Chapter 12: Post-production

Five minutes later.

Cheng Sheng finally understood why the simulation panel could produce the complete version of the "Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue" (The King of Qin Breaks the Battle Lines).

Because as long as it relates to the historical films being shot, the simulation panel can complete any missing content.

It just so happened that the "Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue" was content featured in this film.

Great!

If this is the case, as long as he films historical movies in the future, those lost works will be able to reappear.

However, what worried Cheng Sheng slightly was how to explain the origin of these items.

After thinking for a long time, Cheng Sheng still couldn't come up with a good excuse.

Forget it, when the time comes, he’ll just say he picked them up at an antique market. As for whether people believe it or not, that’s not his concern.

In any case, no one would ever think of the simulation panel.

A car drove into the Central Academy of Drama campus.

Then it drove directly to the bottom of Cheng Sheng's dormitory building.

"Is this the place?"

The curator asked Xiao Lu.

"I've already asked around; this is the men's dormitory building," Xiao Lu replied.

"Good, come up with me."

The curator led Xiao Lu and another person into the dormitory and arrived at the door of Cheng Sheng's room.

"Knock."

Under the curator's order, Xiao Lu knocked on the dormitory door.

Cheng Sheng opened the door, saw the three people outside, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

"You must be Cheng Sheng! We spoke on the phone earlier. My name is Xiao Lu, and this is our curator," Xiao Lu said with a smile.

"So it's you. I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly," Cheng Sheng said, surprised.

The curator asked, "Young comrade, is the 'Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue' you mentioned real?"

"It is. It's right here in my room. Let's go inside and talk."

Cheng Sheng welcomed the three of them in.

Afterward, Cheng Sheng handed the ancient book to the curator.

The curator touched the ancient book and felt a sense of historical weight.

He then began to flip through the pages.

One minute.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes later.

The curator closed the book in excitement, grabbed Cheng Sheng's hand, and said, "Young comrade, this is wonderful! Are you really handing this national treasure over to us?"

"Yes," Cheng Sheng nodded.

"Curator, is it real?" Xiao Lu asked from the side.

"It's authentic. Although I haven't seen the original score of the 'Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue,' I can be certain that this ancient book is genuine," the curator said with a firm tone.

"Great! This is fantastic."

"The treasures of Huaxia have finally returned, and it's the complete version at that—much better than the incomplete scores held by the Japanese."

Xiao Lu and the other person said excitedly.

"Young comrade, thank you."

The curator shook Cheng Sheng's hand and expressed his solemn gratitude.

"You're welcome. The book was useless in my hands anyway; handing it over to the state is the best choice. However, Curator, I have one request. I hope you can agree to it."

Upon hearing this, the curator said earnestly, "Go ahead and say it. I will agree to any condition you have."

"I hope that before my film is released, you won't publicize the matter of the 'Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue'," Cheng Sheng said.

"A film? What film?" The curator was stunned.

"Wait, Central Academy of Drama, Cheng Sheng... are you the Director Cheng who is filming 'The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins'?"

The curator didn't pay much attention to entertainment news, but Xiao Lu was different. Hearing Cheng Sheng's words, he immediately remembered.

"That's right, I am Cheng Sheng."

Xiao Lu was shocked. He hadn't expected that the person who handed a national treasure over to the state was the same Cheng Sheng who had been making waves in the entertainment news recently.

For a long time, many people online had been pessimistic about Cheng Sheng's film. He had been one of them, even complaining about it online. After all, a young man in his twenties filming a historical epic seemed unreliable.

But this very person he had complained about had just given him such a huge surprise.

The "Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue"!

Cheng Sheng hadn't even hesitated, handing it over directly. If it had been anyone else, they would have kept it for their own collection.

At this moment, Xiao Lu became increasingly curious about Cheng Sheng's film.

How could someone with such a broad mind fail to make a good historical film?

The curator and his team left with the ancient book, having promised Cheng Sheng that they would not tell anyone about it until the film was released.

With the curator's guarantee, Cheng Sheng was very happy. When the film was released, the addition of this national treasure would definitely cause a sensation.

At that time, if people wanted to hear this music, they would have to watch the film.

Cheng Sheng could already foresee how much of a stir his film would cause.

Although the ancient book had been given to the curator, Cheng Sheng had already re-recorded the music and handed it to Xu Jingqing, asking him to produce the "Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue" as quickly as possible.

As soon as Xu Jingqing saw the score for the "Qin Wang Po Zhen Yue," he was absolutely awestruck.

He was so excited he almost knelt down on the spot.

Fortunately, Cheng Sheng calmed him down.

He also received a guarantee that the music would be produced as quickly as possible.

After handing the soundtrack over to Xu Jingqing, Cheng Sheng dove into the editing room, eager to see the results.

He didn't hire professional editors from China Film Group; instead, he asked the school for a few students from the directing department's editing major to help out, which also gave them an internship opportunity.

With people helping, Cheng Sheng's work became much easier.

The first stage was the rough cut, where the main task was to arrange the footage according to the script's structure without needing excessive transitions or detailed processing.

The purpose of the rough cut was to strengthen the understanding of the video's overall architecture and material, providing a foundation for the fine cut.

Then came the fine cut, where the details of the film were polished based on the rough cut.

The fine cut included the precise assembly of shots, music editing, and transition processing to ensure the film was coherent, smooth, and clear in meaning.

Generally, during editing, the director stays by the side because they need to communicate with the editor to avoid having the editor cut a shot incorrectly.

But Cheng Sheng was different; he was both the director and the editor.

Not only did he help with the editing, but he also guided the directing students who were assisting him.

In addition to the rough and fine cuts, there was the final cut. After color grading and sound effects were completed, the final editing work was done to ensure every detail of the film met the requirements.

This step included checking transition effects, subtitle placement, and sound synchronization.

Of course, this final step required working with the composer and sound engineer, and then the film would be complete.

Usually, editing a film is not a smooth process, and many editors spend this time arguing with directors.

As for why they argue, it is mainly to pass censorship.

To pass censorship, one needs to identify problems in the film, cut out the parts that won't pass, and add in some of the discarded footage to keep the plot coherent.

But Cheng Sheng was different. His film was a historical piece, and it didn't contain anything inappropriate for children or content that would undermine national unity.

Therefore, the editing was exceptionally fast, and he didn't have to struggle with the editor.

He also didn't need to be like other directors, creating two versions—one for censorship and one for film festivals.

Half a month later.

Cheng Sheng and the five directing students finally completed the film's post-production.

(End of chapter)