Chapter 104: Good Morning

The dark night slowly recedes from the east, and as the sky begins to show a faint light, Edward Air Force Base is already bustling with activity. Today, the U.S. military is gathering not for the landing of a space shuttle nor for routine training, but to prepare for the largest counterattack in human history—uniting all allies to eliminate the invading aliens!

This is a great battle, yet the overall commander is not present at the scene.

On the highest command tower of Edward Air Force Base, Duke stands behind a camera, using a wide-angle lens to capture the eastern sky. As darkness fades and light emerges, along with the clouds drifting in the sky, it forms a beautiful scene like an oil painting.

As in the previous two films, since coming on location, Duke has captured numerous sunrise and sunset shots in the early morning light.

"I heard that Aunt Leah borrowed a lot of landscape footage from you?"

Hearing Sofia's words, Duke turns off the camera, hands the subsequent work to a camera assistant, and walks over to adjust his shawl, saying, "Yes, Mom thinks a lot can be used directly in landscape advertisements."

"Perhaps you should make a luxurious advertisement blockbuster."

Taking a subtle step back, Sofia increases the distance between them slightly. "I believe some luxury brands would definitely be interested in you."

"Maybe."

Duke notices Sofia's movements but doesn't pay much attention. He gestures for her to walk down with him, talking as they go. "If a company is willing to offer me over $3 million for a single advertisement, I wouldn't mind directing it for them."

It's common for movie directors to guest-direct advertisements. For instance, the famous Chanel No. 5 has consistently invited Oscar-level directors for its advertising campaigns.

In fact, since the release of "The Rock," several luxury brands have approached Nancy, but Duke rejected all of them. The reason was simple: the offers were too low and lacked sufficient appeal.

As they descend from the command tower, Duke and Sofia, accompanied by two officers, return to the largest hangar, which is bustling with activity.

At this moment, the set arrangement work in the hangar is nearing completion. F-16 and F-18 aircraft are being towed to the runway in front of the hangar, and hundreds of U.S. soldiers are busy changing into appropriate uniforms, preparing for the upcoming shoot.

This is a military base after all. Apart from the main cast and crew, the temporary actors cannot enter. Fortunately, there is no shortage of people in the military base. The soldiers are very interested in participating in the film, and with coordination from the Pentagon, soldiers and logistics personnel on break have been cast as background characters.

Although this saves some costs on temporary actors, it has also brought some trouble. These soldiers are eager to have prominent close-ups, often crowding toward the camera, especially in angles that are likely to be featured.

During previous shoots, air force and army personnel almost came to blows over a rooftop that was in high demand for close-ups.

"I want my child to see his father bravely fighting aliens in the movie!" said an air force lieutenant, epitomizing the best mentality among these soldiers.

After instructing several assistant directors to coordinate with the soldiers, Duke walks over to an F-18 and finds one of the male leads, Bill Pullman, who is chatting happily with Scarlett Johansson, who plays his daughter.

"Bill."

Ignoring Scarlett, who is tugging at his clothing, Duke directly instructs him, "This is the most important emotional scene; it all depends on you."

"Don't worry, Duke." Bill Pullman replies confidently, "I've been rehearsing this scene for a month; I won't let you down. If there's an Oscar for Best Speech next year, I think I'll definitely win one."

"Don't forget your lines!"

After saying this, Duke walks away. Scarlett follows him, "Duke…"

"Dear…" Duke doesn't have time for her chatter and points to the production crew, "Go find your mom or Sofia."

"Hmph…" The little girl wrinkles her nose and pouts before turning away, "You're no fun at all."

Duke pretends not to hear the girl's complaints. He scans the crowd and spots Colonel, the liaison officer from the Pentagon, who is also preparing to stand in front of the camera for a guest role.

"Colonel…" Duke approaches and looks at the liaison officer in standard pilot attire, "You'll have a close-up."

Duke points to Camera Two, "When the camera turns to you, the assistant will give you a signal. I want the most powerful salute!"

