Standing in the studio, Matthew glanced at the bow and arrow in his hand and waited patiently outside a tent. Filming was taking place inside the tent, and soon he would need to rush in. Since he couldn't see the situation inside, an Assistant Director wearing headphones stood nearby, waiting for notification from inside to give him a signal.
After waiting for a long time, no notification was sent out. The Assistant Director shrugged at him and mouthed a few words.
Matthew roughly understood that the scene inside had been NG'd (No Good).
He put down the longbow, propping it on the ground with one hand, while the other hand skillfully tucked three oddly shaped arrows back into the quiver on his back.
Chuck Russell's voice giving directions to the actors came from inside the tent. Matthew knew that filming wouldn't resume immediately.
Suddenly, a chair was placed behind him, followed by the voice of his assistant, Mira Wang, "Have a rest. You've been standing for half an hour."
Matthew did not refuse, handed the bow to Mira, and sat down on the chair.
It would certainly be a lie to say he wasn't tired. He had rushed to the studio for makeup before four this morning. Even though the crew had assigned extremely capable makeup artists and assistant makeup artists to the lead actor, his styling wasn't finished until nearly 8:30 AM. Filming officially started at 8:30 AM, and now, over half an hour later, the first shot still hadn't been completed due to various issues.
Not only that, but there was also the equipment he wore, from the simple leather armor to the quiver and the long saber. Even without counting the longbow, the weight was thirty pounds.
Luckily, he had trained in weighted cross-country running, otherwise, he would be out of breath by now.
Matthew waited for a moment, waved the Assistant Director over, and asked, "What's going on inside?"
The Assistant Director pointed to the tent. "The actor tied to the pillar keeps messing up."
Matthew nodded, said nothing more, and waited patiently.
Although he didn't recognize the actor tied to the pillar, he knew the actor was also a client of the Angel Talent Agency.
Filming quickly resumed. Mira Wang took the chair away, and Matthew, holding the bow and arrow, was ready to go again. This time there was no NG. He quickly saw the Assistant Director's signal, strode into the tent, drew the bow, and immediately shot the three bound arrows.
Matthew didn't know if the technique of shooting three arrows on one string actually existed; he certainly couldn't do it. So, the Prop Master had fixed the other two arrows onto a single arrow shaft.
Even so, the shot arrows were completely inaccurate, and since the prop bow was very soft, they only flew about ten meters before falling to the ground.
However, this didn't affect the filming. This kind of scene only required a shot of the character drawing the bow and shooting the arrow; the enemies killed by the arrows would be handled entirely in post-production editing.
The filming was not over. Following the designed routine, Matthew dodged a stabbing longsword, then used the longbow in his left hand to strike the person's head. Since the training had involved meticulous rehearsal, the actor collapsed perfectly onto the ground.
Matthew then threw away the longbow, drew the sharp blade from his waist, first blocked a slashing attack, then used a flying kick to send another charging soldier flying. He then turned and swung his saber, looking incredibly dashing, and the actor trying to attack from the side clutched his neck and fell to the ground. This was no longer the pre-designed routine.
Although there was a designed routine, this was a long take, which required the actors to improvise on the spot.
The initial plan for this film was to achieve a PG-13 rating, so virtually no fake blood was used during the on-set filming, and there certainly wouldn't be scenes of flying severed limbs, gore, and brains.
"Cut!" Chuck Russell shouted, stopping the filming, and then announced, "We got the scene!"
Matthew put away his weapon,
handed it to Mira Wang behind him. Chuck Russell walked onto the set and said to Matthew, "That action sequence was very good."
Action Director Tim Madsen was standing nearby, so Matthew seized the opportunity to praise him. "It was Tim's excellent design."
This wasn't entirely flattery. Tim Madsen had specifically tailored this set of action routines, combining agility and strength, to Matthew's physical characteristics, especially his flexible footwork and good coordination. It was highly suitable for shooting cool action scenes.
During rehearsals, Tim Madsen had filmed the sequences to find flaws in the action design and improve them promptly. Matthew felt the results were excellent even then.
After a brief rest and adjustment, filming resumed. Matthew had no dramatic scenes in this setting, only action sequences. Facing numerous enemies on the spacious ground in front of the camera, he used the actor tied to the pillar as a central point, constantly moving and engaging in combat. Under his blade, one actor after another fell to the ground in perfect coordination.
Compared to the previous dramatic scenes, Matthew's action sequences were filmed quite smoothly. Although many of the subsequent fight scenes were shot in fragments, often lasting only about ten seconds per shot, there were rarely any NGs. Most shots were completed in one or two takes.
"Matthew is very well prepared."
