Ch 09. Start! Camera! Action!

Hollywood: King of the Commercial Films

Ch 09. Start! Camera! Action!

Making movies, especially those with significant financial backing, is like waging a massive war that demands meticulous strategizing.

The three individuals who hold the line in the entire preliminary preparations are none other than the producer, director, and screenwriter.

The script has been carefully crafted and will not be tampered with unless there are extraordinary circumstances.

Duke had been actively engaged in director's planning for the past two months, yet he couldn't catch a break before the film commenced, as the director's involvement was demanded in numerous affairs.

Even though there are specific personnel assigned to handle rental equipment and props, Duke should take a brief look at them as well.

It is necessary for him to replace those items that do not meet his requirements.

As part of the preliminary preparations, the director's main responsibility is to bring the production team, camera crew, and art director to observe the scene.

In order to operate the camera effectively in a real environment, the Camera Operator must learn how the camera works and adapt to the conditions.

In order to capture the director's vision, he must understand the director's emotions and communicate with the set designer and art director to align the chosen venue with the desired scene atmosphere.

Once the venue cleared out, the producers gathered to finalize rental logistics, covering topics such as usage timeframe, expenses, and other related preparations.

Once the venues were determined, Duke meticulously revised the script to align with the current situation and transformed his design into various scripts based on his plan.

When planning a shoot, it's important to consider the number of scenes that need to be captured, the various shooting positions to experiment with, and the specific emotions that the actors should portray for each scene.

In addition to his own method, Duke meticulously crafted a schedule, ensuring perfect coordination between the venue, actors, and set timings.

To save time and money, the plots that occur on the same site must be filmed simultaneously. The director's reputation is at stake if they fail to approach their work with clarity and precision. Careless errors could lead to them being mocked on set, causing both the producer and studio to become skeptical of their capabilities.

In addition to these tasks, Duke also needs to assign several assistant directors to help create a schedule. The first assistant director Kone has a habit of making ambiguous comments about him every now and then.

Duke has been under immense pressure as the entire project hangs in the balance. His anger threatened to boil over a few times, but he managed to keep it in check.

Fortunately, Duke knows fully that he is on set, focused on shooting a movie, and not to get caught up in personal conflicts.

If he is preoccupied with these insignificant issues, it is ultimately he who suffers the most.

Starting the production took an unexpected amount of energy, leaving Duke feeling exhausted and reminded of a similar experience. He's in desperate need of someone who knows their stuff and can handle the film business.

With the help of such an assistant, he can offload some of the complex tasks, allowing him to concentrate on his filming.

It sucks that he can't even pay off his credit card right now, so how can he afford to hire an assistant?

Basically, prepping for Hollywood movies is way more complex and detailed than before, and it also takes longer. Plus, actors need time for makeup and studying their roles.

Despite Robin Grand's expectation to begin filming in September, the production of 'Speed' experienced a setback with a two-week delay in the preparation period. October finally arrived, bringing an end to the preliminary preparations.

Finally, in October 1991, Duke, who was really struggling with work and stress and couldn't sleep, got a new lease on life when 'Speed' finally started shooting at Universal Studios!

They skipped all the formalities and got straight to filming.

"Cut!"

Duke wasted no time, calling for an immediate halt just ten seconds after the first trial shooting.

Rising up from behind the director's camera, he paced back and forth between the meticulously arranged props and scenery in the elevator on the ground floor of the building before finally positioning himself on the shooting site.

With them were Dennis Hopper, who portrayed the villain and another extra actor, adding to the group.

While some scenes may appear flawless to the naked eye, the camera has a way of exposing even the tiniest imperfections.

After two months of constant information exchanges, Duke and the crew's various departments finally came together to film for the first time.

"Can we make the light in this area darker? I need the gray metal texture to be stronger here!."

Duke took a few minutes to think about the scenes and then realized there were problems with the camera position. He tried to adjust it.

"Can you shift the second camera 30 degrees to the left? Just capture Dennis's back and his clothes."

The costume artist rushed over to Duke.

As Duke walked over to Dennis Hopper, he gestured towards the worn overalls and instructed the costume artist, "Change it to the grayer one," amidst the bustling sounds of the film set.

Duke turned his head towards the extra who played the security guard and commanded, "You come with me," in a firm tone.

Duke walked to the door of the elevator, turned around, and gave a piercing stare to the extra who played the security, making him instantly nervous.

"You were way too surprised just now, try to hold back. Dennis and you must walk together outside."

Duke noticed the other party's solemn nod and then glanced at the camera's position once more before resuming his place in the director's seat, where he closely monitored the camera.

"You look like a director, except for the fact that you are younger."

