"Step back, a little further back." René directed the crew members to drive a generator car to the main entrance of the campus. After setting up the connections, the lighting team started repeatedly adjusting the brightness, color difference, reflection, and the position of the spotlight.
This scene was about the director, referred to as the "Virus", riding a bicycle into the campus.
Due to the poor natural lighting, they decided to use additional side lighting, which required the use of the generator car. After all, such high-wattage lights require a significant amount of power to illuminate properly. When you add up the ambient light, set lighting, eye light, and so on, it adds up to approximately 12 kilowatts. In addition to the lighting issues, the camera team was also checking the cameras and film on the side. The set design team was busy scattering some fallen leaves on the clean road surface.
Someone helped move the monitor to the appropriate position, inserted the batteries, made sure it was connected to power, and adjusted it. This was a competent crew, and as the director, Lyman didn't have to work as hard as in the first production. He just needed to focus on realizing his vision.
They were busy until half-past nine in the morning when George, who received a signal, raised a megaphone and shouted loudly, "Clear the set, all unrelated personnel move aside quickly." George couldn't afford to be patient. They had an agreement with the principal this time that they had to wrap up before twelve o'clock and not disrupt the normal movement of the school's teachers and students.
At this time, there were still some students who didn't attend class standing around, watching with curiosity. However, they behaved well and followed the work staff to move aside upon hearing the announcement. Soon, the set was cleared.
George continued shouting, "Quiet on the set, all departments pay attention, actors ready to enter. Makeup and props on standby." Then, each department confirmed their work again, and the whole process appeared cumbersome yet organized.
"Camera position 1 is okay."
"Camera position 2 is also fine."
"Lighting is okay."
"Sound is okay."
"Actors are ready."
As each person in charge spoke up, a crew member holding the clapboard stood in front of the main camera, which had turned on its red light, and entered the working mode, waiting for director Lyman's instructions.
As soon as he nodded approvingly, the clapboard was struck.
"Scene 23, Act 1, Shot 1 of "3 Idiots", action!" With a click sound and a gentle tap, the official shooting began.
Lyman stood behind the monitor, carefully observing the composition of the two camera positions. This time, they were shooting a panoramic scene. In the relaxed atmosphere, several crew members dressed as students entered the scene as background pedestrians, hurrying and moving forward.
The actor playing the director, Boman Irani, had deliberately whitened hair and old-age makeup on his face. As a bicycle bell rang, he leisurely rode a bike into the frame. With one hand holding a birdcage and the other controlling the direction of travel, he appeared extremely at ease. As he appeared, Camera 2 quickly focused on the dean, capturing the actor's subtle facial expressions, while Camera 1 remained stationary, overlooking the overall scene.
His eyebrows occasionally furrowed, and his gaze remained fixed on the front. He had something on his mind, but it wasn't too important. The people, bicycles, and surrounding group of students merged together, moving towards the school gate, exactly the feeling Lyman wanted.
As soon as the figure of the bicycle completely passed the viewpoint formed by the camera positions, Lyman immediately shouted, "Cut!"
He leaned in front of the monitor and watched the footage again to make sure everything was fine. Then he turned to Dhiren Kumar and said, "Inform the actors that this scene is a wrap." It was the first shot of the production, and he had chosen the simplest scene, which indeed went very smoothly.
This team was much better than the inexperienced crew he had worked with before. Everyone knew what they had to do and took responsibility for their work, which made Lyman feel at ease.
In this shooting process, which resembled a battle, the initial scrutiny and planning were crucial. Lyman had prepared the script and shot ideas for each shot, distributing them to the camera and lighting teams so they understood the visual effects he wanted to achieve.
George assigned people to monitor the equipment and props, and René took care of various filming matters. The operation of the crew was really impressive. Upon hearing the announcement, the staff members immediately sprang into action, moving equipment and preparing for the next scene.
The next shot was naturally the segment of the director's speech. He delivered the timeless argument of competition, aiming to make the newly enrolled students in the university realize the harshness of society and inspire them to study diligently instead of becoming complacent and falling into decadence.
This shot naturally required a medium close-up. One camera position was set to the side of the shooting location, while the other was placed at the side of the group of students. This meant that all the photographic equipment, recording devices, and the generator car used earlier had to be brought into the campus. Lighting had to be readjusted, and the positioning of the actors had to be considered. It would take some time to set up again.
