Chapter 12: Ready to Embrace a New Era of Movies
The winter sunlight bathed the Homurahara Academy's playground. The clean and beautiful campus was quiet, except for the bustling calls of students participating in physical education on the field.
In a classroom near the window, Sakura Matou absentmindedly twirled the pen in her right hand, her left hand supporting her chin as she gazed blankly through the glass at the playground.
It seemed like the students running laps on the field were more captivating than Taiga speaking fluent Japanese English at the front of the classroom.
"So boring." She muttered to herself, "I wonder how Onii-sama is doing."
Today was Monday, and according to Shinji's request, several students from the crew had to attend school, staying until the afternoon club activities before leaving.
Having left the crew after a pleasant weekend, Sakura felt like a bird trapped in a cage.
Compared to the dull and tasteless studying at school, Sakura preferred being busy with her Onii-sama in the film crew.
Unfortunately, as the film production reached its final stages, several students from the crew, including Sakura, were sent back to school by Shinji.
To be honest, Sakura didn't have many scenes in the movie. After all, Shinji was shooting the Stay/Night route, not the Heaven's Feel route. Sakura's role might not even surpass that of the secondary female lead, Rin Tohsaka.
Within the crew, Sakura mainly served as Shinji's assistant, helping her dear Onii-sama with various trivial tasks. Although the work was mundane, Sakura enjoyed the atmosphere and environment of the crew more.
Because there were eccentric and comical characters like the bizarre Lancer, the understanding Rider, Saber who loved the food she cooked, and... her beloved Onii-sama, Shinji Matou.
Just thinking about it made Sakura tempted to abandon her textbooks and run to the film set.
Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking. Shinji would never agree to such a thing. Despite Shinji's doting attitude towards her, he would never let her study at her own pace.
'What scene is Onii-sama shooting right now? Is it with Miss Saber?'
Sakura's mind couldn't help but ponder this.
Instantly, the white lines on the playground seemed to change form in her gaze. What should have been abstract lines gradually took on the form of a person: disheveled medium-length hair, gentle face, deep eyes, a perpetually confident expression...
"Onii-sama..."
Sakura bit her pen and imagined Shinji directing on set, wielding his director's baton with authority.
'He just came back from abroad not long ago, and he's already diving into such a demanding workload. Why can't he stay by my side?'
"Matou-san..." Taiga Fujimura quickly noticed Sakura's daydreaming. "Sakura!"
Lost in her own fantasy, Sakura didn't hear Taiga's voice.
Smack!
After several calls went unanswered, Taiga walked over and gently tapped Sakura's head with a book.
"Uh... Fujimura-sensei..."
Only then did Sakura snap out of it, looking bewildered at Taiga.
"Sakura, dear..."
Taiga felt somewhat helpless at Sakura's adorable, animal-like expression. She sighed and said, "I know you care about Shinji's movie, but I still hope you can pay attention in class. Otherwise, what's the point of Shinji making you go to school?"
Sakura's lips moved twice, and she lowered her head helplessly. "I'm sorry."
Taiga didn't press Sakura further. She sighed and continued, "I understand. Your dear brother's movie—Not just you, even I'm so excited and thrilled about it! I can't wait for the movie to be released! Because–this will be the first movie I've acted in～～"
Taiga playfully raised one foot, winking at the entire class.
The classroom, which had fallen into silence, was suddenly filled with an odd quietness.
"..."
'She's already 25 years old, she shouldn't be pretending to be a cute girl anymore'
"...Did she wear a tiger costume for a cameo?"
Some brave soul blurted out these words during the eerie silence.
"Who just mentioned a tiger?! Step forward! I will give you an ultra combo test paper set!!"
Taiga brandished her textbook, emitting a roar like a tiger.
"Sorry, sorry, Tiger-sensei~"
"I told you not to call me Tiger!" Taiga returned to the podium, slapped the table, and said, "Alright, here's the deal. When Sakura's brother's movie comes out, let's all go watch it together!"
"But, you guys have to pay for your own movie tickets~"
Taiga winked playfully again.
"What the heck!"
"Sensei, you're treating us, right?"
"Exactly. Let's celebrate Sensei's debut on the acting stage, so you're treating, Sensei!"
...
"Think again, Sensei's salary isn't that much!"
Taiga slammed the table, saying.
"Hahaha～"
For a moment, the classroom was filled with cheerful vibes.
"Sigh, Onii-sama..."
Sakura sighed helplessly, not paying attention to the teachers' chatter. She once again gazed out of the window, waiting for the end of the class.
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While Sakura endured school's "torture," the FSN production team in the studio was vigorously working on the final scenes of the film.
After months of shooting, the FSN production was coming to a close. In the past few days, Shinji had finished most of the scenes, including the battle at Ryuudou Temple. Only the final scenes of Arturia's peaceful departure remained.
It must be mentioned that Arturia, despite her acting still being somewhat immature, had found a bit of a girlish heart with Rin's advice, thanks to reading numerous romance novels and manga.
While their acting skills couldn't match those of accomplished performers, they managed to handle this kind of commercial film decently.
Thanks to the seriousness of Arturia, she could be considered the most stable performer in the entire crew during the shooting process, except for Gilgamesh. Unfortunately, Gilgamesh's role was too simple, and he just stood there self-indulgently for the camera – provided he didn't block it with his treasures.
As the filming of FSN gradually reached its conclusion, Shinji began to carefully assess the crew members.
Even though the success or failure of FSN was uncertain, Shinji, who had already reached agreements with multiple magus families, would definitely proceed with his next plan. The only question was which movie to shoot next.
