The Bahamas, the capital of Nassau International Airport.

Around the empty venue, several high-powered bright lights illuminated the closed area of the airport as bright as day, and this was the third day of filming at Nassau International Airport, and the crew members of "Casino Royale" were nervously arranging the set for the next scene.

At this time, the scene filmed is the high dynasty of the first part of the plot of "Casino Royale", where Bond tracks all the way to Miami International Airport and crushes the terrorist plot against Sky Arrow Airlines.

In order to avoid accidents affecting the filming process of the crew, Eric arranged the filming of this part of the scene in the middle of the Bahamas two weeks of the filming cycle.

Because this episode is a night scene, in order not to affect the normal operation of Nassau International Airport, after consultation with the Bahamian side, the crew can shoot in the designated area for eight hours from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next day.

The airport scene is about 10 minutes in the script, and Bond stops the bomber from crashing into the Sky Arrow prototype in a fuel truck, which is a classic car chase scene.

In just six minutes of scenes, the entanglement between Bond and the bomber, the departure of the Sky Arrow prototype, the police interception of the fuel truck, the riot of the airport crowd and other branches are perfectly integrated through fast and sharp camera editing, and in the tense and exciting soundtrack, as the fuel truck approaches the Sky Arrow prototype step by step, all the audience's minds will be firmly hung in this situation, and finally, as the bomber detonates the bomb that was hung on him by Bond, bang- The sound is like a refreshing vent that is suppressed to the extreme, which makes people involuntarily produce a hearty sense of smoothness.

Of course, although this car chase scene looks cool, it is extremely cumbersome to shoot, and a large number of difficult shots usually take hours to prepare, and in order to create a sense of reality, the scheduling of various aircraft and cars and extras on the scene is a big test of the director's ability to control the scene.

Before filming, Eric and his team had already entered the airport many times to study the shooting plan, and at the same time fine-tuned the shooting plan based on the footage in his memory, and only then did the crew officially enter Nassau International Airport for filming two weeks after the crew started filming.

On a runway at the airport, Eric and Nikkor Frank discuss the camera position for the next shot with the digital special effects artist.

This is a shot of a refueling truck passing by a passenger plane that is swooping down and landing as it rushes towards the Sky Arrow prototype.

This shot certainly can't be live-action, and the airliner being landed will be produced in full CG in post. Nikkor had just gone into battle and was hoisted in the air, and it took two hours to complete the shooting of the dive shot from the subjective perspective of the airliner pilot, and this shot will also be modified by the special effects team to see the interior of the cabin.

What is about to be filmed now is the shot of a police car being blown up by the terrifying reaction force of the airliner engine at the moment when the airliner dives.

Looking at the police car that has been installed on the pop-up device by the special effects artist, although it has been tested in other places before, after all, there is no live visual effect based on reference.

Eric discussed it with Nikkor and the special effects team for a while, and he wanted a camera to be placed in the route where the police car was thrown, so that the effect of the police car being thrown head-on to the camera would look more visually stunning on the big screen. But this can also easily cause the expensive camera to be hit by the flying car, hesitate for a moment, Eric said: "Stop shooting for the time being, first pop the car out to see the effect, and in addition, let someone transfer another prop car to come over for backup." ”

The crew's cheapest cameras were all worth more than $100,000, while the average cost of General Motors' custom prop vehicles for film shooting was only $5,000. While Eric doesn't mind if one or two cameras are damaged during a shoot if necessary, it should be avoided if it can be avoided.

With Eric's decision, the assistant producer in charge of the props left the crowd to prepare a backup vehicle, and Eric and Nikkor stepped back to safety.

After confirming that everything was ready, the special effects artist pressed the remote control button of the ejection device.

There was a muffled sound, everyone nearby felt that the ground under their feet trembled slightly, and the police car on the elastic device flew up in the air, throwing seven or eight meters away, before smashing to the ground, the car hit the ground with undiminished force, and continued to roll forward, and when the scene completely stopped, the police car that originally looked good had become a ball of scrap metal, and various parts were scattered all over the ground.

Eric didn't have the heart to feel any emotion about this kind of scene, and hurried over with Nikkor and the others, and saw that the concrete floor where the car landed had been smashed into a shallow pit.

Recalling the trajectory of the car just now, Eric walked a few steps near the shallow pit, then stood still and asked the person in charge of the special effects team behind him: "Toby, can you be sure that the trajectory of the car is probably the same every time it is thrown up?"

A middle-aged white man named Toby, who was about forty years old, probably saw Eric's intentions, and said: "Although I can't guarantee it, I think that the position where you stand should be relatively safe, and we can also adjust the force point of the chassis of the car, so that the trajectory of the car can be slightly deviated, and the position of the camera will be safer." ”

"Don't deflegate, just install it in the position you just had," Eric decided, and then instructed the departments to prepare for the official shooting.