Originally, Lyman had planned to shoot this scene in the morning. However, the filming went so smoothly that they finished the scene before 11 o'clock. Taking advantage of the good momentum, they decided to proceed with the next one.
"Come on, René, let me give you a hand." Seeing René struggling to lift a large cardboard box containing student costumes needed for the upcoming shoot, Lyman walked quickly over and supported the other side. This time, they couldn't substitute the crew members for the background pedestrians because the shots would show their faces. They couldn't have a group of middle-aged people appearing in front of the students.
Even if they could do makeup, it would be a very troublesome task. They were not the main actors, so who would be willing to put in so much effort? Therefore, after resolving the camera position issue, Lyman directly approached Dhiren and asked if they could invite some students from the school to stand in the front three rows as extras. After considering it for a moment, Dhiren found it feasible and went to communicate with the group of students who were watching from the sidelines.
Perhaps it was because they would receive ₹1000 for this brief appearance, or maybe the students were simply enthusiastic about participating in a film shoot. In any case, the communication went smoothly, and there was even an enthusiastic response regarding the number of participants. Seeing this, Lyman decided to include everyone who wanted to participate. There were more than 80 people in total, forming five rows and standing in a semicircular formation in the center of the set. The main actors were also positioned accordingly.
Boman Irani, who had finished his makeup, quickly entered the scene and adjusted his posture and position to ensure that he could be framed at a 30-degree angle to the close-up camera. Lyman also called the actor playing the salesman to stand behind a corridor pillar, showing only half of his body, perfectly framed for the second camera position.
After directing the actors, Lyman called George and asked, "Are the props and lighting okay?"
"No problem." Upon hearing the concise reply, Lyman didn't bother to look at the monitor. He walked over to Thomas and said, "It's up to you for the second camera position, switching between characters. It's quite a technical challenge, and I hope everything goes smoothly here."
"Thomas, I'm counting on you."
Thomas smiled and shouldered the camera, saying, "Don't worry."
Handheld filming indeed tested a cinematographer's skills. Different from a fixed camera position, switching back and forth required stable hands and coordinated speed control; otherwise, the footage could easily become unstable.
Just like in Hollywood blockbusters, they often used auxiliary devices like sliders to guide camera movements, emphasizing smoothness. However, Lyman didn't like that approach. Shots produced that way lacked a sense of movement and appeared rigid and lifeless.
Once George received the signal that everything was ready, he made a gesture, and the crew members stepped forward. After announcing the shot number, he struck the clapperboard and said, "Action!" Lyman shouted.
At his command, everyone on set began performing.
The background extras portraying the student pedestrians didn't need to do much. They just needed to focus their gaze on the dean and pretend to be attentive listeners. For these "real" students who had attended classes for years, it was quite natural for them to act in this manner. They all stood with good posture and looked forward.
Boman Irani, playing the director, held a birdcage and uncovered it to reveal a cuckoo inside.
"What's this?"
Lyman immediately furrowed his brows and shouted, "Stop!"
He strode to the center of the set, took the birdcage, and found the previously prepared cuckoo bird inside, looking feeble and lifeless. It seemed dejected, with only faint breathing and closed eyes, yet it was still alive.
"Props!" Lyman's voice was not loud, but it carried a powerful presence. "What's this? I wanted a lively and active cuckoo, not this."
The head of the props team, who had hurriedly arrived upon hearing the news, looked nervously at Lyman. He never expected that the first mishap during the shoot would occur with the props team. He had been more concerned about the camera work in Thomas's hands. "Tell me, what happened?" Lyman pointed at the struggling cuckoo bird and asked.
"Director, I..." The props team leader didn't get a chance to explain as Lyman interrupted him, saying, "Get me a lively cuckoo bird immediately. Is that a problem?"
The head of the props team was a man in his thirties from France, and they had worked together frequently at EuropaCorp.
He understood that his team had made a mistake and quickly tried to remedy the situation, saying, "Give me ten minutes, and I'll immediately replace it with a lively one."
"Hurry up." Lyman couldn't accept the temporary suspension caused by this minor oversight. His tone became cold as he spoke.