章 929: Chapter 931: A Collision of Words
[Chapter 931: A Collision of Words]
After the first rehearsal ended, Eric's initial surprise at spotting Victoria Adams among the crowd of MV actors faded away. He just found the situation amusing but didn't feel the urge to interact with Victoria right away as many others expected.
Caroline and Melanie stepped up to help Eric unload the heavy Steadicam equipment. Eric called over the main creative team and the five members of the Spice Girls. A group of them gathered around the workstation in a corner of the studio, rewatching the playback of their first rehearsal while discussing various details that needed improvement.
Since it was the first rehearsal, there were indeed many aspects that required adjustments. They spent about half an hour discussing before everyone dispersed to make the necessary changes.
Once everyone left, Eric stayed behind at the workstation, operating the computer to review the footage, occasionally jotting down his insights about long shots in his notebook.
Caroline placed a cup of warm coffee next to Eric without a word, quietly sitting beside him. She observed him intently studying the footage and making notes, a look of satisfaction on her face.
Not far away, Melanie saw Caroline sitting next to Eric and couldn't help but sigh. After a moment's thought, she walked over to Simon Fuller, who was directing staff to adjust the set. She discreetly asked, "Simon, what was that girl's name?"
Simon Fuller, being perceptive, assumed Melanie was asking on Eric's behalf and lowered his voice, "I just asked. Her name is Victoria Adams. Mel, is it true that Williams wants to take her out to dinner? I can arrange that."
Melanie suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Why did all these men think this way? Quickly shaking her head, she replied, "It's not like that, Simon. What do you think of Caroline?"
Caroline always treated everyone around her sincerely and politely. Despite their limited interaction over the past few days, Simon developed a fondness for Caroline, responding with a hint of respect, "Miss Wilson is a wonderful girl."
Melanie gestured towards Eric and Caroline. "Look, Simon, you can definitely see that Caroline likes Mr. Williams a lot. So, could you do me a favor and make that, um, Victoria Adams disappear?"
Simon followed Melanie's gaze and could easily sense Caroline's affection for Eric. However, Melanie's suggestion also revealed that Eric's assistant was acting on her friend's best interests without really consulting anyone.
After a moment of hesitation, Simon advised, "Mel, if you really care about Miss Wilson, I think you shouldn't do that. It's too obvious. Mr. Williams probably wouldn't appreciate someone trying to meddle in his affairs, and you should have a bit more faith in him; he is very professional."
Finally unable to hold back, Melanie rolled her eyes to herself, thinking that he had never seen Eric when he wasn't professional.
Knowing Simon wouldn't help, Melanie understood that turning to someone else would likely yield the same results, so she let go of the thought of getting rid of Victoria Adams. Still, she couldn't resist sneaking glances at the actress among the crowd. She seriously couldn't see what about that girl attracted Eric. Her skin wasn't fair enough, her face wasn't sweet enough, her height was average -- definitely not aligned with his aesthetic standards. Yet, upon reflection, Melanie realized she couldn't really determine what Eric's aesthetic standards were.
...
Eric, completely unaware of Melanie's unintended plan, would have just laughed it off even if he had known. While Melanie wanted to protect Caroline, Eric felt similarly. Eric had no special feelings for Victoria Adams, who would never transform into Victoria Beckham. Since she happened to appear in the crowd for the Wannabe MV, Eric had gradually started to ignore her presence.
After the crew adjusted the set and actors according to their recent discussions, the rehearsal continued.
The following week, everyone spent their time in repetitive practice, starting every day at nine and wrapping up around five in the afternoon.
By the third day, many felt that the rehearsal worked quite well and was ready for the actual shoot. Yet, since Eric didn't call a halt, no one else suggested it. After all, Eric Williams had already achieved astounding success by the age of thirty, creating a standard that seemed unattainable for everyone else. Still, he dedicated himself daily to practicing over ten times with the nearly 30-pound Steadicam system, exerting more energy than anyone else in the studio.
Given this, everyone involved in the shoot thought to themselves -- if they had billions at their disposal, they wouldn't be willing to undertake such exhausting and monotonous work, preferring to lounge around instead. Hence, for Eric's tedious practice, everyone felt nothing but admiration, with no complaints.
