Two days later, aboard the transport ship.
With the pop of a champagne bottle, cheers erupted from everyone on board!
"Oh yeah! The shoot for this segment is wrapped! Hahaha!"
"It really wasn’t easy, it’s been like two hellish days!"
"Damn, we really went all out, filming from morning till night, then brainstorming new techniques. I’ve only had about ten hours of sleep in the whole two days!"
"Director Wang is seriously hardcore when he gets going!"
’IN THE CAN’ originally refers to film that has been shot and is now in the canister, ready to be processed.
It mostly indicates that a portion of the film production is complete.
In some cases, actors also say they are ’wrapped’ after they have finished their parts.
So today, after shooting the opening few minutes of the film, everyone started celebrating.
After wrapping this segment, we move on to shooting the main storyline. And clearly, the scenes shift back to land — the demolition sequence at the start of War Wolf 2, where Brother Dao and his gang are waiting to take a beating!
"Brother Hao, the footage has been sent over to Brother Fei’s team for camera processing and production," Zhao Zhenhao stood next to Wang Hao and smiled, "You must be exhausted from these past two days, right? I haven’t even been in the water, and just watching is almost too much to bear."
"Heh, can you even watch something that wasn’t made with hard work?" After taking a sip of champagne, Wang Hao said, "Actually, those shots were the easiest. The ones coming up are the real trouble."
"You’re talking about the demolition scenes coming up?" Zhao Zhenhao clinked glasses with Wang Hao, both gazing out at the vast ocean. "Definitely, getting approval for those demolition scenes isn’t going to be easy, especially since your character is a military man — censorship is going to be a big hurdle."
"Yeah, I’ll visit some military bigwigs first when we get back," Wang Hao nodded, then asked, "By the way, Zhao, do you know anyone from the military district?"
The demolition scenes would typically require a heads-up to the authorities — dealing with sensitive topics, after all. If you just went ahead and shot them without any notice, a barrier at the censorship stage...
...would mean the footage was shot for nothing.
Zhao Zhenhao understood the significance of this issue; the scene directly determined the protagonist’s identity. Although it was a short sequence, its impact wasn’t small.
"Well," Zhao Zhenhao slowly shook his head, "the four big families, including ours, have an agreement established from the very beginning to never get involved with politics or military affairs. In plain terms, we’re best off just being wealthy landlords — it looks good on the surface, but getting involved in politics isn’t desirable."
Hearing this, Wang Hao immediately understood - it was nothing more than the usual political and power maneuvers at the top.
"Understood," Wang Hao contemplated for a moment before saying, "Well, I’ll give it a try when I get back. You can at least introduce me, right?"
"That’s no problem," Zhao Zhenhao laughed and nodded, "Not being involved doesn’t mean I don’t know anyone, heh heh."
The next morning, Wang Hao and Zhao Zhenhao headed directly to a very secluded estate on the outskirts of Zhonghai City.
The estate covered an area of over 20,000 square meters, and from the outside, it was surrounded by lush greenery. Once they passed the guards and entered, Wang Hao discovered a hidden paradise within.
Inside the estate, there were a dozen or so courtyards, each with guards standing watch.
"This is the place," Zhao Zhenhao led Wang Hao inside while saying, "Currently, all the bigwigs of the Zhonghai military district live here. If you want to pass the censorship, you definitely have to check in with them. Later, just one word from them can get you through the General Administration of Press and Publication."
"Yeah, this is so nerve-wracking," Wang Hao nodded and said, "This is really my first time dealing with such a high level of officials, so scary!"
"Ha, don’t worry," Zhao Zhenhao smiled and added, "The people living here are actually quite approachable, but of course, not everyone can come and ask for their help — their conditions aren’t so easy to meet."
"If there are conditions it’s simpler, the problem is not even getting a chance to talk," Wang Hao responded, "Which one is it?"
"Here we are," Zhao Zhenhao led Wang Hao to the front of an imposing courtyard, whispered, "This is it, the real power player’s place — Commander Xiang’s home." Ready to enter, Zhao Zhenhao gave Wang Hao some careful instructions, "Once inside, just explain the situation to him, and don’t beat around the bush. If it works, it works; if not, we’ll think of something else."
This must be Commander Xiang’s temperament, Wang Hao quickly nodded in agreement, "I understand."
After getting everything set, Zhao Zhenhao turned to the guards and said, "Excuse me, please inform them that Zhao Zhenhao of the Zhao family is here to see Commander Xiang."
"Of course," the guard gave them a glance, then took out a device for facial recognition on Zhao Zhenhao, and his information soon appeared on the device. After comparing Zhao Zhenhao’s photo to his actual appearance and verifying his identity, he said, "Please wait a moment, I’ll pass on the message."
Another guard approached them, conducted a quick sweep from head to toe, making sure they weren’t carrying any dangerous items.
Once the check was completed, the guard returned to his post.
Shortly after, the guard who went inside to announce their arrival came back out, "Come with me."
The two followed him in.
The courtyard wasn’t very large, much like the old courtyards in Tianjing. Once they passed through the screen at the entrance, they were met with a small courtyard of about 200 square meters. A man in his sixties was lying on a lounge chair, resting with his eyes closed. Judging by the circumstances, he must be Commander Xiang.
There was a soldier speaking before the elderly man.
"Okay, I understand," Commander Xiang nodded, then looked at Zhao Zhenhao, motioning him to come closer, "Is that Zhenhao?"
"Grandpa Xiang," Zhao Zhenhao quickly approached, smiling, "It’s been a long time since I saw Grandpa Xiang."
"Indeed," Commander Xiang looked Zhao Zhenhao up and down, then smiled, "It’s been over ten years, you’ve grown into a handsome young man. Have a seat." He gestured for Zhao Zhenhao to sit on a small stone stool in the courtyard, then turned to Wang Hao and inquired, "And this young friend is...?"
"Ah, he is a friend of mine," Zhao Zhenhao promptly introduced, "He’s come to ask for Grandpa Xiang’s help with a film-related matter."
"Oh?" Commander Xiang nodded, then turned to Wang Hao, "What’s the issue?"
"It’s ," Wang Hao stepped forward respectfully, "Hello Commander Xiang, our film crew is in the midst of shooting a military-themed movie, and there might be some issues with censorship and content guidelines, so I wanted to consult you about it."
"Ah, a military-themed movie?" Commander Xiang assessed Wang Hao, chuckling, "Is it that War Wolf movie? Are you the Little Wang Hao who’s called the one to beat Hollywood?"