Made in Hollywood

"Attack with the blaster! Get out of the way!"

On the beach, Tom Hanks had an unusually loud voice. He was lying among a group of soldiers and shouted, "Attack with a blasting tube!"

"Aim for the bunker!"

"Aim for the bunker!"

The sappers shouted one after another, "Aim for the bunker!"

The blasting tube was constantly thrown into the bunker behind the sand bank by the sappers. Tom Hanks and others, who had practiced several times, hurriedly lay on the ground and hugged their heads tightly.

Not far behind them, Duke nodded to Joss Williams, the other party pressed the wire-controlled detonator, and continuous explosions sounded one after another. The whole beach seemed to be shaking. A lot of splashes fell on Duke's side, and the momentum was astonishing.

Before the filming was over, Laurent Coit, who played Sergeant Horvat, had his head covered in sand, turned his head and shouted loudly, "It's time to counterattack! Come on! Get cover on the other side of the bunker!"

A group of American soldiers stood up with him, facing the German artillery fire, rushing forward, and several photographers followed with portable cameras.

After Duke called to stop, the scene came to an end.

For the next few days, the crew was filming the scene after the Allied forces invaded the beach. Until the Christmas holiday, the scene of the landing battle was gradually coming to an end, and the rest were some large-scale destructive explosion scenes. .

The temporary fortifications on the coast were finally demolished by the crew. In order to save money, Duke simply used a relatively labor-saving method to directly blow up some buildings during the war.

Most of these buildings are mere appearances, and the violent demolition can be completed without too much explosives.

"Jos, are you going to add more gasoline cans?"

Standing in front of the largest bunker, Duke said to Jos Williams, "The flames don't just burn in the bunker, I set the main camera on the beach, the flames have to be able to come out of the firing position in front, and the most It's going to go up into the sky, like an explosion."

Hearing Duke's words, Joss Williams immediately understood that this was not just a fire to kill the Germans, it must also have a visual impact!

"I understand!" Joss Williams replied immediately, "I will make some adjustments appropriately, and I will definitely meet your requirements."

This is the third film between the two parties. Duke believed in the professional ability of the team of Joss Williams, and after a few words, he bypassed the bunker and returned to the beach.

"Is it really what the media say? You were born when a comet hit the earth? Or is the explosion really built into your genes?"

Only Sofia Coppola can say such sarcastic words. She stood beside Duke with the time table in her hand, and said lightly in a monotone nasal voice, "Even if this kind of film is full of humanistic care, , you can't forget to show off the explosion!"

"My dear, reflection on war and humanistic concern can't bring enough audiences."

In fact, there is still a big difference between the two people's ideas about movies. Duke shrugged and said indifferently, "If a movie wants to become a recognized classic, the first thing is that it must be widely circulated."

"Blast Maniac!" Sophia was too lazy to say anything, and only threw out such a sentence.

Duke's face is thick enough that Kwon takes it as a compliment, "Thank you!"

Rolling her eyes, Sophia simply closed her mouth. If she didn't show off her visual impact, would Duke still be Duke?

The news that the fireworks team was ready quickly spread, and Duke asked the assistant director to notify all departments to prepare after confirming the clearing of the scene twice in a row.

"The twelfth scene, the fourteenth act, start now!"

As soon as the assistant director finished speaking, several cameras were aimed at the German bunkers facing the beach. Some of them used wide-angle shots, some were preparing for medium shots, and some were aimed at the Allied soldiers on the beach.

Orange-red flames suddenly emerged from the bunker and rose more than ten feet upwards. Similar dull explosions and bursts of heat waves came over. Half of the sky in front was reflected in red, and several burning flames. A humanoid figure fell on the sand from the flames of the bunker.

The Allied soldiers took their guns and aimed them there, and one of them turned around and shouted to the main camera side, "Don't shoot! Let them suffer!"

"CUT!"

After waiting for a few seconds, Duke called to stop, and the firefighters who had been ready to go immediately rushed over, took a special fire extinguisher and aimed at the place where there was still a fire, and blasted out all the hidden dangers in the bud. middle.

"Transitions!"

Duke instructed the assistant director, and the guy immediately shouted loudly, "Go to field five! Go to field five!"

Venue No. 5 is behind the bunker, and the explosion scene is still filmed.

There is nothing difficult in this scene. Joss William's pyrotechnic team buried the special cardboard-coated ashes in the mound, and used dozens of Irish soldiers to play the American soldier as the background painting. After a deafening sound After the sound of the explosion, the astonishing explosion was fully displayed in front of the camera lens, and the exploding earth flew hundreds of feet high.

