"Turn left, the villa in front."

Under the command of the co-pilot Shania Towne, Duke spun the wheel and the car pulled into a quiet boulevard and slowly stopped in front of a small blue cottage.

"Here?" Duke asked, looking at the co-pilot.

"This is the house that the agent helped me rent," Shania Towne said, unbuckling her seatbelt, "and he thinks I should have a place to live in the future, the rent is very scary, and if the album doesn't sell well next year, I'm definitely going to be charged by the bank." ”

"It's a good location, and it's very safe." "Living away from the slums and black neighborhoods is good for the future," Duke said casually. ”

The villa is located on the outskirts of Beverly Hills, and Shania Towne's agent has obviously put some thought into renting it, not looking at the endless bustling upscale neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and North Hollywood, but a few laps around the slums and minority neighborhoods will make it clear that this country is definitely not paradise.

"Goodbye, Duke." Shania Towne opened the car door and shook her hand at him, "Thank you for taking me home." ”

Turning his head sideways, Duke looked at the hot beauty who was about to get out of the car, hesitated slightly, and asked tentatively, "Shania, don't you invite me to your house for a cup of coffee?" ”

"I'm sorry, Duke." She got out of the car, turned around and leaned against the door, and said with a smile, "It's too late today, let's do it another day." ”

Duke shrugged his shoulders indifferently, and was about to start the car, when Shania Towne suddenly stopped and opened her handbag, took out a card, lowered her head into the car, and stuffed it into Duke's hand.

"This is my phone." She winked at Duke, "Contact again." ”

"Get in touch again."

Glancing at the numbers on the card, Duke put it in his pocket and waved goodbye to the sexy beauty standing on the side of the road.

Despite being rejected by the beauty, Duke was not discouraged, drove back to his apartment in North Hollywood, took a cool shower, and lay on a firm mattress, trying to save up sleep.

Whenever he enters the state of work, deep sleep is like an occasional luxury for him, and the invisible and ubiquitous pressure is always around.

It wasn't until midnight that Duke fell asleep, and in his sleep, he saw himself once again holding a Steadicam, screaming hoarsely in the orange-red fire and the noise of the crash, as if he wanted to record the whole world exploding and collapsing with the camera lens.

Although the quality of sleep was not good, as soon as the sun rose, the biological clock woke Duke up on time, and after a simple wash, he bought a random breakfast from the restaurant downstairs, and rushed to the set in high spirits.

"John, your camera lens is going to chase the bomb."

Standing on a high lifting platform in the studio, Duke pointed to John Schwartzman next to him and pointed to the Alcatraz set model below, saying, "I'm going to shoot the picture that follows the bomb down, and the bomb is your first point of view." ”

Coming to the end of the film, where the F-18 Hornet accidentally bombs Alcatraz, Duke intends to use the 'bomb perspective' to show the scene from the point of view of the bomb falling from the sky to the explosion on the ground.

After the most difficult period after the shutdown, the overall state of the crew is slowly picking up, and gradually finding the rhythm before the shutdown, the most popular scenes have also started filming on the set one after another, and everyone has been spending every moment in the noise that resounded on the set, and was baptized by the rising explosion and fire on their tired faces.

The two production managers had good and bad news at the same time, with Charles Rowan bringing news of the restart of the "Interview with the Vampire" crew and Robin Grande getting approval for filming at San Francisco City Hall.

The former is not Duke's expectation, and the latter means that the crew can go to the streets of San Francisco and wreak havoc.

"Duke, the shutdown ...... some time ago"

During a break in filming, Nicolas Cage came over, "As an actor, there are some industry rules that must be followed. ”

"It's okay." Duke, knowing that he was talking about the Screen Actors Guild coming to investigate, made a casual gesture to Cage, "If the Writers Guild calls for a strike, I will respond." ”

Both laughed, and the conversation gradually turned to Cage's character.

"Frankly, I'm not a big fan of action movies."

Taking the coffee from Sophia, Cage said thank you and said to Duke, "I think literary films and independent zuò can better reflect acting skills." ”

"Nikolai, I don't know if you've noticed the changes happening in Hollywood?"

This kind of small talk can relax the nervous nerves brought by work, and Duke simply put down the work at hand for the time being, "Literary films can indeed bring artistic achievements, but Hollywood is becoming more and more commercial, and if you want to become a first-line superstar, the commercial box office is a topic that cannot be avoided, and without commercial achievements, you will never be able to squeeze into the top circle." ”

"Unless you just want to be an actor." Duke added.

