Capítulo 421: Chapter 422: Visiting the Set
[Chapter 422: Visiting the Set]
In the third week of filming Twister, a Boeing passenger plane roared down the runway at the Oklahoma City airport. Virginia Madsen, seated in first class, glanced out the window at the damp runway and felt a rush of excitement. If it rained over in Ponca City, she might just catch a break with the crew's schedule for the day.
At the end of last year, Virginia received a film offer from Paramount, but the chosen filming location was Northern Ireland. For this movie, Virginia spent three whole months in Northern Ireland before returning to the U.S.
Although Virginia was a fiercely independent woman, three months without seeing her little man made her miss him deeply, both emotionally and physically. As soon as she got back to the U.S., she called to ask if she could visit the set. Eric could hardly say no.
After disembarking, Virginia stepped out of the airport terminal with her assistant, Shania. They paused for a moment when a young man wearing a white baseball cap ran up to them.
After greeting the two women, the young man introduced himself, saying, "Ms. Madsen, I'm Peck Hearns. Mr. Williams sent me to pick you up. This way, please."
As he spoke, he kindly took the luggage from Shania's hands and gestured for them to follow.
"Thank you, Mr. Hearns," Virginia responded politely, following the young man out of the airport.
"Just call me Peck," he said.
The three of them climbed into a black Chevrolet van, and then Virginia asked, "Peck, is the crew working today?"
Peck Hearns seemed a bit taken aback at first but, remembering the weather outside, he understood why Virginia asked. "Of course, Ms. Madsen. For our movie, overcast skies are exactly what we're hoping for. The crew has only had four days off in three weeks, so as long as it isn't pouring rain, we'll be working."
Virginia felt a pang of disappointment at Peck's explanation. It was only Tuesday. If the crew wasn't off today, she likely wouldn't be able to spend time with Eric until the weekend. And due to her commitments, she could only stay three days; she had to fly to New York on Friday for a promotional event for the brand she endorsed, which she couldn't ditch due to contractual obligations. Given her little man's workaholic nature, he wouldn't have much time for her during the week.
...
Ponca City was about 100 kilometers from Oklahoma City. Thanks to the highway, they arrived in just an hour and a half.
Although the weather was gloomy, it showed no signs of rain. The hotel where the crew was staying was almost empty.
After arranging rooms for Virginia and her assistant, Peck Hearns asked, "Ms. Madsen, will you be waiting for the crew to finish up, or shall we head to the set now?"
"Let's go to the set," Virginia replied, her tone calm but betraying her impatience.
Peck Hearns, tactfully avoiding any uncomfortable truths, nodded politely. Noticing Virginia's outfit, he added, "If we're heading to the set now, you might want to change into something more casual. At the very least, no high heels."
Virginia was wearing a burgundy blazer and skirt, a look she had specifically chosen since Eric preferred her professional attire. However, after hearing Peck's suggestion, she quickly returned to her room and changed into a simple jacket and jeans, completing the look with a pair of flat boots.
Peck Hearns swallowed hard, noticing Virginia's legs encased in the jeans, marveling at how stunning a woman could look in anything. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy for Eric's good fortune.
...
The group climbed into an SUV and soon drove out of Ponca City. The road became much narrower, a bumpy cement path that jolted them around for half an hour. Virginia peered out the window and spotted a crane with its arm extended skyward. As they moved closer, the distant roar of the engines could be heard.
Noticing the puzzled look on Virginia's face, Peck Hearns explained, "That's the sound of Boeing engines. To create a more realistic tornado effect, we rented them from Boeing."
Virginia imagined the terrifying winds that could be generated by an aircraft engine capable of lifting hundreds of tons into the skies, shaking her head at how crazy her little man was.
Shania, her assistant, chimed in with surprise, "A Boeing engine? That thing won't blow us away, will it?"
Peck Hearns seemed pleased with the women's astonished reactions. "Of course, if you got too close, it could lift you off your feet. But as long as you keep your distance, you'll be fine."
They soon arrived near the set, where the staff on duty waved them through upon seeing Peck Hearns' work badge.
...
Virginia and Shania exited the vehicle, and the roar of the Boeing engines grew deafening.
The filming location was set in a muddy channel, bustling with crew members. Various filming equipment scattered around, and a massive crane sat on the opposite bank, its arm seemingly connected to a farm tractor.
After dropping the two women off, Peck Hearns completed his task with a few parting words and headed toward a nearby temporary structure.
The crew was busy, so Virginia refrained from interrupting. Standing about ten meters away, she watched for a while but didn't catch sight of Eric.
Minutes passed, and as the engine noises temporarily quieted, Virginia hoped that the crew had paused for a break. Instead, a drenched person crawled out from beneath a wooden bridge, and Virginia recognized Eric's personal cinematographer, Nicole Frank. She waved at her.
Nicole smiled widely, revealing a face that was smeared with mud, but as soon as she spotted Virginia, she turned and ran in the opposite direction. She saw her speak loudly to a crew member and quickly grab something that looked like a camera lens from the logistics team before charging back into the channel.
A moment later, someone shouted an anguished "Action" over a megaphone, and the engine noises resumed.
