When Li Mu saw Elder Sun Xiaozhong again, his physical condition was much better than when he first met him in the Shiwan Mountains.
The old man, who was originally stooped, thin, and old, had been with his old comrades in the retirement home during this period of time. His diet and daily life were also taken care of by professional health care doctors. His body was almost radiating a second spring.
When the Toyota Coaster of the military retirement home stopped at the entrance of the Martyrs' Cemetery, Elder Sun Xiaozhong easily got out of the car alone without even using a cane or any other auxiliary tools.
Seeing Li Mu, Elder Sun Xiaozhong was very happy. As soon as he got out of the car, he went straight to Li Mu. When Li Mu saw this, he hurriedly greeted him, shook hands with the old man with both hands, and asked with concern, "Grandpa Sun, how have you been recently?"
"I'm very good, very good! Thank you for your concern! "Elder Sun Xiaozhong held Li Mu's hand and nodded repeatedly.
When Li Mu appeared in front of the old man with a group of reporters and soldiers, the old man never thought that this young man would bring such earth-shaking changes to his life.
After leaving the mountains, while recuperating in the retirement home, he took this opportunity to catch up on the new things he had missed out on for so many years in the mountains. Gradually, he learned about Li Mu's true identity, Li Mu's work, and his achievements. He also admired the young Li Mu a little more.
Elder Han Zili also came out with the help of his children and grandchildren. When he saw Li Mu, he also felt very cordial.
In fact, in the eyes of these old Flying Tigers, Li Mu was very important. They all felt that if there was no Li Mu, they didn't know how long it would take for the heroic deeds of the Flying Tigers to be unearthed by future generations. Perhaps by the time future generations really remembered this period of history, these old people would have been buried.
Moreover, if it weren't for Li Mu promoting the Undying Veterans Foundation, the lives of these old Flying Tigers would not have changed so much. More importantly, many old comrades they had not been able to see in their lives were reunited because of Li Mu's efforts. For these old people, there was nothing more gratifying than finding their comrades who fought side by side in the past.
Just as Li Mu was chatting with the two old people, Spielberg also came up and took the initiative to greet Elder Sun Xiaozhong and Elder Han Zili in a non-standard Chinese pronunciation.
The two old people also greeted him very warmly, and even chatted with him for a while in English.
Among the old Flying Tigers from Hua Xia, the prevalence of English was infinitely close to 100%. After all, those who could be selected to enter the Central Aviation Academy and enter the Flying Tigers were all elite talents at that time. In addition, at that time, almost all of the Flying Tigers, from Chennault to the various instructors, logistics, and maintenance personnel, were Americans. Teaching and teaching materials were basically in English, so these old people's English was also very good. Normal communication, reading, and writing were not a problem at all.
Li Mu asked Spielberg in surprise, "How did you know these two old people?"
Spielberg said with a smile, "During the interval between filming, we went to the retirement home for retired officials several times and asked these old people about some details of that year, including their daily training process, combat process, and some details of their lives. Even the tactics that General Chennault formulated in the Flying Tigers were restored according to the information provided by the old people. So in our movie, the restoration rate of the real combat history can reach almost more than 95%."
As he spoke, Spielberg said, "Including the airstrip we used for filming, it was also restored according to the old people's description. When it was first built, several old people went to the scene to see it and gave high praise."
Li Mu nodded and said to the two old people with a smile, "Old Mr. Sun, Old Mr. Han, thank you for the help you provided to the crew."
Elder Sun Xiaozhong hurriedly said, "This is what we should do. You have invested so much money to film our history. Even if we have to contribute these old bones of ours, we will not hesitate to do so."
Li Mu couldn't help but sigh. For veterans, what they really cared about was not the improvement of their quality of life, but the people's memory of that period of history.
The revolutionary forefathers had shed their blood for the nation and the country, not for the monthly allowance they could get when they were old, but to save the nation and the country from danger. They were the founders of peace, and their only request for the era of peace was not to forget the war, to not forget the martyrs who had fought in the war, and to not forget the lessons that the war had taught people.
Although Li Mu wasn't a warmonger, he had always been in awe of the war, so he was also in awe of the older generation of veterans.
After the two elders arrived, the Flying Tigers, who had been specially invited from the United States, also rushed to the set from the hotel in Spring City. Spielberg began to throw himself into the final preparations for the filming. He communicated with the cameraman about the camera position, angle, and camera language to be used for the scene at the cemetery.
Leonardo, Du Wei, and Anne Hathaway had also finished their makeup and walked out of the tent. When he saw the three white-haired, wrinkled people, Li Mu was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He really didn't expect the Hollywood stylists to have such uncanny skills. A few young people in the prime of their youth were actually turned into three white-haired, dying old people by them, and it didn't seem out of place at all.
