Tokyo Bubble Life

Chapters 1464 and 1473: I've given so much to this movie!!!

After a good night's sleep, Mr. and Mrs. Nagayama were full of energy the next day.

However, since she didn't sleep with Natsuka last night, the little one didn't see Nagayama Naoki when she woke up in the morning, and then clung to him tightly.

After enjoying a hearty breakfast, Naoki Nagayama was about to take a helicopter to Mount Akina.

"Dad, I want to go with you!"

Xiaoxia Hua, having gone out with her father before, had become more adventurous. She hurriedly jumped off her special chair, wanting to go out and play with him, hoping to find some interesting candies or something.

"Damn!"

Akina picked up the little one in one swift motion.

"Dad has to go to work today! He can't bring the flower jam!"

The little guy twisted his body and said loudly:

"Hana-chan wants to be with Daddy!"

"."

Naoki Nagayama could only offer words of comfort.

"Huajiang, I really can't go today. When I come back, how about Dad brings you the baked buns you ate before?"

"."

Xia Hua pondered for a moment; baked buns seemed like a good idea.

At this moment, Akina also spoke up:

"Hua Jiang spent the whole day with Dad yesterday, so how about you stay home with Mom today?"

With the couple's repeated reassurances, Naoki Nagayama was finally able to escape and board the helicopter bound for Mount Akina.

As the whooshing sound of propellers echoed from the summit of Mount Akina, the film crew had already gathered by the lake at the top.

"Naoki-san!"

As soon as Naoki Nagayama got off the plane, Muneo Matsuo and Tomoyuki Nishimoto came over to him.

"The mountain roads on Mount Akina are closed. No other vehicles will be passing through all day today!"

"Yes, there are traffic police officers stationed at the entrance!"

Listening to the two chattering about the situation, Naoki Nagayama stood on the mountaintop and looked through his binoculars. Sure enough, the entire mountain road had been cleared out, and roadblocks had been set up at the far entrance of the mountain road.

Actually, this was on a mountain road in Gunma; otherwise, it might have been even more difficult for Naoki Nagayama to get the permit.

"it is good!"

Naoki Nagayama walked towards the open space filled with cars, including a peculiar trailer and a small helicopter.

The filming equipment needed for today's shots was quite extensive! And it was also very expensive.

The trailer parked in the open space had been modified, towing a shell vehicle with a frame installed on the outside and mounting points for the cameras on both sides. A larger mounting point had also been set up in front of the trailer.

The car's rear wheels were gone, but the front wheels were still there, though they were off the ground.

"This is the trailer used for filming the interior of the car chase."

In those days, there were no professional composite film trailers, so they were temporary modifications.

However, this modification isn't difficult; all you need is a suitable trailer. You can even weld guardrails around the trailer for added safety.

"Very good."

They could have filmed in a studio at a lower cost and with greater safety, but that would have significantly increased the investment in post-production compositing. Otherwise, it would have been easily detected, and there wouldn't have been realistic lighting or the actual scenery of the Akina Mountain road.

In the original "Fast & Furious" movies, some of the scenes inside the cars looked fake; there wasn't even any vibration at high speeds.

He patted the sturdy railing and looked at Nishimoto Tomoyuki:

"That way, Nishimoto-kun won't have to worry about losing his footing and falling!"

"."

Nishimoto Tomoyuki's lips twitched slightly, then he forced a smile. He was operating the camera, and he had to stand in front of the car at high speed!

That was so exciting!

Matsuo Muneo led Naoki Nagayama to the other side of the helicopter:

"Naoki-san, the helicopter has also been fixed in position and can now shoot overhead shots!"

Generally speaking, overhead shots can be taken with a crane camera, but since this is a mountain road, a helicopter is needed to shoot distant views.

"Ha, so this helicopter must be Matsuo-kun's ride!"

Similarly, a camera operator is needed during filming. The trailer was operated by Tomoyuki Nishimoto, and the plane was operated by Muneo Matsuo!

As for the real director, Naoki Nagayama, he was, of course, standing in a safe place, issuing orders via radio!

After inspecting the filming equipment, Naoki Nagayama went to the actors' side.

"Takakura-san, Leon, how are you? Are you nervous?"

Today's main filming scene is their car chase scene. This is a test before Leon Lai joins Ken Takakura's racing team, and it's also a shot showcasing the charm of car racing.

"Naoki Mulberry".

Ken Takakura smiled.

"It's alright. I've been to Mount Haruna before and driven the mountain roads a few times, so I'm fairly familiar with it!"

Shifting his gaze to the other side, Li Ming clearly became somewhat nervous:

"I drove it a few times yesterday, and I can only say I'm just getting used to it."

