!
Chen Xun noticed that Westerners have a strong body odor, which explains why perfumes are so popular.
He had seen that almost every Western celebrity, regardless of gender, wore perfume.
The two chatted for a while and became acquainted before the director left.
There's still a filming assignment today.
Chen Xun tidied himself up and went to the beach.
When they arrived on set, director Francis was arguing with the director of photography.
"The IMAX cameras had to keep track of Katniss's running shots!"
The director pointed to the monitor: "The audience needs to feel her every breath, every drop of sweat!"
"But the machine is too heavy; it can't run on the sand."
"Then we need to figure something out! This is the most crucial action sequence in the series, 30 minutes of original IMAX footage—there can be no compromises!"
Chen Xun quietly slipped away to the rest area.
Jennifer has changed into Katniss's battle suit and is spraying moisturizing mist on her face.
"You've seen it all, haven't you?"
She gestured towards the director with her lip: "The budget is higher this season, and so is the temper. But he's right, the scenes at the Battlefield must be filmed to create a sense of oppression."
Chen Xunshi on set.
Staff were pouring loads of white table salt onto the beach, one cart at a time, creating a somewhat surreal scene.
The sea breeze was indeed strong, blowing salt grains everywhere. Several stagehands chased after them to sweep them up, like a silent comedy.
"List!"
The director spotted him: "Come over for a makeup test!"
Peeta's look this season is not much different from last season.
The clothes are the same as yours, Tennis's.
As soon as Chen Xun put on the clothes, he felt as if he had entered a steamer.
This garment is not only completely breathable, but also extremely convenient to put on and take off.
The makeup artist was applying makeup to Chen Xun, while the assistant director stood beside him explaining the scene to Chen Xun.
"Peeta has a lot of screen time this season."
"He's not just your Tennessee boyfriend. He wants to protect her and even sacrifice for her. You have to act out the feeling of being scared but pretending to be strong."
Chen Xun had already thoroughly studied the script before coming here; now it was simply a matter of reinforcing his memory and helping him immerse himself in the character.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xun nodded.
Peeta volunteered to take Hemicho's place in the competition in order to protect his servant Tennis.
The first scene to be filmed was a dialogue scene on the salt flats.
Chen Xun and Jennifer stood on the artificial white salt flats, with the dark volcanic rocks and deep blue sea behind them, creating a truly stunning visual effect.
But the filming process was a disaster.
"Action!"
The two had barely exchanged a few lines when a sea breeze swept by, and salt grains smeared all over Jennifer's face.
"Cut! Makeup touch-up!"
Let's touch up the makeup and start again.
Action!
The wind was a bit calmer this time, but a seabird suddenly swooped down and snatched a pinch of salt.
It might think this is food.
"Cut! Chase the birds!"
The third time, it finally went smoothly.
Chen Xun recited Pita's lines.
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a refreshing sensation under his feet.
The salt layer was too thick, and he lost his footing, sinking halfway into it.
"Cut! Chen, are you alright?"
When Chen Xun was pulled out, his legs were covered in salt and his pants were half wet.
Jennifer, standing beside her, laughed so hard she almost doubled over: "Does this count as a work injury?"
On the first day of filming, eight scenes were originally planned, but only three were ultimately completed.
As filming wrapped, the producer stared at the pile of salt that was visibly diminishing, muttering to himself, "We need to order another ten tons tomorrow. If this movie continues, I'll probably develop salt PTSD."
When we finished work, the Hawaiian sky was still not fully clear.
Chen Xun dragged his feet back to the RV area arranged by the film crew.
He had just opened the car door when he heard someone whistling behind him.
Turning around, Jennifer Lawrence stood there holding a small ice bucket, wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, her hair casually tied in a bun, and some traces of special effects makeup still visible on her face.
"Someone died five times today, should we apply ice?"
She tightened the ice bucket.
Chen Xun smiled and said, "Come in, but let me make it clear first, I only have water and energy drinks here."
"That's enough!"
Jennifer crawled in, placed the ice bucket on the small table, and slumped into the sofa: "Fuck! Another ten hours of filming today, is Francis trying to kill us?"
Chen Xun took two bottles of water from the mini-fridge and tossed one to her: "The director said that this season needs to be as realistic as possible, so we have to suffer in a real tropical climate."
""
Jennifer unscrewed the cap and poured in most of the bottle, then let out a long sigh: "You know what? Right now, my dreams are all salt—white salt, dark sand, and the sound of a director yelling 'Cut'."
Chen Xun sat down opposite her.
The RV was so big that the two people's knees almost touched.
You've lost weight!
Jennifer suddenly said.
"Is there?"
"Yes, the contours of my face are more defined."
She reached out and touched his ossicles.
Previously, their meetings were always rushed, and they didn't have time to say much.
Chen Xun remained silent.
He opened the ice bucket, and inside, besides ice, were two cans of beer hidden in the lower compartment.
