Made in Hollywood

"Turn left, the villa in front."

Under the command of Shania Twain in the co-pilot, Duke turned the steering wheel, the car drove into a quiet boulevard, and slowly stopped in front of a small cyan villa.

"Here?" Duke asked, looking at the co-pilot.

"This is the house that the agent rented for me," Shania Twain said while unbuckling her seat belt, "He thinks that I should have a place that matches my future status. The rent is very scary. If the album can't be big next year, If I sell it, I will definitely be charged by the bank."

"The location is good and the security is good," Duke said casually. "Being far away from the slums and the black community, it's good for the future to live here."

The villa belongs to the outskirts of Beverly Hills. Shania Twain's agent rented this villa, and obviously put some thought into it. Don't look at the endless prosperity of high-end communities in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and North Hollywood. , but just go around the slums and minority communities, and you will understand that this country is definitely not paradise.

"Goodbye, Duke." Shania Twain opened the car door and waved at him, "Thank you for taking me home."

Turning his head to the side, Duke looked at the hot beauty who was about to get out of the car, hesitated for a moment, and asked tentatively, "Sania, won't you invite me to your house for a cup of coffee?"

"Sorry, Duke." She got out of the car, turned and leaned against the door, and said with a smile, "It's too late today, let's do it another day."

Duke shrugged indifferently, just about to start the car, Shania Twain suddenly stopped to open her handbag, took out a card, lowered her head into the car, and stuffed it into Duke's hand.

"This is my phone." She winked at Duke. "Call again."

"keep in touch."

Glancing at the numbers on the card, Duke put it in his pocket and waved goodbye to the sexy beauty standing on the curb.

Although he was turned down by the beauty, Duke was not frustrated. He drove back to his apartment in North Hollywood, took a cold shower, and lay on the firm mattress, trying to accumulate sleepiness.

Whenever he enters the state of work, deep sleep is like a luxury that can only be obtained occasionally, an invisible and ubiquitous pressure that always surrounds him.

It was not until midnight that Duke fell into a drowsy sleep. In his sleep, he saw himself standing on the Steadicam again, shouting something hoarse in the orange fire and the noise of the crash, as if he wanted to record it with the camera lens. The picture of the whole world exploding and collapsing.

Although the quality of sleep was not good, the biological clock woke Duke on time as soon as the sun came up. After a simple wash, he bought a random breakfast from the restaurant downstairs, and rushed to the set full of energy.

"John, your camera is going to chase the bomb."

In the studio, Duke stood on a high lift platform and pointed to the Alcatraz set model next to John Schwartzman and said, "The picture I want to shoot follows the bomb falling, and the bomb is you. first point of view.”

What is about to be shot is the final shot of the F-18 Hornet bombing Alcatraz by mistake. Duke intends to use the "bomb perspective" to shoot, using the bomb's perspective to present the scene of falling from the air to the explosion on the ground.

After the most difficult period of time after the shutdown, the overall state of the crew is slowly picking up, gradually finding the rhythm before the shutdown, and the most popular scenes have also started shooting on the set, and everyone is ringing every moment. Passing through the noise of the studio, the exhausted face was washed by the rising flames of the explosion.

The two production managers had good news and bad news at the same time, Charles Rowan brought the news of the restart of the "Interview with the Vampire" crew, and Robin Grande received approval from San Francisco City Hall to shoot.

The former was not what Duke expected, and the latter meant the crew could go out and wreak havoc on the streets of San Francisco.

"Duke, the shutdown some time ago..."

When the filming was taking a break, Nicolas Cage came over specially, "As an actor, there are some industry rules that must be followed."

"It doesn't matter." Duke knew that he was talking about something that the Screen Actors Guild came to investigate, and made a casual gesture to Cage. "If the Screenwriters Guild calls for a strike, I will respond."

Both laughed, and the conversation gradually turned to Cage's character.

"Frankly, I'm not a big fan of action movies."

After taking the coffee from Sophia, Cage said thank you and said to Duke, "I think theatrical films and independent productions can better reflect the acting skills."

"Nikola, I wonder if you have noticed the changes that are taking place in Hollywood?"

This kind of small talk can relax the nervousness caused by work, Duke simply put aside his work temporarily, "Artistic films can indeed bring artistic achievements, but Hollywood is becoming more and more commercialized, and if you want to become a first-line superstar, the commercial box office is A topic that cannot be circumvented, without commercial achievements, will never be squeezed into the top circle."

