From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

The sky was cloudless, the sun blazed fiercely, and the whole world was dyed a dazzling gold. Even without looking up, it was almost impossible to open one's eyes.

Bruce Douglas couldn't help but squint, groping forward like a person with a thousand degrees of nearsightedness who had forgotten to wear their glasses.

He pushed open the warehouse door where the studio was located, stood against the wall, lit a cigarette, and then slowly squatted down along the wall, taking a deep breath.

He felt slightly irritable.

If he could, he wouldn't want to stand under the California sun and be exposed to the heat. It was hard to imagine that it was still "spring." At least according to the calendar, summer still had to wait, but the sun was already so scorching that he felt like he could evaporate at any moment just standing outdoors for thirty seconds.

But.

His mind was still blank.

No ideas, no inspiration, just a void. He needed to breathe some fresh air.

Annoyed.

As a top fashion/portrait photographer, Bruce's job was to shoot fashion blockbusters, showcasing the texture of the models and the colors of the clothing.

Today's shoot was with Anson Wood, a newcomer who had recently generated much discussion and attention for his guest appearance on "Friends."

Logically speaking, such a newcomer would almost never get a magazine shooting opportunity. Although "GQ" wasn't on the same level as "Vogue" or "Elle," it was still a magazine that male actors in North America dreamed of, and even just an inside page was highly competitive.

Don't even mention just a guest appearance on "Friends." Even the lead in a commercial blockbuster wouldn't necessarily be able to secure a magazine shooting opportunity with the fierce competition of the upcoming summer season. Dazzling works and countless actors were all waiting in line for publicity opportunities.

"GQ," without a doubt, was also an important battlefield.

But.

Rumor had it that David Crane personally endorsed Anson, and the incredible ratings performance of "Friends" did indeed allow Anson to reap a lot of attention. After thinking it over, the editor-in-chief of "GQ" decided to let Anson appear on an inside page as a model. In any case, his looks and temperament were indeed outstanding.

Not an actor, but a model—

Commonly known as a pretty face.

Of course, there was also a page of interviews, which was already considered an extra perk.

However, Bruce didn't care about these things. He was just a photographer.

Shooting for magazines was just a job, not some artistic creation. Receive the task, complete the task, and then wait for the next task.

That was all.

Honestly, when Bruce heard that the subject of the shoot was Anson, he was curious but also more worried, because he wasn't sure about Anson's expressiveness in front of the camera. This was somewhat similar to acting, but it was another matter entirely. "Good-looking" didn't mean that good photos could be taken.

Bruce had photographed countless actors, models, and other public figures in his career, but being good-looking didn't mean that the photos would turn out well. Flat photography often required capturing the fleeting charm of a model—

However, not all models possessed such a temperament.

Models and models, actors and actors, people and people, were all different.

First of all, they were good-looking, very good-looking, the kind of good-looking that was completely stunning after seeing them in person, the kind of good-looking that could still stand out even in Hollywood, where handsome men and beautiful women gathered.

Regarding this point, there was no doubt.

However, their flat photos lacked "life." The film simply couldn't capture their charm; or conversely, they didn't know how to show their vitality in front of the camera.

Therefore, audiences often exclaimed when they saw them in person, "They look better in person."

Pretty faces were mostly like this.

It was precisely because of this that fashion designers and photographers often didn't like models who were too good-looking, not because they didn't yearn for or didn't expect it, but because they preferred sharp edges and personality, so that they could show the colors of their works.

Bruce was now worried that Anson might also have such a problem.

Although the recent praise for Anson was particularly hot, they were not amateurs. They all knew what these so-called trends were all about. Those praises simply couldn't calm Bruce's worries and considerations.

Being good-looking was important, but in Hollywood, it was the least important thing.

Moreover, that wasn't all.

Shooting themes, fashion themes, these contents were discussed and positioned by the editor-in-chief and the editorial team, and they needed to cooperate with the content of this issue of the magazine. Finally, the theme they determined for Anson was:

Vitality in a suit.

Bruce: … …

Suits. Suits. Suits.

Eight out of ten male actors wore suits. "GQ's" unchanging core theme was formal wear, with no new ideas at all.

For photographers, it was almost like assembly line work.

If it was just like this, then assembly line work it was. Bruce didn't mind. Work, get paid, leave. A one-stop shop. Couldn't be easier.

The problem was!

This was already the third set of suit-themed shoots within a short week.

— Grass.

Bruce wanted to swear. He really had no inspiration left, not a drop.

The first set of suits came from the "X-Men" crew, shooting Hugh Jackman, who was also on the cover of "GQ's" July issue.

Bruce was very satisfied with the successful shoot. Jackman had a unique charm that mixed gentleman and boxer, as surging as Niagara Falls.

Worthy of being a cover figure.

The second set of suits was Brad Pitt. As the happiest man this summer, with his wedding imminent, "GQ" invited Brad to shoot a series of groom's suit themes, showing the charm of men at weddings.

Honestly, the shooting process wasn't easy, but Bruce still came up with a way to show the charm of Brad's tough guy tenderness. The inspiration came from "Legends of the Fall," which complemented the image of a happy man about to get married.

After the shooting, Bruce felt that he had exhausted all his prehistoric power. The inspiration quota for the recent period of "suit themes" had been used up.

As a result…

Bruce strongly suspected that the "GQ" editor-in-chief team was dissatisfied with David Crane's fishing with the "Friends" collective interview as a condition. Although they had already agreed to Anson's inside pages and interviews, the "Friends" collective interview was still not finalized, so the editor-in-chief team strongly suspected that they had been deceived, so they deliberately dug a hole for Anson to give Anson a good lesson.

Pa.

Bruce took a heavy puff of his cigarette, and even didn't have the strength to swear. His mind was a mess, but he still didn't have any ideas.

He didn't know how today's shooting should proceed. After Hugh Jackman and Brad Pitt, how could he conjure up a flower from the same theme; he also didn't know if he should run away now?

For a moment, Bruce couldn't tell whether "GQ" was messing with him or messing with Anson.

Glulu.

The sound of wheels came from far to near. Bruce reflexively looked in the direction of the sound, and then he saw a young man riding a skateboard, riding the wind. The sunlight and heat waves rolled like waves under his feet.

Youthful and energetic, a wisp of breeze from the valley split the rolling heat wave and came towards him. Because he couldn't see his face clearly in the backlight, his features were hidden in a halo, but Bruce couldn't help but look at him, curious about that face.

Subconsciously.

Bruce held a cigarette in his mouth, raised his hands, and formed a viewfinder with the thumbs and index fingers of both hands, using his brain as film, and began to compose.

Then.

Click!

Chapter 7.