章 137: Chapter 137: Get Out
[Chapter 137: Get Out]
In downtown Los Angeles, where skyscrapers stood tall, a block of about five hundred meters near the Santa Monica Freeway had been closed off, prohibiting outside vehicles from entering. Since eight in the morning, a large amount of filming equipment had been unloaded from trucks.
The local residents had become accustomed to the presence of film crews since this was Los Angeles, where countless movie productions started every day. This street wasn't particularly bustling, but it was nestled between high-rises, making it a popular spot for various crews to shoot.
This time, however, crowds gathered in noticeably larger numbers, not only because the film featured two well-known superstars, Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, but also because of the young director, Eric, who had achieved remarkable success even before turning nineteen. It was no wonder that people were intensely curious about him.
Among the crowd were many paparazzi, eagerly hoping to snap valuable photos. Even if they couldn't catch the crew in some sensational mishap, a few close-ups of the lead actors would still make the wait worthwhile.
"Are the extras in place?" Eric asked his assistant as he stood next to three yellow cabs, watching the crew install cameras on the front hood.
"We've got fifty people, all accounted for. Roy asked me to check if we should start preparations," his assistant replied.
"Let the extras get familiar with their positions according to the plan. We'll film a few street scenes first."
"Oh, by the way," Allen continued, "we must open the street for an hour around noon because they anticipate a high volume of foot traffic."
Eric rubbed his forehead in frustration. This was simply nitpicking -- after all, noon wasn't exactly rush hour. But he didn't want to deal with those bureaucratic hassle too much. The crew would need to eat anyway: "Tell them it's fine. We'll stop shooting from noon to one o'clock to clear the street."
Once Allen left, Eric shifted his attention back to the cabs. The three cabs had identical license plates, a tactic to avoid any continuity errors on camera. Once filming was complete, they'd swap the plates back to their originals.
One of the cabs remained untouched, with the cinematographer set to shoot from the passenger seat. The other two had cameras mounted on the hoods and on the rear-side windows.
Today's scene focused on Sean's first time driving as he attempted to take Andy to the police station. Though the script called for this sequence to be less than two minutes, Eric calculated that the total footage might be close to an hour, making it essential to wrap this up smoothly within the day.
Once everything was set up on the cabs, Eric grabbed the walkie-talkie and began issuing orders to the entire crew. It was only then that Cruise and Hanks emerged from the trailer, prompting frenzied shutter clicks from the waiting paparazzi. The two looked quite casual: Cruise dressed in black leisurewear while Hanks sported a delivery boy look, complete with a cap and plain white coveralls.
After a brief recap from Eric, the two got into the first cab without any modifications, and filming began with an exterior shot of the cab driving down the street.
Eric approached the monitor, glancing at the nearly seven-inch screen to ensure the lighting was right. He then confirmed with the assistant, "Allen, have the crowd moved out of the shot?"
"All clear. All we have in front of the cameras are our actors," Allen's voice crackled through the walkie-talkie.
Eric needed to double-check. If even one unauthorized face slipped into the film after production, it would create a stir. Extras might be costly, but Eric still couldn't afford the risk of having real bystanders in the footage. After all, if a regular citizen accidentally appeared on screen, they would more likely seek legal action instead of reveling in the fame of making a movie.
So, while he confirmed one last time, Eric ensured a thorough review of the footage later to filter out any strays that weren't part of the crew.
...
As the filming progressed, Andrew slowly pulled down his jacket zipper, taking out a gun with casual curiosity. "Where to?" he asked.
"To the nearest police station," Sean replied, glancing in the rearview mirror, his gaze calm as he watched Andy attach a suppressor.
"Just you?" Andy smiled at the window.
"Enough," Sean shrugged.
"No gun on you? Not afraid I'll kill you?"
"Go ahead, shoot me," Sean said, looking at him. "The car will flip."
"Yeah, sounds dangerous," Andy replied breezily, rolling down the window. "If you can take me to the police station, I'll consider you the winner."
With a suppressor-equipped gun aimed out the window, Andy pulled the trigger without hesitation.
