From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Somewhat unexpectedly, Sam cracked a small joke, which was truly rare.

Sam realized it as soon as he said it, feeling a little embarrassed, as it was clearly not something he would normally do; but after slightly adjusting his posture, Sam tried to relax.

The pressure did exist, and it would likely continue until the movie's release date.

But this brief moment of work made Sam realize that he wasn't alone in bearing the pressure; Anson was carrying the weight of public attention just as much as he was—

No, not at all.

On the contrary, Anson was thoroughly enjoying it, even if the focus of the scene wasn't on him. Anson still managed to awaken a chemical reaction through his performance energy.

In this scene, Peter Parker was weary, a weariness of being caught up in the torrent of life. In order to fulfill his responsibilities, yet also worried that his hidden identity might be discovered by Aunt May, which would put her in danger like last time, he had to move out and rent a small apartment.

Thus, Peter couldn't escape the busyness of schoolwork, part-time jobs, and upholding justice. Over time, he fell into a mechanical work state, his soul lost in endless rushing around.

Therefore, when Peter faced Mr. Aziz, he was tired and sleepy.

On the one hand, he couldn't quickly switch between being a superhero and working a busy part-time job; on the other hand, his mind was filled with countless thoughts but no time to process them, resulting in sluggish reactions and being unable to keep up with the pace.

Obviously, this Peter Parker was slightly different from people's imagination.

Herein lay a problem: in theory, Peter's appearance needed to arouse the audience's curiosity about what had happened to Spider-Man; but at the same time, it had to avoid causing audience aversion, because this wasn't the Spider-Man they wanted to see. How to strike the right balance was a skill.

Anson's performance successfully solved the problem.

A touch of comic book flair in the performance, like a seasoning, instantly transformed the bitterness of the entire plot into a kind of self-deprecation, lightening the atmosphere.

This was a fact, and also a pleasant surprise.

Sam recognized Anson, not because Anson was the film's undisputed lead, nor because Anson was currently at the height of his fame in Hollywood. Sam spoke truthfully:

Anson is indeed a good actor.

Moreover, that wasn't all.

Anson's dedication and Anson's aura naturally caused other actors to have chemical reactions as well. A subtle atmosphere permeated the set, and the final effect of the scene was not what Sam had planned, but it successfully brightened Sam's eyes, generating more inspiration for the chaotic shooting ideas.

Sam himself came from shooting horror movies and had a special interest in darkness and blood. Creating a terrifying atmosphere was his forte, and coupled with the fact that the core theme of "Spider-Man 2" was still slightly heavy, the entire movie's style would be darker than its predecessor.

But Sony Columbia was worried that the campus soap opera style was incompatible with the texture of horror, and they had several discussions with Sam about it.

This problem had never been resolved.

It was precisely out of such considerations that Sam had just asked the cinematographer to closely follow Anson's footsteps, not to use a handheld camera to create a documentary feel, but to create a sense of oppression and tension, allowing the audience to feel Anson's breathing as he rushed around. This was a very typical shooting technique for creating a sense of suspense/thriller in movies.

Now, Sam had some inspiration. Perhaps they could incorporate some black humor to increase the chemical reaction, like campus horror movies such as "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Scream."

It wasn't about changing the movie's style, but about using seasoning to highlight the viewing experience, just like adding white sugar to food to enhance the salty and savory flavors. White sugar is an embellishment, but it is also the essence.

Shooting movies and cooking have the same effect.

Of course, the actors are still the core.

His gaze fell on Anson again, and Sam's confidence increased slightly.

Inside the pizza shop, Anson was chatting and laughing with that extra.

Asif wasn't surprised by this scene. Waiting for Anson to return, he gently raised his chin to indicate, "What did you chat about?"

"Thanking him for his excellent performance, and then we discussed our favorite comedy movies. He's a loyal fan of Buster Keaton, now we know where his performance style comes from," Anson said eloquently.

During the peak period of Marvel superhero movies, such methods of relying on passers-by or humorous details to adjust the narrative rhythm were extremely skillful. All kinds of jokes were inserted into the main narrative whenever possible, which created fertile ground for the movie's popularity and the fans' frenzy.

Anson isn't a director, he doesn't know how to insert these jokes—Marvel's later movies also failed to do so and completely slid into childish farces; but he is an actor, he can start with his performance.

An expression, a movement, a look.

It won't disturb the movie's rhythm, nor does it need to particularly focus on performance details, like Easter eggs hidden in the lens, waiting for the audience to discover them.

Anson felt that he could try it—

Buster Keaton, that was a legendary comedy actor.

Anson looked at Asif, rubbing his hands together, "What do you think?"

Asif, "Me?"

Anson, "Yes, you. We need to put on a good show next, don't we?"

Gulp.

Asif swallowed, his heart beating uncontrollably fast. Looking at the eager Anson in front of him, a kind of indescribable heroic feeling exploded in his chest.

Amidst incredible pressure, "Spider-Man 2" officially announced its start of filming.

According to incomplete statistics, more than three hundred media outlets gathered on the streets of Manhattan on the first day of filming, which was an unprecedented special treatment.

Even on the start date of "Titanic," which claimed to be the most expensive work in history, even on the day that "Star Wars: Episode I" officially launched, even when Will Smith, who was at the height of his fame, started filming "Men in Black II" or Tom Cruise started filming "Mission: Impossible II," there was no such grand occasion.

Just a start of filming, and all the media flocked out, scrambling, for fear of missing the excitement.

Just this scene alone easily broke records again, becoming an important piece of evidence for the Hollywood film industry to climb to a new peak.

There was an uproar, and even within Hollywood there were exclamations: It's not necessary, it's really not necessary.

However, things still happened this way.

Although the crew didn't open up media interviews, the reporters still went to the scene willingly, with their lenses crowded and all aimed at the crew's direction.

This was truly the focus of public attention.