Chapter 111
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The First Day of Filming
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The first day of filming for the movie [Over the Rainbow] had arrived.
Usually, the shooting schedule doesn't follow the movie's chronological order, but director Sarah Rothe decided to stick to the sequence of events.
This was because, while it might not matter for adult actors, shooting in chronological order would make it much easier for child actors to immerse themselves in their roles and the characters' emotions.
The movie was set in a fictional city.
One part of the city was Starfield, where the middle class lived, and the other was Downrock, a place where it was hard to make ends meet day by day. From the sky, the well-organized, colorful hues of Starfield contrasted sharply with the dark, cement-gray expanse of Downrock.
The setting established a park that lay on the border between these two cities, and this park was the main backdrop for the film.
Since it was a location that would be used frequently, director Sarah Rothe had a small park built from scratch to ensure they could film without interruption.
"This is Hollywood, all right..."
Seo Eunhye and An Daho, who had arrived on set with Seojun, had sparkling eyes. They had never imagined a production would build an entire park just to shoot a movie. If you didn't know it was a set, you would think it was just a regular park, lush with trees.
Seojun, having already experienced this during the filming of Shadowman 2, led his amazed mother and Daho to the dressing room.
"Welcome!"
"Hi, Jun!"
"Hi, Catherine! Paul!"
Two other children had already arrived in the dressing room. Seojun put on the clothes his stylist handed him and had his hair done. As he came out, chatting with Catherine and Paul, he saw two people greeting his mother and Daho.
It was Professor Benjamin Morton, smiling kindly, and Jayden Moore, wearing pitch-black sunglasses.
The children chirped like chicks as they greeted Professor Morton.
"Hello, Professor!"
"Today's Catherine's first performance scene, isn't it? Just relax, okay? As long as you're not nervous, you'll be perfect."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Catherine replied with a bright smile. Seojun greeted Jayden. After two weeks of lessons, they had become friendly enough to make small talk.
During their chat, Seojun learned that Jayden was on edge because of his first-ever solo recital.
When he told the other kids, Catherine and Paul nodded sagely, saying they had felt the same way during their first shoot, showing a rather mature understanding of Jayden Moore's feelings.
'These kids seem more big-hearted...'
Seojun asked Jayden a question. Now that they were fairly close, Jayden Moore no longer bothered to hide his disgruntled expressions. Seojun was so used to his sulky face that he thought a smiling one would be scarier.
"Jayden, didn't you say you were busy preparing for your recital?"
"...The professor said he was coming, so I had to come."
Professor Morton smiled and nudged Jayden in the side.
"We've been watching Jun's work for the past two weeks. We just finished the last episode of Naeuiwon yesterday."
"Really? What did you think?"
The pronunciation must have been difficult, but the way the professor said 'Naeuiwon' was so natural that Seojun could tell how intently he had watched it. Seojun's eyes sparkled.
"It was truly wonderful. I cried so much my eyes are still stinging. After watching it, I told Jayden how excited I was to see Jun film today, and I guess he got curious too because he was waiting in front of my house. So we came together."
No wonder he was wearing sunglasses. Seojun asked with a smile.
"Did Jayden cry too?"
"..."
His lips were sealed shut, but everyone understood. They all burst into laughter.
* * *
To prepare for the shoot, the three children headed to the center of the park, surrounded by cameras and staff, chatting amongst themselves.
"Hmm. It doesn't really suit you, Jun."
"I know, right? It's probably because your face is too handsome."
Seojun burst out laughing at Catherine and Paul's words. Catherine and Paul, the children of Starfield, and Seojun, the child of Downrock. The difference in their attire was stark.
Catherine and Paul were dressed in clean, brightly colored clothes, not much different from what they usually wore.
"Look over there. Even the stylists are looking at Jun and worrying."
Seojun, the child from Downrock, was wearing clean but faded, worn-out clothes. It was the kind of clothing from a place where people lived day to day, making new clothes a luxury. Downrock was a dangerous, depressing, and hopeless place.
"Should we smudge some soot on him?"
At the stylist's suggestion, director Sarah Rothe shook her head.
