There are many characters in the story of "scent of a woman," but the core of the core is Colonel Slade, played by Al Pacino. Over eighty percent of Charlie's scenes, played by Hugo, are opposite Al, and the spark between these two characters is the key to determining the quality of the entire film.Although many Actors will participate in the filming in New York, the main characters are Al and Hugo. Their presence means the crew is ready. Other Actors can only be considered guest stars, with no more than three days of filming time at most. This is also the reason why Hugo only saw Al after arriving at the hotel.The so-called script rehearsal mainly includes two parts. One is Martin explaining the character's setting, psychology, and motivations, and discussing them with the Actors so that they have a deeper understanding of the entire work, thereby allowing them to better grasp their characters. The other is Al and Hugo rehearsing some lines, not only to prepare for the first scene about to be filmed, but also to allow the Actors to find chemistry in their interactions, and it is also a way for the director to observe the Actors' understanding of their characters.Before the film officially starts shooting, the director and Actors can make a presumption about the shooting situation. Even if problems arise, they can communicate in advance, which is very helpful for film shooting.This is a very fresh experience for Hugo because, after entering the 21st century, the pace of people's lives is getting faster and faster, and filming movies is the same. Directors are more accustomed to omitting the process of rehearsing in advance. Rehearsals for each scene are done before shooting, and after a simple rehearsal, they dive into filming. Even now, in the early 1990s, few film crews are willing to spend time and energy rehearsing before the film starts. Clearly, Martin is a rather old-school, academic director.However, two consecutive days of advance rehearsals were clearly very effective for Hugo, this "newbie." Originally, Martin hoped to cultivate the chemistry between Hugo and Al and allow Al to better grasp the character of Colonel Slade. After all, in Martin's perception, Hugo was already an Actor with rich filming experience, and with "dead poets society" behind him, the character of Charlie was not a difficult task for Hugo. Unexpectedly, however, it provided a lot of convenience for Hugo.The crew soon officially started filming. Because it was a low-budget production, there was no grand opening ceremony. Once all the crew members were in position, filming began.The first scene Martin chose was the part where Colonel Slade and Charlie check into the Waldorf Hotel. Colonel Slade half-forced and half-threatened Charlie to come to New York with him. Colonel Slade clearly intended to enjoy this vacation, but Charlie was uneasy, not only because Colonel Slade's arrival in New York was beyond the scope of his caretaking work, but also because something happened at school that might change his fate, which made Charlie somewhat anxious, and he was always thinking about leaving."Hugo, you just stand by the sofa, our camera will be here." The Staff Member held the script, explaining in detail the shooting sequence, camera movement, and blocking for this scene. "Then Al, you turn and walk straight. Hugo, you must follow closely behind Al. After one cut, our camera will change to there." The Staff Member pointed to the position opposite and walked to stand behind the sofa, specifically pointing to the position here. "In order for the shots to match, don't walk the wrong route."After the Staff Member finished explaining, Hugo and Al rehearsed with the script twice more, and then walked through the entire scene as if it were the official shoot. Only then did the Staff Member notify Martin that "we can start filming."Generally speaking, for the first scene of a film, in order to get off to a good start, relatively simple and easy scenes are chosen for filming. Of course, some directors are accustomed to filming in chronological order, so there is no such particularity. The scene Martin chose can be considered the first scene in New York, and at the same time, it is not difficult, so it can be considered an obvious choice.When the lighting technician confirmed the lighting for the last time, Hugo stood by the sofa, took a deep breath, and adjusted his slightly accelerated heartbeat. It is strange to say, but now that filming was really about to start, Hugo was actually not that nervous. Perhaps the previous nervous emotions had already been vented, or perhaps the rehearsals of the past two days had given him confidence. In any case, Hugo was now able to face the first official main camera shoot of his life with a calm mood, which was very rare."Ready." Martin's voice came from the side. Hugo stood by the sofa, casting his gaze towards Al and the extra Actor playing the waiter in front of him to his left, then relaxed, "Action!"In this scene, Hugo didn't have a single line of dialogue; all the focus was on Al. He only needed to show confusion and obedience, so this was not difficult for Hugo. But soon, Martin's "Cut" sound came over. Hugo thought the first scene was over and they were