"For matters of expertise, let the professionals analyze it," Laila called Hong Jinbao over and showed him the footage they had just shot. "There's something about this part that feels off to me. Can you spot any issues?"
Hong Jinbao also furrowed his brow, holding his chin as he stared at the screen several times. "Is there a problem? I can't see it."
"It's the footwork," suddenly said Shinichi Chiba beside them.
"Footwork?" Hong Jinbao looked at their feet but couldn't see any issues. "What's wrong with the footwork?"
Shinichi Chiba chuckled. "Mr. Hong, you're not from our country, so you might not be familiar with how women in kimonos should walk. Because wearing a kimono is quite cumbersome, women can't take big steps."
"Exactly!" Laila finally understood what was wrong. It was indeed the footwork. When Shu Qi and the female lead were circling each other and searching for openings during their fight, Shuqi's steps were noticeably too large, which made her lose the elegance associated with wearing a kimono. This was the reason Laila had felt that something was off.
Think about the small, careful steps that women in kimonos take when they walk or run. It's not that they don't want to move quickly; it's because the narrow hem of the kimono doesn't allow for large strides.
In Shu Qi's case, the kimono she was wearing had been modified to allow her more freedom of movement for the fight scenes. However, this modification had the unintended consequence of making her take larger steps, which was against the norm for women wearing kimonos.
Laila didn't have extensive knowledge of kimonos, but from watching many TV shows and movies in her previous life, she had a vague impression of how women in kimonos should walk. When she saw Shu Qi's footwork, she might not have been able to pinpoint the exact issue, but she could feel that something was amiss.
"Is this really a problem? Boss, you're too observant!" The crew members couldn't help but be amazed. As pure Americans, they had little exposure to Japanese culture. They wouldn't notice even if the kimono-wearing women were walking with larger steps, let alone recognize the problem.
In truth, this was a tiny issue that could have been easily overlooked. Many filmmakers might have turned a blind eye to it and let it pass. However, Laila was determined to create the most perfect and classic film she could, and such an obvious mistake was unacceptable to her.
Now that she had identified the problem, to avoid making the same mistake, she had someone use strips of cloth to bind Shu Qi's legs together. This would prevent her from taking large steps. However, this adjustment would make the fight scenes even more challenging.
This was the first time Hong Jinbao had designed action sequences specifically for Japanese women, and he hadn't considered the constraints of kimonos. It was only after Laila pointed it out that he realized there were several flaws in his design.
"If possible, I'd like to redesign some of the actions," he expressed his thoughts to Laila seriously and also honestly admitted where he had overlooked certain aspects. "I neglected this aspect. Some of the actions I designed can't be executed properly when wearing a traditional kimono."
Laila nodded understandingly. "How much time do you need?"
Hong Jinbao quickly calculated in his mind. "Two days. At most, I'll need two days to come up with improved and suitable actions."
"Okay, I'll give you two days. If you need more time, that's fine too," Laila reassured him with a pat on his shoulder. "Don't worry; we can shoot other scenes in the meantime. Take your time to redesign."
Hong Jinbao nodded and shook his head. He knew that delaying the production for a day would result in significant financial losses, including the salaries of the crew members and other expenses. His oversight in the design had already disappointed him, so he couldn't afford to let the director down as well.
"Two days should be enough. I'll design more suitable actions!" he said confidently.
Laila smiled at him. "Great, let's go with that."
As Hong Jinbao turned to discuss the actions with Shinichi Chiba, Laila gathered the relevant personnel and decided to shoot the following scenes first.
Shu Qi's scenes were on hold as her actions couldn't be shot at the moment. Kyoko Fukada was still getting acquainted with the choreographed actions assigned to her. Apart from some extras and grunts, only Roy was idle.
"Roy, get ready; we'll shoot your part next."
"No problem!" Roy skillfully twirled his Eastern-style sword a few times. "I've been ready for a while now; we can start anytime."
Although that was what he said, preparations still needed to be made. Laila had Jia Xiaoming take him to the makeup room to get him ready.
Under the lights and camera lenses, even a small blemish on the face would be magnified. So, going without makeup was out of the question. Moreover, makeup couldn't be applied haphazardly; it had to consider factors like lighting, camera angles, surrounding background colors, and the clothes the actors were wearing.
It was like when you're taking a passport photo, placing a white handkerchief on your leg would make your complexion look better.
Not only Roy, but Theron also needed a change in appearance. She was in the first fight scene, and as her character had suffered fewer injuries at that point, her body needed to look cleaner.
Once Laila confirmed that both were ready, she enthusiastically resumed shooting.
"Ha!" "Ya!"
From the very beginning, both of them were intense and spirited, exchanging blows fiercely. If someone didn't know them well, they might think they were skilled martial artists who had trained together for a long time.
Laila watched them on the screen with shining eyes. They were doing exceptionally well, and their movements were powerful and precise. When the situation called for strength, their strikes seemed to break through space. The ferocity of their performance, combined with their dominant actions, exceeded Laila's initial expectations.
"Cut! That's a wrap!" Laila called a halt to the scene with delight. "You two were incredible. How did you manage to do that?" Their movements didn't seem amateurish at all; it was as if they had sparred countless times.
Laila knew that they hadn't had the time for hundreds or thousands of rehearsals within the crew. So how had they achieved such a high level of coordination and skill?