The special effects team began to install a new prop cart on a stretch device, and the field crew quickly cleaned up the wreckage of the original vehicle and temporarily repaired the shallow pit that had just been smashed out.

Eric and Nikkor set up several cameras together, and in addition to the camera that threw the trajectory at the police car, there were two other cameras that recorded the shot from different angles.

It's been forty minutes since everything was ready.

Eric stood in front of the monitor, checking the layout of the cameras one last time, and then made an OK gesture toward the field.

"Casino Royale Act 54, Scene 7, Action!"

On the side camera, the fuel truck and another police jeep moved at the same time, and a few seconds later, with the familiar tremor under their feet, the police car on the ejection device was thrown out again.

Eric stared at the most critical camera position No. 3 and saw the car flying towards the camera, and then, the monitor screen suddenly went black as the rear of the police car approached infinitely.

The clanging of the police car not far away after landing on the ground continued, and Nikel, who was standing next to Eric and also staring at camera three, couldn't help but blurt out: "Oh my God, my Bonnie." ”

As soon as the monitor went dark, Eric had already looked up, because the camera was dangerous to shoot at camera 3, and the photographer did not operate it himself, but just fixed the camera to the corresponding position. At this time, the camera and the fixed bracket have been knocked apart, and it is estimated that it is difficult to repair, and the insurance company will not compensate for this situation.

Although he also felt sorry for the Kodak professional camera worth 150,000 US dollars, Eric looked at Nikkor and said bitterly: "This camera still has a name?"

Nichol and Eric walked towards the camera together, wanting to see if there was room for the camera, and his tone was still sad: "Of course, every camera I've ever used has a name. ”

"Oh, I'm so sorry then, but you should know that the first rule of the end times, don't name anyone or anything around you, it will make you weak. ”

Nichol arrives at the scene, picks up the camera lens that fell from the ground, and says to Eric, "Don't tell me you're going to have a lot of 'end times' on the set of the film in the future, I'm going to go crazy." ”

The others gradually gathered around, Eric patted Nichol on the shoulder soothingly, and said to Toby, the head of the special effects team with an apologetic face: "Accidents are always inevitable, let's prepare again, I hope we can successfully complete this set of shots next time." ”

Nikl found the film cassette on the camera in the mess, checked it, and said, "Eric, the camera is broken, but the film you just shot should still work." ”

Eric took it and looked at it, there was no damage to the outside of the film box, however, Eric looked at his watch, it was already 2:40 in the morning, except for the present, several sets of shots planned for today have been completed, so he said: "Let's shoot one more, call it a day after shooting, everyone can go back to rest early today." ”

After a burst of cheers, the crowd quickly got busy.

Although Eric did not adjust the camera position, there were no further camera damage accidents in the subsequent shooting, and the lens effect was satisfactory.

Although there was still nearly half an hour before four o'clock, Eric still announced the end of work early.

After all, night shooting is a very distracting thing, and after simply arranging the affairs of the set, Eric takes a speedboat back to his residence on Paradise Island, and just glues to the big bed and falls asleep.

Wake up on time at twelve o'clock in the afternoon.

After a simple shower, I changed into a casual T-shirt and trousers and left my accommodation and walked towards the resort's restaurant.

With the sun blazing in the middle of the day and the white sand beach not far from the resort deserted, summer is a great time to spend a holiday in the Bahamas, but visitors rarely spend time outdoors after 10 a.m.

While a large part of the crew was still resting, other shift workers showed up for lunch at the restaurant on time.

Eric walked through the resort's paths, greeting passers-by from time to time, and Miranda, who had just walked into the restaurant, was chatting with Ivanka's mother and daughter, and immediately waved at Eric excitedly.

After the release of the new issue of VOGUE, Giselle quickly made a name for herself in the fashion industry with her already outstanding talent and qualifications, and soon received a series of invitations to collaborate.

A few days after filming that scene, Gisele and Alexander left the Bahamas in a hurry, only Ivanka's mother and daughter and Miranda remained here, because the filming schedule was reversed these days, and Eric hadn't seen them for a few days, presumably to play on other islands in the Bahamas.

Eric walked over, rubbed Miranda's little head in a pale pink dress, asked the waiter for lunch, sat down and asked Ivana Zelnikova opposite, "Have you had a good time lately?"

"Of course, thank you for your hospitality, Eric," Ivana Zernikova said, adding, "By the way, Ivanka and I are leaving in the afternoon, and this time I am going to leave you on purpose." ”

"Are you in such a hurry to go back, why don't you play for a few more days?"