Shania, startled by the noise, tugged at Virginia's sleeve and said, "Vicki, maybe we should wait a bit farther away? It looks like that might be the actors' rest area over there."
Virginia realized that these scenes could take dozens of takes, possibly taking a couple of hours to finish. She nodded, prepared to leave, when Nicole popped back up and approached them.
"Let's head that way," Nicole suggested, pointing toward the actors' relaxation area as she raised her voice.
...
Having moved further away, they could speak without the noise bothering them. Nicole shrugged off her mud-splattered coat, asking a crew member for a towel to wipe her face. A white towel quickly turned gray, and once she finished, Nicole tossed it in the trash.
Seeing that Nicole had tidied herself up a bit, Virginia smiled and extended her hand, saying, "Nicole, it's been a while."
Nicole reached out, but she quickly withdrew, noticing Virginia's puzzled expression. She chuckled and explained, "Let's skip the handshake, Ms. Madsen. I just crawled out of the mud, and I'm not exactly clean. I've heard that mud here can carry hepatitis, and everyone on set got vaccinated."
Virginia nodded, understanding. "By the way, where's Eric? I don't think I've seen him."
Nicole pointed toward the water channel, saying, "He's in there shooting."
Virginia thought about how messy Nicole looked when she emerged and imagined Eric could be just as filthy in that dirty water. She looked over there with a bit of concern and said, "Aren't you the cinematographer?"
Nicole didn't catch any special tone in Virginia's voice. "This is the first time we've shot such a scene. Eric wanted to see the real effects firsthand, so he jumped right in. You may not know, but Eric's cinematographic skills are on par with mine. I've no idea how he learned."
As they spoke, they watched the crane suddenly come to life, lifting a farm tractor off the ground.
"This is the scene where the tornado lifts the tractor," Nicole mentioned, then suddenly smacked her forehead. "Oh no, I forgot to tell Eric you arrived!"
"No, it's fine. He's busy, and I don't have anything urgent. I can just wait here," Virginia quickly waved her hand.
"Alright then," Nicole said, finishing the coffee that staff had handed her. Standing up, she said, "I've got to get back to work. I need to set up the next shots, so I can't stay with you."
...
As Nicole walked away, Shania couldn't help but express her awe. She had only been hired by Virginia earlier that year and had never met Eric before. But based on everything she had observed around her, she was instantly curious about him. After all, here she was at 26, still just an assistant, and she had fought hard to land this job. And to think that Eric was only 20 and already managing a large crew while owning a company like Firefly Films.
"Vicki, what's Mr. Williams really like?" Shania finally asked.
Virginia hesitated for a moment. As her close assistant, there were many things Virginia had no secrets about, so she had already shared some details with Shania before they arrived. Now, hearing Shania's question, she wasn't quite sure how to answer. After thinking it over, she finally said, "I don't know how to describe him. He's a very special person; you'll understand when you meet him."
Shania murmured in acknowledgment, wanting to ask more, but suddenly recalled a piece of advice from a friend when she got this job: to be an assistant to a star, the most important thing was to suppress one's curiosity. Shania, having only spent two years at community college before dropping out, wasn't willing to lose her hard-won position over mere curiosity.
With the filming environment being quite noisy, they both quietly observed the set, watching as the crane lifted the tractor one moment and then lifted another truck into the air the next. Eventually, planks from the wooden bridge flew up as well, and the artificially created wind sent debris flying. Although the tornado would be added in post-production, Shania already felt that the film was going to be a real showstopper.
The two of them reached the set at ten o'clock and waited a full two hours until the morning shoot wrapped up, and the noisy environment finally quieted down.
...
Virginia stood up and walked toward the channel.
Before long, she spotted a muddy man and woman being helped out of the channel by crew members. While she didn't recognize the man, she could tell he was likely the male lead in Twister. The woman, though in a disheveled state, had long, elegant eyes. Even covered in mud, her beautiful gaze hinted at her being a great beauty.
The woman didn't notice Virginia watching her. With the help of an assistant, she headed quickly toward a nearby temporary structure, which Virginia assumed must be the bathroom.
Before the woman disappeared entirely, Virginia heard a familiar voice call out, "Vicki, you're here!"
Virginia turned to see a muddy and soaked Eric, holding a camera wrapped in plastic.
"Eric," Virginia softly said, taking a couple of steps toward him, her heart aching at his disheveled appearance. Just then, she noticed an assistant approaching with a towel. Virginia grabbed it, reaching out to clean Eric up.
"Don't. I'll take care of this," Eric said, passing the camera to someone else. He took the towel from Virginia and wiped his face to avoid the mud getting in his eyes, then added, "There's hepatitis out here. I need to take a shower first. Just wait a bit; I'll be quick."
Virginia nodded. After Eric left, Shania sidled up to her and said, "So, that's Eric Williams, huh?"
Virginia playfully tapped Shania's head. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"No, it's just that I thought he would be... you know..."
"Thought he'd be like what? Not that special?"
Shania nodded, and Virginia decided not to elaborate. She looked at the pretty assistant and thought that if you felt his specialness, you might have fallen deeply in love with him.
*****
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