...
At this point, Eric called for a cut, signaling to halt the cab. Cruise and Hanks exited simultaneously, while Nicole popped out from the passenger seat with a camera.
Once they cleared the cab, crew members quickly moved to return it to its original position, with props and vehicles turning around in an orderly fashion to prepare for the next shot.
Eric then briefed the trio on the flaws noticed during filming and reminded them of what to keep in mind for the next take. Once everything was reset, Cruise and Hanks climbed back into the cab, followed closely by Nicole with her camera.
Before long, another take kicked off.
This film didn't carry much depth -- a cop versus a thief showdown over seventy-two hours. The promotion would certainly utilize phrases like "twists and turns," which, to ordinary viewers, would hold true.
But for Eric, compared to those mentally taxing blockbusters he remembered, this movie didn't demand much brainpower. It was just a cool commercial flick, meaning the acting demands on the two leads weren't too rigorous. Especially for exterior scenes, the strength of Cruise and Hanks could carry it with ease.
...
From mid-April to mid-May, the crew roamed the streets of downtown LA, sometimes stuck on one block for two or three days and other times wrapping up all their shots in half a day. Overall, the experience could only be described as monotonous.
Jeffrey followed the The Others crew for a few days in England before returning to LA and promptly flew to the Scent of a Woman crew in New York. Meanwhile, the Firefly Films staff, except for security and a few clerks handling everyday business at headquarters, had been working closely with Eric's crew. Barring the immense profits from Firefly's films, the production company bore much resemblance to many smaller independent film companies in Los Angeles.
...
Exterior shoots had gone rather smoothly thus far, and the filming schedule aligned well with the originally planned timeline, aiming for wrap-up around May fifteenth. Columbia had already begun preliminary small-scale promotions, with scattered news about the film appearing in media outlets.
Columbia's market value had skyrocketed to $3.5 billion recently due to negotiations with the financially robust Sony conglomerate. The Japanese executives could only watch as Columbia's stock price climbed day by day, realizing it would take a year and a half, if not longer, to complete such a massive merger involving billions of dollars. Reports speculated that if everything went smoothly, contracts wouldn't be signed before September, and even if they ultimately secured an acquisition deal, the subsequent handovers would take several years.
As a result, summer box office success would provide Columbia with one last chance to leverage their stock prices.
Warner had originally planned to release two major productions, Batman and Lethal Weapon 2, but due to scheduling conflicts, they had to push back Lethal Weapon 2 slated for July until the end of the year. Following the first film's box office success of over $60 million in 1987, the budget for this sequel doubled. To recoup those costs, box office receipts had to hit $100 million. Under such pressure, Warner's upper management had no intention to compete with Eric, Cruise, and Hanks, opting instead to voluntarily postpone their release to the end of the year.
Thus, Columbia emerged as the only major studio scheduled to release two blockbusters that summer. The other large-scale project was a long-awaited sequel to Ghostbusters II, with the first film having debuted in 1984, making it five years since then. The reasons behind Columbia kick-starting this project earlier in the year were evident, especially since it was their only notable franchise.
...
"Eric, do we need to bring on more people?"
By late April, Jeffrey returned to Los Angeles after overseeing two productions. It was the first time the two men had met in half a month, and they convened in Firefly's conference room at eight in the evening. Eric had been too busy to come into the office during the day.
At the moment, Eric looked at the documents Jeffrey had brought back, not looking up as he replied, "No need. Once we wrap, I'll have Jonathan and Martin recommend some crew members to join Firefly."
"Alright then, but what about the TV series? The timeline is getting tighter, and executives from Fox have reached out, hoping you could provide a script. They're willing to help with early preparations."
Eric chuckled lightly. He had previously made it clear to Barry Diller that Firefly would handle the independent production. Fox still hadn't given up on their desire to get involved, which was understandable. After all, this was a sitcom with very low production costs. If they could secure joint copyright ownership with Firefly, and if the show did well, Fox could prevent Eric from using it as leverage against them. Even if it failed, a few million dollars would be a minor hit for Fox.
