The film napoleon dynamite is permeated with a strong 1980s vibe from beginning to end.
All the objects presented in the film are old antiques from that era: bulky Walkmans, large and cumbersome old computers with complicated operations, and videotapes carrying countless memories... everything is outdated.
This film was originally released in 2004, but in Kazir's opinion, it should have been released before the digital age—its retro style, dense humor, and slightly awkward innocence were a perfect match.
Kazir was full of confidence; he firmly believed that by filming this movie so many years in advance, he could rewrite its original fate.
But don't misunderstand, the original version was already quite impressive, a true classic.
However, it only grossed 40 million US dollars at the box office, a figure that simply didn't match its excellence and didn't do its value justice.
That year, the first time Kazir watched napoleon dynamite, he was deeply moved by its story.
At that time, he was at the lowest point in his life, as if he were in endless darkness, unable to see a glimmer of hope.
By chance, he casually clicked on a movie, originally just wanting to pass some time, but he didn't expect this film to be like a strong light, instantly illuminating the dark corner deep within his heart.
After watching the film, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
A person who had been utterly defeated and lost everything on the battlefield of life, watching Napoleon's silly yet incredibly adorable dance moves in the film, first couldn't help but laugh out loud, but as he laughed, tears welled up uncontrollably, moistening his eyes.
It was also because of this film that Kazir unhesitatingly bought its official DVD.
Thereafter, whenever he felt depressed or down, he would take out the DVD and dance along with Napoleon.
In those joyful dance steps, he seemed to be able to temporarily forget all the troubles and worries in his life.
As time went on, he became so familiar with every dance move in the film that he could perform them perfectly even with his eyes closed.
"Is that really you? Didn't you say you couldn't dance?"
Reiner and Harold stared wide-eyed, looking at Kazir in the videotape with astonishment.
He was vibrant in front of the camera, his dance steps light and skilled, dancing with such immersion that every movement was natural and fluid, not at all like he was faking it.
They had specifically rented a VCR, eager to rewatch Kazir's carefully choreographed dance tutorial.
As they watched, they were completely stunned, as if they had discovered a brand new Kazir.
Reiner couldn't help but ask, "You taught Ed those moves, didn't you?"
Kazir nodded and said, "Yes, before coming to Idaho, I gave him the videotape, and he promised me he'd memorized everything."
"Wow... you really can dance, and you're so good at it." The two stared at Kazir, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt, as if they were looking at a complete stranger.
Kazir shrugged helplessly, thinking that they had no idea that this dance was a special stress-relief tool for him.
Whenever the pressures of life came crashing down on him like a tide, all his worries would instantly vanish as soon as he started this dance.
"Luckily, most of the original songs can be found; I estimate we can use more than half of them," Kazir said, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Alright, then let's officially start work today."
Kazir had already meticulously arranged the filming schedule, determined to strictly adhere to the plan and advance the shooting progress.
They had already been in Idaho for four days, and every minute and every second felt exceptionally precious.
At this moment, he clutched a thick stack of storyboards tightly in his hand, afraid that any confusion would arise in the filming rhythm.
Although dozens of scenes had been shot so far, the total length of this film was over ninety minutes; how could it possibly be finished in just three days?
According to his estimate, they would have to stay here for at least a month, and if the progress was not ideal, they might even have to add two more weeks.
"Kazir, why are you like you're on drugs? This shooting speed is too fast," Harold said with a smile, gently patting his shoulder.
Kazir asked with a puzzled expression, "What? I'm not on drugs!"
"That's not what I mean." Harold couldn't help but laugh. "Reiner and I both noticed that your filming speed this time is much faster than before. Previously, when you shot a scene, just adjusting the camera angle would take half a day, and everyone would be anxious waiting. But now, you can easily shoot three or four scenes in a day; the difference is too great."
"Yes, it's as if you already know exactly how to shoot every scene. You don't test any shots; you just set the shooting angle, editing style, and transition effects directly. It feels like this film was already fully formed in your mind, and you're just filming according to it now," Reiner said thoughtfully, stroking his chin, his tone sounding quite mysterious.
Kazir's heart skipped a beat; he knew that Reiner was telling the truth.
In fact, he had only changed a few plot points based on the original to make the jokes more plentiful; generally, he was filming entirely according to the original.
But how could he explain such a thing?
"Hehe, how could that be? I'm not a time traveler from the future," Kazir quickly interjected, trying to change the subject, forcing a somewhat unnatural smile.
"Stop messing around, let's get to work! The actors are almost ready," Kazir said hastily.
"Okay," everyone responded in unison, then busied themselves, preparing to start the next scene's filming.
Next up was Napoleon's entrance scene.
"Are the cameras ready?"
"Ready!"
This was an outdoor shoot, so no extra lighting was needed.
At this moment, the sun hung high in the sky, emitting scorching rays; although it was a bit hot, the light was very sufficient.
Kazir nodded to the script supervisor, signaling to begin.
"Scene two, take four. Lights, camera, action!" As the script supervisor gave the command, filming officially began.
A few seconds later, a school bus slowly approached and stopped steadily by the roadside. The door opened, and Napoleon boarded the bus with slightly clumsy steps. The entire process was simple and natural, without any delay.
"Cut! Prepare for the next scene!" Kazir shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the air.
This school bus was specially rented, and only for today; time was very tight, so all the scenes on the bus had to be filmed quickly.
In the next scene, Napoleon sat in the back row of the school bus, with a boy sitting next to him.
Ed looked uncomfortable, weakly staring ahead, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion and fatigue, as if he hadn't fully woken up yet.
"Napoleon, what do you want to do today?" The boy turned his head, looking at Napoleon, played by Ed, and asked curiously.
"Whatever I want, damn it."
Napoleon impatiently turned his head, first glancing out the window, then secretly peeking at the driver.
Seeing that the driver wasn't paying attention to him, he took the opportunity to open the window, carefully tying a toy to a string, and then gently throwing it out.
The toy, pulled by the string, dragged along outside the car window, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.
"Cut! Ten-minute break, change locations!"
Kazir shouted again, a hint of fatigue in his voice.
Hearing the director call cut, Ed finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, sighing inwardly: it was really too hot today; he felt like he was melting.
"Here."
Just then, a crew member handed him a bottle of iced mineral water.
"Thank you."
Ed gratefully took the mineral water and gulped down a few mouthfuls.
"You're lucky," the crew member said with a smile.
"Huh?" Ed looked at the other person with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he would say that.
"Now the director is filming very quickly, so you'll suffer less," the crew member explained.
"He wasn't like this before?" Ed asked curiously; he wasn't very familiar with Kazir's directing style.
"Before, for one scene, he could spend half a day adjusting angles. The director was always striving for perfection, demanding extremely high standards for every shot; sometimes, if an angle wasn't satisfactory, he would adjust it repeatedly. Now, it's great; he just sets how to shoot directly, without any hesitation. It seems he's already thought it all through and has a clear idea," the crew member said with emotion.
"Oh."
Ed nodded thoughtfully.
To be honest, he was quite grateful to Kazir for giving him this opportunity. The day he got this role, he was so excited he didn't sleep all night.
Just then, Kazir walked over and casually asked, "How's the dance practice going? Have you memorized it all?"
"I've memorized it; I even practiced last night," Ed quickly nodded.
"That's good, but you also need to sleep well; don't get sick from exhaustion. Your body is your capital; if you wear yourself out, it will delay the filming progress," Kazir said with concern.