Chapter 765: I Have a Condition

[Chapter 765: I Have a Condition]

With a splash, the sound of someone falling into the water startled the crowd, and they rushed towards the ship's edge.

Seeing the director jump into the sea, a few crew members who had been hanging onto the mechanical arm on the deck immediately slid down the safety rope, without waiting for any orders. There were over a hundred people on site, but Eric wasn't worried about Cameron's safety; he was just a bit amused, wondering what kind of behavior it was to jump into the ocean over a disagreement.

Reaching the ship's railing, Eric leaned over to look below. Cameron had already grabbed hold of the safety rope and was being slowly hoisted back up with the help of a few others.

William Stewart, who had gone pale from shock, sighed in relief upon seeing that Cameron was unharmed. Only then did he notice Eric standing not far away. Remembering what had just happened, he hurried forward to explain, "Eric, I..."

Eric nodded at William, reassuring him, "It's fine, William. I saw everything; it's not your fault."

Hearing Eric's words eased William's mind, but as he recalled the recent turn of events, he felt a swell of sadness. Just as he was about to share his grievances with Eric, Cameron jumped back onto the deck.

Still brimming with energy, seemingly aiming to confront William, Cameron's fierce demeanor faded the moment he spotted Eric. Ignoring his drenched appearance, he approached Eric with enthusiasm and gave him a hug, saying, "Eric, you arrived just in time, hmm..."

Looking around and noticing everyone was staring at him oddly, Cameron yelled, "What are you all standing around for? Don't you have work to do?"

Eric smirked and waved at the crew, who promptly scattered and returned to their tasks. Cameron disregarded these little details and dragged Eric to the bow of the ship, calling over Leonardo and Rachel. He animatedly instructed them to pose, saying, "Eric, just imagine -- Jack and Rose standing at the front of the Titanic, with the vast ocean stretching out before them, embraced in a kiss as they face the mighty ocean breeze under the breathtaking sunset; what a beautiful scene that would be. To accomplish this, we need to install a tower crane..."

As he passionately rambled on, Cameron leaned against the ship's railing, raising one arm high and moving it slowly, acting as if he were that imaginary tower crane.

Eric patiently listened to Cameron's evident obsession, and finally asked, "Jim, installing a crane would take too much time; can't we use a helicopter?"

Cameron immediately shook his head, "No, no, no, helicopters are too unstable; it has to be a tower crane."

Eric leaned against the railing, looking up at the sky, recalling scenes from memory, and smiled, "Alright, Jim. You know why I'm suddenly here; everyone is saying Titanic is spiraling out of control. Do you feel that way?"

Cameron's face briefly displayed a hint of embarrassment, but he quickly said, "Eric, I know this movie may not finish on schedule, but it's definitely not out of control. I'm fully aware of what I'm doing. Well, the budget might stretch a bit. I think, for you, money shouldn't be an issue; you should have plenty."

Eric looked at Cameron, who was dripping wet in his director's jacket, and waved his hand helplessly, "You should change clothes first and give me some time to figure out how to counter your arguments."

Cameron seemed to realize something and laughed boastfully, saying to Jon Landau nearby, "Jon, call them up now and have them prepare everything quickly."

After saying that, Cameron waved at Eric and quickly made his way towards the gangway.

After watching Cameron's retreating figure disappear, Jon Landau and William Stewart looked at Eric, their expressions questioning.

Eric nodded and said, "Let's proceed according to Jim's idea."

William Stewart still wore a worried look, "But Eric, this will delay us for at least two days, and many original shooting schedules will be disrupted."

"It was already a mess; a little more chaos won't make much difference," Eric replied, glancing at William, "Don't worry. Consider this project my indulgence. Regardless of the outcome, it won't affect you."

With Eric saying that, William didn't press further. His biggest concern had been the budget overruns and potential box office failure of Titanic, knowing that if these things happened, he might be fired as the producer. Since Eric had given such a promise, he certainly wouldn't push his luck by continuing the argument.

...

After sending Jon Landau and William Stewart off to make preparations, Eric finally had some free time and greeted the leading actors, "Leonardo, Rachel, how's it been working with Jim?"

Leonardo smiled bashfully, while Rachel Weisz, having met Eric a few times, felt a bit more comfortable. She leaned against the railing next to Eric and said, "Jim is usually quite friendly, but he gets angry too easily."

Rachel glanced over at Kelly standing a little ways off and asked, "Eric, didn't Caroline come with you?"

"No, but I'll bring her next time to see you."

"Oh," Rachel said with a tone of disappointment. She had been filming this movie for a few months now, not even returning home for Christmas, and with a volatile director, it had been tough. Had it not been for her naturally strong character, she would have given up many times.

Eric could empathize with Rachel's emotions and encouraged her, "Keep working hard. Who knows, after this, you might become the big star needing to be coddled by directors."

Rachel chuckled, "As long as I don't have to encounter directors like Jim again."

Just as she mentioned Cameron, that familiar figure rushed back from the gangway: "Hey, Eric, the morning shoot is definitely done; follow me, I'll show you what we've been shooting recently."