going to change camera positions to continue shooting, but unexpectedly, Martin shouted, "Hugo, wrong blocking."The astonishment on Hugo's face was displayed without any concealment. That dumbfounded expression made Martin unable to hold back a laugh. "Hugo, you blocked the angle for filming Al just now." Martin walked over to Hugo's side and pointed to the position behind the sofa. "The camera will be shooting from there in a moment. You were originally holding the sofa. After turning around, you shouldn't just turn directly. Instead, you should make an arc, follow behind Al, and then move forward."In real life, if Hugo was holding the sofa and now wanted to turn and walk into the hall, he could just turn in place and walk forward. But in a movie, this won't work. If he made a 180-degree turn and walked forward like in real life, because of the shooting angle, Hugo's figure would overlap with Al's, thereby blocking the camera's angle for filming Al. Therefore, Hugo had to take half a step forward, then make an arc to get behind Al, and then start walking.This is the technique of blocking.After realizing his mistake, Hugo patted his forehead in annoyance and quickly apologized, "Sorry, it's my fault! Like an inexperienced newbie, I made such a low-level mistake." When explaining the blocking earlier, the Staff Member had actually explained it, but the Staff Member took it for granted that Hugo was experienced, so he glossed over it, and Hugo thought he understood, so he didn't raise any questions, and as a result, he made a mistake.No one likes mistakes, but Hugo was clearly not doing it on purpose. His sincere apology combined with self-deprecation made the Staff Members on site chuckle. Al directly gave Hugo a punch on his right arm, "Buddy, because of your one mistake, I have to redo all my lines again."Hugo looked at Al, eyes slightly narrowed, "Isn't it enough to just redo the last line? 'Puerto Ricans, the best Marines,' that's the one, right?" Although Hugo had not played a major role, he was still aware of these things; he was not a complete novice. The blocking mistake just now was only caused by an insufficient understanding of the camera angle.Seeing that his joke had been exposed, Al immediately darkened his face, "Now that you've laid out the joke, what's there to have fun with?" This childish remark immediately made the whole crew burst into laughter.Hugo knew that Al was consciously helping him out. It is inevitable for Actors to make mistakes during the filming process, but the attitude of the Actor after a mistake is very important, which plays a crucial role in the atmosphere of the crew. Today, Al was telling Hugo with his practical actions: bravely admitting mistakes, using humor to resolve awkwardness, humbly asking for advice... all are good ways to resolve awkwardness after a mistake.After resuming filming, everything went smoothly. The first scene had no difficulty, and it was easily completed on the second take, which could be considered a good start for the "scent of a woman" crew."How's the liquor in the room?" Colonel Slade, who was on the phone, suddenly said. Charlie, standing in front of the liquor cabinet, was stunned for a moment. He looked back at the Colonel with some panic, then looked back at the liquor cabinet, "Uh..." He fiddled with the liquor bottles on the shelf, bent down to read the labels on them, "There are only Jim Beam (American corn whiskey) and Early Times (Kentucky bourbon whiskey) types." Charlie clearly did not expect the Colonel to start wanting a drink just after arriving at the hotel; he appeared somewhat uneasy."Ah, the supply officer has been bought off again!" Colonel Slade said sharply. The call connected, and he immediately returned to the phone, "Hello, is Sheldon or Mark there?"Charlie stood in place, obviously trying to figure out what the Colonel's remark just now meant. He was just a poor student and had never stayed in a five-star hotel, so naturally, he didn't know much about these things. Of course, what Charlie was more surprised about was: Why did the Colonel know these things?"Cut!" Martin shouted happily, "Hugo, very good, that part just now was very good."Hugo had just spoken his first line since filming started. Although it was only one sentence, he didn't make any mistakes, and his expressions and body language were spot on. It passed on the first take, which was a good thing. Hugo felt somewhat excited. Standing in front of the camera to portray a completely strange character, this feeling was very wonderful, and it was also very enjoyable.However, it was a pity that, as Hugo said during the audition, Charlie didn't have any highlights of explosive acting for most of the time. His personality was built up in various details. There were real tests of acting skills, in the latter half of the film, which also took place in this luxury suite, but Hugo still needed to wait slowly, even though he was already somewhat impatient and eager to get started."Hugo, next scene, get ready!" Martin interrupted Hugo's reminiscence of the performance just now and continued the filming process. Hugo knew that his lines would be getting more and more frequent, which made him reveal a bright smile, "Ready anytime."
