Chapter 120: Sullivan and Bauer’s Filming Adventure (Part 1)

"John, how did it turn out?" At the end of the day's shoot, during a meeting, Gilbert asked.

John Schwartzman, his thick eyebrows flying wildly, was clearly too excited to stay calm. He gestured animatedly. "Director, you wouldn't believe the incredible footage we got. Unbelievable! Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge and the jet's tail flame from the fighter's first-person view is bound to thrill the audience."

"Alright, alright, I had a good feeling about it, so as long as it turned out well." Gilbert clapped his hands.

After all, it was Gilbert who came up with the idea for this shot, so he already had an idea of how it would look.

Over the next few days, the six fighter jets worked with the crew to complete the rest of the filming. Of course, the missile-firing scenes couldn't be shot live, as they weren't really trying to blow up Alcatraz. So, this part would be handled by Industrial Light & Magic, using a combination of miniatures and effects.

However, Gilbert was always passionate about on-location filming. Car chases and explosions were his specialty.

Once most of the dialogue scenes were completed, the crew returned to the all-out explosive style of Speed, pushing the staff's eardrums to their limits.

Roger Moore was experienced from filming James Bond, and Ed Harris was used to similar roles. But Nicholas Cage, despite some action film experience, hadn't been in this kind of intense, explosion-heavy movie before.

During the first explosion scene, Nicholas Cage was so overwhelmed that he lost all composure. Afterward, he was trembling, genuinely shaken by the experience.

"Here," Sophia unexpectedly handed him a drink. "It'll make you feel better."

Nicholas Cage took a sip and felt better, thanking Sophia.

"You're welcome…" Sophia wasn't surprised. She remembered being similarly scared when she first started working with Gilbert.

Finally calming down, Cage watched Gilbert directing, then asked Sophia, "Is he always like this? Obsessed with explosions?"

Sophia shook her head, replying, "Director Cameron is like that too. Didn't you see True Lies?"

Cage thought for a moment and agreed. On second thought, Gilbert and James Cameron did have similar styles. But Gilbert's approach had a touch of realism and sincerity that made it even more intense for audiences.

Nobody else would have thought of putting a high-speed camera in a jet cockpit to capture footage of flying under the Golden Gate Bridge from a first-person perspective. Even though Cage hadn't seen it yet, he could already imagine the impact this scene would have on viewers when it appeared in the final cut.

Many of the explosive and chase scenes had close-up shots of the main cast, but stunt doubles handled the rest. It wasn't just about ensuring the actors' safety; this was also a requirement by the insurance companies and the actors' guild. Unless the actor specifically requested it, stunt doubles were typically used.

Not everyone had the skills of someone like Tom Cruise. For example, there was no way Cage, Harris, and Moore could pull off those stunts—Harris and Moore's ages combined were over 120!

One particularly interesting scene involved Roger Moore's character, John Mason, and John Spencer's character, CIA Director Jim Womack, on a hotel rooftop. In this scene, Mason takes advantage of a handshake to tie a rope around Womack and dangles him over the balcony.

The scene involved many camera angles, with a stuntman stepping in for the more dangerous parts. At over fifty, John Spencer would have had a hard time hanging off a balcony!

Since this scene was shot live, people passing by on the street noticed the stuntman hanging outside and started to gather. One concerned passerby even called the hotel, saying, "Hello, Fairmont Hotel? There's someone hanging off your rooftop balcony—better send someone to check!"

Another onlooker called the police. "I see someone hanging outside the Fairmont Hotel. I think it might be a murder—please send someone quickly."

After the scene wrapped, the hotel manager came to see what was happening and informed the crew that the police suspected a murder was taking place.

Sophia was puzzled. "But we filed all the necessary permits; they should be aware of this."

The hotel manager held back his frustration. We all thought the car chase scene was dangerous enough. Who would have thought you'd dangle someone off the thirtieth floor! If something went wrong and he fell, how would people view the hotel? It would ruin us!

For the crew, this was routine, but for the hotel manager, it was terrifying.

For several weeks, the crew filmed car chase scenes on a few streets in San Francisco. With help from the local government and police, these streets were closed during the day, allowing only the crew and relevant extras to enter for safety.

But despite all precautions, they couldn't prevent two overly curious locals from sneaking onto the set by climbing a rooftop and entering a blocked-off street.

"Bauer, are you sure this is the place?"

"Absolutely," Bauer, who had even brought a map, pointed to a spot. "Look, here it is—the filming area for The Rock."

"Good," Sullivan, the leader, pulled out his camcorder. "I've been excited about this movie since it was announced. I don't want to wait for the theater release—I want to see the filming with my own eyes."

Bauer nodded in agreement. "Ever since Speed, I've loved Gilbert's work. His style is definitely one of the most unique in Hollywood."

It turned out they were both die-hard action movie fans and huge fans of Gilbert.

Following their plan, they hid in an alley, close enough to hear the squeal of tires and the wail of police sirens. Sullivan and Bauer were thrilled, hands shaking as they crept closer to the action.