Startled by a voice he recognized, Duke instinctively turned his head and found Sofia Coppola standing beside him, holding the script in her hands.

With the adjustment quickly completed, Duke's signal prompted an associate director to call out 'Action'!

Ignoring any intrusive thoughts, Duke fixated his attention on analyzing the captivating footage recorded by the camera. The security guard in the footage promptly approached Dennis to inspect his maintenance order, and then the camera shifted to reveal the maintenance order.

"What is that?"

Duke immediately shouted, "Cut!"

Duke walked up to Dennis Hopper and checked out the maintenance order. The white paper was a total mess. He din't think anyone, not even God, could understand what was written on it.

"Prop Department!" Duke's was frustrated and it showed in his loud voice, "I wanted a fake repair order, not this lunacy!"

The person in charge of the props group swiftly dropped what he was doing and rushed over. Duke cut to the chase and exclaimed, "You've only got ten minutes to solve it!"

Duke's words were carefully chosen, reflecting his unwavering dedication to the business and masking any hint of anger.

This team does not belong to him anymore, and it won't belong to him in the future either. They have a purely professional dynamic, and whoever encounters a problem with their work is accountable for resolving it.

As Duke sat in his seat, he absentmindedly massaged his forehead, lost in thought. The first time he called for a stop was because he was inexperienced. This time it was because the props dept was careless.

"Want a drink?" 

The crew's temporary assistant abruptly asked him, "Sir, would you like coffee or tea?"

"No, thanks." Duke shook his head and gave Sofia a curious look. "Why are you on the set, Sofia?"

"I wanna make enough money to live in Europe for a while."

Sofia Coppola didn't mean to conceal it, she said directly,

"I called Uncle Lucas after shooting "Alien 3" and he told me to come here."

"Europe, huh?" Duke was stumped. His knowledge of Sofia Coppola's experiences was limited to those that occurred after the 2000s.

"Mum helped me contact Karl Lagerfeld."

A look of longing appeared on the young girl's face as she revealed, "Next year, Chanel will have several internship positions available, and Karl Lagerfeld personally guaranteed me one."

It was evident from Sofia Coppola's expression that women were highly drawn to 'Chanel'.

Perhaps Sofia's decision to travel to Europe is also influenced by the harsh criticism she received for her performance in "The Godfather III."

No way Duke would talk about this. He wouldn't embarrass her by revealing her scars to a bunch of people.

They wasted no time and got back to shooting.

In no time at all, the props team cranked out another maintenance order. Even if these people have doubts about Duke, they're still professional. Making money by doing stuff is the most basic thing in Hollywood.

Basically, if they can't even do this, they won't have their current qualifications.

However, the shooting didn't go well.

The camera position kept being moved by Duke. The crew had to hurry up, but Duke wasn't experienced enough. It took a solid two and a half hours. Duke finally wrapped up shooting the first scene of his script.

Duke has worked his butt off and has some experience from his previous life, but he's not a know-it-all. Like everyone else, he's capable of making errors. He better get his act together so he can shoot the movie.

These all require time.

Duke's role required him to juggle the various tasks on the crew while also liaising with the actors. Exhausted from the morning's lengthy shooting, Dennis Hopper couldn't help but express his minor grievances to his assistant.

"Dennis Hopper's assistant mentioned something to me."

In the midst of the shooting break, Sofia Coppola shared with Duke, "I just found out that Mr. Hober has been putting in long hours and his health is suffering as a result. He hopes we can cut some unnecessary scenes with extras."

"I made another dumb mistake." Duke mumbled and waved to Sophia to show he knew.

It's a simple question, but Duke ignored it. He is a new director. If a well-known actor has the ability to manipulate the crew and shift the workload, it is inevitable that the crew will become dissatisfied.

Actors in Hollywood have all sorts of eccentricities.

If you are a Super Director, all the problems during the film shooting can be solved easily.

If you're a director like Duke, you need to watch out for a lot of things. Old Stars like Dennis Hopper, although dissatisfied, didn't make a scene and it was shown very vaguely. You might encounter some bad attitudes if the actor is a bit famous.

The Film crew of most Studios in Hollywood will never be in unity, unless the person in charge of the set can suppress everyone in the crew, creating a sense of order.

Duke knows very well what his goal is.

If he wants to achieve this goal, he needs to fight hard and be willing to compromise. He can even tune out some discordant voices. He is still lacking the skills and qualifications to effectively manage the team.

Later on, Duke made adjustments to the filming schedule and relocated additional extras to the front. After encountering numerous obstacles and disagreements for over a week, the crew finally achieved a state of efficient operation.

***---***

[~1911 Words]