Chapter 36. 1:

Chapter 36. 1:

...

-December 7, 1996

After more than two months of filming in the dense forests of Humboldt County, the production of The Lost World: Jurassic Park had moved to Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

The change was kinda drastic.

Adam had gone from running through real trees and uneven, mud-covered terrain to moving inside a massive enclosed set, where the weather, lighting, and every tiny detail of the environment were completely controlled.

InGen Village, the abandoned town where the film's climax took place, had been built in an area behind the iconic Psycho house. To Adam, it was strange to think that this set—filled with wrecked huts, debris, and fake warning signs—would soon become a tourist attraction at Universal Studios after filming wrapped.

The studios were nothing like the forests of Humboldt. Here, instead of real wind, massive industrial fans created artificial gusts. Instead of a genuine jungle, the production team had recreated the vegetation with artificial plants, strategic lighting, and thick clouds of fog pumped out by smoke machines. Yet, despite all of that, the set looked incredibly real.

Adam was used to these kinds of changes. In Hollywood, movie magic could transform any space into whatever was needed.

But today, the set felt quieter than usual. There was still movement.... technicians adjusting lights, camera operators setting up their gear, production assistants rushing around, the usual background hum of the crew..... but to Adam, everything felt different.

Or at least, he perceived it differently today.

Why?

Well, maybe it was just because this was his last day filming The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Yep...

He had been on this shoot for two, almost three months… and while at first, everything had seemed exciting and massive, now it felt like home.

He knew the sets, the schedules.... he could even predict when Spielberg would ask for another take.

But after today, he wouldn't be running from dinosaurs anymore (well, from animatronic puppets and CGI effects, but still... the intention was what mattered).

It was all about to end.

As he walked toward the set, he felt something different.

These would be his last shots/scenes in the movie and with all the team.

"Adam!"

Vanessa appeared out of nowhere and playfully shoved his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Wake up!"

Adam blinked and looked up. Vanessa Lee Chester, his scene partner and closest ally on set, was grinning at him while absentmindedly biting into an apple.

"If you keep that 'farewell face' on, Spielberg's gonna think you forgot your lines," she teased, offering him a piece of the red apple.

"I doubt that. My name's not Vanessa," Adam shot back with a smirk, taking the apple and reminding her that, unlike him, she had been the one to forget things a few times. Meanwhile, he had delivered every single line flawlessly and naturally so far.

Even if he had to re-shoot many times, it wasn't due to a single mistake or poor performance, on the contrary, there wasn't a single member of the film crew who wasn't impressed with his performance so... well, so perfect, especially for his age. It was hard to believe that he was so good and so real, but anyway, the point was that the only reason for this re-shoot was that the director had gotten used to Adam and knew him well enough to know that he could do wonders in acting, so whenever they had a shoot he always gave him more details to achieve the perfect scene he imagined and was looking for.

Why? Again, cause he knew Adam could do it and had no problem with it. In fact, he could have kept Adam's first takes on every shoot and they would have been perfect in their own way as his ability ensured that his performance would be, but because they already had confidence in each other Spielberg was looking for nothing less than perfection, but one that was only in his own mind.... And Adam always managed to meet and exceed his expectations by taking every detail and integrating it into his performance in a natural way. 

"Don't get cocky, White, or I'll convince Spielberg to make you run one more time before you even get to finish breakfast."

"If he makes me run again, I'm collapsing mid-scene, and he will have to carry me himself," Adam joked.

Vanessa laughed. "I swear, I have no idea how Goldblum is still standing after all this."

Adam didn't know either. Jeff Goldblum had done so many action-heavy scenes—running all over the set, constantly improvising lines, keeping his energy up like it was nothing.

It was almost scary.

"Yeah… That reminds me, I should ask him for his workout routine or whatever he does to stay in shape," Adam said, half-joking but also genuinely considering it.

"Oh, if he tells you, pass it along to me," Vanessa grinned.

"Sure—if we ever see each other again after today," Adam teased, rubbing his eyes.

He hadn't slept well. In fact, he had barely slept at all the night before.

Not because he was nervous.... cameras had stopped intimidating him a long time ago.... but because the idea that this was his last day on set felt… strange.

Yeah… Just thinking about not coming back to the set made him a little sad.

His name would still be in the credits, his face forever immortalized in the movie as Arby. But when the crew moved on with the last few weeks of shooting, he wouldn't be there.

Vanessa gave him a mock-annoyed look and playfully punched his arm.

"You better see me again, White. No debate," she declared, making him laugh.

"Alright, alright. But you know, there's still something that bothers me," Adam said, crossing his arms.

"What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"That we didn't film in New Zealand or somewhere outside the U.S. I would've loved that."

Vanessa let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Oh, don't remind me. We could have been in some incredible place with mountains and beaches, but noo... Instead, we were stuck in Humboldt County."