Unlike in movies, where chase scenes seem seamless, each one was shot in multiple short takes, each of which required a lot of coordination between departments and could take hours to complete.

This required patience and attention to detail—qualities Gilbert had.

The next scene was particularly dangerous. A stuntman would drive a Hummer and ram it into the back of a water truck. The impact was real, with adjustments made for safety. The props team had modified the water truck's rear end and fitted the tank so that it would burst on impact, spraying water everywhere.

This design was based on the original script, but in reality, it was written in the script as simply, "John Mason steals a car and escapes, with Goodspeed and federal agents in pursuit."

Afterward, Mason meets his daughter, only to be cornered by the villain Hummel, leading into the next scene.

It's worth mentioning that Mason's daughter was played by Liv Tyler, the daughter of Steven Tyler from the band Aerosmith. Liv had her father's character—a quiet exterior but a rebellious rock vibe beneath.

Though her role was brief, she spent two days on set, during which she cornered Gilbert in the makeup trailer, saying she wanted to be his girlfriend.

"I've seen your rumored girlfriends," she said, "and none of them are as pretty as me. I'm the perfect match for you."

"Uh…" Gilbert was momentarily speechless before finally replying, "Liv, you're still young—under eighteen."

"So if I turn eighteen, I can be your girlfriend?" Liv pressed.

Gilbert quickly waved his hands, slipping away while leaving a parting comment. "Come back when you're older."

Later, Sophia teased him, asking, "I heard Liv Tyler cornered you in the trailer. Did you do anything?"

Gilbert looked exasperated. "Sophia, that's not funny. She's under eighteen, and if child services found out, they'd be all over me. Besides, I didn't do anything."

"Why not?" Sophia questioned. "Aren't you always trying to get close to every beautiful woman? And she's gorgeous."

Gilbert protested, "I'm not a creep. Do you think I'm the kind of person who falls for every pretty face?"

Sophia said nothing, but her expression clearly said, Yes, you are.

Gilbert had to add, "Her face is too long—not my type."

Sophia finally understood. "So that's why you never tried to sleep with me—because I'm not your type?"

Gilbert looked her up and down and replied with a painful question, "Are you even a beauty?"

Sophia was indignant. "Of course! My admirers could fill the Hollywood Walk of Fame."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow but didn't burst her bubble. Those people were only interested in her father, director Coppola.

This was just friendly teasing, a way to relieve the monotony of filming.

Back on set, the stunt coordinator and driver discussed the safest angle to crash into the water truck. They had to get the angle just right, as hitting the truck's body could ruin the shot.

For the chase scene, Gilbert used techniques from Speed, like tire-angle shots and in-car perspectives. He even worked with Duer Randolph and John Schwartzman to modify a camera setup, mounting it on a car to capture a dynamic road perspective, with the road seemingly falling away behind it.

After Gilbert's rise to fame, his father, Old Gilbert, visited the set for the first time to watch him film.

The old man was stunned. "Wow, is this really the genius from our Landrini family?"

If he hadn't watched his son grow up and seen the resemblance, he might have doubted whether this son was his.

Gilbert planned to have the old man appear in every one of his future films as a cameo, similar to how Stan Lee made appearances in Marvel movies.

Just imagining future fans digging out these interesting Easter eggs when they revisit his movies made Gilbert feel excited.

This was the fun part of filmmaking. Although Gilbert was copying certain elements, adding his own understanding to them made it even more enjoyable.

The happiest moments for him were when fans praised his movies and dissected all the details. It was even more satisfying than spending time with Cameron Diaz and Naomi Watts together.

Meanwhile, Sullivan and Bauer had sneaked close to the filming location, where they could see the crew bustling around, setting up the scene.

"Hide better so we don't get noticed. Got the camera?"

"Right here."

The two of them hid, holding up the camera to film secretly, unnoticed by the crew.

By this point, the set was ready, and after a final safety check, the shot was officially underway.

The clapperboard snapped, and the stunt driver, behind the wheel of a Hummer, sped forward, heading straight toward a water tanker slowly crossing the intersection.

Then, right before Sullivan and Bauer's astonished eyes, the vehicles collided. The water barrels burst open, spilling water everywhere.

The impact sent a spray of water into the air, and, in the sunlight, a rainbow briefly appeared, then vanished.

The shot was perfectly captured, and Sullivan's camera faithfully recorded it. The spectacular scene left both men, who were seeing a Hollywood set in action for the first time, speechless and stunned.

After a long moment, Bauer couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my god, that was awesome!"

His shout immediately drew the attention of the crew members, who started looking around for the source of the sound. "Who's there?"

"Bauer, you idiot, we've been spotted!" Sullivan clamped his hand over Bauer's mouth, quickly put away the camera, and dragged him to make a run for it. "Run, or we'll get in trouble if we're caught!"

The two of them wove nimbly through the alleys, trying to escape the scene.

But they were no John Mason, and ultimately, with the crew working together, the two were caught.

.....

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