I am Hollywood

[Chapter 797: What's the Reaction?]

Nassau International Airport, Bahamas.

Flanked by high-intensity floodlights, the otherwise empty airport's closed-off area blazed like a sunlit stage. It was the third day of filming at Nassau International Airport for the production team working on Casino Royale. The crew members were busily arranging the set for the next scene.

The scene being shot was the climax of the first part of Casino Royale, where Bond chased down terrorists at Miami International Airport and foiled their plot against Skyfleet Airlines. This action-packed sequence included car chases, gunfights, and explosions, making it exceptionally complex to film. To avoid any unforeseen disruptions that could affect the filming schedule, Eric arranged for this segment to be shot in the middle two weeks of the Bahamas filming period. Once this action sequence wrapped up, the crew would continue with less dynamic scenes.

Since this portion of the story featured night shots, and to ensure the normal operation of Nassau International Airport was not disturbed, the crew negotiated with Bahamian authorities to secure filming hours from 8 PM to 4 AM in designated areas each night.

The airport scenes amounted to approximately ten minutes in the script. Among them, a six-minute action sequence where Bond prevents a bomber from crashing a fuel truck into the prototype of Skyfleet was recognized as a classic among car chase scenes.

In those brief six minutes, the intense battle between Bond and the bomber, the Skyfleet prototype's rollout, the police intercepting the fuel truck, and the chaos among the airport crowd all blended seamlessly through rapid and sharp editing. With a pulse-pounding score, the fuel truck steadily approached the Skyfleet prototype, gripping the audience's hearts tightly in suspense. Ultimately, when the bomber detonated the explosives he wore, it erupted with a thunderous bang -- an exhilarating release that provided viewers with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

Of course, while the chase scene appeared thrilling, it was a complex endeavor to film. Many high-difficulty shots required hours of preparatory time, and the coordination of various planes, luxury vehicles, and background actors imposed a significant test on the director's ability to manage the set.

Before shooting began, Eric had visited the airport multiple times with his team to study potential filming angles, making adjustments to the shooting plan based on his memorized shots. It wasn't until the crew had been filming for two weeks that they officially commenced shooting at Nassau International Airport.

On one of the runways, Eric worked with Nicole Frank and the visual effects team to discuss camera angles for the upcoming shots. This included the moment when a fuel truck charged toward the Skyfleet prototype, narrowly missing a passenger plane descending from above.

This shot could not realistically be filmed live; the landing passenger plane would be created entirely in CGI during post-production. Nicole had just completed hours of hanging in the air to capture the pilot's subjective view of the descent, which would later be modified by the effects team to reflect the cabin's perspective.

...

Now they were about to shoot the moment when, as the passenger plane swooped down, a police car would be swept up and tossed by the terrifying blast from the plane's engines.

Seeing the police car equipped for the shot secured to a launch device, Eric recalled previous tests conducted elsewhere but recognized that nothing could match the clarity of the real-time effect. After discussing with Nicole and the effects team, he remained uncertain; he hoped a camera could be positioned on the trajectory where the police car would be launched so, when set flying, it would create a more visually arresting shot for the big screen. However, he knew this risked destroying an expensive camera if struck by the car.

After pondering for a moment, Eric said, "Hold on the shoot for now. Let's launch the car once to see the effect. Also, can we get a spare prop car on standby?"

The crew's cheapest camera was valued at over $100,000, while the prop cars custom-made by General Motors for the film averaged just $5,000. Although Eric wouldn't mind a couple of cameras getting wrecked if necessary, he aimed to avoid it whenever possible.

With Eric's decision made, the assistant producer in charge of props moved away to prepare a backup vehicle. Eric and Nicole retreated to a safe position.

After the effects team confirmed everything was set, they pressed the launch device's remote button. A muffled thud echoed, causing the ground to tremble beneath everyone. The police car shot into the air before crashing seven or eight meters away, hitting the ground with a heavy thud and rolling forward. By the time the scene settled, the once-pristine police car had transformed into a mangled wreck, with parts scattered everywhere.

Eric had no time to contemplate the scene's wreckage as he hurried over with Nicole, only to see that the concrete was left with a shallow crater where the car had landed.

After recalling the police car's trajectory, Eric took a few steps near the crater, halted, and asked the effects team leader, "Toby, can you confirm that the trajectory of the car when it's launched is fairly consistent?"

Toby, a middle-aged white man in his forties, seemed to understand Eric's intention. "While I can't guarantee it, I think your position is relatively safe. We can adjust the car's weight distribution on the chassis, allowing for a slightly different launch angle, which will enhance your safety."

"No need to shift; just set it up as it was," Eric decisively replied, then instructed the departments to prepare for official filming.

The effects team began installing a new prop car on the launch device, while the crew quickly cleared the fallen wreckage. They even repaired the freshly made crater.

Eric and Nicole set up several cameras, in addition to the one facing the trajectory of the tossed police car. Two other cameras would record the shot from different angles.

...

Forty minutes later, everything was ready. Eric stood in front of the monitor for one last check of the camera placements before signaling the script supervisor with an OK gesture.