To accumulate more experience with long takes, Eric frequently changed the shooting methods when the MV rehearsals neared completion. Sometimes, he had the actors leave, allowing the five girls to perform alone. Other times, he urged the performers to improvise a scene based on their roles in the MV. During this time, Eric also referenced a scene from Birdman for the actors to enact while he practiced the long-shot techniques used in that film.
...
As the filming of Wannabe progressed, Simon Fuller began hyping the release of the Spice Girls' first single. Ever since July when they grandly recruited members, this girl group, promised to be shaped up under Eric Williams' guidance, had caught everyone's attention.
In recent weeks, although British media speculated wildly about the reasons for Eric's visit to London, most discussions revolved around the Spice Girls, further enhancing the public's curiosity about the group. Consequently, Simon planned to capitalize on this momentum and aim to release the first single as soon as the filming of Wannabe was complete.
When Eric finished a week of rehearsals at Pinewood Studios and transitioned to on-location shooting in the city, the newly established UK branch of Firefly Records officially announced the release date for the Spice Girls' debut single: October 27.
Thanks to the extensive rehearsals in the studio, the on-location shooting went smoothly, completing within two days. By this time, news that Eric himself was the cinematographer for the Wannabe MV had leaked out through the British tabloids, creating quite a stir.
Months passed, but Casino Royale remained in theaters in the UK, with its total box office grossing over $93 million -- though it couldn't quite catch up to the record just set by Titanic, it still ranked highly in the UK box office history. Having surpassed $900 million in global earnings after the second wide release phase in September, Casino Royale was steadily approaching the $1 billion target. Given this, the fact that Eric personally carried the camera for a music MV heightened anticipation among many film and music fans.
...
On October 11, after wrapping up the shooting of Wannabe, Eric handed over all subsequent tasks to Simon Fuller. He didn't rush back to Los Angeles but chose to stay at Pinewood Studios to continue preparations for Gravity.
Since the MV used a single continuous shot, the editing was completed in just a week. Subsequently, on October 20, a week before the single's release, the MV officially launched on major UK television networks.
Perhaps because of excessively high initial expectations, Wannabe didn't quite leave critics and music reviewers in awe.
In the '90s, the mainstream music genre in the UK was still pop-rock. Whether solo artists or ensembles, most were somewhat influenced by rock styles. However, the Spice Girls' Wannabe completely strayed from mainstream music, leaning towards a dance-pop style with no connection to pop-rock.
Additionally, most reviewers felt that compared to Eric's previous, breathtaking songs, Wannabe seemed lacking in substance, more like a mundane earworm song. Some media outlets even targeted the MV, not only calling Eric's single-take shooting technique a gimmick with nothing remarkable but also harshly critiquing the Spice Girls' outfits as reminiscent of "five promiscuous girls."
Just as everyone assumed Eric Williams might have stumbled this time, on October 27, Wannabe was released. Within just four days, the single's sales surged past 100,000 copies, ending the first week with a remarkable total of 160,000 copies sold. It not only topped the UK singles chart effortlessly but even outpaced the second-place song by over 90,000 copies, leading the media and reviewers who had initially doubted the Spice Girls to fall silent, instead eager to understand what had transpired.
Naturally, many immediately suspected Eric might have employed underhanded tactics to inflate the charts, but after some digging, nobody could find any substantial evidence.
Meanwhile, throughout cities and towns in the UK, from bustling urban shopping streets to remote suburban locales, it seemed everyone encountered Wannabe's catchy chorus. Young people would casually shout "zigazig ah" -- a whimsical phrase from the song, inexplicably catching the attention of many and making it sound undeniably cool. The Spice Girls quickly became sex symbols in the eyes of the British youth and the targets of relentless tabloid chasing.
...
Success leads to everything, a undeniable truth in every field.
As WannaBe showcased its mind-blowing infectious power sweeping across the UK, the media's previous disdain for the song and the Spice Girls began to shift. They started praising the group for perfectly blending dance-pop with feminism and injecting a vigorous spirit of female empowerment.
The Spice Girls' success, in fact, had no profound origin; they were indeed a product of an assembly line, as some media reviews suggested.
