บท 563: Pursuing perfection
Tony knew he was a madman; he had never denied that. But now, it seemed that Renly was an even crazier perfectionist. In Tony's eyes, the scene they had just shot was already perfect, a hundred out of a hundred. Even if they repeated it a thousand times, it might not achieve such excellence again. Yet Renly was still refining...
So, people always said, are true artistic geniuses all perfectionists, and are they all crazy?
"You see, here your gaze was enticing Henry, but you haven't actually experienced these things, so your expressions and movements are a bit clumsy. It's understandable and normal, fitting Erica's character," Renly's frankness made the young girl blush, and Renly lowered his gaze as well, clearing his throat before continuing, "But you can make adjustments with your gaze. Instead of focusing on Henry's cheeks, you should aim at Adam's apple."
Adam's apple. This was an American informal term for the larynx, with a hint of humor, successfully lightening the mood.
Sami raised her eyes to look at Renly's Adam's apple, nodding as if she understood. The underage girl was indeed quite inexperienced, making Renly feel a bit guilty. A trace of shyness flashed between his eyebrows as he avoided eye contact and concentrated on his serious work. "If a man swallows his saliva, it means you've succeeded."
Sami nodded in sudden realization. Apparently, there were many intricacies in acting. Only relying on raw talent and adopting the method acting approach would let these details pass by unnoticed on screen. In contrast, the more expressive style of acting could present them accurately and delicately. Sami didn't understand what method acting and expressive acting meant, but she knew there was so much she could learn from Renly. Admiration shone in her eyes.
Renly turned to Tony and said, "Here, you should give Sami a close-up."
This was Tony's job, and there was no need for further explanation from Renly. Tony's thoughts expanded, nodding in agreement. Besides Erica's gaze, there were also close-ups of Henry's Adam's apple, fingertips, and corners of the mouth. These details could be incorporated with quick cuts, using montage-style editing to convey the silent communication between the two characters.
After the three of them finished discussing, they quickly returned to the shooting. This time, the entire crew remained silent, completely focused on their work. The efficiency of the filming process noticeably improved, and they shot the scene twice more. Finally, just before the sun rose, on the 71st take, Tony raised his hands high and gestured to everyone, "It's all good! This is it!"
However, Renly still stood in front of the monitor, a unlit cigarette between his lips, seriously contemplating for a moment. Then he grabbed Tony's arm. "Tony, but I think we can make some more adjustments here. You see, my body language here still appears a bit stiff, not soft enough. If we shoot it one more time..."
"Then we'll all collectively throw up," Tony interrupted Renly, speaking bluntly. He then flashed a big smile. "I understand you want to pursue perfection and refine the details even further. But I don't think it's necessary anymore. Your performance is already perfect, a hundred out of a hundred. If we keep tweaking the details, it might come across as too deliberate. You were in the perfect state just now, completely in sync with Henry. Besides, we've shot this scene too many times. You may not mind, but I can't take it anymore."
That self-deprecating tone made Renly chuckle silently, his shoulders shrugging slightly. Then Tony patted Renly's shoulder. "This is already perfect."
After saying that, Tony didn't pay any further attention to Renly. He turned and left, signaling the crew that they could wrap up. However, Tony was surprised to find that none of the crew members had moved. He couldn't help but wonder, "What's going on? We've finally finished shooting. Why are you all still here?" Tony chuckled, looking at Jeremy. "Aren't you supposed to cheer collectively at this moment? We've shot this scene so many times, even I'm about to throw up. Don't you feel it?"
Jeremy grinned and, with a hint of helplessness, gestured with his eyes. Tony looked around and finally realized that everyone's gaze was focused on the same direction: Renly.
Renly hadn't left; he was still standing there, hands on his hips, the corner of his mouth holding an unlit cigarette. The first light of dawn broke through New York's haze and morning mist, illuminating his shoulders. His entire face was hidden in shadows, with only a profile faintly visible – a focused and devoted profile, tired and pale.
The entire set's attention was concentrated on him. They held their breath, remaining silent. The silence was even more focused than the preparation before the shoot began.