More importantly, not only did the three of them not look out of place, but their facial features were also preserved very well. At a glance, one could see the original shadows of the three of them. Compared with their normal looks, one would even think that they would look like this when they were old.
Ning Hao whispered to Li Mu, "Li Zong, the special makeup artists in the tent are all specially invited from Hollywood. The three of them need to spend an average of 15,000 US dollars for their old age makeup, and this doesn't include the cost of their plane tickets and accommodation. Although the makeup artists in China can also do old age makeup, compared to Hollywood, it's indeed a little lacking."
15,000 US dollars, when converted to RMB, was about 130,000 RMB. It was equivalent to the three of them each sticking a small car on their faces.
Li Mu was also surprised. He blurted out, "Why is it so expensive to do this kind of makeup?"
Ning Hao said, "This is the normal price in Hollywood. Special makeup artists are most afraid of excellence. If you want to fool them, it's very cheap. But if you want to shoot it flawlessly, the money involved is endless. So, Hollywood really burns money when it comes to making movies. A scene of a few seconds may burn tens of millions of US dollars behind the scenes."
Li Mu nodded in agreement. Any service at the top level would become sky-high. He was very clear about the principle that you get what you pay for, and you get what you pay for.
When Du Wei saw Li Mu, she still trotted all the way happily. She came directly to Li Mu and called him brother Li Mu in a crisp voice.
Her voice was still young, but her face was particularly "old," which made Li Mu feel a little confused. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The film industry was really interesting. Just this kind of makeup technique was a very sophisticated knowledge.
At this time, Anne Hathaway also came to Li Mu, but she looked a little shy. She waved to Li Mu and said very unconfidently, "Hi, Mr. Li …"
Anne Hathaway knew that she looked very old now. As a girl who loved beauty, she didn't want to show such an old side in front of the man she liked. But she had no choice. After all, it was a requirement for filming.
Li Mu smiled at her and praised, "Anne, I didn't expect your old makeup to be so elegant. Even if you are old in the future, you will still be a beautiful and generous old lady."
"Is that so …" Anne Hathaway glanced at Li Mu shyly and said, "I looked in the mirror just now, and I feel like I've turned 80 years old overnight …"
Li Mu smiled and said, "To be able to look like this at 80 years old, you are definitely one of the top beauties."
Anne Hathaway's wrinkled face actually turned a little red.
At this time, the executive director used the loudspeaker to say, "Attention all departments, the first set of scene 128 of 'Flying Tigers' is about to be filmed for the first time. All actors, please get into position."
As soon as he finished speaking, Du Wei and Anne Hathaway both waved to Li Mu and walked to the filming location not far away.
Sun Xiaozhong, Han Zili, the American Flying Tigers, and other special extras were also in position. The main camera was positioned behind the tombstone where Liu Ye's character was being played. It used a rocker arm to shoot from a 45-degree angle.
As soon as filming started, Anne Hathaway quickly got into character. She held a bouquet of flowers in her hand and walked to the tombstone with a pitiful expression. Leonardo and Du Wei held each other's arms and followed behind Anne Hathaway. The other extras were spread out in front of the other tombstones.
The three of them stood in front of the tombstone. Anne Hathaway bent down and placed the bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone. The first set of shots ended.
After that, the second set of shots started. The side camera was positioned 90 degrees to the right of Anne Hathaway, with her as the center, and slowly rotated clockwise behind her. When it reached her side, Anne Hathaway took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the black and white photo of Liu Ye on the tombstone.
At this time, the camera gradually moved upwards. From top to bottom, the camera could see more information on the tombstone. On it was the name of Liu Ye's character in the movie, as well as the date of his birth and death.
The second set of shots was also done in one take.
In the third set of shots, Anne Hathaway trembled as she carefully took out a yellowish black and white photo from her pocket.
The camera focused on the photo. It was exactly the same as the photo of Liu Ye on the tombstone.
The third set of shots was also done in one take.
Before the fourth set of shots started, Spielberg said to Anne Hathaway, "Anne, this set of shots is the most important. You have to properly prepare your emotions. The tears must be natural and the timing must be perfect."
Anne Hathaway nodded slightly and took a few deep breaths to prepare her emotions.
Spielberg said, "Let me know when you're ready."
Anne Hathaway took another deep breath and made an OK gesture to Spielberg.
After that, the fourth set of shots started.
Anne Hathaway's wrinkled eyes first looked affectionately at the photo in her hands, then turned to look at Liu Ye's young and handsome face on the tombstone, full of sadness. At this moment, Anne Hathaway's eyes quickly turned red, and two lines of tears, full of sadness, naturally flowed down her cheeks.
The two lines of tears slowly rolled down her wrinkled face …
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