Chapter 47: There's a Problem

"This is the set, Naomi."

Catching the familiar scent, Duke knew who it was without even lifting his head. "I remember you don't have any scenes today, right?"

"I just wanted to have lunch with you."

When Duke finally looked up, Naomi Watts had an expression that was perfectly timed, and her petite figure easily conveyed a sense of fragility and vulnerability.

"Let's go."

Without saying much, Duke led the way out of the soundstage and headed towards his trailer, with Naomi Watts walking closely beside him.

Lunch wasn't exactly lavish, but it was decent. However, Duke didn't have time to talk much with Naomi. Zack Snyder, John Schwartzman, and Hannah Selina had all come into his trailer. Assistant director Sofia Coppola was also present, and they spent the entire time discussing the afternoon shoot while eating.

"The insurance company requires all high-risk action scenes to use stunt doubles."

To maintain her slim figure, Sofia only ate a bit of salad before ending her lunch and pulling out the schedule to remind them of a few things. "Christopher's two explosion scenes were denied by them, and Nicholas' stunt scenes were also canceled."

"Follow their requirements," Duke said, swallowing a bite of beef. "We don't have time to argue with third parties. For any shot that can use a stunt double, we'll use a double. Also, Sofia, has the budget for the explosions been allocated yet?"

"It was transferred this morning."

Hearing Sofia's response, Duke nodded in relief, then turned to Zack Snyder across from him. "Joe William's pyrotechnic team will join this afternoon. Get them acquainted with the set."

Throughout the entire lunch, they discussed nothing unrelated to the shoot. The topic always stayed tightly focused on production matters. Naomi Watts sat next to Duke, slowly eating a fruit salad, realizing she didn't have a chance to speak at all. She felt completely like an outsider, ignored and irrelevant.

They were a team, and she was not part of it.

That was Naomi Watts' only feeling—she didn't fit in with this group.

"You know what you want, and once you know, you'll naturally find the path to your goal. You'll find a way. You'll focus, and you'll endure anything because you crave what you're striving for. You know to achieve your goal, you must be dedicated!"

Suddenly, she recalled words Duke had said in the past. Those words were the perfect description of the team in front of her—they were focused, they craved success, and they were utterly dedicated!

Looking again at Duke beside her, his attention wasn't on her at all. Ever since filming began, it seemed like his mind had only been on the movie, everything else temporarily cast aside...

"I'm done eating," she said softly, leaning a little closer to Duke. "I have something to do this afternoon, so I'll head off now."

"John, for the medium shots, the camera..."

Hearing a voice next to his ear, Duke glanced at Naomi Watts, gave a slight nod, and then continued his conversation. "We can use an upward mixed angle to create a first-person perspective, enhancing the viewer's sense of realism."

Other than Sofia Coppola, who was sitting next to Duke, no one else even looked at Naomi as she got up to leave.

After lunch, Zack Snyder and the others left the trailer first. Duke drank a cup of coffee before heading out with Sofia toward Warner Bros. Studios' outdoor set.

"You just hurt a woman."

Walking down the asphalt road between the soundstages, Sofia suddenly spoke. "Miss Watts looked a bit sad when she left."

"Are you sure?" Duke turned to look at her. Sofia shrugged. "She didn't seem happy."

She smirked. "Duke, you're definitely not boyfriend material."

"I'm not her boyfriend," Duke replied casually, not taking it to heart and quickly changing the subject. "Did you contact the military advisor?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Renho arrived this morning," Sofia also shifted back to business mode. "He's been surveying the outdoor set with his team, designing the appropriate tactical movements."

The afternoon shoot began quickly. The scene they were filming involved General Hammer leading a team to raid an armory. Although the script called for a nighttime setting, due to various constraints, Duke scheduled the shoot for the day and planned to replace the background in post-production.

Many Hollywood night scenes are actually shot during the day, with the background replaced in post-production.

This doesn't require any advanced CGI; simple in-camera effects can easily achieve the look.

Heavy "rain" poured down from the water cannons as the Humvee pulled up to the guard post, where two guards stopped General Hammer's convoy.

Sitting in front of the monitor, Duke watched the scene intently. Lieutenant Colonel Renho suddenly stepped forward.

