The Best Director

Chapter 154: The End of Filming

In the midst of the daily crazy and merry shooting, time swiftly approached the latter part of April, The filming of ’’The Hangover’¹ had been going on for close to two months, and the final clapperboard scene was due.

Among all the shots during this period, the hardest and most troublesome were the ones with the baby and the tiger, as both treated the director like any other passerby and didn’ t listen; the tiger was a bit more manageable. With the help of animal trainers, ten tigers were used in total, each with its own specific actions such as stretching out paws, roaring, lying still, and so on. These shots, except for the parts involving pushing the car, were all done in the studio.

Two sets of twins were used for the baby, and models were employed as stand- ins for some dangerous shots. However, to capture the various expressions and cries and laughs of these “untrained” babies, one had to use all their wits to tease and then accurately catch the moment. These adorable babies also brought more joy and laughter to the crew, especially when the chubby Zach was peed on by a baby.

Compared to animals and children, the performances of the main cast and supporting actors were very satisfying. By the end, the three-man group was as if they had stepped right out of the script, seeming as real as their characters.

Phil, Stu, and Alan, after all their trials and tribulations, finally found Doug and rushed back to Los Angeles to get married, and the wrap scene was to shoot this very wedding. Wang Yang invited a few friends who were in Los Angeles and available to make cameo appearances at the wedding, including the couple Tom Willing, Zachary, and the whole living Hangover crew; Robert Downey Jr. made a cameo as a band lead singer; and there was Jessica, who loved weddings.

From morning until dusk fell, the crew finished shooting a series of scenes that included the wedding proceeding and Stu’s outburst at his girlfriend, leading up to the actual wrap scene.

The sky was gloomy, the trees in the villa’s backyard were adorned with festive lanterns, the lawn dinner continued, and holding a child, Bradley, Ed with his missing tooth, and the groom Matthew Fox sat on wicker chairs away from the crowd, talking and laughing leisurely. That’s when the flower-crowned, swollen-eyed, chubby Zach walked over, holding a digital camera and boasting, “Hey, guys, look what I found?”

Upon hearing it was last night’s camera, Bradley immediately sat up straight, looking a bit anxious, and asked, “Are there photos inside?” As he spoke, he glanced at his son sleeping on his shoulder, his eyes filled with the tender affection of a loving father.

Bradley felt a great deal of admiration and also acted well regarding Phil¹

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s transformation in Las Vegas and in front of his family. He said, “My uncle is just like Phil, I know it all too well. You know Italians, right? Eating, making love, screwing things up. He’s that kind of fun-loving, debauched man, but when he comes home and faces his kids, he’s filled with endless tenderness and love.”

“Yeah!” Zacklaughed heartily, saying, “They’re even worse and crazier than we imagined.” Bradley quickly reached for it and said, “Give me that, let me see!” Matthew Fox also tried to grab it, saying, “Wait! Wait!” He took the digital camera and looked back at the crowd at the dinner party.

In front of the wicker chairs, the film crew were busy with their duties, with Harry George sitting behind the camera filming, Wang Yang and Jessica wearing a knee-length evening gown stood by, smiling as he watched the performance, it was almost over, once this shot was done, they’d be wrapped. He felt naturally happy and excited, but unlike after “District 9”, the feeling wasn’t one of relief, but rather of reluctance, as with when “Paranormal Activity” wrapped.

This had been his most fun and crazy experience during filming, and amazingly, the efficiency was still very high. The whole crew was young and funny, full of enthusiasm and drive, which was probably the reason why. Days like “wake up, shoot a movie, have fun and play crazy on set, hold story meetings and brag to each other, go out to play in Las Vegas…” were about to come to an end.

After some arguing, Matthew Fox suggested, “Let’s watch it together Just once, and after we’ve seen it, we’ll delete all the photos, OK?” Harry George slowly rotated the camera’s focal length, zooming in on the four men. Ed proposed, “Why not delete them now?” Bradley cursed, “If you don’t want to see it, stand aside; I still want to know how I ended up in the hospital.” Zack laughed and said, “Yes, they’re in there.¹¹

“Guys, just once! We agreed, right?” Matthew lifted the digital camera up correctly, and the trio nodded, “Agreed.” They gathered around the camera’s screen, and as soon as they saw it, they jerked back with shock on their faces and covered their mouths to exclaim, “Oh my God…” Only Zack laughed, saying, “Classic!”

Watching them maintain their poses as they viewed the photos, their faces occasionally knitting brows or expressing shock, and uttering “Oh, my God,” die shot was complete, yet Wang Yang did not immediately call CUT. it wasn’t until Jessica, who knew the script and realized what was happening, gently tapped him that he smiled and called out, “CUT!”

All four acted very well, and they had ample footage, but what he said turned into, “Let’s do it one more time! Zack, urn, erm…” Seeing everyone waiting for his direction, Wang Yang suddenly laughed and said, “Just kidding! Everyone did great, guys, it’s a wrap!”