"Turn them down. They came to you, not me, which shows Fox is aware of my character," Eric advised.
Jeffrey hesitated before speaking again. "Eric, you... you're being a bit too independent."
Eric finally looked up. "Hmm?"
"You never allow anyone to be involved -- neither in film nor in TV. This isn't how Hollywood works. Nowadays, even many low-budget movies have several investors to share risks and profits. This is the traditional survival rule in Hollywood. Even the major studios, while competitive, tend to have interlocking shareholder situations."
"I understand what you're saying," Eric replied, scratching his head. "But... it might not be the right time yet. In the future, of course, I'll share. But while I can still handle this on my own, I'm going to reap the benefits until others can't stand it any longer. At that point, I might share some with them."
Jeffrey put on a resigned face. "Okay, so when do we start preparing?"
"Tomorrow," Eric replied. "I called you here to discuss this. We need to kick off this project as soon as possible; I intend to shoot some scenes."
"Scenes?" Jeffrey asked, a little confused. "Are you referring to product placements? Even if Columbia agrees, it might not be worth it and could even annoy the audience."
"Not product placements," Eric denied, laying out scene he envisioned to Jeffrey.
"That's a good idea," Jeffrey nodded before questioning, "But with less than two months to go and you previously promised Fox you'd personally direct the first two episodes. Do you think you can manage all that?"
Eric shook his head. "No, I don't need to finish the script. Every concept is already in my head. We just need to finalize the cast, set up the scenes, and film a few interesting snippets."
Jeffrey felt the plan had great feasibility, and he could see that if successful, it would create unexpected promotional effects.
"But, Eric, I have no experience in TV production. You might need someone with that kind of expertise."
"I already said I wouldn't let Fox get involved in this," Eric stated, raising his hands. "So, Jeffrey, you'll just have to work a bit harder."
Jeffrey gave a somewhat enigmatic smile, tinged with teasing and ambiguity. "Actually, one of the people you know has experience as a TV producer."
Eric's mind whirled for a moment, then the stubborn face of stubborn Jenny and his future father-in-law, John Aniston, flashed into his mind.
"He... John should be with NBC, and he mainly focuses on acting," Eric immediately objected, feeling resistance. Directors and their in-laws were natural opposites.
"But he has far more experience than I do. I'm clueless about TV production. If we had ample time, I'd slowly figure it out. But with your timeline being so tight..."
Eric rubbed the paper documents in front of him, considering before reluctantly nodding. "Fine, I'll contact him quickly and see how it goes. If not, you'll still need to step in."
Jeffrey nodded. "So, what about the cast?"
"The role for Jenny is already set," Eric said. "We still need five more parts. I'll write up character descriptions tonight and hand them to you tomorrow so we can expedite the casting process. Let's keep the pool manageable this time; otherwise, casting will be a hassle. We want actors with some experience -- this way, I think fewer will apply than for the previous films."
"True enough," Jeffrey remarked with a laugh. "TV series aren't nearly as enticing as movies."
After discussing matters until nine o'clock that evening, Eric left the Firefly office. To invite John Aniston to take on the producer role, Eric figured he'd best reach out through Jennifer Aniston. So he drove over to her apartment.
...
Arriving at Jenny's front door, Eric didn't knock but instead retrieved a spare key from the flowerpot beside the door. However, after twisting it in the lock, he discovered it had been deadbolted from the inside.
"Isn't this deliberate?" Eric thought with a wry smile as he slid the key back into the flowerpot and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" he faintly heard a girl's voice respond. Moments later, the door cracked open, but just as he was about to push it fully open, he noticed a security chain pulled tightly across the gap. The shiny chain was clearly new.
"This is definitely aimed at me," Eric thought to himself.
Seizing the moment, he positioned himself at the door frame, striking what he thought was a cool pose. He leaned in and, in a playful tone, called, "Hey, babe! It's a long night, and I'm sure you could use a strong man to alleviate your lonely heart!"
"Get out!" Jennifer Aniston shot back, glaring at Eric before shutting the door with a loud bang.
*****
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