In the opening battle, Duke's ideas are still different from those of the former directors. In addition to expressing the cruelty and reality of the war, he appropriately added some scenes full of visual impact, which is bound to attract the audience to watch it safely.

At the same time, these scenes must also be controlled within a certain range, and are absolutely different from the earth-shattering explosions of "Independence Day", so as not to cause aesthetic fatigue and destroy the sense of documentary at the beginning.

Before the Christmas holiday, Duke finally ended the shooting of the opening landing battle, and the final dismantling work will be done by a special person. After discussing the shooting plan after Christmas, the crew officially took a holiday. The cast and crew from North America, They all took the opportunity to return to spend Christmas with their family and friends.

Duke did not go back to North America, but went directly to London. Mrs. Leah is still in London. He has no need to go back to Los Angeles. Because he is temporarily living in a hotel, he wants to celebrate Christmas as he did at home. impossible.

"How shall we spend Christmas, mother?"

In the living room of the Hilton Grand Hotel suite, Duke asked his mother, "This is London, the English way?"

Mrs. Leah was sitting on the sofa, flipping through the documents, and said without looking up, "Do the British have any special way?"

"As far as I know..." How could Duke know about the British, all he said was anecdotal information. "The British go to a football game at Christmas, or go to a play in the West End of London."

"English football?" Mrs. Leah shook her head directly, "I'm not interested."

Hearing his mother, Duke asked, "What about the drama? Or we're having a party here."

"Duke." Mother finally looked up and asked, "Do you have any friends here?"

"No."

After sorting out the materials, Mrs. Leah stood up and put it on the bookshelf on the side, and said, "What's in the West End Theatre tonight?"

"I'll ask now."

Walking to the phone, Duke dialed the number of the hotel's main desk, asked a few questions, covered the microphone and said to his mother, "The musical '42nd Street', the stage play 'Famous Scenery'."

"42nd Street, book your tickets."

Seeing that his mother was interested, Duke informed the hotel front desk to book VIP box tickets for them, so that they could go directly to the theater in the West End after dinner.

Like Broadway in New York, the West End of London is one of the two world-renowned theater centers, and it is also synonymous with the British theater industry. Perhaps in terms of reputation alone, the West End of London is a bit inferior to Broadway. In terms of historical tradition, the West End is older than Broadway. much more.

"42nd Street" is a traditional song and dance repertoire on the West Side and Broadway.

After dinner, Duke and his mother arrived in Shaftesbury in a rental car from the hotel, got off and crossed the busy road and walked directly into the theatre.

Due to the traffic jam on the road for a while, they came a little late, and the show was about to kick off. Fortunately, Duke booked a box ticket on the second floor and would not disturb other people.

Entering the box, Duke asked for coffee and some snacks that his mother occasionally eats, and sat here quietly, watching the play with his mother.

"The first time I saw the show,"

Between performances, Mrs. Lia would also say a few words to Duke, "I'm not as old as you. Decades have passed, and the repertoire has become more and more gorgeous, but I always feel that something is missing."

Duke just laughed, but said nothing.

Even the most classic musicals, in order to adapt to the development of society, must be constantly updated and changed, and people are always nostalgic, especially those who are older, such as the old men who hold the right to speak at the Oscars.

As a director, Duke has also studied some plays. The classic "42nd Street" is definitely no exception. This is an old inspirational story on Broadway that can't be older, especially the tap dance. It is one of the most exciting episodes. one.

But these weren't particularly appealing to Duke, who saw a familiar figure among several of the main female characters.

Squeezing his chin, Duke looked at the woman on the stage below who was dancing tap dance. After a brief recollection, he was sure that he should not admit his mistake. He was born in musical and dance drama and performed stage plays in the West End of London...

It's just that it's still a little early, and his next work will be at least a year away. Actresses who have enough acting skills and can sing and dance above the standard are not easy to find.

While the stage was changing and mother was going to the bathroom, Duke beckoned for the VIP box waiter.

"Has 42nd Street been going on lately?" Duke asked.

"Yes, sir." The waiter replied very politely, "Six times a week for the entire season."

"What about tomorrow?"

"Have!"

After getting the confirmed answer, Duke waved his hand and the waiter walked out.

I'm here to watch a musical with my mother tonight. Of course Duke can't go backstage to find an actress. I plan to come back later if I have time. Even if I don't have time, I can let Nancy or someone else join her. touch down.