Chapter 402 Don't Laugh at Me, Mr. Harriman
Zoey barged in right then and saw Jessica still soaked. She hustled over and threw a down jacket on her.
Peeking at the script in Jessica's hand, she asked, "Is this the scene you're shooting next?"
"Weren't you super hyped about this scene when we read the script together before?"
"But..."
Zoey glanced outside the green screen and whispered, "Jessica, you know Mr. Harriman's here, right?"
Before shooting, Jessica usually got lost in the storyline to get into character. She just said, "I know," and then turned to chat with the male lead, John, about the kissing angle, figuring out how to nail it on camera and hit the audience right in the feels.
Seeing them deep in convo, Zoey didn't wanna butt in.
A few minutes later, everyone was set. Jessica and John were in their spots, and the fake rain was ready to go.
The scene kicked off: the supporting male lead and female lead had been separated for years, with him going abroad. Now he was back and found out her family vanished in the war. He saw her being forced into a car, spotted the bruises on her face and the injuries on her legs, and realized she's had a rough time. Desperate, he tried to stop the car but got hit, injuring his leg. Limping in the rain, he looked pitiful, crying and laughing in anguish and self-blame, unable to hold back his grief and anger.
Somehow, he escaped from the car, coming back with injuries, bleeding from her mouth, and a clear handprint on her cheek.
They locked eyes in the rain, both with red eyes. Suddenly, the second male lead rushed at the female lead like a madman.
Thanks to the intense emotions they just created, the shoot went smoothly without the director calling "cut."
The supporting male lead pulled the female lead into his arms, saying heart-wrenching thingsas if he wanted to merge her into his very being, holding her tight..
Just as he, unable to control his emotions, was about to kiss the female lead, the green screen studio's curtain was suddenly lifted by Wayne, and Gabriel's figure appeared inside the studio.
At that moment, the director frowned at the camera and said, "Cut!"
Johnwas about to kiss but got interrupted. He froze for a sec, still holding Jessica, and turned to look at the director.
"Think about your character's hatred for this era, the helplessness and anger 'cause he couldn't save her. When you kiss her, it should be with a sense of longing and madness, not like a sweet couple. The vibe is totally different," Sam frowned. "Hatred and madness, love to the point of despair. Try to find that feeling again!"
John nodded, "Got it."
Sam was about to call for action when a crew member came over and whispered something in his ear.
Sam paused, then turned to look at Gabriel, who had somehow entered the green screen studio.
He quickly stood up with a smile to greet him, "Mr. Harriman, I heard you were here, but we were shooting. I planned to come out and see you after we finished. Didn't expect you to come in. What brings you here today?"
No one had a clue why Gabriel would show up here. Sam was stumped and didn't wanna say anything dumb, so he just stopped talking.
"Just checking things out, keep going," Gabriel said, giving Sam a cold, indifferent look.
"Sam, do your thing. No need to be so formal. Mr. Harriman's just looking around," Wayne chimed in, glancing at Jessica. Seeing that Mr. Harriman didn't say anything, he kept his mouth shut too.
Sam didn't wanna mess up the scene since the actors were in the zone. He didn't pay much attention to anything else.
"Mr. Harriman, have a seat. I'll join you for tea after this scene. Someone on our crew brought some good stuff a few days ago, and I haven't cracked it open yet. Since you're here, let's have a cup together," Sam said, holding the walkie-talkie as he got back to the camera, resuming his serious work mode and instructing the production and props teams to get ready.
Jessica could hardly ignore what was going on over there.
Even if Gabriel didn't say a word, the crew and staff were still on edge, offering water and drinks, showing concern, even if he didn't take any. They were scared of neglecting him. They didn't even dare to make too much noise while moving props.
This was the big boss of the Harriman Group, the top dog in the business world.
Even though he usually didn't mix with this crowd.
But even across different fields, he was respected and courted by everyone.
The small, chaotic, and busy green screen studio suddenly felt like it was under a different kind of pressure.
This pressure naturally extended to Jessica.
To make sure the next scene went smoothly, she tried not to look in that direction. When she heard the director call for prep, she immediately got into character.
Zoey had already ducked to the side when she saw Mr. Harriman come in.
The rain started again, and Jessica and John embraced once more, with John holding Jessica's shoulder tightly.
The studio was already cold, but it felt even colder now.
Zoey glanced at Gabriel's direction, then discreetly rubbed her arms and took a few steps back.
Just as John was about to kiss Jessica as the director instructed, he suddenly felt super awkward. He couldn't figure out what was wrong, but his expression slipped for a second, and the director immediately shouted, "Cut! John, what's going on?"
"Sorry, director, let's do it again," John apologized to the director and Jessica, then went back to his spot, glancing at the crew members near the director, and rubbed the goosebumps on his arm.
"Ready to shoot!"
"Cut!"
"Cut!"
Sam was getting frustrated.
He noticed that after John took a break and chatted with his assistant, he kept messing up not only the kissing scenes but also the hugging scenes, acting stiff and cautious, which was clearly visible on camera.
Sam rubbed his temples in frustration, "Actors, take a break, find your emotions, and we'll continue in ten minutes!"
After saying that, Sam walked over to Gabriel, feeling a bit embarrassed, "It's rare for Mr. Harriman to personally check out the shoot, but we're hitting some snags. Hope you don't mind."
