Chapter 75: A Plan Set in Motion

The scenes inside the room wrapped up quickly, and the crew moved to a street corner in the Bronx the next day.

CAA had already negotiated with the city government to close off the streets, as they needed to film a street concert scene here.

Once they arrived, Ethan had a few people lift him into the air with a crane, megaphone in hand, directing the team one by one.

"Props team, arrange the cars in an orderly manner! Move that yellow car to the side; it's blocking the path for the crowd."

"Art department, get the spray cans ready. Blue and green for the crowd on the left, red and yellow for the right."

"Don't crowd together! Lighting, stop where you are and take a step back! Yes, right there! I need stage lighting for a concert!"

"When the helicopter shows up, Avril, jump onto the car roof, and land in that dent!"

"Safety is the top priority! I want every safety measure checked three times!"

"Are the extras trained? José, I'll divide directions into A, B, C, and D. Don't make any mistakes!"

This scene involved wirework and some post-production effects.

The special effects company Ethan hired had people on site to help set up, and most of the effects revolved around Avril, who was very busy.

There were also many extras involved, but fortunately, everyone was professional, and even the background actors followed instructions well.

Of course, this was due in part to José's training and Ethan's meticulous direction.

While the crew was busy, a crowd of onlookers gathered. Among them, a few women who had just finished shopping were watching the rare spectacle, gossiping among themselves.

One of them, a long-haired woman with glasses, blinked as she looked at Ethan. She took off her glasses, wiped them, then put them back on her face.

"Fanny, what are you doing?" asked a round-faced woman holding shopping bags.

"Take a look, Kagali. My eyes must be playing tricks. Isn't that Norton's eldest son?"

Kagali squinted and stood on her toes, looking at the figure in the air holding a megaphone. With surprise, she said, "It does look like him... What was his name again? Ethan..."

"Ethan! I remember now. I asked Carmela about her son the last time I visited, and she said he was just working as a cameraman," Fanny said, disbelief in her voice. This was far from what she imagined a cameraman's job to be—this was clearly a director, and not just any director, but a big one in charge of a lot of people.

"I didn't expect it. They've kept that well-hidden. Fanny, next time we go shopping, I'll be sure to invite Mrs. Carmela," Kagali said, fiddling with her earrings. They looked cheap, but they were still gold.

"Yes, it seems we should invite her to the 'Ladies' Circle.' Honestly, I thought they were struggling when they first moved into the neighborhood and couldn't pay their fees."

Every American neighborhood had its own little groups, especially ones formed by women. Usually, only families that met certain criteria were allowed to participate.

And the criteria? Well, it was based on the status and income of the men in the family, of course.

"This is America, Fanny. A struggling family can turn their fortunes around in no time. Look at that handsome face. I'm tempted to introduce my daughter to him. And wow, there's wirework—this must be a big production."

Fanny raised her eyebrows at that. "You're right. Maybe I should have my daughter visit Carmela's house more often."

Kagali frowned. "Your daughter is only 16, isn't she?"

"So what? Isn't it the perfect time to get acquainted and develop a relationship?"

The two women glared at each other, neither backing down. Then, with a huff, they turned and walked off.

Meanwhile, on the set, Ethan grabbed the megaphone again. After surveying the scene and finding no problems, he shouted, "Ready for filming!"

Greta, holding the clapperboard, aligned it with the camera and called out, "Scene 65, Action!"

"Clap!"

The crowd, smoke, and energetic music filled the street corner with lively excitement.

The extras followed José's instructions, cheering as they gathered around the car-formed stage, raising spray cans and letting vibrant colors burst into the air, like miniature fireworks.

Avril and the male actor stood on the cars, strumming guitars and singing.

When they hit the chorus, Ethan, controlling the crane from below, smoothly maneuvered the camera through the center of the crowd, over their heads, before focusing on the faces of the performers, capturing their intense expressions.

The process was quick, precise, and flawless.

Greta and José, watching nearby, marveled silently. Usually, shots like this required multiple takes to get the positioning right.

Even the most stable dolly shots often needed to be repeated several times. But here, Ethan had perfectly mapped out the path with just his eyes, nailing it in a single take.

As a few people gathered around the monitor to review the footage, they couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"So steady, Ethan, your hands are like steel!"

"Yeah, look at that shot! The curve was so wide, yet the camera didn't shake at all. Beautiful!"

"I've been on many sets, but I've never seen such skillful camera work."

Ethan clapped his hands to cut off the flattery. "Enough. We're doing another take. One of the extras blocked the camera slightly."

"Got it, Director!" Everyone nodded in unison and got back to work.

Even though they thought the extra hadn't affected much, they knew Ethan was a perfectionist.

