Filming for the upcoming Chinese sci-fi odyssey film “The Decisive Moment”, or 群星闪耀时 (When the Stars Shine) in Chinese, directed by Zhang Disha, moved the cast and crew to DKU’s campus for filming on Wednesday, September 11th. Chinese actors Gao Ye, Huang Bo, Wu Lei, and Sun Yang were alongside nearly 200 extras recruited for the shoot on campus, including many DKU students recruited into the ensemble cast.
The crew transformed the east side of the Academic Building into a makeshift fitness center, and students on their way to class spotted actress Gao Ye filming a scene on a treadmill facing the library. Photos and videos of the scene on campus were quickly circulated and posted to XiaoHongShu (Red). In addition, the AB Auditorium was used to film several college lecture scenes.
One student recruited as an extra said they waited on set for nearly three hours before being called to participate in a scene. As outlined in the call for extras, late arrivals and early exits from the set were “strictly prohibited”. The student went on to say the crew was “professional”, and the directors were encouraging of the casts’ efforts, although the scenes they were involved in were re-shot several times.
Advertisements calling for men and women to apply as extras in the cast were circulated among DKU students and Kunshan residents ages 15-28, with the messages introducing the cast of “A-list actors”, and promising a stipend of 70 RMB and complimentary lunch and water provided by the crew. The ads were circulated on both Kunshan-focused Weibo forums and DKU student group chats. The role of the extras was described in these ads as “acting college students”.
In addition to trucks, camera and microphone equipment and props, there was also additional security deployed around campus surrounding the filming areas to prevent students from impeding on the filming.
Filming was delayed from the initial 7:30 am scheduled start to about 11:30 am, and did not conclude until 7 pm.
“The Decisive Moment” was first introduced by director Zhang during the Shanghai International Film Festival’s Sci-fi Film Week in June of this year. According to Shanghai International Film Festival’s coverage of the event, the film “tells an adventure story set in a future space-time where astronauts face complex situations during a return mission”. Zhang explained, “Through visually stunning special effects scenes, this film will create a tense future space world, showcasing the struggle and redemption of human nature amidst crisis”.
