King of Hollywood-Chapter 273 - 1 Halo
Chapter 273: Chapter 1 Halo
Chapter 273: Chapter 1 Halo
“To put it simply, I need a wide and comprehensive shot that captures the entire house, the grass outside, and everyone in the scene, understand, Vigit?” Adrian said to his cinematographer, gesturing with his hands, outside a secluded villa nestled among the trees.
“This isn’t a long take, right?” the cinematographer pondered before asking. Upon receiving a negative reply, he mulled over it for a moment and then voiced his own thoughts, “For the first three or four shots, we can sit on the crane and shoot from above, and for the subsequent ones, we can build a track from there to there, shooting from right to left. What do you think?”
Adrian thought carefully for a moment, visualizing the scene in his mind, and finally agreed, “Let’s do it that way, but afterwards, we can shoot it in the opposite direction for comparison.”
Nodding in understanding, Vigit immediately called the film crew to start preparing, while Adrian turned and walked towards Tom Hanks who was sitting on a chair and running through lines with an assistant. The date was April 18, and the location was a small town called Everwell in Alabama, where they were shooting “Forrest Gump,” which had been in production for about two weeks.
“Hey, Tommy, how’s it going?” Adrian called out from a distance. Tom Hanks, dressed in white pants and a blue-striped plaid shirt, sporting a crew cut, looked quite straightforward.
“Ready to start anytime,” Hanks replied with a cheerful smile, giving Adrian a thumbs up.
He had every reason to be happy, as at the 66th Oscar ceremony at the end of March, Hanks had clinched the Best Actor award without much surprise. As for Best Picture and Best Director, these predictably went to Spielberg, and when he won Best Director, the entire audience had risen to their feet to applaud him just as they had when Pacino won Best Actor the previous year. It was somewhat unexpected for Adrian that Holly Hunter had bagged the Best Actress, though not entirely surprising considering her own network and public relations efforts to drum up support, besides the competition not being particularly strong, with Campion also supporting her.
Of course, just like last year, oh, even more surprising than last year. Last year saw only the Best Actor and Actress mentioning him in their acceptance speeches at the forefront of their gratitude list, but this year even the Best Director added thanks. Compared to Hunter’s “Thank you, Ms. Campion, and thank you, Adrian, for recommending me,” and Hanks’ “Besides, I’d like to thank Adrian who wrote this screenplay and recommended me to Joe, without his recommendation, I might not be standing here,” Spielberg’s speech was undoubtedly more eye-catching.
“Speaking of which, I need to seriously thank one person, Adrian Cowell, for his unimaginable support while I was making this movie. From selecting several actors to suggesting scenes and plots, ‘Schindler’s List’ wouldn’t have been made without him—he owns at least one third of its success. If it weren’t for him, this film might still be on paper, or perhaps not as outstanding as it is. Thank you, Ed, very much!”
This was Spielberg’s tribute to Adrian when the entire Music Center’s screens showed Adrian’s close-up, and the people who were initially applauding Spielberg turned their applause towards him. Consequently, even though Adrian was at the Oscars with only a Best Original Screenplay nomination for “Philadelphia Story,” shared with another screenwriter and ultimately won by Campion, he was still among the most noticed individuals at the ceremony.
However, this attention largely meant recognition within the industry, as the general public preferred to focus on the dazzling stars. If Adrian had appeared as a nominee contending for an award, they might have shown interest, but as a mere attendee, a glance for understanding was enough.
Yet, for people within the industry, it was a different story. Who among those men and women striving in Hollywood wouldn’t want to step up onstage and lift their own Oscar statuette? If last year’s success in helping Pacino and Thompson ascend to the throne of Best Actor and Actress was deemed somewhat serendipitous, then this year everything entirely showcased his vision and capability, as one could imagine how actors would flock to him.
“Well, let’s get started,” Adrian said, patting Hanks on the shoulder before gesturing to the assistant director not far away.
He didn’t take these things too seriously, as this was all part of his plan for his film career, which would only grow with time, like “Forrest Gump” that was currently being shot. A calm approach was the best.
“All units, get ready!” Adrian exclaimed after scanning the set, signaling the clapper loader to mark the take.
The shots being filmed were fragmented, all depicting scenes in Forrest Gump’s home in Alabama, spanning a long time frame. In one shot, Forrest might still be a high school student, and in the next, standing by the mailbox, informed by a letter from Lieutenant Dan that he had made a fortune shrimping and invested in an Apple computer company for him.