Soon, they neared the end of filming on the street.

Due to the limited time for the road closure, the crew couldn't afford any delays.

This scene was especially challenging. With a tight budget, Ethan only had two chances to shoot. If both takes failed, they'd be in trouble.

So, Ethan tightened the screws, not just on himself but on the entire crew.

"Hurry up, don't dawdle. The B3 spot is still missing a firework!"

"Glass! I've already told you twice! If you don't remove it now, I'll smash it with your head!"

"Damn it! Pull your head back and hide behind the wall! Don't stand there like a turtle!"

"Now start rehearsing! The moment you hear the cue, fire the fireworks..."

By five in the afternoon, before the sky entered the blue hour but still bright, the extras and passersby on the street witnessed a spectacular and unique fireworks display.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of fireworks shot out from the windows of the buildings on both sides of the intersection, accompanied by thick, colorful smoke. It was as if the entire building had turned into a giant fireworks box, sending blessings to the world.

The smoke filled the air, casting a magical atmosphere over the entire street.

Everyone's jaws dropped, gasping in awe.

"Wow!"

Instantly, everyone started chatting excitedly.

"This is amazing!"

"Who knew fireworks could be displayed like this? So cool!"

"Wow, I can't wait to see the finished product."

"Yeah, I heard this is for an MV. The singer is named Avril."

"Then I'll definitely support it, just for this scene alone!"

"Same here!"

The passersby were equally astonished.

"What's going on? Why is the whole building shooting out fireworks?"

"Looks like they're filming an MV. It's beautiful!"

"Are you sure it's not for a movie? It's so grand! Wow."

Amid the crowd, a passing journalist quickly raised his camera, capturing the colorful smoke and fireworks in the sky.

"Click! Click! Move aside!"

Sensing that this would make for a great news story, he kept snapping, determined not to miss any details.

At the same time, Ethan, maintaining a serious demeanor, reviewed the monitor carefully. He pointed out, "This part slowed down by half a second, and this one sped up slightly. Also, the smoke isn't thick enough here. I want the entire street covered."

"And Avril, you need to land here, not in the wrong spot again!"

Avril nodded. "Sorry..."

"Don't apologize. Remember, then correct it. It's that simple. The rest of you, too!" Ethan's sharp gaze swept over everyone. "We have one last chance. Remember your positions. GO! GO! GO!"

By six o'clock, as the sun extinguished its last glow on the horizon and New York entered its moonlit hours, Ethan successfully wrapped up the shoot.

After instructing Carl to keep an eye on the assistant, Ethan headed back to his neighborhood.

Avril had initially wanted to join him at a bar, but unfortunately, her agent had come to take her away. They had received a last-minute invitation to a music festival and had to catch a flight to Chicago that night.

Reluctantly, Avril could only passionately kiss Ethan for ten minutes in her trailer before leaving, after several prompts from her agent.

When Ethan reached his home, he heard the sound of laughter coming from the living room—guests had arrived.

Not in the mood to entertain anyone, he sat in the second-hand car Tom had returned, texting Avril and Scarlett.

The car was cleaner than when he'd lent it out, with a full tank of gas, too.

Ethan appreciated dealing with people like Tom, who didn't cause unnecessary trouble.

Just like Jimmy, although he was a bit talkative and somewhat lustful, you never had to worry about him doing things half-heartedly.

He had quickly gathered information over the past two days, confirming that Lilina was indeed the first person to receive the call.

The reason was straightforward: she had printed business cards with her personal information and addresses scattered throughout her home and office. Someone must have picked them up.

Her family background was also easy to investigate. Her parents were ordinary workers who had lived in the community for decades. As long as neighbors were asked, they would quickly reveal details about her family.

The consulting company had managed to reach her accurately because she habitually introduced herself by name.

With just a few more calls, they would have inevitably tracked Lilina down.

However, they didn't anticipate that a simple test phone call would prompt Lilina to go to Ethan and report it.

In the past, girls in similar situations would usually hesitate before agreeing and then secretly make some money without informing the company.

Unfortunately, they misjudged Supreme Creativity or failed to realize that Angel Declaration was also under Ethan's umbrella.

Ethan knew this was merely a stroke of luck. If the consulting company continued their investigation, they would inevitably discover Angel Declaration sooner or later.

But he had no intention of hiding anything; it was just a coincidence.

Now, the challenge was how to use this brief information gap to draw out the company behind the calls.

Ethan snapped his fingers occasionally as thoughts flashed through his mind.

Eventually, he paused, recalling the Heinz Group.

"Heinz... that's a brilliant idea." Ethan stopped pointing and smiled, clearly having come up with a suitable solution.

.....

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