Chapter 134: The Duel Scene

[Chapter 134: The Duel Scene]

"Hey, Tom," as Hanks stepped onto the set, Eric greeted him warmly. Compared to the polite demeanor he maintained with Cruise, he preferred the easy-going nature of Hanks.

"Hey, Eric, I'm not late, am I?" Hanks said, moving in for a quick embrace.

"Not at all," Eric replied, nodding toward Hanks's assistant before turning back to Tom. "We need about fifteen more minutes to set up the scene, so you've got time to get your makeup done."

The two walked side by side to the makeup room, with Hanks enthusiastically greeting crew members along the way. Curious, he leaned in and whispered, "Where's Cruise?"

"Probably fixing his makeup," Eric replied flatly. Hanks nodded, not saying anything more. After a few previous encounters, Hanks hadn't formed a great impression of the actor who shared his name; Cruise came off as arrogant, as even his politeness felt like condescension.

...

The crew had already finished their makeup process, so Hanks didn't need long. Once the breakfast scene was set, the cinematographer, Nicole, approached Eric, who was rehearsing with Hanks and Cruise. "Eric, you might want to take a look over here."

Apologizing to the two stars, Eric followed Nicole to a corner of the restaurant where a camera was positioned.

"Eric, look here, we're going to do a quick sweeping shot, but I can only operate the camera from this position," Nicole awkwardly demonstrated. "See, it's a bit tricky -- awkward, and the movement is hard to control."

Though Eric wasn't as skilled as Nicole, he understood enough about shooting techniques. He stepped up to give the camera arm a try. It indeed felt awkward, but the best position was blocked by the wall behind it.

"What are you suggesting, Nicole?" Eric asked as he let go of the camera.

"I can only attempt it a few times. This angle is the best, but if it doesn't work and you want the best result..." Nicole pointed at the wall behind Eric, "we might have to tear it down."

"Let's try a few times first," Eric said. He didn't mind demolishing the wall since this was a soundstage, not an outdoor shoot; Columbia would definitely cooperate. However, that would waste another hour.

"Alright," Nicole nodded. "Let's get started."

...

The breakfast scene had three acts. In the first act, the two characters were complete strangers having breakfast. According to the script, Andy had started to notice Sean, but Sean was entirely unaware. The second act included a brief moment where Andy left a teacup coaster marked with the number 13 for Sean, and the third act, the longest, showcased Andy convincing Sean to help the police capture the villain.

"All personnel, we're rolling on Scene 1, Take 12!"

...

Sean was intently focused on a newspaper while enjoying a slice of cake when he heard the sound of the restaurant door opening. He glanced up only briefly before his gaze returned to the paper.

...

"Good!" Eric gave a thumbs-up to Hanks. Next was a shot of Cruise's character, Andy, eating while staring blankly at the television overhead. Eric fairly gave Cruise a thumbs-up as well; that shot posed no challenge for him.

In the original scene, there were three animated clips that Andy apparently loved. Unfortunately, with only four weeks to live, every time Andy saw that familiar sight, it reminded him of how little time he had left, making his character feel melancholic. That was why Andy often zoned out during that moment.

Here, Eric didn't plan to just throw in any random cartoon; he had specific clips in mind. Though this was only in Eric's plans for the time being, once production got in the swing of things, Jeffrey would start to prepare it. It was only April; as long as Eric could finalize the six main characters, he had ample time to shoot some classic moments to weave into the film.

The new movie would feature a television scene directed by Eric Williams himself, making for great promotional material, and it also served to showcase his work -- another win-win situation.

...

After wrapping the first two shots, they moved to the most challenging sweeping shot. Once the clapperboard clacked, Eric stared intensely at the monitor as Nicole operated the camera, initially focusing on Hanks's face for a second before pivoting it quickly. Eric could clearly feel the clunkiness and inconsistency of the camera movement.

Although the shot eventually landed where it should on Cruise's profile, Eric still had to call cut.

