Chapter 48

How Jeff and Harvey discussed it, Martin didn't know.

In the end, Harvey was willing to pay $700,000 for the music Martin composed for the film.

This is a lot of money. Nowadays, the famous American film scoring master, Hans Zimmer, who has won multiple Oscar awards, typically charges between $700,000 and $1 million to score a movie, depending on the workload and number of modifications.

Martin understood Harvey's intentions in offering such a large sum of money.

It was a gimmick!

This shrewd businessman wouldn't suffer a loss.

Today, sales of Martin's trance albums are still booming, and his compositional ability has been recognized by many composers and critics.

So, Martin's first soundtrack for a film is definitely a major selling point.

The fat man even hinted in a phone call that Martin could find a ghostwriter, as long as he signed a confidentiality contract and allowed his name to be used.

Martin clearly rejected that bad idea.

Just like he once told Jessica, "Everything in the past leaves its traces." He would not leave any hidden dangers for his future.

And it's just a movie soundtrack. He has too much material in his mind. Not to mention the original movie soundtracks in his memory; he can find better ones among the music he heard while in the Continent of Gods and Demons.

For example, some of the songs from the Night Stalkers can send chills down people's spines, making them feel frightened just by hearing them. Coupled with the scenes of the movie, they are guaranteed to keep the audience on edge.

...

The time has come for June.

The filming of the movie has come to an end.

There are no big scenes in this film. Strictly speaking, it is a collection of scenes between three or four people—a boy and a psychiatrist, a boy and his mother, a psychiatrist and his wife, and so on.

The scenes switch between the street, two apartments, and the school.

In terms of shooting difficulty, it is much lower than "A Match Made in Heaven," but it's better in terms of plot and the actors' performances.

"Guys, cheer up! This is the last shot of the movie. After filming, let Bruce treat everyone to a feast."

Martin clapped his hands to encourage the film crew.

Bruce Willis, standing nearby, wore a speechless expression. "Martin, it's okay for you to give favors, but why am I treating you?"

Martin chuckled and replied, "Bruce, don't be so stingy. Do you want me, an underage kid, to treat you? Aren't you afraid that people from the Children's Protection Association will come knocking on your door?"

"Those vultures!? Forget it, let me invite you!" Bruce Willis immediately raised his hands in surrender.

Once an organization like the Children's Protective Society of America gets involved, it can create big trouble. You can't get rid of it without some serious repercussions.

"Martin, do you need a break?" Shyamalan was more concerned about whether Martin's physical strength could hold up.

"No, director." Martin shook his head resolutely. "I'm in good shape now; let's continue and finish this battle."

Just kidding, this workload is nothing for a succubus!

After Shyamalan took a careful look at Martin to ensure he wasn't trying to show off, he sat back in the director's chair with confidence and began making arrangements.

He attached great importance to this last shot because it is one of the most crucial scenes in the movie and a significant test of Martin's acting skills.

"Get on your feet... get ready, start!"

In the bedroom, the boy gasped and trembled as he stretched out his small hand to grasp the door handle.

After several moments of hesitation, he finally made up his mind, clicked, and gently twisted the door lock.

The door opened slightly, and the boy's head peeked out from the gap, his clear eyes scanning the dimly lit corridor.

Hesitation and fear danced in his eyes. After looking back and forth, he seemed to have made up his mind. Suddenly, he opened the door and rushed to the bathroom quickly.

Swipe!

A white shadow flashed from behind the boy.

Sensing something, the boy suddenly became anxious. Fear appeared on his face as he panted quickly and turned around slowly. His weak body trembled slightly, looking so lonely and helpless.

Behind him, there was nothing.

Hallucinations; this was just a hallucination, all false.

The boy reassured himself, but he involuntarily stepped toward the corridor, as if he wanted to prove something...

At that moment, the boy suddenly heard the sound of kitchen utensils clinking in the kitchen. His expression shifted to certainty, thinking it was his mother making breakfast, so he turned and walked toward the kitchen. A bright light illuminated the kitchen, sweeping away the gloomy darkness, and the world seemed to return to light. A woman in pink pajamas was facing the door, tinkering with something.

The boy softly called out, "Mom?"

The woman in pink pajamas turned around suddenly and said in a sharp, violent voice, "No! Dinner isn't ready yet! What do you want?"

"Close-up! Here is a close-up," Shyamalan instructed the cameraman through the headset.

The camera zoomed in instantly, revealing the woman's face and body covered with horrific scars. Coupled with her hysterical expression, an atmosphere of fear enveloped her.

The woman stretched out her hands toward the boy, revealing her arms marred with deep knife marks, and roared angrily, "You can never hurt me again, Lanny! It was you who forced me to be like this!"

The boy's body trembled violently, and tears instantly filled his eyes.

He turned around suddenly, dashed out of the bright kitchen, rushed into the dark and gloomy corridor, and quickly returned to his bedroom, diving into the red tent.

The tent was filled with statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, with crosses hung everywhere. The boy covered his mouth, silencing himself as tears streamed down uncontrollably. His bright blue eyes slowly lost their luster.

There was silence all around.

Everyone looked at the boy, crying silently in the tent.

At that moment, all the staff could clearly feel the boy's endless helplessness and despair.

"Cut!" Shyamalan jumped up excitedly. "Awesome, Martin! You are really great. Believe me, this scene will definitely become a classic in film history!"

With the sound of "cut," Martin deliberately stayed in the tent for a while, then gathered his emotions and walked out.

Bruce Willis approached, rubbed Martin's head, and exclaimed, "Martin, your performance in this scene is definitely the most stunning shot in the movie. I feel like you are going to steal my Oscar for Best Actor."

Martin wiped his tears and grinned. He looked a little funny, but no one around him would laugh.

Everyone knew what a wonderful performance Martin had just delivered.

Martin felt very proud of himself. Of course, it was wonderful! This movie is fantastic.

This scene performed by Haley Joel Osment, the original star of the movie, was later rated as one of the top 100 classic scenes in North American film history. I definitely can't compare!

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.