After a short while, Renly let out a sigh, straightened his posture, and took the cigarette from his mouth. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips. He turned around, raised his hands high, and applauded the crew, doing a full 360-degree turn. "Great job, everyone." Then he walked toward the location where Roy and Nathan were.
It was as if magic had taken hold. All the crew members suddenly became lively. Laughter and discussions filled the air as they nodded at each other, began packing up their tools, and prepared to finish work. Their eyes conveyed messages of joy.
Watching this scene, Tony couldn't help but pause and then chuckle. He turned around and was met with Jeremy's radiant smile. Tony patted his shoulder and said, "This is a good sign. I have more confidence in the upcoming shoots now. Besides Renly, honestly, I can't think of a more perfect choice."
Jeremy wholeheartedly agreed.
The peak of summer slipped away quietly amid the bustling activities. The "Detachment" crew finally entered a high-speed operating mode, and every step seemed to find its most harmonious rhythm. Every summer is like this, as if it had just welcomed the arrival of summer one second, and in the next, it was holding onto the tail of summer, reluctant to let go. It was true for the "Detachment" crew, and it was true for busy Hollywood.
The scorching sunlight streamed through the car window, spilling onto the black leather seats, radiating waves of heat. Andy Rogers temporarily put down his phone, pulled out a handkerchief from the pocket of his jacket, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He glanced at the driver's seat and inquired, "Sorry, is the air conditioning on maximum?"
"Yes." The taxi driver raised his eyes and glanced at Andy through the rearview mirror. Andy's profuse sweating made quite an impression on him, and he chuckled, "Brother, are you sure you're okay? Do you want to lean closer to the air conditioning vent and feel some cool air?"
Andy wiped the sweat that had slid down his neck and soaked his shirt. He leaned closer to the window and checked the distance to his destination. It wasn't far now. He waved his hand dismissively. "No need, I've gotten used to it. I thought the temperature would drop after the hottest part of July, but this August turned out even hotter."
"It's already mid-August. The temperature should drop soon," the taxi driver said cheerfully.
Andy shrugged, letting out a long sigh. "I hope so. The summer box office season is ending, and the heatwave should end with it." He folded the handkerchief back up and tucked it into his pocket, then picked up his phone and continued scrolling through it.
This summer's box office had been full of surprises and fluctuations. After the chaotic opening battle, things only stabilized with the release of "Transformers 3". Then "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" set a staggering record with a weekend box office of $169M, rewriting the history of film premieres. Unfortunately, the subsequent releases like "Captain America" and "Cowboys & Aliens" didn't perform as impressively.
The highly anticipated films had failed to meet expectations, becoming the theme of this year's summer box office. This made the success of "Fast 5" even more remarkable.
Compared to "Transformers" with robots as the main characters and the series finale of "Harry Potter", Renly, who had entered the scene with a remarkable performance, undoubtedly became a hot topic. Coupled with the photos on the cover of "Fame" magazine, it sparked heated discussions online, making Renly the most eye-catching actor of the entire July.
With the release of "Fast 5", discussions about "Luke Hobbs" continued to rise. Yahoo forums even featured discussion threads about the character's origin, background, and story. The character's rugged charm in the movie impressed viewers, and more importantly, under Renly's interpretation, the character's story became more intriguing, giving the film greater depth. This undoubtedly piqued people's curiosity.
Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the script's content and the director's main storyline, the character didn't have more room for development, and all the clues came to an abrupt end. This became a significant regret. Yahoo forum users expressed that if the production company were more daring and gave Hobbs more opportunities, Renly would undoubtedly give the character more depth.
After experiencing the ups and downs during the broadcast of "The Pacific War", the polishing and maturing of two films, "Buried" and "Like Crazy", and a series of incidents during the shooting of "50/50", netizens seemed to gradually develop a strong belief in Renly. This trust was finally rewarded with "Fast 5". So, even though "Like Crazy" had yet to be officially released and was only circulating at Sundance with word-of-mouth reviews, not to mention "50/50", many still praised Renly.
As the film's box office broke through the $200M mark and rapidly approached $300M, a wave of voices emerged online: Why not make a spin-off movie about Hobbs?
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