Yet while many legendary musicians gained countless loyal fans through their rich and profound lyricism, for most ordinary people, music ultimately served as entertainment. The Spice Girls perfectly tapped into the spirit of "entertainment first," quickly winning the hearts of the younger audience with their vibrant personas, catchy melodies, and playful lyrics.
After Wannabe skyrocketed in popularity, Eric transferred his memory of a few other Spice Girls songs to Simon Fuller, relinquishing control of the project.
According to the previously drafted contract, when the second-generation Fireflyer player launched in North America and Europe in April of the following year, the Spice Girls would not only become the European spokesperson for the Fireflyer but also break norms by releasing their debut album simultaneously in physical and online formats to significantly boost the awareness and sales of the Fireflyer in Europe.
...
By November, winter had settled in London, with the countryside feeling even chillier.
Rachel Weisz was still driving her powerful Jaguar XK8, arriving outside Pinewood Studios, where Caroline awaited at the entrance, dressed in a white trench coat. After politely exchanging a few words with the watchman, the barrier raised.
"Rachel, you super star, you finally decided to come see me," Caroline said with a smirk, hopping into the passenger seat.
As Rachel drove through the studio gates, she playfully pinched Caroline's cheek, adopting a mock-gangster tone. "Sweetheart, I not only came to see you, but I also plan to take you home tonight."
Caroline shrank her neck away from Rachel's playful grasp, giggling.
Rachel soon parked the car in the studio's lot and gave Caroline a big hug before asking, "By the way, where's Mel?"
"She's inside; let's go," Caroline replied while pointing toward the parking lot's exit.
Rachel looped her arm through Caroline's as they walked out, asking, "I heard Eric has been living here for a month. What's he secretly working on?"
"His new movie. Hmm, I can't say too much about it. However, it's definitely going to be an impressive film."
Rachel seemed like she wanted to kiss Caroline on the cheek but pulled back when she noticed the girl shyly retreating. "You know, Eric Williams' movie is certainly going to be amazing."
As the two casually chatted, they arrived at the studio where Eric worked.
The set from the Wannabe rehearsals had been completely dismantled. However, in the studio, in addition to the two modified orange robots, there were several bizarre new equipment pieces, the most striking being a towering five-meter tall structure made of square LED screens.
Rachel spotted Eric and a couple of others inside the large box and curiously inquired, "Carly, what's that?"
"It's a light box," Caroline explained. Seeing Rachel still confused, she added, "It simulates space lighting conditions. For Eric's new film, it was difficult to accurately replicate the undiffused space light using traditional lighting methods, so he's planning to use this technique. The LED screens surrounding this light box will play simple space scenes, making it feel like the actors are performing in outer space."
While Caroline was explaining the equipment's purpose to Rachel, Eric approached with Melanie and embraced Rachel in jest, saying, "Rachel, you super star, finally deigned to visit me."
Rachel paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. It seemed she found it amusing and went into a full belly laugh, appearing as if she wanted to crouch down from the hilarity.
Caroline didn't anticipate Eric would say the same thing she had moments ago. Reflecting on their time together, she realized her line was merely a mimicry of Eric's usual joking tone. Aware Rachel might catch on to this similarity, Caroline's face flushed red with embarrassment as she wished for a place to hide.
Eric, unaware of any joke Rachel had found, looked at Caroline's response and guessed it pertained to her, choosing not to pry further. He simply said, "Alright, Rachel, be a bit more ladylike. Watch out or I'll snap a picture of you and sell it to the tabloids."
Rachel took a deep breath, managing to stop laughing. "Eric, you've corrupted Carly."
"Okay, I am guilty," Eric shrugged, gesturing toward the workstation. "Let's sit over there. Honestly, what brings you here today?"
"I came to see Carly and Mel," Rachel said as she took a seat by the workstation, glancing at the stack of space scene images. "Eric, are you planning to shoot a space movie?"
"Yeah," Eric nodded. "It's a space disaster film."
As Rachel surveyed the table, her gaze landed on a well-rendered concept art piece. Picking it up, she recognized it as a realistic simulation based on the sketches Caroline and Melanie had seen on the plane. Feeling the tension illustrated by the lines connecting two astronauts in a precarious situation, Rachel expressed her curiosity, asking Eric, "Eric, is there a role in this film that would suit me?"
*****
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