Chapter 332: Incredible

[Chapter 332: Incredible]

On screen, the female lead hung on Sam like a koala, passionately kissing him as they slowly fell onto the sofa beside them.

...

"Cut! Good, we got that take," Eric finally shouted after more than four hours of filming. Everyone present, including the two leads who had just crawled off the couch, let out a sigh of relief.

What should have been a quick scene took an excruciating four hours to shoot, and anyone would have felt a bit anxious with such a delay. However, Eric, who could have easily expressed his frustration, remained calm. The others, of course, didn't dare show any signs of impatience either; they just repeated the scene over and over.

Eric checked his watch and said, "Let's wrap for today. It's already late; there's no need to clean up here. Just head back and get some rest."

Before anyone could cheer for the director's consideration, Eric added, "But no one is allowed to be late tomorrow."

A chorus of groans filled the room, but no one dared to complain. After all, everyone had earned decent overtime pay, and Eric surely had much more work awaiting him, probably more exhausting than theirs.

The crowd quickly dispersed. By the time Eric and the assistant director reviewed the footage and secured it away in a safe, over half an hour had passed.

Filming in Manhattan had quietly continued for nearly a month. Thanks to Eric's ability to reference existing films in his mind, his pace was considerably quicker than many Hollywood directors.

In just one month, two-thirds of the filming for Ghost had already been completed, and he estimated about ten more days would be needed to wrap it up. Word had also come in from Los Angeles that the special effects were progressing smoothly. Eric had even used a video phone to view some of the effects.

...

The production of Basic Instinct in San Francisco wasn't going as smoothly. It wasn't due to the performances of the two leads, who were doing quite well, but rather some external issues. Everyone knew that San Francisco was a hub for the LGBTQ+ community, and a controversial scene in Basic Instinct had been sensationalized by tabloids. This sparked protests from LGBTQ+ organizations, with some radicals even attempting to obstruct filming.

Jeffrey had to personally contact the San Francisco Police Department for assistance. For several days, Basic Instinct had been filmed under the protection of over fifty police officers, necessitating a substantial sponsorship payment from the production to the local police department.

...

On the other hand, Firefly Films' first summer release, The Silence of the Lambs, had wrapped over a week prior. To get the film out quickly, the crew had to divide into three teams.

By the end of May, all post-production work would be completed. Due to the rush, the budget had ballooned from under twenty million to twenty-five million. Eric had yet to see any rough cuts, but he trusted Jonathan Demme's direction and the unchanged cast. He believed the final film wouldn't differ too much from what he recalled.

According to plan, the film's critical screenings were set for early June, with a theatrical release on June 8. However, Robert Shea had only arranged for 1,500 theaters to premiere it.

While Eric understood that this was Shea monopolizing resources for his own film, Sleeping With the Enemy, he said nothing. Being scheduled for the summer block was already a big win, especially for an R-rated horror film, which typically released either around Easter or at summer's end. For it to squeeze into the busy summer schedule was quite fortunate, and 1,500 theaters was not a bad number for a horror film.

...

Alongside the movie matters, Eric found that personal responsibilities were piling up. He had to manage the affairs of Firefly, Pixar, and even Cisco, which frequently needed his direct intervention.

While he focused on Firefly, Eric continued to monitor the other companies. Thanks to ample financial backing, the production of Toy Story had already passed the halfway mark. Though it might not make the upcoming Christmas release, it would definitely be ready for next summer's window. This version of Toy Story was shaping up to be far more refined than he remembered, enhancing many details along the way. The film's length wasn't the original 81 minutes but was extended to a more standard 90 minutes. Eric was confident that Toy Story would astonish Hollywood.

As for Digital Domain, Eric entrusted that to Stan Winston. He merely arranged for a financial supervisor to oversee the finances while remaining hands-off in other aspects.

After its listing in February, Cisco's stock skyrocketed. Although it slowed down a month later, the stock surged again after the first quarter's profit report was released. Eric's $70 million investment had now ballooned to over $200 million, with no signs of stopping. Several investment firms began regretting their decisions to sell their shares to Firefly.

...

While keeping an eye on all these developments, Eric noticed recently that the people around him were acting a bit strange. They occasionally shot him odd looks, as if planning something. It felt subtle and peculiar, and he couldn't quite figure out if it was just his imagination.

For instance, today, crew members sought various excuses to take the day off, hoping Eric would wrap shooting an hour early while citing other pressing matters. If it were only one or two people, it wouldn't seem strange, but when everyone behaved this way, Eric would truly have been questioning his intelligence if he didn't realize something was up.

Given everyone's firm insistence, Eric had to yield. After all, they had all been working tirelessly for days, and the film was nearing completion; he decided to go along with their wishes.

However, as the day wrapped up, Eric caught the photographer Nicole before she could leave. "Nicole, tell me what's really going on?"

Nicole looked at Eric with a puzzled expression, as if caught off guard, and a bit incredulous. As Eric pressed for answers, she glanced around and saw many eyes on them, quickly shaking her head. "Eric, I can't say anything or I might get killed."

"If you don't spill, I'll take you out right now," Eric threatened.

The photographer puffed out her chest defiantly, appearing unfazed, fully aware that Eric couldn't actually do anything to her.

Eric punched her lightly on the shoulder. "Alright, scram. I just hope you don't get me into any trouble."

"Definitely not, for sure," Nicole laughed, stepping back. Once she was at a safe distance and certain Eric couldn't hear her, she couldn't help but mutter, "Incredible, truly incredible. How could anyone forget about something like this? No wonder you're such a workaholic."

*****

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