Eric nodded, said goodbye to Rachel and Leonardo, and left the deck with Cameron to a makeshift post-production studio onsite.

...

In the original timeline, many ordinary people were often puzzled after watching Titanic, as it was perceived to be a visual effects blockbuster. After all, to most, the film's visuals were primarily real-world objects. Unlike benchmark effects films such as Jurassic Park, Star Wars, or Men in Black, it appeared that Titanic didn't feature any 'special effects' scenes.

But the reality was far from that; the entire film, from the starry night sky to the warm breath seen in cold scenes, was primarily composed of visual effects technology. Furthermore, creating realistic scenes using CGI posed even greater challenges compared to depicting imaginary aliens or spaceships, since most people had never seen an alien and couldn't distinguish between real or fake. But when it came to accurately rendering real objects, anything less than meticulous could easily be spotted.

As they needed to install the tower crane for Cameron, there wasn't any time left in the morning to reset the shooting schedule. So, Eric was pulled by Cameron to see the footage that had been shot recently in the post-production studio.

Aside from a small portion that was entirely shot on location, most of the footage showed green screens, even a scene planned in the Titanic's luxurious first-class cabin had green screens surrounding the dining setup, illustrating the expected workload to transform this material into the film's final scenes.

"Eric, I assure you that, as long as funding doesn't become an issue, I can complete all filming within three months, and we can also handle post-production simultaneously. Aside from primary scenes, I can subcontract some minor effects work. Jon has started reaching out to effects studios. Plus, having a render farm will significantly speed up post-production. I'd estimate, hmm, before August, I can guarantee all work will be finished."

During lunch, a group gathered in the dining area discussing the film's production process. Cameron passionately reiterated his promises, and, well, making wild claims didn't cost a dime.

Feeling Eric's support for the project, Cameron's unsparing assurances flowed freely, causing team members like Jon Landau, William Stewart, and even Rachel to roll their eyes.

With a smile, Eric cut into his steak and told Cameron, "August? There's no way we can make the summer blockbusters. I just wish you won't drag this film into the end of the year without it being finished. Jim, that's my bottom line; you need to understand that Firefly isn't solely mine."

"Of course," Cameron immediately nodded, glancing over at William Stewart, sitting not too far away, and said, "But Eric, I have one condition."

"Hmm?"

"I think William doesn't need to waste time here. Just Jon and a few other production assistants should be enough."

Eric shook his head, "That won't do, Jim; William must stay here."

That was ridiculous. Without any constraints, this guy would surely run wild.

While Eric supported the continuation of filming, he certainly wouldn't allow Cameron to squander resources unchecked. Otherwise, three hundred million dollars wouldn't be enough for him.

Cameron hadn't tried to lower his voice intentionally, and hearing their conversation, William Stewart looked at Eric with a glimmer of hope. Though he was irritated by Cameron wanting to send him away, he would definitely prefer not to remain if he could help it.

After rejecting Cameron's request and continuing lunch, Eric suddenly remembered another matter. He turned to Cameron and Jon Landau, saying, "By the way, there's something else. I hope we can keep all the props from this movie intact."

Everyone showed puzzled expressions, and Jon Landau replied, "Eric, it doesn't seem necessary. There aren't many films from Hollywood's 20s and 30s, and most props have little chance of being reused. Plus, I've already arranged to sell the big ship model to a local factory after filming, which will recover some funds for post-production."

Although the plan heavily relied on effects technology, the sourcing of details was still remarkably expensive. The film's expenditure on thousands of costumes, tableware, and accessory items amounted to millions, not to mention the full-scale ship model meticulously crafted to a one-to-one ratio.

In the original timeline, after Titanic's miraculous success, the props had generated further ticket revenues through touring exhibitions, earning additional hundreds of millions for the producers. While Eric hesitated about whether this version of Titanic could achieve the same success as its original, if there was even a chance, he wasn't about to let this profit opportunity slip by.

Hearing that Jon Landau planned to sell the big ship model, Eric quickly shook his head, "No need; I still find that ship very meaningful. Moreover, Firefly will likely create ocean-related films in the future, and these props might come in handy. We could keep this entire set as a dedicated filming base for ocean-themed movies."

Seeing Eric's determination, the others naturally didn't oppose. After a brief discussion, they decided to construct a warehouse onsite specifically for storing Titanic's props.

Since he was there, Eric didn't rush to leave but stayed to observe Cameron's shooting process. Although some scenes at the bow were on hold due to the crane installation, the crew quickly arranged to shoot other scenes instead.

With the budget pressures alleviated, Cameron seemed to calm down and was less irritable. At least, for the next couple of days, Eric didn't hear any of Cameron's thunderous rants.

However, while the Rosarito set found a calm atmosphere internally, the outside world became more boisterous.

Though a gag order was issued immediately after the incident, the large number of people on set meant the gag order didn't hold much weight. The news of Cameron's leap into the ocean made headlines in the North American entertainment news the very next day.

*****

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