"Casino Royale, Scene 54, Take 1!"

With a nod, both the fuel truck and another police SUV began moving simultaneously. Seconds later, as Eric felt the familiar tremors beneath his feet, the launched police car again soared into the air.

Eric locked his gaze on the most critical camera, number three, as he watched the car racing directly toward the lens. Suddenly, the monitor screen went black.

The crash sounds of the police car rolling on landing continued to echo, and standing nearby without restraint, Nicole exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, my Bonnie!"

After the monitor blacked out, Eric looked up because camera three's filming was dangerously positioned, the cameraman had not operated the camera personally and instead had it fixed in place. Now, that camera and its mounting rig lay destroyed, probably beyond repair -- an incident that the insurance company would not cover.

While Eric felt a pang for the $150,000 Kodak professional camera, he turned to Nicole with a bittersweet grin and said, "Does that camera have a name too?"

Nicole walked over to where the shattered camera lay, kneeled down to see if anything could be salvaged, and replied, "Of course, every camera I've used has a name."

"Oh, I'm sorry. But you should know, rule number one of the apocalypse is: never give names to anyone or anything around you; it will only make you weak."

Nicole picked up the camera lens that had fallen to the ground, replying, "Don't tell me that your film shoots are going to be frequented with 'apocalypse' scenes; I will lose my mind."

Eventually, others began to gather around. Eric reassuringly patted Nicole's shoulder and turned to Toby, the effects team leader, offering an apologetic expression. "Accidents are inevitable. Let's prepare for another attempt; hopefully, we can successfully finish this shot next time."

Nicole found the film canister from the wreckage and examined it. "Eric, even though the camera is wrecked, the film we shot should still be intact."

Eric took the canister for a look. The exterior bore no damage, but, glancing at his watch, he noted it was already 2:40 AM. With all but a few planned shots for the day completed, he suggested, "Let's shoot one more take, and then we'll call it a night. Everyone can head back early."

Cheers erupted, and everyone swiftly got back to business.

Although Eric didn't adjust the camera placements, filming over the rest of the night proceeded without further camera mishaps, yielding satisfactory results.

With nearly half an hour until four, Eric declared an early wrap. Night shoots were mental drainers, so after efficiently organizing the set's affairs, Eric rode a speedboat back to Paradise Island, where he collapsed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

...

He awoke promptly at twelve noon.

After a quick shower and changing into a casual t-shirt and pants, he left his accommodations for the resort's restaurant.

Under the fierce midday sun of Paradise Island, the nearby white sandy beaches were deserted. While summer was an ideal time for vacations in the Bahamas, tourists rarely remained outdoors after ten in the morning.

Although many crew members rested, some staff on working shifts were present at the restaurant for lunch.

As Eric traversed the resort's path, he exchanged greetings with those he passed. Upon entering the restaurant, he noticed Miranda excitedly waving at him while chatting with Ivanka and her mother.

Following the release of the latest issue of VOGUE, Gisele had quickly made a name for herself in the fashion world and received a torrent of collaboration offers.

Days after shooting that scene, Gisele and Alessandra had hastily departed the Bahamas, leaving only Ivanka and her mother alongside Miranda. Due to the shifting shooting schedule, Eric had not seen the group for a few days, assuming they had traveled to other nearby islands.

Eric walked over, ruffling Miranda's hair, who wore a light pink dress, before ordering lunch from the waiter. Sitting down, he asked Ivana Zelníčková, "Are you enjoying yourselves lately?"

"Absolutely, thanks for your hospitality, Eric," Ivana replied, then added, "By the way, Ivanka and I are leaving this afternoon; I'm here to bid you farewell."

"You're in such a hurry to go back. Why not stay a few more days?"

Ivana explained, "Her dad called and said he wants to take her on vacation to Europe, so I need to take her back early."

"Oh, that's a pity," Eric remarked, turning to Ivanka. "Where in Europe are you two planning to go? We're headed there next month, so we might just cross paths."

Ivanka shyly smiled, saying, "Norway. Dad said he wants to take us white-water rafting."

"Norway, huh?" Eric shrugged with disappointment. "I guess we probably won't see you then."

Ivanka casually munched on the ice cream before her, looking at Eric and quietly added, "That's okay, Eric. You can come visit us when you're in New York."

Eric sensed a glimmer of hope in her eyes but understood that this invitation was likely a chore from Donald. Nevertheless, he didn't mind, nodding in agreement, "Sure, if I'm free, I'll definitely swing by."

While Eric spoke to Ivanka and her mother, Miranda listened intently, though her eyes betrayed a hint of envy.

Ivanka was around the same age, but just over a summer, she got to travel halfway around the world, going wherever she pleased. Meanwhile, glancing at the diamond-embellished silver bracelet on her wrist, Miranda sighed inwardly; it was a gift from Ivanka during these past few days -- a simple piece of jewelry, yet adorned with a 'CC' logo -- Chanel, no less. It must have cost over a thousand dollars, especially since it was just a common item from her twelfth birthday gift.

Sigh. When would she be able to live such a life?