“Well done, Tommy, excellent job!” Adrian clapped his hands after one take. Hanks, pausing, casually shrugged his shoulders, with an air of “that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
It was evident that his previous experience volunteering at an orphanage had greatly helped him. He accurately captured the characteristics of mildly intellectually disabled individuals and also had his own interpretation of Forrest Gump, displaying a simplicity yet righteousness and perseverance that perfectly met Adrian’s expectations.
In every aspect—be it performance or character—Hanks was a fine person worth associating with. After winning the Best Actor Oscar, his agent had at one point[] urged him to ask for a salary raise from the production, arguing that a newly crowned Best Actor ought to have a matching price tag, as it wasn’t uncommon for actors to do this.
But Hank had refused without even thinking about it, due, certainly, to an accurate judgement of Adrian’s prospects, but also because of his own principles, not something everyone can refuse with such firmness. As for why Adrian would know, that was normal; if he didn’t even have his own channels for information, he might as well not be in this line of work.
After shooting several scenes in succession, Adrian had announced a break. Then, dressed very casually in a woman’s blouse, jeans, and sneakers, with a baseball cap on, Charlize approached him with her cellphone in hand.
“Mr. Claude just called, he seems to have something important to discuss with you,” Charlize said. She was a secretary in the office and an assistant on set; although her attire hid her beautiful face, it couldn’t conceal her graceful figure.
Adrian smiled and gave her a thorough look until the girl’s face grew stern, and then he took the phone and walked outside the set.
“Hi, Crow, what’s up?” Adrian immediately got to the point after the call connected. A few minutes later, he showed a smile, “Really? Great, I’ll have Charli contact the airplane… No worries, it won’t affect anything, I’ll arrange everything here before I leave, and besides, there are some matters that need my attention in Los Angeles.”
After ending the call, Adrian stood thinking for a moment, then approached Charlize: “Charli, contact ILFC right away, I’m currently in Alabama and need a private plane.”
“Going back to Los Angeles? Now?” Charlize asked, somewhat surprised.
“Yes, as soon as possible. All travel plans need to be rearranged,” Adrian nodded, subtly patted her shapely buttocks, and then quickly turned to look for the assistant director.
“Richard, along with Dean, Victor, Ray, I have some not-so-good news to tell you.” After finding the assistant director, the director’s assistant, and the executive producer, Adrian said.
“Oh, don’t tell me we need to block the streets again or borrow a stadium. Last time we did this, the people in town almost complained,” the executive producer, Ray Haggins, grimaced.
“Come on, Ray, I bet he just wants us to take the other cameras somewhere else to experiment with some scenes, as we’ve done before,” the assistant director, Richard Ryan, said with a sigh.
“Maybe he thinks the lawn isn’t even and wants to re-mow it? Or maybe he thinks it’s too neat and wants it more disheveled?” The two director’s assistants joked with each other.
“Alright, you guys, do you think I’m usually too nice, so now you can be a bit more presumptuous?” Adrian half-jokingly, half-warnedly said, and seeing everyone smiling and saying nothing more, he continued, “I need to leave for a few days. There are some important matters I need to take care of in Los Angeles.”
“You mean you are leaving?” the assistant director looked surprised, “But there are dozens of shots left, and there’s also a wedding… Are you planning to stop?”
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“Of course not, in my absence, you, Richard, will be responsible for the filming,” Adrian pointed to the assistant director.
“Me?” Richard Ryan looked even more surprised, “Are you sure, Ed? This is your movie.”
“Yes, I know, that’s why I don’t plan on having you handle the more complex shots,” Adrian nodded, “First, we’ll pause the shooting, then I’ll discuss with you which scenes can be filmed and which ones should wait for my return. If necessary, I’ll draw all the storyboards for your reference. I believe you’ll do very well, Richard. You have the basic qualities a good director needs most.”
The implied meaning of his words was that, if done well, he might consider letting him try directing a movie. Such a temptation certainly wasn’t something Ryan could resist, unless he wanted to be an assistant director forever.
“I understand.” Richard Ryan immediately accepted.
“Good, I’ll announce this to the crew soon and let them work according to your directions during my absence, Tommy included,” Adrian nodded and looked towards the other three, “As for you guys, I don’t need to say much, just support Richard in getting the work done these next few days, understood?”