"Haha, it's okay!"

Naoki Nagayama patted him on the shoulder.

"During the car chase, the tow truck driver is an expert; you just need to focus on the performance! There are also shots of the start and end."

"Hi"

After speaking with the two lead actors, Naoki Nagayama then discussed today's scenes with Shizuka Kudo, Keiko Matsuzaka, and others before finally arriving at former race car driver Tomohisa Taguchi and Tomohiro Morimoto, who were getting their makeup done.

These two are the stand-ins for Ken Takakura and Leon Lai today. They are the ones who do the high-speed shots!

"Taguchi-san, Morimoto-san"

The two of them were dressed in the same outfits as Ken Takakura and Leon Lai, and were being worked on by special effects makeup artists to make their facial features even more similar.

"Naoki-san!" x2

"Did you run the mountain road yesterday?"

"Hey, I've already run past it again!"

Tomohisa Taguchi answered directly.

"We are already very familiar with the mountain trails!"

"very good."

Naoki Nagayama asked,

"Have you found a good spot to film the bend in the sewer?"

Naoki Nagayama still can't let go of his obsession with the bends in the sewers and wants to show off his skills in the movie.

"Hey, we've found it!"

Tomohiro Morimoto said,

"It's right at the last bend, where the slope is gentle and the speed is controllable."

"Okay, then we'll film there for the last time!"

A car repair shop in Tokyo.

Asakura Akio hurried in and, seeing Kitami Jun inspecting a vehicle, asked:

"How is it? What's the condition of the car?"

As Kitami Jun lifted himself from the hood of the blue Fairlady Z (240Z) in front of him, he wiped the sweat from his brow with his elbow.

"As it stands, there are no problems."

He looked at Asakura Akio, somewhat surprised.

Are you running away today?

"Hi!"

Asakura Akio said somewhat excitedly,

"A high-speed car race will be held tonight in the mountains of Gunma. The mountain roads will be closed, and there will be no police!"

Being a street racer is actually quite tough. They can usually only drive safely on deserted roads at midnight, and they also have to dodge the police.

Scenes like those in movies where cars speed through the city and the police can't catch them—that only exists in movies!

"really?"

Kitami Junya looked completely surprised.

"How could such a good thing happen?"

"I heard it was closed because of filming a movie. They're really something! They can just close a road like that!"

"Is it that Naoki Nagayama movie?"

"Yes!"

Asakura Akio seemed to have remembered as well.

"It looks like him!"

"Can he let the racers run the races?"

"No problem! Lots of street racers went!"

"Okay then! I'll go too."

After meeting up, the two decided to go on a trip. In Tokyo, there are very few places where you can openly race cars!

The news spread among street racers, and many enthusiasts, upon hearing it, began calling on their friends to head to Gunma Prefecture.

"On your marks, get set, action!"

The director seemed to just keep yelling "Action!" and "Cut!" And of course, there was the meal break!

However, this time, Naoki Nagayama shouted this from inside the car!

He was on the downhill driveway, sitting in the back of the car parallel to the trailer, and using a radio to direct the filming.

Meanwhile, on the trailer, Nishimoto Banyuki, secured by a safety harness, stood firmly in a horse stance, intently operating the camera.

Inside the car, Ken Takakura was operating the steering wheel with a serious expression.

As the trailer entered the curve, Ken Takakura tilted slightly due to the centrifugal force of the turn, his hands rapidly swerving the steering wheel while his legs strained. However, his demeanor remained calm, as if he had experienced this situation countless times before!

During the five consecutive hairpin bends, Ken Takakura, inside the trailer, constantly turned left and right, his entire performance synchronized with the trailer's turns.

Once they finally exited the bend, Naoki Nagayama, who had been watching from the other car the whole time, shouted into the radio:

"Crack!"

Gradually, the tow truck and the cars traveling alongside it came to a stop in the middle of the road.

Naoki Nagayama got off the truck and quickly went to the camera mounted in front of the trailer, where he reviewed the footage on the director's monitor.

Ken Takakura also got out of the driver's seat and came to Naoki Nagayama's side:

"Naoki-san, how is it?"

Naoki Nagayama looked at the small screen with his arms crossed, somewhat conflicted.

"The performances were all very good. However, without any dialogue throughout, it felt like something was missing."

"Although Takakura-san, your acting is very good, no one wants to just watch a character drive without saying a word."

"Forehead"

Ken Takakura was speechless. You wrote the script and the lines!

"That's right!"

Naoki Nagayama snapped his fingers and looked at Ken Takakura.