"Unless you just want to be an actor," Duke added.

Maybe there are people in Hollywood who just want to be an actor, but there are too few. Nicolas Cage is definitely not a person who just wants to be an actor.

"Indeed." Cage nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "That's why I chose you and "Brave Island"."

"Trust me, this will be a wise choice." Duke faintly glared at Sophia, who was covering his mouth and chuckling, pointed at Cage's strong body and said, "You have strong muscles, you look full of strength, and are very suitable for movement. And you have a very special kind of rambling, crazy and tough at the same time, and you're more light-hearted and fun than the pure action stars."

"If you can focus on action films and literary films at the same time..." Duke raised his index finger and said in a mocking tone, "When you look back in the past two decades, you may become the representative of Hollywood's action films in the 1990s. ."

"Is that what you used to convince Lee and Harris?" Cage apparently took it as a joke.

"Lee and Harris just thought their characters were funny." Duke shrugged.

And, of course, the crew offered $2 million that they couldn't possibly get at the moment.

Looking at the time, Duke stood up and walked towards the set. It was time for the break and the filming started again.

The southeast area of ​​the studio was set up as the morgue of the Alcatraz Prison. There were junk and garbage everywhere, and there was a dummy under the props next to the table. I wonder if the props team was checking the performance of the dummy. Du The dummy was still twitching as K and Cage walked over.

Standing next to the erected poison gas missile, Duke looked around carefully, checking the props, sets, and camera positions one by one, and then said to Christopher Lee, who came over, "Lee, this scene is based on Gusby's host."

Turning around, Duke looked at Nicolas Cage and made the final confession, "The next thing you dismantle is deadly poison gas."

"I'll be extremely nervous." Cage nodded.

"But you have to be nervous and humorous at the same time." Duke patted Cage's arm and walked towards the monitor, "Nikola, it's time to show your cold humor."

After questioning the departments, Duke gestured ready to another assistant.

"The eighty-fifth scene, the eleventh act, start now!"

"Listen, I'm just a chemist, locked up in a lab all day and living a dull life..."

Cage's face on the monitor is extremely serious, but with the current environment and his tone, it makes people want to laugh, "Now I have to deal with the deadliest substance in this world, so please don't mess with me."

He concentrated his breath, then opened the missile in front of him, and pulled out the poisonous gas parts covered with green balls...

"What can this thing do?" Mason asked.

"If a missile vaporizes it, it can kill the inhabitants of a city."

Hearing Gusby's words, Mason was slightly surprised, and asked again, "Really? What if you drop one?"

"If you're lucky, it will only kill the two of us..."

As Christmas approached, the crew completely recovered the best rhythm, and Duke had experienced the baptism of the shooting of "Speed ​​of Life and Death" and "Breaking the Dead Island", so he had more experience, and his adjustment ability was obviously strengthened. Whether it was integrating various departments of the crew, Whether it's acting for actors or mobilizing their emotions, they have also made great progress.

Christmas is one of the most important festivals in this country, the crew will definitely have a holiday, and before the Christmas holiday starts, Duke also finished filming in Warner Studios as he wished. After the holiday, the crew can go straight to San Francisco. .

During the three-day vacation, Duke also ushered in a rare moment of relaxation. He temporarily put his work aside and returned to his home in Santa Monica to spend Christmas with his mother.

"I heard that you have a girlfriend again."

On both sides of the long dining table, only their mother and son were sitting. Mrs. Leah put down the knife and fork in her hand, "Why don't you bring her with you?"

"Mom..." Duke said helplessly, "If I find a girl I really recognize, I will definitely bring her here."

"Duke," Mrs. Leah said earnestly, staring at him, "the feelings you don't give will not be rewarded."

"There will always be a suitable one." Duke didn't care.

"Next week, Santa Feia will hold a New Year's reception." Mrs. Leah stood up and walked out of the restaurant, Duke picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth, followed, "Sorry, Mom, I'm going after Christmas. San Francisco, probably no time."

Waved her hand, Mrs. Leah said nothing.

As Duke said, after Christmas, the crew relocated to San Francisco as a whole, and began a busy location shooting, because the filming had to block the streets, the time was particularly tight, and the scene of Alcatraz, due to the San Francisco City Hall There was a sudden financial crisis and Alcatraz had to be temporarily closed to tourists.

Fortunately, the crew can shoot normally, and without the onlookers, the shooting will be smoother.

In a busy, Duke ushered in 1993.

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