"You brought alcohol?"
"Contraband, huh? Pretty cool, right!"
Jennifer winked slyly: "The crew rules state that drinking is strictly prohibited during filming. Holy crap, I need this today."
Chen Xun did not refuse.
He didn't get drunk at all after two cans of beer.
The two bumped the cans together.
An ice-cold beer is so comforting that it makes you sigh.
Jennifer recounted some embarrassing incidents that happened during filming today before Chen Xun arrived.
The two of them laughed so hard they were doubled over.
The atmosphere gradually warmed up.
The men and women, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, naturally engaged in a fierce battle.
They fought back and forth, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Fortunately, the RV was sturdy, which prevented their battle from being affected.
The two people in the middle added ice because they felt hot, which naturally created another unique experience.
Filming proceeded as normal for the next few days.
Chen Xun suffered no hardship before he was able to film people on the salt flats.
Chen Xun's upgrade progress on the panel had barely reached 70%.
Keep in mind that he started with "Fast & Furious 5", then moved on to "Breaking the Oath Season 2", and then "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" as the main series.
-
It only improved the upgrade progress by 10%.
The difficulty of upgrading this panel has increased threefold!
Chen Xun reluctantly closed the panel.
Fortunately, attribute orbs are still dropping, which can speed up the process a bit. However, if we rely solely on him to act and level up, we have no idea how long it will take.
Chen Xun's scenes continued to be filmed.
The next scene is Peeta's electric shock scene.
This scene depicts Peeta touching an electrified barrier in the erosion field, causing cardiac arrest, and Tennis desperately trying to save him.
According to the script, Chen Xun was required to perform actions such as convulsing, foaming at the mouth, and dilated pupils.
The special effects team prepared a set of electric shock simulation equipment.
It's basically about attaching electrodes inside clothing and passing a weak electric current to cause the muscles to twitch naturally.
But director Francis was not satisfied after the test shoot.
"This is so fake!"
He shook his head in front of the monitor: "The audience can only react to external stimuli, Chen. I need you to act out the feeling of electricity running through your body, of every nerve screaming."
Chen Xun thought for a moment: "Give me half an hour."
He walked to the rest tent, closed his eyes, and started operating the system.
The progress bar for [Erosion Realm] is stuck at 70%.
He recalled his experience in Rio: the burning sensation of bullets grazing his skin, the heart pounding with adrenaline, and the fear of death looming.
Then Chen Xun transformed these sensations into the pain of electric current coursing through his blood vessels.
Sometimes, you can understand pain!
Just then!
A golden attribute orb fell from his body:
[Transformation of Painful Feelings +10]
Chen Xun discovered that after the panel was upgraded, the quality of the dropped attribute orbs increased dramatically.
Without any hesitation, he directly placed the golden attribute ball into the container.
Chen Xun felt that the attributes related to pain and physical restraint in his mind were being merged and refined.
Half an hour later, Chen Xun returned to the film set.
"Director, I'll try using the electrode."
Francis raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure?"
"Sure."
"Action!"
Chen Xun instantly got into character.
He didn't shake exaggeratedly; instead, the twitching started from his toes, then moved to his calves, thighs, and torso.
Pain spread throughout his body.
Chen Xun's eyes widened first, then his pupils began to dilate and contract irregularly, and saliva naturally dripped from the corners of his mouth.
This is not a posture-based protection, but rather a natural bodily reaction.
At this moment, Chen Xun's body actually believed that he was in pain.
The most crucial thing is Chen Xun's expression.
His face showed shock, confusion, and panic at the prospect of losing consciousness.
Chen Xun's fingers curled up and then opened, as if trying to grasp something, but he couldn't grasp anything at all.
"Cut!"
When the director called "cut," the entire set was silent for a few seconds.
Then Jennifer was the first to applaud.
"Oh My God----"
She walked over and looked at Chen Xun, who was still lying on the ground: "How did you do that? I really thought you were electrocuted."
Chen Xun sat up and wiped the liquid from the corner of his mouth: "It's like you really think you're going to die."
Director Francis replayed the scene from before, nodding slightly: "Beautiful! I finally understand why Director Gary praised your acting so highly; now I feel it!"
Director Francis seemed to have had enough and wanted to add a few more shots.
So Chen Xun "died" four more times!
He could accurately reproduce the physiological convulsions and loss of consciousness each time.
When the fifth take was filmed, the special effects team came over to watch.
"This is utterly shameful!"
A special effects artist whispered, "Human muscle control could never be this precise—"
Chen Xun did not explain.
He could never say that this was a surreal performance under the influence of a panel.
The panel is having an increasingly significant impact on his performance!
Before the upgrade, only individual attributes were improved separately.
The upgrade is a complete improvement, which was unimaginable before.
Chen Xun had never had such a profound understanding before, but now he finally felt it.
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