Maybe Hollywood does have people who just want to be actors, but there are too few, and Nicolas Cage is definitely not a person who just wants to be an actor.

"That's true." Cage nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "That's why I chose you and Death Island." ”

"Trust me, it's going to be a smart choice." Duke faintly glared at Sophia, who was smiling lightly, and pointed to Cage's strong body and said, "You're muscular, you look full of power, perfect for action movies, and you have a very special temperament that is casual and crazy and tough at the same time, and your performance is more relaxed and fun than those pure action stars." ”

"If you can focus on action and literary at the same time......," Duke said in a mocking tone, holding up his index finger, "and when you look back over the last twenty years, you might be the face of Hollywood's action movies of the 90s." ”

"Did you convince Lee and Harris with that kind of talk?" Cage apparently took this as a joke.

"Lee and Harris just thought their characters were interesting." Duke shrugged.

Of course, there is also the crew who offer a salary of $2 million that is impossible for them to get at the moment.

Looking at the time, Duke stood up and walked towards the set, and when it was time for the break to end, the shooting began again.

The southeast section of the studio is set up as a morgue at Alcatraz Prison, which is littered with debris and garbage, and there is a dummy pressed under the props next to the table, and I don't know if the props team is checking the performance of the dummy, and when Duke and Cage walk over, the dummy is still twitching.

Standing next to the erected poison gas missile, Duke looked around carefully, checking the props, sets, and camera positions one by one, and then said to Christopher Lee who walked over, "Lee, this scene is dominated by Goosby. ”

Turning, Duke looked at Nicolas Cage and made a final explanation, "The next thing you dismantle is deadly gas." ”

"I'm going to be extremely nervous." Cage nodded.

"But you have to be nervous and humorous at the same time." Duke patted Cage on the arm and walked over to the monitor, "Nikolai, it's time to show you your dry humor. ”

After asking the departments, Duke made a ready gesture to the other assistant.

"Scene 85, Act 11, start now!"

"Listen, I'm just a chemistry expert, locked up in a real room all day, and my life is dull......"

Cage's face on the monitor was unusually stern, but with the current environment and his tone, it made people want to laugh, "Now I have to deal with the deadliest substance in the world, so please don't mess with me." ”

He calmed his breath, then opened the missile in front of him and pulled out the gas parts covered in small green balls......

"What can this thing do?" Mason asked.

"If a missile vaporizes it, it can kill the inhabitants of a city."

Hearing Goosby's words, Mason was slightly surprised and asked again, "Really?" What if you drop one? ”

"If you're lucky, you'll only kill us two ......"

As Christmas approached, the crew had completely regained the best rhythm, and Duke had gone through the filming baptism of "Speed of Life and Death" and "Brave Island", and his ability to adjust was significantly strengthened.

Christmas is one of the most important holidays in the country, and the crew must have a holiday, and before the start of the Christmas holiday, Duke also ended the filming scene in Warner Studios as he wished, and after the holiday is over, the crew can go straight to San Francisco.

During the three-day vacation, Duke also ushered in a rare moment of relaxation, temporarily putting his work aside and returning to his home in Santa Monica to spend Christmas with his mother.

"I heard you have a girlfriend again."

On either side of the long dining table, only the mother and son sit, and Lady Leah put down the knife and fork in her hand, "Why don't you bring her with you?" ”

"Mommy......" Duke said helplessly, "if I find a girl who really approves of me, I will definitely bring her over." ”

"Duke," said Lady Leah, staring at him earnestly, "there is no return for affection that is not given. ”

"There's always the right one to show up." Duke didn't care.

"Next week, Santa Fea will have a New Year's reception." Mrs. Leah stood up and walked out of the restaurant, Duke picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth and followed, "Sorry, Mom, I'm going to San Francisco after Christmas, and I probably won't have time." ”

Waving her hand, Lady Leah said no more.

As Duke said, after Christmas, the crew moved to San Francisco and began a busy location shoot, which was extremely tight due to the blockade of the streets, as well as the Alcatraz scene, which had to be temporarily closed to visitors due to the sudden financial crisis at San Francisco City Hall.

Fortunately, the crew can shoot normally, and without onlookers, the shooting will be smoother.

In the midst of all the busyness, Duke ushered in 1993.

Ask for recommendations! Collect!