America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 905 - 855 Kneeling in Surrender_2
Chapter 905: Chapter 855: Kneeling in Surrender_2
Chapter 905: Chapter 855: Kneeling in Surrender_2
Robert Eggers picked up the conversation, “The sea can break a person in various ways during the actual filming process. Wind, rain, or other natural elements, if they’re too fierce, can make the shooting of a movie completely impossible.”
Rosarito Island is surrounded by the sea, and although it is not the rainy season, the coastal climate always changes unpredictably. Martin gave it a moment’s thought before saying, “Okay, let’s set aside five additional days as backup.”
Adding five more days meant the budget had to be increased.
The production had a sufficient budget, and Martin didn’t mind the extra expenses.
The meeting continued, and many issues regarding the shooting were discussed in succession.
Towards the end of the meeting, the experienced Steve Downton once again reminded his colleagues, “No matter how well we prepare, we will still encounter many challenges during shooting. Anything that involves water always unexpectedly causes numerous problems. Water and filmmaking are inherently enemies.”
Martin listened attentively to these words and said, “Everyone, prepare your respective tasks even more thoroughly so that when we encounter problems during the shoot, we can solve them more easily.”
With that, the directors’ meeting concluded, and Martin went to the producer’s office to find Louise and tell her about the budget increase.
Although he had managed to assemble the crew through an agency, his own calling, and, most crucially, high salaries, as a director, Martin couldn’t just sit back and let others take control.
The work of a director, after all, meant being deeply involved in the project from the early stages of preparation.
Compared to an actor who only needs to master a single role, directing was much more difficult.
Director Nolan, David Fincher, and Chad Stahelski had all said that Martin had only average talent as a director.
He wasn’t even up to Chad, who was recognized as the least talented of them.
After discussing work, Martin also talked to Louise about other matters, “Without actually engaging in a profession, one really can’t comprehend its difficulties.”
Frankly, if it wasn’t for his financial capability, attempting to make this film would have presented enormous challenges.
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But with money, he could hire a large number of experienced subordinates. Martin only needed to give orders; the specific tasks would naturally be completed by others.
Louise pushed up her black-rimmed glasses and asked deliberately, “Regret taking on this job?”
“Not regret per se, because you’ll never know where your limits are if you don’t try,” Martin laughed, “I just can’t stand losing to that bastard Leonardo.”
Louise laughed as well, “And then become the one forever mocked in the Trio of Scoundrels?”
Martin suddenly remembered something Old Cloth had mentioned and leaned in closer to say, “Dear, put a bit more heart into this project. You don’t want me to become a person tormented by problems of this century, do you?”
Louise pushed him away, “Keep those strange words for Kelly.”
Hearing her mention Kelly, Martin thought of something, “Kelly’s position in the Donkey Party has risen quickly over the past few years. I should introduce her to someone if I find the time.”
He remembered that in his previous life, the village head had gained support from the Donkey Party.
In a quiet voice, Louise said, “If you really communicate well with her, none of these will be issues.”
Martin said, “Once this movie is done, I’ll call Kelly to come to Los Angeles. The three of us should get together.”
“That’s a good idea.” Louise liked the idea of the three of them having fun together, “I also haven’t seen that wild girl Kelly in a while.”
Martin glanced at his watch, “I’m going to check on the mechanical shark.”
“Let’s go together,” Louise followed Martin.
The two went to the storage area on the first floor, where the prop department had built a simple large water tank to experiment with the prop sharks they had made.
Besides the already completed fin version, they were customizing a shark that could create ripples in the water according to Martin’s requirements.
The production team’s work was intricate; after each department fulfilled Martin’s requests, he still wanted to personally inspect to ensure they met his standards.
Since Blake Lively’s role was almost a solo performance, she was currently rehearsing alone. Martin occasionally needed to communicate with her about the character.
In addition, he had to pay attention to the tidal and weather conditions on Rosarito Island.
During the busy preparations for “Shark Beach,” Disney Studios also held a publicity and distribution meeting to advance the pre-release promotion of “John Wick: Chapter 3.”
The film was set to release during the summer blockbuster season on Memorial Day, entering an intense marketing phase a month beforehand.
With an established audience base from the previous two installments, and the third movie’s trailer having aired during the Super Bowl halftime commercials, the film had already garnered significant attention from the media and movie fans.
As a sequel to a best-selling movie, “John Wick: Chapter 3” didn’t need any special marketing; simply following Disney Studios’ promotional plan was enough.
Martin participated in a TV program interview, followed by an online interview, and wouldn’t be attending any other events for the time being. He would fully join the “John Wick: Chapter 3” promotion tour after completing the filming of “Shark Beach” in May.
The trilogy would come to a temporary conclusion.
At the end of “John Wick: Chapter 3,” Chad added a post-credits scene featuring Winston as portrayed by Mene.
The next installment in the series would star Mene in “The Continental New York.”
Inside the Disney Studio lot, Mene, panting heavily, climbed off the mat and sat down on a rest chair, taking the water Martin handed to him. After drinking steadily in two gulps, he felt somewhat better.
Martin said, “You’re picking up the action training pretty fast.”
Mene scratched his head and laughed, “Boss, I’ve been training constantly while shooting action films these past years.”
Chad came over at that moment, joking on purpose, “Mene is very diligent; his hand-to-hand skills are almost as sharp as his wit now.”
“Really?” Martin also laughed, “If your gunplay and fighting skills are half as sharp as your wit, this movie will be a massive box office hit.”
Mene, with self-awareness, said, “If the box office is even a third of what your movies make, I’d be content.”
Martin asked Chad, “When do we start shooting?”
Chad replied, “At the earliest, in July, once the third movie has fully fermented in popularity.”
Martin nodded slightly, “I’ll come and cheer you guys on when it’s time.”
After talking for a while, Martin left the studio and went to the “Shark Beach” Studio.
After nearly three months of preparations in Los Angeles, at the end of March, the crew chartered a plane and rushed to Rosarito Island, ready to begin shooting.
On Rosarito Island, the rented studio had been refurbished.
The art director and set design team took the real scenery of the bay area and transformed a large swimming pool spanning hundreds of square meters into a sea view resembling the bay, even the pool’s water was sea water transported from the bay.
According to Martin’s specifications, the lighting team documented the bay area’s illumination over several days. Using data modeling, they analyzed the changes in light spectrum and chose appropriate lighting fixtures to simulate the bay area’s light variations at different times of the day within the studio.
A mechanical shark model was also brought over, and combined with the data purchased from the industrial model makers, the props and special effects teams started conducting experiments before shooting to achieve the best effect.
Martin spent every day in the studio, checking the final results of the preparations.
Two days before shooting started, Blake Lively came into the pool to get accustomed to the shooting process in advance.
After exchanging a few words with her, Bruce suddenly came over.
“Is there an issue?” Martin left the poolside and sat down in the rest area.
Bruce sat beside him and whispered, “A call from Alexandrovich. The political campaign has reached a heated phase of publicity and debate, and he’s run into some trouble.”
Martin inquired, “Is it about funding?”
“No,” Bruce’s voice remained low, “In several of his works, he has employed many Russians. His oligarch supporter Igor is also pro-Russia. His competitors are attacking his stance, claiming that he would kneel before Damao to the East if elected.”
Martin winced, “That’s just ridiculous.”
Bruce continued, “There’s going to be a live TV debate soon. Alexandrovich thinks the opposition will definitely challenge him on the spot. Although he has prepared in various ways, he feels the impact is mediocre and is asking if we have any better strategies?”
“Kneel in submission?” Martin thought carefully for some time, “Call him back.”