In the farthest corner of the filming area inside the tent, Helen Herman stood with Stephen Sommers and commented during a break in filming, "If he hadn't accumulated long-term training, the shoot wouldn't be going this smoothly."
"Mhm." Stephen Sommers nodded in agreement. "Matthew's professionalism is beyond doubt, and he has a special talent for action scenes. He often grasps things instantly and can execute them in the most suitable and perfect way."
Helen Herman adjusted her black-rimmed glasses. "I think he has the potential to become an action superstar."
Stephen Sommers was silent for a moment, then said, "Action films, especially traditional action films, are already declining."
"But emerging action films are on the rise," Helen Herman hinted. "For example, action combined with sci-fi, or action combined with fantasy—those genres have received very good responses in recent years."
Filming started again. Stephen Sommers didn't speak, and Helen Herman also remained silent.
However, Stephen Sommers kept a close eye on the set. Matthew Horner was indeed fully prepared. The next long action shot demonstrated extremely agile movements. He slipped out from the encirclement of four people, flashing his fangs like a deadly viper... Undoubtedly, this young actor's performance in the action scene could only be described as near-perfect. Even if he were directing the shoot, there would likely be no reason to reject it.
He couldn't help but think of the super project currently being planned with Universal Pictures. The confirmed lead actor, van helsing, was an exceptionally skilled and formidable Monster Hunter.
A character hailed as humanity's bravest hunter naturally required a matching male actor.
Aside from fame, Matthew Horner seemed very suitable in all other aspects.
Stephen Sommers made a decision: he could include Matthew Horner on the list of candidates, perhaps even as a key observation target. If this film succeeded, Matthew Horner would definitely gain some fame, becoming at least a small star.
Moreover, this aligned with his idea of making van helsing younger and cooler.
Filming on the set came to a temporary halt. After Director Chuck Russell called "cut," Matthew propped himself up with the prop long saber, his breathing somewhat ragged. The equipment on him was too heavy, especially after filming continuously for such a long time; the nearly thirty pounds of gear felt like a small mountain pressing down on him.
Having filmed for over two hours, Chuck Russell could see that Matthew's physical stamina had reached a critical point, so he quickly ordered loudly, "Stop filming! Take a thirty-minute break!"
Matthew walked to the rest area and sat on a chair. The Stylist immediately came over to help him remove the heavy weapons, equipment, and leather armor. Relieved of the heavy burden, Matthew took the blanket handed to him by Mira Wang and draped it over himself. The Makeup Artist, who had been following the shoot, then came over and carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead.
In just a few minutes, three different groups of people—from the Stylist to the Makeup Artist and the Prop Master—came over to serve him.
This was the lead actor, one of the central figures on the set!
If Matthew wanted, he could immediately summon anyone from any department of the crew.
Of course, Matthew wouldn't make people run around needlessly. His mindset was very well adjusted; even after becoming the lead actor, he remained as modest and humble as ever.
As long as others didn't act as stumbling blocks, he wouldn't foolishly rush up and kick them.
After removing the equipment and covering himself with the blanket, Matthew sat for a while, his breathing gradually evening out. Mira offered him tea, which he took and drank most of in one gulp. His previously lost stamina was rapidly recovering.
It must be said that this body had excellent innate conditions for sports. He could feel it himself; routines like the swordsmanship and close-quarters combat he learned during training were picked up very quickly, far surpassing the average person.
This could be considered the most valuable legacy left to him by the previous owner.
Matthew finished a cup of tea, leaned back in the chair, and was about to close his eyes to rest when he saw Helen Herman walking over.
"is something wrong?" He knew Helen Herman wouldn't approach him at this time unless it was important.
Helen Herman nodded slightly and looked toward Mira Wang on the other side. Mira Wang was very tactful and found an excuse to move away.
"I just tested the waters with Stephen Sommers." Helen Herman clearly placed extraordinary importance on the lead actor role in that major production. "He should have listed you as one of the backup candidates."
She instructed, "You must perform well."
Matthew looked up at Helen Herman and asked, "Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to talk about this right now?"
Helen Herman was stunned for a moment.
"Aren't you being a bit rushed?" Matthew, observing and guessing, roughly understood Helen Herman's current mental state and reminded her, "This isn't like you, Helen."
Hearing this, Helen Herman became alert and remained silent for a while, seemingly reflecting on her recent actions. After a full few minutes, she spoke again.
"Thank you." She thanked him sincerely. "Thank you, Matthew. I was too anxious."
Helen Herman prepared to leave. Before doing so, she added, "We'll talk about these things after you finish filming this movie. Just focus on the shoot and don't worry about anything else."