C 10

"Adjust camera No. 4 for the aerial shot!" Luke shouted into the megaphone, the set buzzing with activity but well-coordinated. "Cruz, the aperture on the second unit is off, fix the white balance. Unit three, just focus on the heroine!"

Handing the megaphone to Sofia Coppola, who stood nearby, Luke stepped onto the bus that had been built for the scene. He nodded to the actors who greeted him and went straight to the driver's seat.

"Uma, you made a mistake during the trial shoot," he said, addressing the blonde woman sitting behind the wheel. She was slender and tall, around five feet ten, like many Hollywood actresses—verging on thin but still striking.

"You were too intense," Luke continued. "Dial it back a bit, and don't widen your eyes so much. That's a bad habit. Your facial features are already sharp, and when you stare like that, it comes off as too harsh."

Turning to Keanu Reeves, Luke noted that the actor still carried a carefree, rebellious energy, possibly a leftover from his past roles or his time spent with Johnny Depp and River Phoenix.

"Keanu, lose the attitude. I don't need much from you here—just tighten up your expression and look serious."

"I got it," Keanu replied, waving him off nonchalantly.

Luke shot him a glance but said nothing more. Reeves had been like this ever since the project started. At least, Luke thought, the actor wasn't showing up to set under the influence.

"And you guys!" Luke turned his attention to the extras in the bus—an eclectic mix of ethnicities, including Naomi Watts. "You're not just background decoration. Your reactions matter and will impact the leads. If I see any more blank, confused looks, I'll replace you. Got it?"

Luke left the bus and returned to his position behind the cameras. After organizing the departments and clearing the set, shooting resumed.

For a film like this, the demands on the actors weren't particularly strenuous, and Luke didn't require intricate long takes. After more than ten days of working together, the crew's efficiency had improved. Luke still had to adjust camera angles and fix scene setups to cover for his lack of experience, but overall, things were smoother than they had been during the chaotic first week.

Luke's intense study of filmmaking in his previous life was paying off, though there were still lessons to be learned.

The film's runtime was planned to be between 90 and 100 minutes, and Luke didn't waste time or money on unnecessary shots. The movie's modest $15 million budget meant careful planning was essential. But when spending was necessary, such as for the explosion scenes, Luke didn't hesitate.

After wrapping up the morning shoot, Luke skipped lunch and, along with the camera and special effects teams, left Universal Studios. They drove east to a small town on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where the crew had found an old house that was set for demolition. It would serve as the perfect location for an upcoming explosion scene.

They grabbed burgers and soda along the way, a typical meal for the fast-paced film set.

"Not hungry?" Luke asked Sophia, noticing she hadn't touched her burger.

"That stuff's a woman's worst enemy," she replied, not even glancing at the tempting food.

Luke chuckled. Sophia, once an actress herself, was thin, like many in the industry.

He wasn't particularly hungry either. After eating just a quarter of his burger, he tossed it aside and skipped the soda. With some rare downtime, he closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of his mental exhaustion. He must have drifted off because the next thing he knew, Sophia was gently waking him as they arrived at their destination.

"Thanks," Luke said, pulling off the blanket she'd draped over him. Sophia shrugged, "No problem."

The convoy of vehicles crossed the small town and arrived at a modest white wooden house at the edge of town. The house wasn't large, maybe 100 square feet, but it had been lightly refurbished for filming. The key feature was its isolation—far enough from neighbors that even a large explosion wouldn't cause any trouble.

With all the permits in place, the team got to work as soon as they arrived.

The special effects and pyrotechnics teams busied themselves with rigging explosives, while the producers finalized arrangements with the property owner. Meanwhile, Luke worked with the camera crew to position the cameras for the explosion scene. Since it was a field shoot, they only had one chance to get it right. Luke was grateful for his prior experience shooting explosion scenes.

"Cruz, set cameras one and two up front," Luke instructed. "We'll use wide-angle lenses for those. Position cameras three and four at a 45-degree angle to capture the close-ups. And where's that wireless high-speed camera I requested?"

"Ready," Cruz pointed to the camera.

"Good. Set it up on the dummy over there," Luke directed, referring to the mannequin dressed in a police uniform, which would capture internal shots of the explosion.

As Cruz was about to leave, Luke grabbed his arm. "Make sure the cameras are at least 200 feet away," he reminded. Safety was paramount.

With the cameras set, Luke checked the angles once more before returning to the first camera's position.

"Why not use a wireless remote?" Sophia asked, watching the crew setting up the wiring.

"Wireless is too risky," Luke explained. "There's too much interference from communication devices. You don't want a misfire because of a stray signal."

Sophia raised her eyebrows as Luke detailed the intricacies of the explosion shoot. The pyrotechnics team wasn't using standard soft explosives; instead, they were packing nearly 30 pounds of military-grade explosives into the house. It would be a massive blast.

"Thirty pounds of military explosives?" Sophia gasped. "Are you insane?"

Luke grinned. "I want an explosion that will leave the audience breathless."

"You're crazy!" Sophia muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

The setup took nearly three hours, with the crew carefully laying out explosives and cameras. Once everything was ready, Luke stood behind the first camera, megaphone in hand.

"Clear the set?" he asked.

"All clear!" came the response.

"Ready for the explosion?"

"Ready!"

Luke gave the signal to the pyrotechnics team, and the countdown began.

"3, 2, 1... detonate!"

A thunderous explosion rocked the set as the house disintegrated, a towering fireball erupting into the sky. Luke, fully absorbed in the moment, captured the perfect shot while debris rained down, and the hot air pushed everything back. The ground trembled beneath them.

Sophia, shaking slightly, removed her earplugs. "God... this guy's a lunatic!" she muttered as she stared at Luke, still entranced by the explosion unfolding through his camera lens.