Chapter 52

"Turn left, the villa in front."

Under the command of Shania Dunn in the co-pilot, Duke turned the steering wheel, and the car drove into a quiet boulevard, slowly stopping in front of a small blue villa.

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

"This is the house my agent rented for me," Shania Dunn said while unfastening the seat belt. "He thinks I should have a place that matches my future status. The rent is very scary. Sell, I will definitely be collected by the bank."

"The location here is good, and the law and order is very good." Duke said casually, "Away from the slums and black communities, living here is good for the future."

The villa belongs to the outskirts of Beverly Hills. Shania Dunn's agent rented the villa and obviously took some thought. Don't look at the endless prosperity of the upscale neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and North Hollywood. , But as long as you go to slums and minority communities, you will understand that this country is definitely not heaven.

"Goodbye, Duke." Shania Dunn opened the door and shook his hand, "Thank you for taking me home."

Turning his head, Duke looked at the hot beauty who was about to get out of the car. He hesitated for a moment, and then asked tentatively, "Sania, don't you ask me to go to your house for a cup of coffee "2, coffee?"

"Sorry, Duke." She got out of the car, turned and leaned against the car door, and said with a smile, "It's too late today, but another day."

Duke shrugged indifferently. Just about to start the car, Shania Dunn suddenly stopped and opened the handbag, took out a card, dropped her head into the car, and stuffed it into Duke's hand.

"This is my phone number." She winked at Duke, "call again."

"keep in touch."

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

Although rejected by the beauty, Duke was not depressed. He drove back to his apartment in North Hollywood, took a cold bath, and lay on a hard mattress, trying to accumulate sleepiness.

Whenever he enters the working state, deep sleep is like a luxury that he can only get occasionally. Invisible and ubiquitous pressure always surrounds him.

It wasn't until midnight that Duke fell asleep groggyly. In his sleep, he saw himself holding a Steadicam again, shouting hoarsely amidst the orange-red fire and the noise of the crash, as if he wanted to record it with the camera lens. The whole world exploded and collapsed.

Although the quality of sleep was not good, the biological clock awakened Duke on time as soon as the sun came up. After a simple wash, he bought a casual breakfast from the restaurant downstairs, and rushed to the studio with great energy.

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

In the studio, Duke stood on a high elevator platform, and pointed to the model of Alcatraz Island set below to John Schwarzman next to him, and said, "The picture I want to shoot follows the bomb falling. The bomb is you. First perspective."

What is about to be shot is the shot of the f-18 Hornet accidentally bombing Alcatraz Island at the end of the film. Duke intends to use the 'bomb perspective' to shoot the scene from the bomb's perspective from falling from the air to landing.

After the most difficult period of time after the shutdown, the overall state of the crew is slowly recovering, and gradually found the rhythm before the shutdown. The most popular scenes have also started shooting on the set, everyone is resounding every moment. After passing through the noise of the studio, the exhausted face was baptized by the rising flames.

Both production managers sent good news and bad news at the same time. Charles Rowan brought the news that the crew of "Interview with the Vampires" was restarted, and Robin Grande got the shooting approval from the San Francisco City Hall.

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

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

During the filming break, Nicholas Cage came over and said, "As an actor, some industry rules must be followed."

"It's okay." Duke knew that he was talking about something that the Screen Actors Guild came to investigate, and made a casual gesture to Cage. "If the Screenwriters Association calls for a strike, I will respond."

Both of them laughed, and the topic gradually turned to Cage's role.

"Frankly speaking, I don't really like action movies."

After receiving the coffee from Sofia, Cage said thank you, and then said to Duke, "I think literary and independent productions can better reflect acting skills."

"Nicolas, don't you know that you have noticed the changes happening in Hollywood?"

This kind of small talk can relax the nervous nerves caused by work. Duke simply put aside the work at hand. "Art films can indeed bring artistic achievements, but Hollywood is becoming more and more commercialized. If you want to become a top star, the commercial box office is A topic that cannot be circumvented, without commercial results, will never be able to squeeze into the top circle."

