Chapter 36: Utah scenes
The Utah sun beat down on the desolate canyon floor, baking the red rock like terra cotta.
Sweat beaded on Lucas's brow, stinging his eyes as he wrestled the dusty mountain bike out of the truck. Around him, the production team buzzed with contained chaos; cameras glinted like metallic predators eyeing the scene.
Lucas, transformed into Aron for the cameras, ran a calloused hand across the bike's worn frame. It wasn't a sleek, carbon-fiber beast but an honest-to-goodness mountain bike, scarred with the memories of past treks and tumbles. He swung a leg over the seat, the leather creaking in protest, and gripped the handlebars.
"Action!" Director Boyle's voice resonated, shattering the sun-baked silence. Lucas pushed off, tires crunching on gravel, and the once-static red cliffs transformed into a living, swirling kaleidoscope. Wind whisked through his hair, carrying the dusty scent of sage and the dry musk of the sun-scorched earth.
The camera, a mechanical vulture, swooped around him, capturing the grit in his eyes and the feral grin twisting his lips. He wasn't acting anymore; he was Aron, a nomad with the wind in his hair and the open road as his compass. The bike, no longer a prop, became an extension of himself, each bump and grind forming a shared language, a conversation forged in sweat and adrenaline.
The camera crew, nimble as desert lizards, scurried alongside, their lenses capturing the raw beauty of the landscape.
Aron's mountain bike, a chrome stallion tamed for the camera, purred beneath him, its tires whispering against the sun-baked earth. Behind him, the crew hummed like a hive, a constellation of lights and lenses tracking his every turn.
The scene, an ode to freedom and adrenaline, promised breathtaking panoramas and a near-miss with disaster.
Aron relished the dance – handlebars a steady extension of his will, his body angled against the invisible line between control and chaos. Each bump, each rock, a mini-drama played out in the fleeting language of speed.
As he pedaled with freedom, it happened. A loose pebble, a flicker of inattention. The front tire snagged, sending Lucas soaring in an ungraceful parabola. Bike and rider became a tumbling tumbleweed, bouncing with the rhythm of the canyon floor.
Silence, then a collective gasp from the crew, a flurry of movement like startled sandpipers. But Lucas, dust-coated and grinning, lay sprawled like a starfish, the bike miraculously still in one piece. He laughed, "Hahaha! That was fun!" a rusty peal echoing through the sandstone labyrinth, the sound catching in the crew's throats, transforming their tension into relieved chuckles.
"Cut!" boomed the director, his voice laced with amusement. "Alright, Lucas, you gave us a heart attack for breakfast. But the shot was perfect, beyond my expectations!"
Danny didn't expect that Lucas would faithfully capture Aron's essence just by biking across the canyon floor.
"Thank you," Lucas nodded gratefully. The crew assisted him; a woman was about to offer him a cold water bottle, but Lucas declined, saying, "Let's save it for later, for the scene."
The crew was quite impressed by Lucas, the new actor's dedication.
After that, Lucas and Danny discussed the next scene, and Lucas offered some suggestions for his view of the character of Aron.
With the real Aron himself watching the production, he also listened to Lucas's view of himself when he was young.
"I feel that we should add humor or sarcasm to Aron's character," Lucas said, glancing at Danny and Aron himself in the tent.
Danny stroked his chin and asked Aron just beside him, "What do you think, Mr. Ralston?"
"I don't think there's any problem with that," Aron said with a nod. He continued, "To be honest, during the time I was stuck with the boulder, humor and dark sarcasm helped me cope with my ordeal."
Lucas also offered his perspective on the role, noting that the film heavily relies on voiceover narration to depict Ralston's thoughts and motivations. He felt he could express these through subtle acting choices, facial expressions, and physicality, instead of relying solely on voiceover. This approach could draw the audience deeper into Ralston's internal world without breaking the film's flow.
The director and the real Aron exchanged glances, curious to see if Lucas could truly satisfy their expectations with his acting.
With that, the filming team resumed shooting, capturing the scene where Lucas walked across the canyon.
They also filmed the scene Lucas had requested. It was the scene of passing bikers across Lucas, whipping the sand into a frenzy, transforming the air into a gritty blizzard. Grains stung Lucas' face, finding purchase in every nook and cranny – nostrils flared, teeth gritted, eyes squeezed shut against the abrasive assault.
The crew, concerned, rushed to assist Lucas almost immediately after the film was cut.
Following that scene, filming continued, leading up to the moment when Aron encounters two travelers.
These two actresses were Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn.
Upon seeing Lucas Knight, the actor playing the protagonist, the actresses were a bit surprised by his youthful appearance. Simultaneously, they couldn't help but recall the time they performed a scene for an audition with Lucas. Back then, they didn't think much of him because they were almost certain that the actor chosen for the role would be James Franco.
"James wasn't chosen for the role?" Kate whispered to Amber in shock.
"Seems like it," Amber nodded. "I don't know why the production would choose an inexperienced actor for the role. Wouldn't it be a waste of money if he doesn't act that well?"
"Well, it's not our turn to judge him. It's the production and the studio's choice," Kate said, shaking her head.
Before the scene, Lucas chose to meet with the two actresses.
"Nice to meet you again," Lucas greeted the two with a smile.
"Hello," Amber nodded in response.
"Nice to meet you," Kate also greeted Lucas.
Lucas discussed the scene with the two actresses, and simultaneously, they didn't choose to hide their surprise at him being chosen for the role.
Lucas could feel the doubts in the two women's eyes, but he just smiled and said, "Let's do our best in the next scene."
Hearing that, the two actresses nodded.
Having considerable acting experience, they believed they wouldn't be outperformed by Lucas. Although he did well in the audition with them, the two actresses didn't give their best since the audition wasn't for them but for Lucas and James. They thought Lucas's performance could only reach a certain level.
Therefore, they were confident they wouldn't be overshadowed by Lucas, especially given his youth and seemingly limited experience.
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