America 1987

Chapter 86 Riding Horses

At his peak, Jackie Chan practically controlled the entire film production process—from directing and screenwriting to action design, special effects coordination, and even production decisions, he took on everything.

Later, as he got older and couldn't fight anymore, his influence began to decline. In order to keep the behind-the-scenes staff of Hong Kong action movies busy, he was forced to accept some external projects. He went from being a core figure to a mere "performance tool," and naturally, he made more and more bad movies.

David never intended to become the uncrowned king of genre films like those two, or even a representative figure of national cultural export. He simply wanted to experience the feeling of having complete control over filmmaking.

"What did you think of my performance just now?" "Hmm, are you asking me?" Naomi was touching the texture of her costume when she heard this, and quickly declined, "I'm not that professional myself, you might as well ask Nicole after the movie is released." "It's okay, just chatting. Tell me, so I can know my own capabilities."

The scene we just saw was not difficult to perform, and there weren't many long close-up shots of the face. In addition, David wrote the script himself, so he was very comfortable performing it. Therefore, Naomi's evaluation was mostly positive.

On her way to the filming location, she had mentally prepared herself for the harsh filming environment, since Nicole had made it very clear on the phone. However, she was surprised to find that it wasn't as bad as she had imagined, although the clothes she was wearing were quite awkward.

Leather itself is not breathable, making it stuffy in summer and cold in winter. Although deerskin is more breathable than sheepskin, it is still significantly inferior to modern breathable and quick-drying fabrics.

She had been sitting in the sun for a while and had sweated a little, so she felt sticky and uncomfortable.

However, compared to the scenes to be performed next, this discomfort is nothing.

The next scene to be filmed is the male lead taking the injured and unconscious female lead back to her tribe.

The reason I find it uncomfortable isn't because of any intimate contact with David; in fact, there wasn't any particularly intimate contact in this scene.

She was simply sitting sideways on the horse, her body turned to the side, while David sat upright behind her, his right hand reaching across his waist to hold the reins together with his left. She might need to use her left hand to support his back to avoid falling off.

It wasn't really intimate contact at all; it was mostly just uncomfortable.

When sitting sideways, the area of ​​her buttocks in contact with the saddle is halved, and her center of gravity shifts to one side. As the horse moves, its body constantly leans to the side, requiring her to continuously use her inner thighs and core muscles to maintain balance, which is very tiring.

"What's wrong? You look like you're having some trouble."

David's voice reached her ears, and Naomi looked up at him. "It's nothing. Anyway, the filming will probably be over in no time, so there's not much to eat even if it's strenuous."

The two of them were rehearsing, but actually there was no need for rehearsals at all. The actress played a person who had fainted, and the actor only needed to control the horse and move forward slowly. Even in the original movie, this scene was filmed using medium and long shots of the characters' backs.

But since he's the director, he gets to decide exactly what kind of shot is needed. He can just shoot every angle from every angle and then choose the one he thinks is most suitable during the final editing.

When Han Han was filming the car crash scene in "Pegasus 2", there was no chance to reshoot because there was only one modified car for each of the two cars. So he set up a total of fourteen or fifteen camera positions on the side, front, and bottom of the cars to cover the entire collision process from different angles. I heard that even drones were used.

It wasn't that other people were doing it for the sake of the movie effect; David was just doing it so he could hug the actress a little longer.

"Why don't you change your posture and sit upright?" David asked. "You should know how to ride a horse, right?"

Horses arrived in Australia with the first British settlers in 1788. Due to the lack of large ungulates and dangerous predators on the mainland, horses multiplied and spread rapidly, covering the entire country within 40 years, even reaching the interior before European settlers.

By the 19th century, horseback riding had become a core part of Australian life—"the abundance of horses made riding and driving a sport that the masses could enjoy," young people were keen on "horse riding parties," and ranchers organized outings with horse teams.

"I know a little, but I'm not very good at it," Naomi replied as she turned around with the other person's help.

Switching from a side-sitting position to a front-sitting position was indeed much more comfortable. However, Naomi quickly discovered the drawback of sitting like this—she was too close to David.

With limited space in the saddle, two people riding together have to be pressed close together, resulting in one's back being pressed against the other's chest and the other's arms being wrapped around one's waist to control the reins.

Of course, none of that is the most important thing. The most important thing is that the two of them sitting close together means that their body temperatures are also combined. She was already feeling stuffy and hot because of her clothes, and now she felt even more stuffy.

Are you hot?

The other person leaned back slightly. "Do you need me to get down?"

"No need, no need, just ride a little faster and let the wind blow you along."

Naomi didn't know why she said that. Logically speaking, sitting like that meant completely exposing her back to the other person, which was equivalent to giving up her sense of security to them. She should have felt a subtle discomfort.

But when the other person's breath landed directly on the back of her neck and beside her ear, the warm touch made her choose this answer.

"Okay, I'm going to speed up now, so hold on tight."

In her field of vision, the grass faded from emerald green to blurry yellow-green stripes, but the horizon remained motionless, giving Naomi a wonderful sense of "finding stillness in movement".

"Wow, you're so calm even though I'm riding that fast. You must have practiced a lot in Australia, right?"

David's voice drifted into her ears on the wind, "No, I've only ridden it once in a while. I'm pretty brave, this doesn't scare me for now."

Yes, that's true. After all, she's the woman who acted in "The Miracle of the Tsunami" in the original timeline, so she can't possibly be too timid.

David thought for a moment, then laughed and said, "Are you hot? Why is your back all wet?"

"It's all because of this outfit you arranged for me," Naomi said, the wind blasting against her face, her eyes tightening slightly. She unconsciously opened her mouth to breathe, the scent of grass and earth seeping through her teeth. "This deerskin is so suffocating! I'm practically suffocating in it!"

Galloping across the grasslands brought her the whistling of the wind, the fleeting scenery, and the direct transmission of power from the horses. All of this gave her an unparalleled sense of freedom, and she even spoke much more freely than usual.

The other person's hair was blown back by the wind, the ends brushing against David's cheeks and even the corners of his mouth, giving him a strange feeling.

Just as she was about to say something, the wind suddenly shifted, and Naomi's hem billowed upwards. She quickly reached out to press it down, and this gesture of protecting the hem of her skirt had a dramatic quality reminiscent of a classical painting, making one unconsciously empathize with her.

David turned his head and glanced at the large tree that had become a small dot. The people on the film crew probably couldn't see what was happening here anymore.

"Are you bored?"

"It's so boring."

"Look," David slowed down, gesturing for her to look to the right, "there's a tree over there, why don't you go get some fresh air?" "Fresh air?" Naomi turned her head, looking somewhat confused, and asked, "How?"

However, she was only confused for a short while before she quickly understood what the other person meant.