"Gray may be poor, but he's a child well cared for by his mother. He wouldn't be running around with soot on him."
"But doesn't he stand out too much? His face is so radiant, it's like he's the only one in a spotlight."
Emily whispered. Hearing this, Director Rothe and the staff burst into laughter. After a hearty laugh, Director Rothe spoke.
"Let's just try filming first. If it doesn't work, there's always the option of using makeup to make him look paler."
Though she said that, Sarah Rothe trusted Seojun.
She had seen enough of his acting over the past two weeks. She had a premonition that even though he was smiling with such a bright face now, the moment filming began, he would become a 'perfect Gray,' so much so that people who knew Seojun Lee wouldn't even recognize him.
"Emily, let's get ready to shoot."
"Yes!"
The first scene was of the three children meeting in the park, which was divided by the boundary between the two towns. The staff, having checked the cameras and lighting, finished their preparations. The child actors' guardians and the crew all focused on the children.
"We'll begin filming now."
The assistant director Emily's voice was heard after she looked around the now-quiet set.
"Ready, action!"
Sarah Rothe, after confirming Catherine and Paul were in the monitor, shouted loudly. In the wide-open park, Rebecca's energetic voice could be heard.
"Are you getting good shots?"
"Yeah."
"Our school is so weird. Why would they assign us something like this?"
"Well, it worked out, didn't it? You get to record your practice to study it, and I get to study directing by filming you."
Rebecca nodded at George's words.
Director Sarah Rothe smiled and gestured quietly. Several cameras zoomed in on the two child actors.
"What piece are you going to play?"
"The piece I'm going to play is 'Spring' from Vivaldi's Four Seasons."
"Why Spring, of all things?"
"Because it's my favorite piece. I'll start playing now."
"Okay."
George filmed Rebecca, who stood holding her violin, with the camera in his hand. *Hoo.* Rebecca took a breath and placed the violin on her shoulder. She rested her chin on it and raised her bow.
After a brief pause, Sarah Rothe yelled.
"Cut, okay!"
They got an okay on the first take. Catherine and Paul smiled as they left the set and headed for the monitor.
They watched the playback with Director Rothe. A sense of tension filled the air as Jun and the director watched the footage in silence.
They were supposed to be checking how it came out, but they couldn't take their eyes off Seojun's and Sarah Rothe's faces.
After checking the footage, Seojun turned around. He saw Catherine and Paul's tense faces. Seojun smiled brightly. They seemed extremely nervous right before filming, but they had done a great, natural job.
"You were amazing!"
The two children smiled shyly at Seojun's compliment. Soon, Director Sarah Rothe also looked up from the monitor and praised Catherine and Paul.
"The lines were perfect and your eye contact was great. Catherine, Paul, let's shoot the performance scene next. Professor Morton, if you see anything that needs improvement, please let me know after the shoot."
"Understood."
Catherine and Paul stood in the middle of the park. Catherine corrected her posture. She recalled the performance sequence she had practiced for two weeks. As the violin performance began, both Benjamin Morton and Jayden focused on Catherine.
"One, two..."
*Click!* A small signal was heard, and as music flowed from the speakers, Catherine's right arm moved. Thanks to her practice, her timing was perfect.
Professor Morton watched Catherine with a pleased expression. Just from her posture, she looked like a child who had dedicated years to the violin, just as 'Rebecca's' character was supposed to.
"Cut!"
Director Sarah Rothe looked at Professor Morton. It looked fine to her, but a professional's eye might see it differently. When Professor Morton nodded, Director Rothe shouted.
"OK!"
Following that, they filmed bust shots and close-up shots of the same scene. Fortunately, the scenes with just the two of them finished without any NGs.
"Ugh. That was tough."
Catherine slumped to the ground. Seojun handed her a water bottle from An Daho and fanned Paul with a fan.
"You worked hard."
"No, I'm more worried about the next scene."
"Yeah, me too."
"Huh?"
Seojun tilted his head at the two children's words. With faces a mix of anticipation and worry, they spoke up.
"We're filming with the acting genius, Jun! Ugh, I'm so nervous! What if I'm so overwhelmed I can't even say my lines?"
