From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

This… this is movie magic.

Steven always believed that filming a movie was a meticulously planned team effort, but they also needed to embrace the unexpected moments that might arise on set.

Perhaps it's an actor's explosive performance, perhaps it's a photographer capturing a brilliant composition, or perhaps, like what's happening now, it's a miracle from nature, a rare and precious gift that imbues the film with a wonderful quality.

This is also one of the reasons why Steven particularly admired Martin Scorsese. Among the four great directors of the eighties, the other three all had their own frameworks, their own habits, their own routines, and they rarely broke them. George Lucas was never able to recreate the inspiration of "American Graffiti," and Francis Ford Coppola never attempted the shooting techniques of "Rumble Fish" again. Only Martin was the exception.

In Martin's films, you can often see the moments when the god of cinema descends.

And Steven?

He never thought of himself as one of those exceptionally lucky darlings of fate. He simply loved movies and enjoyed using film to open the door to an imaginary world. That was all.

But at this moment, Steven truly felt the presence of the god of cinema—

From passive to active to evenly matched, the stalemate between Little Frank and Carl was like "Tom and Jerry," showcasing a wonderful, off-kilter chemistry. The explosive tension permeated the scene.

It wasn't just the story, not just the shots, not just the performances, but a transcendent, sublime experience, feeling a tingling and shuddering sensation from head to toe, a spiritual baptism from sight to sound, a power beyond words, bringing an unparalleled and irreplaceable feeling.

So, when people discuss "movies," what are they really discussing?

It's the story, the characters, the visuals, the cinematography, but it's also more than that. It's an immersive experience, pulling the audience into a whole new world through sight and sound, experiencing those moments, feeling those times, exploring more experiences beyond their own lives.

If a movie is merely a presentation of scenery, then it's no different from a TV series, a slideshow, or a photo exhibition.

Occasionally, very, very occasionally, you can truly feel the presence of the god of cinema during the filming process. That's the moment you dream of.

Just like now.

What he didn't expect was that Anson's two glances would give this scene a special spark.

What he didn't expect even more was that a gift from nature, something that could disappear in the blink of an eye, would elevate this scene to a whole new level.

Involuntarily, Steven held his breath.

Steven knew what happened next in the story, but at this moment, he completely put the script out of his mind, staring intently at the monitor screen, unable to resist being curious about what would happen next—

The undercurrents beneath Little Frank's calm surface.

The hidden meaning behind Carl's call.

A turn, a gaze, the entire tension completely permeated and exploded in the interplay of light and shadow, causing everyone on the first and second floors to hold their breath and stare, a little bit of relaxation and they might wet their pants.

In that brief moment, the air solidified, time fell into a crack in a black hole, briefly stopping.

The whole room held its breath, staring intently.

Not just Steven, Tom Hanks also truly felt it.

With a turn, the sunlight fell on Anson's cheek, a gentle and bright golden halo gently rippling in those clear and deep blue eyes. Although the air was tense, on the verge of explosion, you could feel the tranquility of that vast ocean, generously and broadly encompassing all the storms, the tense atmosphere quietly dissipating.

Peaceful and bright.

He couldn't see anything unusual.

Even Tom Hanks, who knew the script and the truth, couldn't capture any information from Little Frank's eyes at this moment, and couldn't help but want to believe him, an innate sense of kindness and gentleness, quietly breaking the boundary between the play and reality.

His heart skipped a beat.

Then, Tom spoke—

"Your wallet."

Huh.

The whole room cut off its breath.

It was the wallet, it was actually the wallet, of course it was the wallet.

Little Frank didn't expose himself, Carl didn't notice anything unusual, everything was normal, there was no deviation, it was just... the wallet.

However, the heart that had been hanging high still didn't relax, but was stuck in the throat—

How should Little Frank respond?

No, that wasn't it.

Even if he took the wallet, Carl would still want to go to the Special Affairs Bureau to interrogate that "Murphy" next. If he just ran away, at most three or five minutes, Carl would still see through the scam. This was a situation destined to be exposed. He shouldn't hold onto hope, but should delay time.

Then, a faint smile crept onto Little Frank's lips, he tilted his head slightly, "You keep it for a while, I trust you."

The subtext was:

I'll be back. Don't worry, I'm not planning to run away, I'm really just going downstairs to get evidence, we'll meet again soon, there's no need to rush.

With a slight raise of his eyebrows, Little Frank naturally had an air of elegance between his gestures, and the full room of sunlight made him appear even more dashing.

It was this scene, a brief moment, the light and shadow of the film seemed to linger between his eyebrows, making people believe that he should belong on the big screen, that he was born for the movies, every move, every smile, blooming with charm on the film, making people intoxicated.

At this moment, the images of Anson and Little Frank had perfectly overlapped in Steven's mind, and he could no longer recall Leonardo's figure, even more impactful than the previous filming in New York—

New York, that was an acting moment, but honestly, Steven always reserved his opinion on acting. He believed that it was a matter of opinion. The same performance, different audiences have different feelings. Some people think the acting is explosive, while others think the acting is exaggerated, and there is no conflict between the two.

Here, this is a movie moment, the actor's personal charm and the unique temperament of the character perfectly collide, destined to become a classic screen image, just like Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando.

As time passes, people will slowly forget the acting skills of those actors, but they will permanently remember those charming screen images.

Forever.