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

Maybe there are people in Hollywood who just want to be actors, but there are too few people. Nicholas 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 "Break into Death Island."

"Trust me, this would be a wise choice." Duke faintly glared at Sophia who was chuckling beside him, pointing to Cage's strong body and said, "You have strong muscles and look full of strength, very suitable for action Movies, and you have a very special, at the same time sloppy, crazy and tough temperament. Compared with those pure action stars, your performances are more relaxed and interesting."

"If you can focus on action movies and literary movies at the same time..." Duke raised his index finger and said in a mocking tone, "When you look back in the past two decades, you may become a representative figure in Hollywood action movies in the 1990s. ."

"Did you persuade Lee and Harris with these words?" Cage obviously took this as a joke.

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

Of course, there are also crews who have offered a $2 million salary that they simply cannot get.

Checking the time, Duke stood up and walked towards the set. When the break was over, the filming started again.

The southeastern part of the studio was set up as a morgue in Alcatraz prison. There was **** everywhere. There was a dummy under the props beside the table. I don't know if the props team is checking the performance of the dummy. Du When K and Cage walked over, the dummy was still convulsing.

Standing next to the erected poisonous gas missile, Duke looked around carefully and checked the props, scenery and camera positions one by one. Then he said to Christopher Lee who came by, "Lee, this scene is based on Gusby. the Lord."

Turning around, Duke looked at Nicholas Cage and gave his final confession, "Next you will dismantle the deadly gas."

"I will be extremely nervous." Cage nodded.

"But you must be humorous while you are nervous." Duke patted Cage's arm and walked towards the monitor. "Nicolas, it's time to show your cold humor."

After questioning the departments, Duke made a preparation gesture to another assistant.

"The eighty-fifth scene, the eleventh scene, now begins!"

"Listen, I'm just a chemistry expert. I stay in the laboratory all day, and my life is plain..."

Cage's face on the monitor was very serious, but it was matched with the current environment and his tone, which 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 concentrated on his breath, then opened the missile in front of him, and pulled out the poisonous gas parts covered with green balls...

"What can this thing do?" Mason asked.

"If the missile gasifies it, it can kill the residents of a city."

Hearing Gusby's words, Mason was slightly surprised, and then asked, "Really? What if you drop one?"

"If you are lucky, it will only kill the two of us..."

As Christmas approaches, the crew has completely recovered the best rhythm, and Duke has gone through the shooting baptisms of "Life and Death" and "Break into the Dead Island". He has more experience and improved adjustment capabilities. Whether it is to integrate various departments of the crew, It has also made great progress when it comes to acting for the actors or mobilizing their emotions.

Christmas is one of the most important festivals in this country. The crew will definitely have a holiday. Before the Christmas holiday, Duke also ended the filming in the Warner Studios. After the holiday, the crew can go straight to San Francisco. .

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

"I heard you have a girlfriend again."

On both sides of the long dining table, there were only two of them, mother and son, and Mrs. Leah put down the knife and fork in her hand, "Why didn't you bring her together?"

"Mom..." Duke said helplessly, "If I find a girl I really recognize, I will definitely bring her over."

"Duke," Mrs. Leah stared at him, and said seriously, "You can't get any rewards for not paying."

"There will always be a suitable one." Duke didn't care.

"Next week, Santa Feia will host a New Year 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 after Christmas. San Francisco, there may be no time."

Waved her hand, Mrs. Leah didn't say anything.

Just like Duke said, after Christmas, the crew moved to San Francisco as a whole and started busy location shooting. The time was especially tight because of the blockade of the street. There was also the Alcatraz island scene due to the San Francisco City Hall. Suddenly there was a financial crisis, and Alcatraz had to be temporarily closed to tourists.

Fortunately, the crew can shoot normally, and without onlookers, the shooting will go more smoothly.

In the midst of busyness, Duke ushered in 1993.