Chapter 24: Shocked
The 12-minute short film ended quickly, and Ronald was in shock.
The story of the short film is very simple; it tells that most of the human race has become extinct, and two people, a man and a woman, escape from Earth in a spaceship with artificial intelligence and head into space. The man wakes up on the spaceship and is attacked by a huge sweeping robot as an enemy while walking. The woman drives the combat robot to rescue him.
The plot of this story is incomplete and seems to be just a small part of a larger story. But the editing was very good, and Ronald, as a member of the audience, felt nervous watching it.
The scenes inside the spaceship are very impressive, and it feels as if the spaceship is dozens of times larger than a person.
Most importantly, the two robots are incredibly realistic. Ronald couldn't understand how Jim Cameron spent $24,000 to make such a realistic robot. Not only can it move freely, but it also feels very human. At first glance, it makes people think that this robot is intelligent. In the end, it got stuck and couldn't move, which made people feel a bit humorous.
"What do you think?" Cameron proactively asked when everyone fell silent.
"This short film of yours has the feel of 'Star Wars.' The level of lighting is excellent, and a very simple method was used to capture the feel of space," the photographer commented. "Star Wars was filmed at Pinewood Studios in England." "After working there, if you have the chance to shoot there, the image quality of the film you produce will surpass that of Star Wars."
"I think the heroine is very powerful. She can drive a combat robot to save the hero. This is rare in Hollywood movies. In today's films, women usually show their beauty and wait for men to save them. It's time for Hollywood to have a heroine," Gale praised from a female perspective.
"What do you think, Ronnie?" Cameron actually wanted to hear his opinion the most.
"How did you make this model? Is it plastic?"
After seeing Cameron's performance, Ronald began to doubt whether he really had the talent to direct.
"How was this shot taken? It was a shot of the male protagonist climbing a cliff in front of a sweeping robot, avoiding the robot's scan."
"How did you shoot the scene where the heroine is in the cockpit of the combat robot? Did you build a model of the inside of the robot?"
"How were the interiors of this enormous spaceship filmed?"
…
Ronald asked a dozen questions at once, and Cameron answered them one by one.
It turns out that it is actually a plastic model. After taking a close-up with a camera, editing techniques were used to create the illusion that the robot is very tall.
The heroine is in a small room, playing with a "spacecraft control column" modified from exercise equipment, and then uses lights to create a dim effect in the cockpit. Finally, the shots of her driving and the shots of the combat robot model in motion are edited together, so the audience mistakenly thinks the heroine is driving inside the robot.
The enormous internal structure of the spaceship is actually a background painting. Cameron painted the perspective effect, and at the right angle, along with dim lights, the audience mistakenly thought they were looking at the ceiling of the spaceship.
The shot of the male protagonist hanging from a cliff to avoid the robot was actually based on editing. The actor held onto the edge of a high platform to create a sense of fear. Then, through post-production editing technology, it was combined with footage of the robot.
The robot is also impressive. Its head can also turn and is powered by a toy electric motor.
What's most surprising is that the entire short film was edited using the copy function of two VCRs. Due to a lack of funds, Cameron could not afford a professional editing machine, so he used two VCRs to edit.
When it reaches the editing point, he pauses the copy, then fast-forwards to the content that will connect, and then resumes copying. With this simple method, a short film with such a high degree of completion was produced.
"I thought you could change something in Hollywood in the future, Jim."
Ronald told Cameron, "George Lucas can't create an intelligent machine with an apocalyptic feel like you do. His robot is just a clown character for a joke. And your robot is the protagonist of the movie."
"You're exaggerating, Ronald." Cameron smiled cheerfully, and finally, someone saw his most attentive side. Although the subtitles of the actors in this short film show male and female protagonists, in fact, the true protagonists of the whole movie should be the sweeping robots and combat robots.
The core of the story of the movie is the routine of justice robots fighting against evil robots.
"Let's go," Gale suggested. Ronald nodded as well. It was time to leave. He hadn't left work on time for a week. Today he should go home early.
As he pressed the eject button, the video tape was ejected from the machine, and the television screen automatically switched back to the CBS television station signal. A male presenter jumped up, and it turned out to be a political commentary program.
"Two days ago, the Grand Commander-in-Chief of the United States announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with China on January 1 of next year, which continued to shock the international community. We invite experts on international issues to analyze the international impact of this incident..." Think of a musical piece.
"Wait a minute…" Ronald stopped Gale, who was about to turn off the television.
"First, let's review the televised speech delivered by the Commander-in-Chief at the White House on the 15th the day before yesterday."
The television screen showed the Oval Office of the White House. The commander-in-chief, with his silver hair, was reading a manuscript: "First, let me read a joint statement that has just been signed. The United States of America will join forces with China on January 1, 1979. Formal diplomatic relations will be established. The United States will recognize… as the only legitimate government of the Chinese people… This statement is a subsequent development of that in 1972…"
Did Ronald's astonishing boss finally establish diplomatic relations? Do I have a chance to go to China?
I have been busy filming these last two days, and I actually missed this great news. It is also because there is no television in his apartment. Nowadays, almost all information for Americans comes from television channels. CBS is the most authoritative.
Hurry up and earn money to buy a television.
Ronald added one more item to his list of things to do when he made money.
"Why are you suddenly interested in international politics?"
Cameron remembers that Ronald was not like today's progressive youth who like to talk about international politics and nuclear disarmament.
"The U.S. government recognizes that there is only one China in the world… The United States and China will send ambassadors to each other starting in March next year… Both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same China." The leader continued speaking.
"I'm interested in China. Their food is delicious," Ronald said superficially, as it was impossible to reveal his true thoughts to anyone.
China's strength began to manifest itself internationally. As a Chinese soul, Ronald was, of course, very enthusiastic. 5,000 years of ancient wisdom is not something someone with only a history of more than 200 years can understand.
"I think I will have the opportunity to shoot a film in Red China in the future. If I can make one, it will definitely be a big success in the United States," Ronald explained.
"Then you will have a chance in the future. With the embassy next year, you will first be able to obtain a visa to travel," Gale smiled.
After making money to travel to China, Ronald added another item to his list.
The replay of the White House speech on television finished. In the end, the leader praised the great importance of establishing diplomatic relations with China and its contribution to world peace.
"Okay, now let's take a look at the opinions of the experts." The male presenter began to introduce the two guests.
Ronald raised his hand to turn off the television, and everyone was ready to go home.
"Jim, does the new movie you're participating in have this kind of robot scene?" Ronald suddenly asked.
"There are no robots, but there are some spaceships and alien creatures that need to do model stunts."
"Oh, movies like your short film actually don't need too many lines and dialogues. Maybe the movies you make in the future can be sold in China," Ronald said.
Cameron's eyes lit up: "You're right; action and machinery are cinematic languages that all humans can understand. Only movies like this can be sold in non-English-speaking countries."
"See you tomorrow afternoon at Mount Carmel High School?"
"See you tomorrow afternoon."
End of the chapter