"There's a problem," he whispered to Duke, who immediately shouted, "Cut!"

The rain stopped, and the set reverted to California's dry climate.

Duke replayed the footage they had just shot. Lieutenant Colonel Renho pointed to the assault rifles slung on the chests of the two guards. "Their gun barrels are pointing up; that's a serious tactical mistake."

Seeing Duke gesture for him to continue, he added, "It's not wartime, and it's raining. According to U.S. military regulations, soldiers should carry their rifles barrel-down to prevent accidental discharge and avoid water getting in."

These were small details that were easy to overlook, but military professionals caught them. Without them, Duke wouldn't have noticed. He immediately had the military advisor guide the adjustments to avoid such basic military errors in the future.

Because of the constraints of Alcatraz's structures and terrain, apart from a few chase scenes and landscape shots, the film didn't require much location shooting. Most scenes would be shot on soundstages or outdoor sets at Warner Bros. Studios. Many of the action scenes, under the supervision of third-party insurance companies, rarely involved the lead actors doing their own stunts.

The third-party insurance company not only insured the completion of the film but also the personal safety of several of the lead actors. If they got injured, the insurance company would have to pay a large sum.

While Hollywood's completion bond system doesn't favor directors, Duke had never thought of fighting the entire Hollywood system on his own. That would only end in failure. What he aimed for was to communicate smoothly and resolve differences as much as possible. This wasn't a film where the leads needed to do their own stunts for authenticity. Whenever a stunt double could be used, Duke would always go with that option. Injuring any of the lead actors and delaying the shoot would be a far worse outcome.

Since Duke was used to planning from the most challenging angle, the actual progress of the shoot was slightly ahead of schedule. According to his calculations, if there were no major mishaps, "The Rock" could wrap filming by February next year.

Unlike the quiet production of "Speed," Warner Bros. hadn't slackened off on the promotion for "The Rock" during filming. Every so often, they would release some true or false news related to the film. The three male leads, in particular, would occasionally have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. Some of these were even set photos provided by the production team to remind the public that this movie was still in production.

According to the plan, most of the scenes shot early on were dialogue-heavy. This was Duke's weaker area. Frankly, the structure of "Speed" had masked his weaknesses in storytelling. "The Rock," to a certain extent, could also hide this, but this couldn't continue indefinitely. Duke wasn't making movies just for the sake of making movies. While success was one goal, learning and improving were equally important.

In scenes like the balcony argument between Mason and Womack, the reunion between Mason and his daughter, and Goodspeed's emotional exchange with his girlfriend, Duke would think about the scenes from each character's perspective before shooting. During filming, he'd shoot several takes from different angles and later study them privately, trying to compensate for his biggest weakness as quickly as possible.

"You should take on a film with intense emotional conflict and frequent character interactions," Sofia had once privately advised Duke. "That way, you can truly hone your skills. If you spend every day surrounded by car chases, explosions, and fight scenes, your achievements will only be limited to that."

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Sofia stayed with the crew to learn and prepare for her future. She could learn Duke's mastery of action scenes and visual impact, while Duke could gain insights from their exchanges, drawing from her years of accumulated cinematic intuition.

In the film industry, both of them were newcomers, working towards success through trial and error.

As December rolled in, the crew began filming the action scenes. Almost daily, Duke used explosives to tear through the soundstages at Warner Bros. Studios. Occasionally, the loud explosions could be heard all the way up to the main Warner building at the front of the lot.

While filming explosive action scenes, stunt performers getting injured was inevitable. Despite the strict regulations of the actors' guild, no one would escalate to the union if someone got hurt by accident. The crew would handle it internally.

"Scene fifty-five, take twenty-two..."

Duke, wearing a baseball cap backward, shouted into the megaphone, "Action!"

Just after he sat down, a loud explosion rang out. In the shot, a stunt performer jumped out of the mine cart tracks, diving to the side to avoid a "grenade" thrown back by Goodspeed.

Perhaps it was the blast from the explosion that caused another stuntman to fall off the track after running just two steps. The side he fell on was not high and was protected by a cushion, but after landing on the cushion, he let out a scream...