Ivana Zelnikova said: "Ini's father called and said that he was going to take her to Europe for a vacation, so I had to send her back in advance. ”

"Oh, that's a pity," Eric said as he looked at Ivanka and said, "Where are you going to go to Europe, we happen to be going to Europe next month, maybe we can run into it?"

Ivanka smiled shyly and said, "Norway, Dad said he was going to take us to go rafting." ”

"Norway," Eric shrugged regretfully, "then we may not be able to touch each other." ”

Ivanka picked up the ice cream in front of her a little carelessly, looked at Eric, and whispered, "It's okay, Eric, you can come to my house next time you come to New York." ”

Eric could feel a little hope in the girl's eyes, but he also realized that this invitation was more of Donald's request, and he didn't care, nodding and saying, "Okay, if I'm free, I'll definitely come over." ”

Eric and Ivanka's mother and daughter said this, and Miranda listened obediently, but it was difficult to hide the envy in her eyes.

Ivanka is about the same age as her, but it's just a summer vacation, and the other party can go around the globe for most of the day, almost wherever she wants. Moreover, looking at the diamond-encrusted sterling silver bracelet on her wrist, Miranda sighed in her heart, this is an ordinary sterling silver bracelet given to her by Ivanka in recent days, of course she doesn't mind, but this bracelet has the 'double C' logo on it, this is Chanel, such a bracelet, estimated to cost thousands of dollars, it is said to be just a very ordinary one of her twelfth birthday gifts.

Alas, when will I be able to live this life?

Miranda glanced at Eric beside her, thinking with a little resentment.

Ivanka's mother and daughter's plane was six o'clock in the afternoon, and although they were also boarding at Nassau International Airport, Eric could not spare time to see them off in person, so he didn't rush back to his accommodation after lunch, and chatted with them for a while.

It was already two o'clock in the afternoon when I returned to my accommodation.

Miranda followed Eric to his apartment like a little tail, and Eric sat down on the sofa in the living room, turned on the TV, and waited for the assistant to deliver the papers later.

Looking at Miranda, who ran to the refrigerator to get two bottles of juice and came over, Eric took a sip of the juice, put it on the coffee table in front of him, and said, "They're all gone, you should go back to Los Angeles, right?"

"It's summer vacation, Eric, and the TV show is over, so I don't have anything to do when I go back. ”

Miranda said, her face showing a pitiful little look, and she took off her shoes and curled up her two 'nine-month' legs on the couch, her knees rubbing against Eric's legs.

"Then go back to Australia, your parents must miss you very much. ”

"No, I don't want to go back," Miranda immediately shook her head, and realized that it might be a little inappropriate to say this, as if she didn't want her parents at all, although it was true, after a pause, Miranda quickly added: "It's winter over there in Australia, I'm afraid of the cold." ”

"Then you can't stay here all the time, everyone is so busy, there's no reason why you're hanging around all the time. ”

Miranda rolled her eyes, reached out and put her arm around Eric, leaned over her small body, and said, "Then, Eric, I want to go to Miami and Orlando, I haven't been to Disneyland yet." ”

Both cities are located in Florida, USA, which borders the Bahamas, and the airport scene being filmed is set at Miami International Airport.

However, Eric still frowned slightly, and said, "I'm not at ease if you're running around alone, and I won't be able to explain to your parents when the time comes." ”

"Of course I'm not alone, Claire can stay with me. ”

Eric wondered, "Who is Claire?"

Miranda pouted dissatisfiedly: "Claire is the assistant assigned to me by the company, she came to the Bahamas with me, you have seen it, how can you forget." ”

Eric recalled, and then vaguely remembered the brown-haired white woman who looked to be in her twenties with Miranda the other day. Although Miranda was personally arranged by Eric in ICM, the girl is not famous after all, ICM cannot equip her with a long-term assistant, and Miranda herself cannot afford it now, thinking that this time the situation is special, ICM sent someone to take care of her.

After thinking about it, Eric was about to say something when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Freed from Miranda's pester, Eric got up to open the door, his assistant Peter Ritchie standing outside with a stack of papers.

"Come in," Eric leaned over and let Peter Ritchie into the room.

However, Peter Ritchie had just walked in, and his eyes glanced at the sofa in the living room, and his steps were obviously hesitant.

Eric looked over suspiciously, a certain leprechaun was pretending to be in a hurry to tidy up the pink dress that was not messy at all, and there was a faint panicked look in his eyes, as if he was afraid that others would not misunderstand what she and Eric were just doing to be ashamed.

"Hi Peter, good afternoon," said Miranda, who had rushed to Brisbane to deal with the fact that Eric had spotted Miranda in DOLLY magazine.

"Hi Miranda," Peter Rich greeted with an awkward expression, wondering if he should leave for the time being.