Through this filming process, Shinji had realized the benefits of using Heroic Spirits as actors. It was likely that the next film would also follow this model.
If he continued with this approach, the filming locations would probably be limited to Fuyuki City due to the relationship between the Holy Grail and the leylines. Once the Heroic Spirits left Fuyuki City, they would consume a significant amount of magical energy.
Consequently, it was imperative to establish a relatively stable film production team within Fuyuki City.
However, not everyone could stay on Shinji's team. Those with average abilities or who were not proactive in their work were not within Shinji's considerations.
Shinji already had a draft of the specific personnel list, which he planned to discuss with the individuals involved after the filming ended.
Currently, the crew was shooting the scene where Bedivere bid farewell to Arturia. This was the final scene of the film, and everyone was preparing with enthusiasm.
Of course, the role of Bedivere's actor wouldn't be Bedivere himself. Shinji, who had already occupied seven Heroic Spirit slots, couldn't summon new Servants. Moreover, Bedivere's role in FSN had only a few scenes, so summoning a new Servant would be too extravagant.
Instead of hiring a foreign actor, Shinji had Yan Qing transform into Bedivere based on Arturia's description. This situation somewhat resembled the 2006 Fate/stay night TV series, when Ayako Kawasumi pulled along Mamiko Noto for a cameo as Little Arturia in the corridor.
Although Yan Qing was usually quite low-profile in the crew, he was an industrious worker. Besides cameoing as Caster, the janitor, and Little Arturia, he occasionally took on minor roles when the script required it.
Although Yan Qing didn't show his face even once in the FSN movie, his presence could be felt throughout the entire film.
Suddenly, Shinji felt that changing his plan midway and having Yan Qing transform might have been the best decision he made during the filming of this movie.
On set, Yan Qing, dressed as Bedivere, had no idea about his Master's thoughts. He gazed at Arturia lying beneath a tree with a sad expression.
At this moment, a faint halo gradually dissipated from Arturia's body, symbolizing the fading of the last of the power protecting her.
"Sorry... Bedivere. This slumber... might be a little longer..."
With a serene smile, Arturia gently closed her eyes.
The light representing the morning sun slowly moved across Arturia, and a gentle breeze rustled through the prop-made forest.
Yan Qing stood there, silently watching the figure of the king, immersing himself in the emotions of that knight.
This was likely what the knight had been longing for all along.
A peaceful slumber.
The king he had served, fought alongside, would finally find tranquility at the end.
Therefore... he was truly happy.
A breeze brushed against the knight's cheek, and with pride, he smiled from the bottom of his heart, guarding the king.
The war had finally come to an end.
"Hey, are you watching, King Arthur—"
As he gazed at the sleeping king, the knight whispered.
"—The continuation of your dream..."
"Cut!" Shinji stood up from behind the camera and announced loudly, "FSN filming is complete!"
"Fantastic!"
"We're done! Hooray!"
"Haha! We're finished!!"
...
Upon hearing Shinji's words, cheers erupted from the entire crew.
Arturia got up, tidied her hair, and was the first to run to Shinji, offering her congratulations.
"Master, I've done it."
"Ah, thank you, Arturia. You truly are the best Servant!"
Shinji immediately opened his arms and embraced Arturia, even going so far as to nuzzle his face against hers.
"Master?"
Arturia raised an eyebrow.
Shinji quickly let go of Arturia and proceeded to hug each member of the crew one by one. Everyone smiled and embraced Shinji in celebration.
Everyone was elated to have completed an entire film, and the sense of pride was beyond words.
After sharing a few more moments of camaraderie, the crew members began packing up the set props. Once they bid their farewells, they left one by one.
The previously lively film studio gradually fell into silence.
Normally, there would have been a simple wrap-up ceremony after filming, but several key student actors were not present on set, so Shinji didn't hold a party.
However, he assured the crew that there would be a grand celebration after the movie's release.
Once the remaining crew members had left, Shinji went to the temporary storage area. He ensured that the filming equipment was in good condition and meticulously organized the footage.
Shinji was taken aback when he realized that he had accumulated nearly 50 hours of footage over the past few months. Though a significant portion consisted of NG (No Good) shots, it didn't mean that the footage was entirely useless. These materials could potentially be used for deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes content on the DVD.
"Onii-sama, what are you doing?"
Sakura, who had rushed to the set as soon as school was over, managed to find Shinji in the storage area with the help of others.
"Oh, Sakura. I was just pondering."
Seeing his sister's curious gaze, Shinji sighed in exasperation.
"I'll have to cut around 120 to 150 minutes of footage from nearly 3,000 minutes of raw material. Just thinking about it gives me a headache."
"Is that so..." Sakura looked up at him, slightly disappointed. "So, it seems you'll be quite busy with post-production?"
"Yeah, post-production isn't just about editing. It involves sound effects, background music, visual effects... Anyway, forget about that."
Shaking his head, Shinji dismissed those concerns.
"By the way, did you come to find me for something?"
"Um..."
Sakura hesitated to speak.
In the end, she offered Shinji a perfect smile of a young girl.
"It's nothing. Onii-sama, do your best."
In the end, Sakura held back any attempts to keep Shinji around and instead conveyed her well-wishes.
"Of course, this is your nii-san first movie after all."
Seemingly oblivious to Sakura's conflicted expression, Shinji smiled and tapped his sister's forehead with his finger.
"Hey Sakura, are you ready to welcome a new era for movies?"
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