pjbooks Chapter 10: I Found a New Skill
Chapter 10: I Found a New Skill
Ocha no Mizu, the Musical Instrument Street.
This is the area with the highest concentration of musical instrument shops in Tokyo, with all kinds of guitars and basses hanging on both sides of the street.
Kitahara Shin came out today with Sato, the prop master of the film crew.
There was a scene in the script where the male lead played the guitar, and the director insisted that a folk guitar that "looked very old" be used.
Uncle Sato was haggling with the shop owner over the price of renting a piano, while Shin Kitahara casually strolled around the store.
The store, named "Woodstock," had a corner piled high with secondhand musical instrument parts.
Kitahara Shin casually picked up a clearance item from the glass bowl on the cashier's counter.
It was a pure white pick, the edges of which had been worn smooth and rounded, clearly indicating that it had been used for a long time.
[Found an equipable item (common)]
【Item Name: Guitar Pick of a Street Singer】
[Condition: Worn (Excellent feel)]
[Special Effect: Street Vibe (Your singing and playing makes it easier for listeners to connect with the performance)]
"It feels really good."
Kitahara Shin squeezed it, and the perfect friction made him nostalgic.
In his previous life in Hengdian, he did practice guitar diligently for a while in order to get a job as a featured actor. Although he wasn't a master, he was more than capable of handling ordinary singing and playing.
He took out a fifty-yen coin and bought the pick.
……
At 2 PM, we returned to Studio 6.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
"Cut! Again!"
The director's voice was already laced with suppressed anger, "Matsumoto-kun, that's an F chord. Did you not eat with your index finger? It's all muffled when you press it down."
In the center of the studio, the male lead, Kazuya Matsumoto, is holding the guitar he just rented, sweating profusely.
This scene is about the male lead singing a love song to the female lead in the park.
As a popular idol, it's common for Matsumoto to show off his guitar on stage, but that's usually just a "posed photo" or with background music playing.
When it came down to actually recording the audio and showing close-ups of his hands, his well-maintained, delicate hands immediately gave him away.
"Director..."
Matsumoto winced in pain, shaking his left hand, which was already marked with red welts. "These strings are too stiff, and I've had so many gigs lately, I really haven't had time to practice... Maybe I should find a hand substitute?"
He's smart; rather than making a fool of himself here, he'd better find a way to save face.
"Substitute?"
The director scratched his head in frustration. "Where are we going to find one now? Waiting for a professional stunt double to get here will take two hours just from traffic. Today's shooting schedule will be completely ruined."
He glanced at his watch, already considering whether to cut the close-up shot and replace it with a panoramic view to get by.
The situation reached a stalemate.
Everyone knows Matsumoto is no good, but no one dares to say anything at this moment.
Kitahara Shin stood on the sidelines, holding the white pick he had just bought.
He hesitated for a moment.
I didn't want to cause trouble, but if this scene isn't filmed by the end, the whole crew will have to work overtime tonight. Besides, this is indeed a good opportunity to showcase my "multifaceted" personality.
"director."
Kitahara Shin took a step forward, his voice not loud, but clear enough in the quiet studio, "If you don't mind, I can give it a try."
Everyone turned their heads.
The director was taken aback: "You can play the guitar?"
"I've learned a little bit before," Kitahara Shin said conservatively. "I'm fairly familiar with the chords of this piece."
Matsumoto, overjoyed, immediately handed over the guitar, his face beaming with smiles: "Since Kitahara-kun wants to try, then I'll trouble you. These strings are really too hard on your hands, be careful."
He was just hoping someone would take over this hot potato.
Kitahara Shin took the guitar and sat in the seat that originally belonged to the male lead.
He adjusted his posture, holding the old white pick between his thumb and forefinger.
Place your left hand on the neck of the instrument.
That familiar sensation traveled back through my fingertips. Without any system prompts, my body's muscle memory naturally activated.
Sound test.
"Thump—"
A crisp, full E chord, free of any extraneous noise, resonated throughout the photography studio.
The staff who had been whispering instantly fell silent.
The purity of this tone is definitely not as simple as "having studied a little".
The director's eyes lit up, and he immediately waved his hand: "Cinematographer, zoom in! Shoot a close-up of the hands! Get the sound ready!"
As the script supervisor struck the clapperboard.
Kitahara Shin's fingers began to dance on the strings.
He played a classic folk song from the Showa era called "Kandagawa".
Arpeggios flowed out like water. With the help of that old pick, the simple melody gained a subtle narrative quality, like a down-on-his-luck singer softly singing on a street late at night.
Matsumoto Kazuya stood behind the monitor, his mouth slightly agape as he looked at the pair of slender, skillful hands on the screen.
He suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
The noise that sounded like sawing wood was nothing short of public execution compared to the smooth music now.
The song ended.
The echoes still lingered in the air.
"good!"
The director exclaimed excitedly, "This stunt double is amazing! This is exactly the level of performance I envisioned for a male lead!"
After saying that, the director seemed to realize that his words had hurt Matsumoto's pride, and quickly added, "Well... Matsumoto-kun's emotional expression is also very good, it's just that he definitely needs time to practice his instruments. Now that we have a perfect hand double, let's move on to the next take!"
With the crisis resolved, the film crew resumed operations.
Kitahara Shin put down his guitar and put the pick back in his pocket.
"Kitahara-kun, you've been keeping a low profile." Sato, the prop master, came over to collect the zither and quietly gave him a thumbs up.
"I was lucky; I had practiced a lot before," Kitahara Shin smiled.
When filming wrapped up, the production manager specifically sought out Kitahara Shin.
"Kitahara-san, this is your 'technical allowance'."
The production manager handed over a white envelope, his attitude much more polite than before. "It was specially approved by the director. It's 30,000 yen, according to the standard for a professional stunt double. We really owe you a lot for saving the day."
30,000 yen.
He only played the guitar for five minutes.
Kitahara Shin took the envelope and felt its thickness. This amount of money was enough for him to pay his gas and electricity bills for a month.
Having more skills is never a bad thing.
He put away the envelope and walked out of the photography studio in a good mood.