“YES!” The main cast, film crew members, and everyone else suddenly erupted into cheers and applause, with happy and excited faces all around. Jessica sensed his reluctance and comforted him by patting his shoulder. Wang Yang turned to her with a wink and a smile, picked up the director’s microphone, and looked around at everyone, saying, “Thank you, everyone, thank you.”

The cheering crowd slowly quieted down, smiling at him. Wang Yang scanned the familiar faces before him, imagining members like Michelle, Charlize, and Shaquille O’Neal, who had already left the crew, smiling, “During these two months of filming, we had a crazy journey, and had a hell of a time in Las Vegas.”

“Every day there are tons ofcrack-ups, “Ha ha. CUT! Ha ha. CUT!”¹ He shook his head with a laugh, pointing at Bradley, Zack, and the others, “Guys, it’s a good thing I’m not a mean director, otherwise you’d be in big trouble.” Everyone immediately burst into applause and laughter, with the trio whistling as they joined in; there was also a hint of reluctance in their eyes—where could they find another crew like this?

“But I crack up too, so how dare I criticize you guys? It’s a good thing, the more crack-ups, the more it shows how fun what we’re doing is.” Amid the applause, Wang Yang said with a bright smile, seriously, “Tell me one reason why this movie wouldn’t be funny? Even if it were the era of silent black-and-white films, it would put Chaplin out of a job.”

As he spoke, he looked over his shoulder at the little Robert Downey Jr. behind him and exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, Chaplin! Are you in our crew too? What the heck! How did that happen?”

The people around couldn’t help but laugh. Downey’s cameo outfit included a small mustache glued between his nose and lips; he had also been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his stunning performance in “Chaplin.” Downey, steadying himself with a cane, said in a deep voice, “Tin out of a job, just mingling in with a bit part.” Now everyone laughed even louder.

Wang Yang also laughed his heart out before continuing, “This Christmas, our madness will be on the big screen, wow! I believe that night, the movie theaters will be filled with ‘hahaha, ahahaha¹…” He nodded and said, “Yes, no kidding. Guys, just wait for it, thank you!” Saying that, he grabbed Jessica’s hand, who was grinning from ear to ear, and raised it high up, laughing, “And about our crazy trip to Las Vegas, don’t let my girlfriends know, deal?”

“Deal!” “It’s a secret!” Everyone immediately roared in cheer and applause; Jessica rolled her eyes with a smile, shouting, “I’m right here!”

After a long and joyful riot of laughter, as the day was getting late, the crew began to pack up the photography equipment and other items, officially announcing wrap-up.

Joshua mysteriously pulled Wang Yang, Tom, and Zachary to a spot under a tree hung with lanterns in the garden, and asked with a grave face, “Guys, did we take a digital camera with us that day? Did we lose it?” Wang Yang frowned in thought and confirmed, “No, we didn’t!” Tom and Zachary thought for a moment and also said, “No.”

“Phew!” Joshua exhaled a sigh of relief and chuckled, “I hope that’s really the case.” Wang Yang gave him an up-and-down look and laughed, “Dude, what are you nervous about? You’re not even married—oh wait, you only got divorced; you’re not a big star who needs to worry about his image.” Tom and Zachary both nodded in agreement, and Joshua spread his hands in disbelief, “Wasn’t I just worried for you guys? You’ve broken my heart!”

“Josh, thank you.” Wang Yang smiled as he playfully punched him in the chest; Zachary and Tom also tapped his shoulder in thanks, to which Joshua chuckled. Wang Yang clapped his hands enthusiastically andsaid, “Guys, who wants to hop on a plane with me to Las Vegas for a drink? We need to get properly hammered again! Let loose one more time!”

No, not again!? Ah three quickly shook their heads; Joshua frowned and said, “No, I don’t want that for now, I don’t want to get married again, or have a tattoo of the Virgin Mary on my chest.” Tom, shrugging with a smile, “I just got married, I can’t play like that anymore, not unless it’s your bachelor party.” Zachary expressed his fear, “No way. Last time Eileen and my agent gave me a scolding. Sorry, pal.”

“Oh come on, you guys,” Wang Yang sighed with disappointment, “You ail have such lovely reasons.”

At that moment, Jessica, Jamie, and Eileen walked over, asking with a laugh, “Gentlemen, what are you whispering about over here?” Joshua, mimicking an alarm system in a high-pitched voice, “Alert, alert…” Wang Yang just laughed and spilled it out, “I was planning another crazy, drunken trip to Las Vegas, but nobody wants to go with me. Congratulations to you!”

Jamie and Eileen smiled at this, and Jessica raised her hand laughing, “Yang, I’m in!” Wang Yang, with a shout of joy, said, “Great! Let’s form the crazy Hangover couple, GOGOGO!” With that, he grabbed her hand and sprinted toward the outside with a laugh.

“They’ll have another movie to recount after they come back…” Tom and the others started joking again.

PS: Not many updates today; I am going to steep early to keep working hard tomorrow. Please forgive me, and thank you all. (To be continued… If you want