"That's no problem for me." Colonel Lunho is equally confident.

Duke then checks the camera positions, the arrangements for temporary actors, and the background props. Once he confirms everything is in order, he returns to the director's monitor.

After double-checking that all departments are good to go, Duke raises the megaphone.

"Everyone, this is a special moment. You're about to go to battle against aliens; I need you to bring your greatest enthusiasm to protect the Earth!"

The hundreds of personnel scattered among the aircraft burst into enthusiastic applause and laughter. Duke's words have clearly served to relax them, as the soldiers, who previously lacked actual acting experience, look noticeably more at ease.

Once the applause and laughter die down, Duke gives a signal to Zack Snyder and John Schwartzman, who respond with an OK, then calls out, "Independence Day, Scene 134, Take 112, start!"

The crew immediately springs into action, and Duke sits behind the monitor, carefully watching the footage from each camera.

A group of pilots makes final tactical preparations as the President and the Secretary of Defense pass by and stand at attention…

Logistics personnel rush back and forth, refueling and arming the aircraft, preparing for the final life-or-death battle…

The President jumps onto a crate and receives the megaphone from an officer…

"Good morning."

The crowd in front of the hangar is still busy, seemingly not hearing his words. The President repeats, "Good morning!"

Everyone looks up, puts down their work, and spontaneously gathers toward the President.

Sitting behind the monitor, Duke nods slightly. The soldiers acting as extras have gained some experience from the past few days of shooting; they no longer swarm toward the camera but instead move to their positions as per the rehearsal.

A microphone for live recording slowly descends from above, positioning itself over Bill Pullman. The most talented actor in the cast delivers an excellent performance, beginning his speech with emotion.

"In one hour, the aircraft here will join those from around the world in the largest air battle in human history! The term 'human' has taken on a whole new meaning for us today. We can no longer waste ourselves over trivial differences. We must unite for our common interests!"

"Perhaps it is fate; today is July 4th. You will once again fight for our freedom, not to rid ourselves of oppression and cruelty but to fight for the survival of humanity! If we win this war today, July 4th will no longer just be a holiday for America, but will become a holiday for the whole world!"

"The whole world will proclaim with one voice that we will not quietly fade into darkness, we will not give up the fight and walk toward extinction; we will get through this, and we will survive! Today, we celebrate Independence Day!"

As the President's speech concludes, applause and cheers erupt, akin to the news of victory in World War II reaching this land. Some shout, some salute, some applaud fervently, and one pilot executes the most exaggerated and vigorous American salute…

Indeed, from the speech to the salute, it is all blatant emotional manipulation. In this final battle, it stirs the audience's emotions.

Just like the shower scene in "The Rock," the emotional appeal here is similarly simple and direct, yet it touches on some of the most concerning issues and values of the American people. The ambition to make Independence Day a global holiday is evident, and the President's speech also addresses freedom and oppression, embodying the correct value orientation of the film.

This speech, combined with the subsequent scenes of personally piloting a fighter jet to attack the alien ship, instantly elevates Bill Pullman's portrayal of the President to a heroic stature…

"Cut!"

Taking the megaphone, Duke calls for a break, "Perfect! Five-minute break."

Gathering so many aircraft and soldiers together isn't easy, and Duke plans to take advantage of this scene to shoot several more takes. The subsequent shoots will not require as many extras, making things easier, so he also adds a scene of Scarlett's character, the President's daughter, saying goodbye to her father in front of the plane. It isn't until noon that they wrap up for the day.

With the filming at Edward Air Force Base complete, the crew then moves to the White Sands Missile Range, where they will film the largest explosion scenes in the desert of New Mexico. The nearly 200-foot-long alien spaceship model, created by Industrial Light & Magic over nearly six months, has already been transported to the missile range, where the model makers are completing the final assembly, waiting for Duke to come and blow up their hard work.

Explosions have gradually become familiar to the crew. Even Sofia Coppola, who was once frightened by explosions, has now adapted to working in a noisy environment.

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