"Takakura-san, you need to project a sense of superiority during the race."

"It's like you're a pro and the other person is a newbie."

"As for the lines."

At that moment, countless provocative lines flashed through Naoki Nagayama's mind, such as "A newbie is a newbie," "They're all trash!" and "So you're just a nobody." However, these lines were clearly not suitable for this situation.

Then he looked at Ken Takakura:

"Takakura-san, feel free to improvise. Something like, 'You're still far from good enough. Let me teach you how to drive!'"

"Anyone will step on the gas on a straight road, but it's the curves that really test your driving skills," and so on!

Hearing Naoki Nagayama casually spout lines, Ken Takakura quickly memorized them!

Then Naoki Nagayama looked up at the mountain path and said:

"This whole process will take four or five minutes, you can add it whenever you want. It's okay if you make a mistake, I'll cut it out later!"

Ken Takakura nodded:

"Hi! I'll try to finish in one go!"

Haha, okay~

He ordered the tow truck to turn around, and he and Nishimoto Banyuki got back into the car and drove it back.

The two also chatted about the camera work, since Nishimoto Tomoyuki was the one who was truly on the front lines!

"Nishimoto-kun, do you think there was anything lacking in the filming just now?"

"The filming locations for Naoki were very realistic, and Takakura's performance was also excellent."

Nishimoto Banyuki paused for a moment, then spoke.

"When I was standing on the trailer, my legs were a little weak, and it was difficult to control the camera with some effort!"

"Oh, I see!"

Naoki Nagayama understood; not everyone could remain unfazed while driving on the highway.

"Once we get up there, have the props team weld on another support frame so you can be more secure when operating the camera!"

"."

Shouldn't they slow down, or use a robotic arm instead? Why do they need a grown man like me?

Nishimoto Tomoyuki couldn't help but think to himself, "This is so dangerous, I'm a little scared!" Actually, he had peed a little during the high-speed turn earlier.

"Hey! That would be perfect!"

However, after hesitating for a few seconds, Nishimoto Tomoyuki still didn't say it, otherwise Matsuo Muneo, who had been eyeing him covetously, might have volunteered himself!

He could almost picture that guy excitedly shouting, "I'll do it! I'm not afraid of the highway! If Xiben can't do it, I can!"

"I'm sure I can do even better next time I shoot!"

This is the price he paid for his film career!

We'll probably have to do this back and forth many more times. Each time will be a test of the actors' and director's physical and mental well-being!

In addition, there are also overhead shots!

However, Naoki Nagayama will have to be on the plane for that event too!

"Hehehe, I really want to see Naoki-san's legs go weak!!"

As it approached noon, after filming Ken Takakura's scenes, the props team immediately replaced the empty car shell behind the trailer with a new one. The two characters were driving completely different cars!

"Leon"

Naoki Nagayama discussed his scenes with Leon Lai before filming.

"When we're filming later, you need to act even more excited and thrilled!"

"In terms of movement and expression, you must convey the feeling of a novice competing against a top expert. Breathing rapidly, sweat beading on your forehead."

"For example, frequently checking the rearview mirror and sides to determine the location of Ken Takakura's car. Gripping the steering wheel more firmly, etc."

As Leon Lai listened to the director's words, he nodded and immediately sketched out his performance in front of the camera in his mind!

"Ok!"

Dawn nodded to Naoki Nagayama.

"I'll also add some little tricks."

"Okay, you can do it yourself."

Naoki Nagayama gave him the authority; such a four- or five-minute long take couldn't possibly be done in one continuous shot. With several takes, he could eventually edit it to the shape he needed.

Seeing the slightly tense expression on Dawn's face, Naoki Nagayama thought that this state was quite good!

"Leon, stay focused."

"it is good!"

After the conversation, Naoki Nagayama went to the trailer where the new car was being installed and inspected it with Tomoyuki Nishimoto.

"Nishimoto-kun, is the extra support bracket installed?!"

"It's installed!"

Props maker Ryohei Matsuura eagerly answered.

"Naoki-san, don't worry. We've put a lot of effort into this setup. We're making sure that even if someone stands in this position and loses feeling in their lower body, they can still operate the camera with their upper body upright!"

"and"

How thoughtful!

Naoki Nagayama looked at Tomoyuki Nishimoto:

"Nishimoto-kun? What do you think?!"

I think it's fine!

Nishimoto Tomoyuki looked at the restraints that resembled more of a torture device than a safety measure, and nodded stiffly.

"The props team really put in a lot of effort! They should have given us an extra treat at lunch today!"

I, Nishimoto Tomoyuki, have truly sacrificed so much for the film! (End of Chapter)