"I know. I'm so worried I practiced only the first scene over and over."
"I don't think it'll be that bad."
Despite Seojun's words, the children didn't know what to do with themselves.
The child actors weren't the only ones curious about Seojun's acting. Director Sarah Rothe, Benjamin Morton, Jayden Moore, and the staff were all curious.
They had heard he was incredible in the practice room, but that was with a musical instrument; this was the real acting.
"Alright, we'll start filming."
Emily, her heart pounding more than usual, announced the start of the shoot. The cameras, lights, and microphones were all focused. With everyone's eyes on the set, Sarah Rothe yelled.
"Ready! Action!"
It was George who spotted the head of black hair. The black hair in the bushes, visible on the camera screen, was too conspicuous.
"Hey. Who's there?"
The black head of hair flinched. Rebecca, who had been preparing to play the next piece, also turned to look. George shouted fiercely.
"I said, who are you?!"
"...S-sorry."
The head popped up. *Huh?* Catherine and Paul's eyes widened. It was the same for Sarah Rothe, Professor Morton, and Jayden. While no one was left un-surprised, only Seo Eunhye and An Daho had proud faces.
'That's our Seojun!'
This was not the Seojun from moments ago—the one who, despite his slightly worn clothes, seemed to have lived a bright and happy life, the one who just looking at him made you think he'd grown up well. There stood a child, worn down by the world, beaten by loneliness, and grimy.
In a world of vibrant colors, only the spot where the child stood seemed to be in monochrome. As if veiled by the shadow of a tree, only his space looked dark. It exuded the unique seriousness and melancholy of black and white. Seojun had simply started acting, yet the atmosphere was completely different.
"Uh, uh..."
In the end, faced with this transformation, the two child actors forgot their lines.
"Cut! NG!"
Director Sarah Rothe, the first to snap out of it, yelled, and the cameras stopped. The moment she said it, Seojun's aura changed once again. Tossing aside the grimy demeanor, he ran over with a bright face.
"What? Did something happen?"
At his perfectly normal and radiant face, everyone was once again at a loss for words. Was the monochrome effect they had just seen an illusion? They rubbed their eyes and looked again, but Seojun was in full, vivid color. His jet-black hair and eyes sparkled beautifully like the night sky.
Jayden Moore rubbed his arms, which were covered in goosebumps.
Over the two weeks of teaching Seojun with Professor Morton, he had taken a liking to his playing style, which was similar to his own.
As a violinist, he felt a twinge of jealousy at Seojun's dazzling growth, but at the same time, his heart pounded with anticipation, wondering what kind of music this child would create when he grew up.
So he had asked the professor what he thought about recommending the violin to Seojun, but Professor Morton had only smiled without saying a word.
'Well, his acting in Naeuiwon was amazing, but... you never know if that was the director's skill or the writer's talent.'
Completely forgetting that he had sobbed while watching Naeuiwon, Jayden Moore had started discreetly looking into good professors and schools. He had been pondering how to persuade Seojun for the past few days, but it was all a waste of time.
'His genius-level skill is one thing, but...'
Recalling Seojun's sparkling eyes, Jayden Moore sighed and gave up.
While assistant director Emily handed scripts to the child actors and Seojun went over the scene with them again, Director Sarah Rothe and Benjamin Morton had a conversation.
"A wonderful actor has appeared in the film world. His violin was good, but his acting is beyond imagination."
"Honestly, Jun would do well even if he pursued the violin."
"No. He would be good, I'm sure, but not to this extent."
Benjamin Morton had met many people from different fields over his long life. While teaching students, he could sense what they liked and what they focused on.
"Jun plays well, but it's for the sake of his acting. No matter how good he is, his heart is elsewhere. If Jun were to pour the passion and love he has for acting into an instrument, a phenomenal musician would be born, but Jun won't do that."
Professor Morton's gaze shifted to Jayden. A smile appeared on his face at the sight of his student's tightly shut, disgruntled lips. It seemed his student finally understood. Just as Jayden Moore loved the violin,
"Jun loves acting."
Sarah Rothe nodded at Benjamin Morton's words.
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