"Exactly," Adam said, arms still crossed, flashing an ironic smile. "That's what hurts the most. I never got to see New Zealand. Never! Do you realize that? I've never been there! And I highly doubt Spielberg is gonna invite me on a guided tour. Do you have any idea how amazing that would've been?"

Vanessa laughed.

"Well, maybe Spielberg will invite us someday. Though, I'd prefer Hawaii—I heard that was an option, too."

"Maybe for another movie," Adam nodded. "And no, I'd still pick New Zealand."

"You've got weird taste," Vanessa said, grinning. "But hey, if he calls you, let me know. I'll find some way to sneak into the movie."

Before Adam could respond, a production assistant approached them.

"Adam, Vanessa, they need you on set."

Vanessa took one last bite of her apple before setting it down on the table and dusting off her hands.

"It's time."

Adam took a deep breath.

"It is. You ready for your last scenes?" Vanessa asked, giving him a light elbow to the arm.

Adam shrugged.

"I guess so."

.....

The cameras were ready. The lights were in position. Spielberg was going over the final details with the actors.

Today, they were filming the continuation of the group's escape after their harrowing run from the Tyrannosaurus rex. In this part of the scene, Ajay and a large number of InGen team members entered a field of tall grass.... only to be ambushed and devoured by velociraptors. Meanwhile, Adam's character, Arby, would help the others escape by using a sound device to briefly distract the raptors.

Today's scene picked up right after Ian, Sarah, Kelly, Nick, and Arby successfully made it across the field and spotted the abandoned village in the distance.

Originally, the script had them sprinting straight toward the village, desperate to find shelter. But that had changed.... now, it was written that they were exhausted, sweaty, and covered in scratches. Ian, in particular, was the most worn out after all the effort he'd put in.

Before rolling, Spielberg walked over to Adam and Vanessa one last time.

"Remember, this is life or death," he told them enthusiastically. "You're not running in a studio—you're still running from real dinosaurs. You have no idea when one might pop out in front of you."

Adam grinned. He loved how Spielberg could completely immerse them in the scene, despite being surrounded by lights, screens, wooden set pieces, and the village structures.... the only real thing in sight.

"Cameras rolling… and action!"

Immediately, Adam and the others sprang into motion.

Adrenaline kicked in as his feet pounded against the fake dirt ground of the set. He ran behind Jeff Goldblum, who played Ian Malcolm, matching his exhausted, unsteady movements.... his character was completely drained after everything they had just gone through.

Beside him, Vanessa (Kelly) and Julianne Moore (Sarah) ran, breathing heavily. Up ahead, Vince Vaughn (Nick) led the group, urgency written all over his face.

The cameras moved frantically to capture every second of the action. A crane-mounted camera followed them from above as they ran, but that was just one of many cameras getting different angles. Everything was meticulously choreographed.

Just before reaching the first structures of the village, the group came to a brief stop.

Ian bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. Sarah wiped sweat from her forehead as she and Kelly moved toward Ian, concerned. Meanwhile, Arby leaned against a wooden wall, struggling to catch his breath.

Out of everyone, he was in the worst physical shape... he wasn't injured, but he was utterly exhausted. The adrenaline masked it to a degree, but his drenched shirt and exhausted, hollow expression made it obvious. Of course, that was all thanks to the makeup team. Still, the intensity on set felt real.

Nick, on the other hand, was doing just fine. He scanned their surroundings impatiently.

"We have to keep moving. We don't know how long we have before those bastards find us."

"We need a minute," Sarah said, her voice shaky.

"We don't have a minute."

Nick gathered everyone close and quickly explained the situation. Their only chance to call for help was to reach the radio inside the communications center in the compound. He was going to run ahead and activate it immediately.

Sarah tried to insist that he wait, but Ian—surprisingly—agreed with Nick.

"Every second counts," Ian said seriously. "We'll catch up."

Then, Ian turned to Arby.

"Arby, go with him."

Adam, as Arby, blinked.

"Me?"

"If there's a problem with the radio, he'll need your help," Ian insisted.

Nick nodded. "Yeah, kid, you're the only one here who actually knows how this stuff works. If something's wrong, you fix it."

Arby hesitated. He didn't want to split from the group, but he understood the logic behind it.

Ian gave him a small push on the shoulder.

"Come on, move. We'll meet you there as soon as we can."

Arby swallowed hard and nodded. Even though he was exhausted and didn't want to leave them, he reluctantly agreed.... for everyone's sake.

"…Alright."

Nick gave him a quick nod, and without wasting another second, the two of them took off running.

"Cut!"

Spielberg stood up from his chair.

"That was good! Let's do one more for safety."

Adam took a deep breath. He wasn't really running for his life, but his body sure felt like it.

They ran through the scene one more time before finally moving on to the next sequence.