After completing all the non-dance scenes, the crew began filming the dance sections. Chen Shizheng, an actor and director with many years of experience in musicals, had a wealth of experience in filming dance scenes. He knew how to position the camera and capture the right images — he was an expert in this field. Of course, the focus of the camera was on the dance, while for the singing parts, it was enough to match the lip movements during close-up shots, with the actual songs being added later in post-production.
Chen Shizheng choreographed dances that suited the style and rhythm of the songs created by Mai Zhenhong and then proceeded to film them. To capture these musical scenes, the crew used two additional film cameras for multi-angle shooting and repeatedly shot the same scene multiple times, burning a lot of film but also obtaining a wealth of footage. The choices of which shots to use and how to present the scenes and dances would be made later during the editing process.
By this time, the actors' twenty-plus days of training started to show. They were no longer as stiff as before, and Jiang Cheng no longer demanded perfect coordination from everyone. Aside from a few scenes that required synchronized movements, the actors were free to interpret the dance in their own way, and Chen Shizheng choreographed dances that suited the main actors' character roles.
While the resulting scenes felt a bit chaotic, they highlighted each individual's style and had a unique beauty amid the disorder. Jiang Cheng was comfortable with the results, and Chen Shizheng had no complaints. Thus, several dance scenes, like the big chorus in the cafeteria and the campus, were successfully completed.
After two more days of filming, only a few scenes in the basketball stadium and the auditorium remained. These were major scenes with several dances, including Zhang Jun's basketball selection match, the duel with Liu Chen, all the musical competition sequences, and the final grand chorus.
Jiang Cheng first filmed the duel between Zhang Jun and Liu Chen. It went smoothly and was a stark contrast to previous efforts. On the one hand, the actors' dance skills had improved significantly, and on the other, the two had developed an absolute understanding through multiple collaborations, seamlessly coordinating their actions, which felt a bit odd given the context (writing about these two men feels a bit chilling…).
This gave Jiang Cheng great confidence, and he conquered the remaining dance scenes one by one.
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Time quickly advanced to late March 2002. The filming of "High School Musical" progressed smoothly. After completing all the dance scenes in the basketball stadium, the crew moved to the auditorium at Shanghai Theatre Academy to shoot the final scene.
Since typical high schools in Shanghai didn't have professional auditoriums, cafeterias, and basketball courts like American high schools, the scenes for "High School Musical" were actually completed at Shanghai Theatre Academy, then pieced together through editing. Some of the extras were students from the academy, which saved a lot of costs. Jiang Cheng was truly grateful to the principal and teachers of the academy.
But if the film became a hit, it would also serve as promotion for the academy, so they wouldn't lose out.
In the academy's large auditorium, the crew had been filming for several days. Today, at this moment, the filming came to the last group of shots. Once these were done, the shooting of "High School Musical" would be officially completed.
This group of shots were close-ups of Zhang Jun and Ning Ning participating in the " Inter-School Singing Competition." On the stage of the auditorium, a piano was placed on the left, with Sun Xiao dressed in a black tailcoat playing it. Jiang Cheng and Liu Yifei were walking around with microphones, singing the song "I Fly Therefore I Am," co-written by Jiang Cheng and Mai Zhenhong.
In the audience, the main actors and extras were seated, all smiling. Two cameras were positioned in front of the stage: one capturing Jiang Cheng and Liu Yifei, and the other capturing the audience's reactions. Zhang Da and Chen Shizheng stood to one side, closely watching the two main actors' dance steps.
The two on stage sang and danced, growing more and more into their performance, and the enthusiastic atmosphere below only fueled their energy. Gradually, the song reached its climax, and the atmosphere hit its peak!
Both: Now I finally understand,
Everyone exists for a reason.
Liu Yifei: There's something called the future! (Jiang Cheng: Seeing the future!)
Both: With sweat and courage,
On my stage,
I can fly even with my eyes closed! (Jiang Cheng: I'll live wonderfully!)
In love with life...
Finally understand!
Everyone exists for a reason,
There's something called the future! (Jiang Cheng: As long as you're honest with yourself!)
Liu Yifei: With sweat and courage, (Jiang Cheng: To be admired!)
On my stage! (Jiang Cheng: To let you be free...)
Both: I can fly even with my eyes closed... (Jiang Cheng: Picking a piece of cloud!)
To see how many... colors... the rainbow has...
As the song ended, the audience erupted into warm applause. Excited, Jiang Cheng loudly called out, "CUT!" He looked over at Zhang Da, who nodded in approval. Jiang Cheng punched the air in celebration and walked off the stage to review the footage just recorded. Pleased with what he saw, he pumped his fist again: Perfect! A one-take wonder!
Thrilled, he ran back on stage and announced to everyone, "It's a wrap! We're done!" The entire crew cheered and applauded, filling the auditorium with jubilation.
"It's over; the filming is over," Jiang Cheng exhaled, reflecting on the nearly two months of work. His emotions were indescribable — a mix of excitement, happiness, and satisfaction.
He shook hands with Chen Shizheng and Mai Zhenhong, then stood alone on stage, looking down at the crew, Liu Yifei, Hu Ge, and the young, enthusiastic extras. Seeing their happy faces, he shouted into the microphone, "Thank you, everyone!"
The applause and whistles resounded through the auditorium again. When the noise subsided, Jiang Cheng spoke earnestly, "It's over. The filming of 'High School Musical' is completely done. For almost two months, at the beginning and end of the year, everyone has worked hard!"
His voice echoed through the hall as everyone listened quietly. Jiang Cheng continued, "We've put in countless hours of sweat, poured our hearts into this, and used up endless amounts of film."
The crowd laughed, and as the atmosphere lightened, Jiang Cheng added, "But we've also created a great movie, thanks to everyone's efforts!" He looked at familiar faces and joked with the actors, then became serious again, "But how will the media judge us? A bunch of kids playing around, the worst movie of 2002..."
Everyone laughed, knowing it was just a taste of the criticism, some of which was too harsh to repeat. But they were aware that the media loved to kick you when you're down, and once the film was released, those critics would change their tune.
"Hey, guys!" Jiang Cheng continued, "Let them watch closely!" Applause and cheers filled the auditorium once more. When it quieted down, Jiang Cheng said, "In a few months, we'll all be able to see 'High School Musical' in the theaters and witness our collective achievement. Then, the media and the public will see just how excellent this movie is!"
As he spoke, Liu Yifei clapped enthusiastically, shouting, "Jiang Cheng, you're so cool!" Hu Ge cheered, "That was awesome! Let them watch closely!" Beaming, Yuan Hong shouted, "Jiang Cheng, we'll definitely succeed!" Han Xue, smiling, whispered to herself, "Jiang Cheng, good luck!"
Sun Xiao, Jin Sha, Zhang Da, Chen Shizheng, Mai Zhenhong... everyone applauded, from the skeptical old-timers to the confident youngsters. They all applauded for Jiang Cheng and for themselves.
"Guys!" Jiang Cheng called out again, "Thank you for your hard work! 'High School Musical' is over, congratulations!" With that, he bowed to the crowd and descended from the stage.
The applause grew louder, and the auditorium was filled with happy faces as everyone hugged and high-fived, bidding farewell. With the end of filming, everyone, except those involved in post-production, would return to their regular lives.
But Jiang Cheng had more to attend to beyond the post-production of "High School Musical." "The Man from Earth" was about to be released in the U.S.!