Eric glared at Miranda, and quickly made up his mind that he would not let the girl stay in the Bahamas anymore, happy and sad, and idle, who knows what mess this little goblin will make upside down.

He's been too busy lately to find time to tune up this wild and untamable little goblin.

"Let's go to the study," Eric said to Peter Rich, who was hesitant.

Passing by the sofa and looking at Miranda, who was curled up on the sofa in the shape of a well-behaved kitten, Eric casually knocked her on the head and said in the girl's cry of pain: "Take that...... Claire called, I'll talk to her later. ”

Coming to the study, Eric sat down at his desk, and Peter Rich handed Eric a few papers, saying, "The box office of "Into the Island of Death" has come out, and the company's analysis of the box office performance of this film. ”

From the first day of "Into the Island of Death", Eric already knew that the film was suppressed at the box office by Eddie Murphy's black comedy "Fat Professor".

At first, Eric wondered if John Wu had once again suffered the curse of his previous life and ran out of gas in Hollywood after the success of several films, but looking at the weekend box office data table in his hand, Eric realized that this should not be the case.

In the three-day box office list of the weekend, "Fat Professor" won the first place with a box office of $30.13 million in three days, but followed by "Brave Death Island" with a box office of 28.38 million, and the next third place, the box office of "The Matrix" in three days of the weekend experienced a 37% box office decline to $25.76 million because of the release of several new films.

From this data, it can be seen that although the box office is down, the difference between the box office of "Brave Death Island" and "Fat Guy Professor" is only more than one million US dollars, and the Firefly distribution department predicts based on this data that the box office of "Brave Death Island" should be around $42 million in the first week.

Looking at the box office data in his hand, Eric asked Peter Ritchie: "I remember, the reputation of "Brave Island" in the test screening stage is very good, right?"

"Yes, the overall media rating of "Brave Death Island" is around 7.5, and the reputation is also very good in the audience survey we arranged. The media rating of "Fat Professor" is only 5.6, "Peter Ritchie didn't comment too much on "Fat Professor", after all, a box office loss is a loss, he continued: "The distribution department has made a corresponding evaluation of the reasons why the box office of "Brave Death Island" is not as good as "Fat Professor", and the information is the lowest one. ”

Eric took out the information, looked up and noticed that Peter Rich was still standing respectfully across from the desk, glanced around, and found no second chair, then gestured to the sofa diagonally opposite, and said, "You sit down first, I'll talk about it after I'm done." ”

Peter Ritchie nodded, took a few steps back and sat down on the couch.

Eric flipped through the information, and it turned out to be the statistics of the age distribution of the moviegoers of "Brave Island" by the Firefly distribution department, as well as a detailed comparison with the previous films directed by John Wu and the same films in the summer season.

After reading these statistics, Eric roughly understands why the box office of "Brave Death Island" is relatively mediocre.

The reason why the summer season has become a popular schedule is that a large number of teenagers have entered the cinema during the holiday. According to statistics, the box office data of the summer stalls every year, the proportion of box office contributions from students under the age of 22 reaches 40%, and it is this additional demand for movie-watching, coupled with the stimulation of the film market by a large number of high-quality films in the summer file, that the total box office of the summer file is equivalent to two to three times the average of other unpopular schedules.

Because of this, the box office success of a film in the summer season is largely determined by whether it is loved by teenagers.

And this aspect is precisely the shortcoming of "Brave Death Island".

Although the two male protagonists of "Brave Death Island", Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, are both Hollywood A-list superstars, their two old men are not so attractive to teenagers, and there is no other vase heroine in the film that is very attractive to teenage audiences. On the other hand, "Brave Island" explores the serious theme of the unfair treatment of retired soldiers by the American government, and does not have the thrilling and eye-catching scenes of blockbusters such as the "Mission Impossible" series.

As a result, these unfavorable factors have created the main reason why "Brave Death Island" has a good reputation, but it cannot attract young audiences.

In various comparative data, only 17% of the audience of "Brave Death Island" are teenagers under the age of 22, which is even much lower than the R-rated "The Matrix", which is rated R, and the proportion of "The Matrix" in this audience range has reached 35%, and at the same time, the proportion of audiences in "Death Island" is also lower than that of several films such as "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" directed by John Wu.

Despite this, "Brave Death Island" can definitely not be regarded as a failure, the Firefly distribution department has made a box office estimate of 130 million in North America and 200 million overseas according to the word-of-mouth and box office data after the release, compared to the production cost of 75 million US dollars, Firefly can roughly recover its cost at the box office.

"Well, we're still going to lose after all, so," Eric looked up at Peter Ritchie and asked, "Now, what's the reaction from Hollywood?" (to be continued.) )