Chapter 32: The Short Film *That Summer*

Chapter 32: The Short Film "That Summer"

During the second semester of his second year of high school, Li Jingkun had new tasks to complete.

"I might need to reduce my practice time with the band from now on," Li Jingkun said.

The members of "Aurora Band" were all a bit surprised.

"I plan to apply for the Directing Department at the Beijing Film Academy, so I need to spend time practicing cinematography and filmmaking techniques."

Indeed, he had decided to take the arts entrance exam and pursue a path in culture and entertainment. However, this time he was aiming for the Directing Department rather than the Music Department.

Therefore, he needed to start practicing film production early.

While it wasn't unusual for band members to take the arts exam, it was quite a surprise that Li Jingkun wanted to become a director.

However, recalling that he had once mentioned a dream of becoming a director, they quickly understood his choice. They even suggested he could shoot music videos.

The thing was, the original version of "Ten Thousand Sorrows" didn't really offer much to film, and the techniques and shooting methods for music videos were relatively simple.

If he really wanted to do it, he could just film the band during their practices or gatherings and edit the footage into a music video.

But the most important thing was to start by making a short film.

To make a short film, one generally needs a script first, then consideration for actors and so on. Finding actors was difficult, so he had to prioritize his friends. Consequently, the script had to focus on a campus theme.

In the end, he settled on an eight-to-nine-minute short film titled "That Summer."

The original version was actually over ten minutes long, but he decided to film only the boy's perspective for now.

Since the goal was primarily to exercise and familiarize himself with filming techniques rather than to create a full-length feature film, he planned to continue making such short films in the future.

The story was simple: a boy nursing a secret crush on a girl, an experience shared by most boys.

Take Song Hairong, for example.

So, he decided to have him play the lead role.

"Huh? I don't know how to act," Song Hairong said.

Preliminary preparations and renting equipment weren't the hardest parts; the challenge now was finding actors who dared to perform.

Yes, it wasn't about finding those who *could* act, but those who *dared* to.

Acting is a daunting task for many, as it requires overcoming deep-seated shyness. That is why the first lesson in many film academies is "liberating the nature."

"It's fine, it's very simple. Most of the time you’ll just be running, and there aren't many changes in facial expressions."

Indeed, there were many scenes of running, and it really didn't require great acting skills; in fact, he could remain expressionless most of the time.

***

After the male lead was decided, it was natural to choose the female lead.

In a short film of only five or six minutes, the male lead didn't have many scenes, and the female lead had even fewer. It was simple, with only a few shots.

Li Jingkun had his sights set on Wang Yajing. She was beautiful, a classic "rich and pretty girl," and already the object of many boys' secret crushes, making her a perfect fit.

"What? Acting? I can't do that."

Finding a moment, Li Jingkun messaged Wang Yajing.

"It's fine, you don't really need to 'act,' and there aren't many lines. You just need to show your face."

"No way, don't lie to me, I'm too scared!"

"Why would I lie to you? It's really simple. If you don't believe me, I'll show you the script and the storyboard later."

"Do I have to? I’m very introverted—why don't you ask Jiani? She’s more like a goddess than I am, right? She’s very popular too."

"I’m not that close with Jiani; I definitely have a better friendship with you."

"Haha." Wang Yajing sent a smiling emoji to express her "gratitude," then added, "I thought your dream was to be a singer or something, not a director."

"I have many dreams; being a director is one of them," Li Jingkun said. "I'm just starting out, and you won't even support me."

"I really don't know how to act. Performing in front of others... it’s so embarrassing..." Wang Yajing said.

"Just try it. It's not hard. You basically don't even have to say any lines; you're just there to look pretty."

"..."

After reluctantly convincing her, Li Jingkun continued his preparations.

First was writing the script and the storyboard. Although the content wasn't long, everything needed to be clearly defined to make the execution easier.

Next was creating a list of necessary equipment, clearly specifying what needed to be rented and what needed to be bought.

Finally, he calculated the costs.

In truth, there wasn't much of a budget. At most, he would treat the actors to a few meals and buy some water during filming. Everything else was equipment and miscellaneous items.

But everything had to be accounted for.

He was now acting as producer, director, and cinematographer—a multi-talented individual, or in short, an "independent director."

He would still need two or three assistants and some minor roles, which required finding people and communicating in advance. However, these were just a few shots, many of which didn't even require showing their faces.

Zhu Miaotong would also come to help, and she would make a cameo appearance in a few shots.

***

Although it was a simple short film, they had to attend school, so it took over a month of preparation before they had time to start filming.

Regarding equipment, except for the camera which was rented, other smaller items like the tripod and boom mic were purchased. However, this short film didn't require much on-site audio recording; most of it was voiceover.

That was the protagonist's narration, which could be recorded in post-production.

The scenes for "That Summer" were all set at school: the running track, the classroom, and the auditorium. For some parts, he could even edit in footage recorded from the previous New Year's gala.

The first day was spent filming at the running track. It didn't actually require many people.

However, since none of them had ever done this before, Wang Yajing, Zhu Miaotong, Huang Sisi, and the members of "Aurora Band" were all there.

There were also some strangers watching from afar. After all, setting up the equipment in the open was quite conspicuous.

The opening scene was simple: filming the running shots.

Li Jingkun set up the equipment and had Song Hairong run along the track.

After filming from two or three angles, he had him change his clothes and adjust the camera position to capture a few more shots.

"Okay, that's a wrap. We've got it."

After filming a few consecutive shots, Li Jingkun announced that the scene was finished and they could move on to the next.

"That's it?" Song Hairong, who was panting, ran back, stunned to hear it was already over.

"Yes, the running part is done. We need to move to the next location."

"It's that simple?" Song Hairong asked.

"Yes, it's not hard at all."

Li Jingkun naturally had to ensure his actors stayed confident so that the subsequent scenes could go more smoothly.

Next, they filmed a few scenes at home, even having Li Jingkun's mother make a cameo. She didn't show her face, only delivering one line and a single action.

However, Li's mother had a thick local accent, making her Mandarin difficult to understand. After two attempts, they decided to stop and considered using post-production recording or cutting the line altogether, sticking with Song Hairong's narration.

As for the classroom scenes, they couldn't be filmed today. They needed to use the classroom as a set, which required the cooperation of the head teacher and a few classmates.