Chapter 13: Darkness Under the California Sun

The bright sunlight was no longer scorching, and the air in the mornings and evenings carried a slight chill. As December arrived in the Greater Los Angeles area, it marked the start of the cooler season, and the film crew, after continuous high-intensity work, finally caught the attention of mainstream .

The latest issue of the *Los Angeles Times* featured news about *Speed*. Unfortunately, this production, lacking big-name stars and a renowned director, didn't have much pull. The article was relegated to a small corner on the second page of the entertainment section, barely taking up half a palm's worth of space. Most of the article focused on the actors, with no mention of the director.

It's well-known that Lucasfilm excels at content creation but isn't strong in marketing and promotion, and they rarely distribute films independently. The pre-release publicity for *Speed* was nearly non-existent. Fortunately, after negotiations, 20th Century Fox agreed to handle distribution, though the specific terms would be finalized after seeing the rough cut.

By mid-December, as Duke blew up a bus into scrap metal, filming finally reached its conclusion.

At sunset, Duke set up the camera on a decommissioned communications tower at LAX, using a wide-angle lens to capture a rare, beautiful scene. He loved shooting sunrise and sunset shots during the "magic hour," which made the visuals stunning and breathtaking on the big screen.

Throughout the production, Duke employed filming techniques that were rare at the time but would later become standard in Hollywood—like capturing middle shots with upward angles to create excitement, or having the camera follow car tires during chase scenes.

For Duke, the primary consideration in making this film was audience appeal. The audience needed to be presented with the freshest and most thrilling scenes.

This was the fourth consecutive day Duke had used a wide-angle lens to shoot the sunset. If not for the film's time constraints, he would have made the actors walk during sunrise and sunset every day.

After capturing the desired shots, Duke handed the camera over to the crew and returned to the set at the airport, preparing for the final scene.

"Lower the angle of the second crane cam by fifteen degrees. Perfect," he instructed.

After checking on the actors, Duke gave one last reminder: "Cam One, do a 360-degree sweep, and capture close-ups!"

After an intense race for survival, the male and female leads shared a passionate kiss. Was it cliché? Absolutely. But even twenty years from now, most audiences would still love seeing such scenes. Why wouldn't he shoot it?

When Duke finally called "Cut," his hoarse voice announced, "*Speed* filming is officially over!"

He exhaled deeply. After enduring seventy-two grueling days of pressure, this long journey had reached its first milestone.

Applause broke out—scattered and subdued. The crew was as physically and mentally exhausted as Duke was.

After all, for the past month, everyone had been living in a noisy, fast-paced environment filled with car crashes and explosions. Even the most energetic among them had burned out their stamina and enthusiasm.

The crew returned to Universal Studios to store the film reels and equipment, then put aside all concerns, dressed up, and headed to a well-known nightclub in Burbank for the essential wrap party.

The club wasn't large, but they had reserved the entire space. Unlike others who brought friends, Duke arrived early, and most others came with dates or companions. Keanu Reeves, notably, brought along infamous friends.

At such private Hollywood parties, alcohol and marijuana were staples, with many people puffing smoke everywhere. Keanu Reeves and his friends seemed to be indulging in cocaine.

Though Duke had experimented with marijuana out of curiosity in high school, he had no interest in such things now. However, he wasn't foolish enough to try to stop anyone—after all, this was Hollywood. Even those with good upbringing weren't immune to the lifestyle. Sofia Coppola, after greeting him, went off to join the smokers.

Under the bright California sun, there was darkness lurking. In Hollywood, where emotions are magnified, and wealth, power, and talent are the chips in a high-stakes game of life and death, too many in the film industry became both victims and perpetrators. The "super treatment" that came from extraordinary lifestyles, immense pressure, and the allure of success made it hard for people to maintain a "healthy" personality by societal standards.

In a way, Keanu Reeves and his friends were perfect examples. If one of them hadn't overdosed and died, forcing the others to wake up, who knows if they would have ever achieved their later success.

At that moment, Duke felt like both a participant and an observer—he had stepped into this world, yet he could still view everything with a detached, clear mind.

This was the last night for the crew. Apart from Duke, most of these people wouldn't be involved in post-production. Their doubts, or even the tensions with the assistant director, would all be over after tonight.

On the path to success, moving forward was more important than getting entangled with minor obstacles.

"Hey..."

Sofia Coppola walked over with a drink, sitting across from Duke. "Looks like it's time to say goodbye."

"It is," Duke raised his glass to her. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Any plans next?" Duke asked, as she was the closest person to him on the crew.

"Still looking for another assistant job?" he inquired.

"Are you offering to hire me?" Sofia tilted her head at him.

"You're a great assistant."

Just as he said, Sofia, who had grown up in Hollywood, was adept at handling movie-related tasks. "Maybe we'll collaborate again."

"In the future?" She shrugged. "If this movie flops, you might not get a second chance."

"You think I'll fail?" Duke asked, looking at her.

"Realistically, a director your age shouldn't succeed," Sofia said while pouring sweet pear wine into their glasses. "But based on what I've seen over the past two months, this film could be a big hit."

"This isn't flattery?" Duke emptied his glass again.

"Do I need to flatter you?" she scoffed. "Do you know what position Chanel has reserved for me? Assistant to Karl Lagerfeld! So, if I'm going to be an assistant, should I choose him or you?"

"Assistant?" Duke wagged his finger at her. "Not as a phone operator, I hope?"

"Duke Rosenberg!"

Sofia's eyes widened, clearly hit where it hurt.

"Darling, pursue your fashion dream," Duke said, checking his watch before standing up. "It's late, I need to go home."

As Sofia waved him off, Duke made his way through the crowd and quickly exited the club.

He'd been joking earlier. The Coppola family must have played a huge role in Sofia's opportunity at Chanel, so she definitely wouldn't be doing menial work.

Duke started his car and drove westward, leaving behind the noisy and chaotic night.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

While most of the crew could enjoy a long break, Duke wasn't ready to relax yet. After only two days of rest, he, along with Robin and the editor, returned to the *Speed* studio in West Hollywood to begin the equally crucial post-production work.

Typically, post-production involves three main areas: editing, special effects, and sound effects. Editing puts the shots together, special effects create visual elements like transitions, and sound effects involve audio enhancements.

Post-production takes a long time. The idea of completing a film's post-production in just a few days is a joke, something only outsiders would suggest.

Since digital production wasn't widespread yet, *Speed*'s post-production would be done entirely on film. All the special effects in the film were either shot on location or done with models—there was no CGI involved.

"Robin, I hope we can follow my vision for the first cut."

In the editing room, Duke pushed for more control from the producer. "We have plenty of time to see how the first cut turns out and then make adjustments."

While many Hollywood productions exclude directors from the editing process, having the director involved can make the work smoother, especially if they don't clash with the producer.

Unlike many directors, Duke had shot fewer reels than usual. Though not as fast as Spielberg, he certainly wasn't one to waste film. Plus, he already had a rough draft for the editing.