Nicole went on to try six more times, all ending in failure. Eric understood the flaws in the shot, so he remained patient, having Nicole try again and again. After the tenth failed attempt, Cruise started to grow impatient. He had already eaten several slices of cake and could not understand why they had to keep trying this seemingly simple shot. While the crew adjusted the camera back to position, Cruise stood up, casting a condescending glance at Nicole, who was sweating profusely. He turned to Eric and said, "Eric, maybe I can recommend a better cameraman for you."

Cruise made no effort to lower his voice, directly making the comment in front of everyone, leading to an awkward silence on set.

Nicole, feeling sore from the awkward positioning and frustrated after so many tries, was taken aback by Cruise's remarks. She wanted to shoot him a glare but feared it would further complicate matters for Eric, so she simply stood there, feeling defeated.

Many in the crew quietly shared their displeasure over Cruise's disrespectful words; they had worked with Nicole for years and knew her capabilities very well. Even after numerous failed tries, they could all see the rational reasons behind Nicole's struggles and patiently supported her through each attempt.

Faced with everyone's stares, Eric knew he had to handle the situation carefully to avoid straining relations between the cast and crew while also keeping Cruise's mood in check without upsetting the staff. It was quite a balancing act.

After thinking it over, Eric decided to approach Cruise privately next to the camera, patiently explaining why this particular shot was proving so difficult.

Upon hearing Eric's rationale, Cruise realized he had unjustly blamed Nicole and shrugged with a faint smile at the cameraman. "I'm really sorry about that. Let's keep going."

With that, Cruise returned to his seat.

Eric reassuringly patted Nicole on the shoulder and softly said, "Let's give it two or three more tries. If that doesn't work, we'll tear down the wall."

Nicole recognized Eric's effort to reason with Cruise as a good gesture on her behalf and didn't take offense at Cruise's half-hearted apology. Instead, she gratefully nodded to Eric. "I'll give it my best."

While the tension seemed to dissipate, it left an impression on many crew members. The respect they had previously held for Cruise due to his films began to wane.

Fortuitously or perhaps due to other reasons, on the next attempt, the shot finally succeeded. When Eric called out "good," the crew couldn't help but applaud, and Nicole exhaled in relief, shaking out her sore arms.

...

Next up was the easier shot where the two characters brushed past each other, which went smoothly, leading to the first face-off between Cruise and Hanks.

...

"Wow, here so early, detective?" the waitress greeted Sean as he entered through the door.

"Yeah, meeting a friend," Sean replied as he headed to the bar.

Andy, already munching on pastries, chuckled at Sean's response, feeling proud. After all, he had been tugging Sean, the once great police elite, around like a puppet; it was certainly reason enough to feel smug.

With a straight face, Sean approached Andy, slapping the coaster marked with the number 13 onto the bar.

"Have a seat," Andy said, putting down his cup of water.

Sean pulled a photo from his suit pocket. "You got it right on the nose, Andy."

"You found something?" Andy turned his head.

"You stole the gem, avenged your old man, and you still wanted to involve me?"

"I told you, this game runs for three days."

Sean pointed to the pocket of his suit where he usually kept his badge. "You're not in charge here; I'm the cop."

"Clean out the warehouse, change the light bulbs..."

...

As soon as Cruise delivered that line, Eric called for a stop.

"Cruise, your smile needs to come off a bit more sarcastic," Eric said as he stepped in front of Cruise, sharing his thoughts while attempting to demonstrate a smile himself, only to realize he lacked the innate ability to instruct actors with confidence. Disappointed, he continued, "Uh, let's take a two-minute break. Think it over."

After finishing that with Cruise, Eric turned to Hanks. "Hanks, you're reacting too awkwardly to Andy's teasing. While you're feeling awkward inside, you have some self-esteem as well, so along with that awkwardness, you need to do some body language to mask your discomfort, like a nod or something."

"Yeah, Eric, I'll think about it," Hanks nodded.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.