Miranda glanced at Eric, her thoughts tinged with a hint of wistfulness.

Ivanka's flight was scheduled for 6 PM. While they planned to depart from Nassau International Airport as well, Eric couldn't find the time to personally send them off. So after finishing lunch, he took a moment to chat a little longer with them before heading back.

...

By the time he returned to his residence, it was already 2 PM.

Miranda trailed closely behind Eric to his abode. He settled onto the living room couch, flipping on the television while waiting for his assistant to deliver some documents.

As Miranda dashed to the fridge and returned with two juice bottles, Eric took one, had a sip, then placed it on the coffee table. "Now that they've left, you should probably head back to LA, right?"

"It's summer break, Eric. And that TV series has wrapped up, so there's nothing for me to do back home anyway."

Saying this, Miranda adopted a cute, pitiful expression, removing her shoes and curling her long legs on the couch beside Eric, brushing her knee against his thighs.

"You could always go back to Australia. I'm sure your parents miss you."

"No way! I'm not going back," Miranda immediately shook her head. Realizing how that sounded might seem ungrateful to her parents, she quickly added, "It's winter over there now, and I'm afraid of the cold."

"Well, you can't just hang around here forever; everyone's so busy. It doesn't make sense for you to just wander back and forth."

Miranda rolled her eyes playfully, linking her arm around Eric's, leaning closer as she said, "Then, Eric, I want to check out Miami and Orlando. I've never been to Disneyland!"

Both cities were in Florida, adjacent to the Bahamas, and Nassau's airport scene was set to represent Miami International Airport.

Still, Eric frowned slightly, hesitant. "I can't let you roam around alone; I won't be able to explain to your parents if something happens."

"Of course, I won't be alone! Claire can come with me."

"Who's Claire?" Eric asked, puzzled.

Miranda pouted in displeasure. "Claire is the assistant the company assigned to me! She came to the Bahamas with me, and you've seen her too -- how could you forget?"

Eric recalled a young brunette he had seen with Miranda, who must have been around twenty. Although he had personally arranged for Miranda to be at ICM, she had no real name value. ICM definitely wouldn't have provided a permanent assistant for her, and she couldn't afford one on her own at the moment. This must have been an exception made for her due to the circumstances.

Just as Eric was about to say something, the doorbell rang.

Breaking free of Miranda's clinginess, he got up to answer the door to find his assistant, Peter Rich, standing outside with a stack of documents.

"Come in," Eric said, stepping aside to let Peter in.

However, as Peter stepped inside, his gaze landed on the couch, and he hesitated noticeably.

Curious, Eric looked over and saw a certain little sprite clumsily pretending to fix her already pristine pink dress, her eyes showing a faint panic as if fearful that others would misinterpret her and Eric's earlier actions as scandalous.

"Hi, Peter. Good afternoon," Miranda squeaked, still fussing to make the dress look disheveled despite her absence of any disorder. Eric remembered that he had previously discovered Miranda while she was handled by Peter back at DOLLY magazine.

"Hi, Miranda," Peter replied awkwardly, unsure if he should excuse himself.

Eric shot Miranda a glare, swiftly deciding he wouldn't let her stay in the Bahamas any longer. Too much joy could lead to mischief; who knew what trouble this little sprite would concoct.

He had been too busy lately to oversee this wild girl.

"Let's head to the study," Eric informed Peter, who still seemed hesitant.

Passing the couch, Eric knocked lightly on Miranda's head, and as she squeaked in protest, he added, "Call that Claire over; I need to speak with her."

...

Once in the study, Eric sat at his desk while Peter handed over the documents, saying, "The first-week box office results for The Rock have come out, along with the company's analysis of the film's box office performance."

Since The Rock's opening day, Eric had anticipated this box office taking a hit from Eddie Murphy's comedy, The Nutty Professor.

Initially, Eric had wondered whether John Woo was facing the curse of Hollywood again, reminiscent of his previous string of successful films that led to a downfall. But, as he reviewed the weekend box office numbers, he soon realized matters weren't as grim.

For the opening weekend, The Nutty Professor topped the charts with a gross of $30.13 million, while The Rock came in a close second with $28.38 million. The third place, The Matrix, faced a 37% drop to earn $25.76 million due to new films releasing.

From those figures alone, it became clear that even if The Rock didn't take the crown, the box office gap equated to only a little over a million dollars. The Firefly distribution team predicted that The Rock's first-week earnings would lie around $42 million.

Gazing at the box office data, Eric asked Peter, "I remember hearing that The Rock received pretty favorable reviews during its screenings?"

"Indeed," Peter confirmed, "The Rock garnered a composite score of around 7.5 from the media, and audience surveys we arranged also indicated great feedback. Meanwhile, The Nutty Professor's media rating was only 5.6." He didn't delve further into commenting about The Nutty Professor, as losing in box office was losing. He continued, "The distribution team has evaluated the reasons for The Rock's box office shortcoming compared to The Nutty Professor. This information is on the last page."

Eric found the report and noticed that Peter was still standing respectfully across from him, failing to locate a spare chair in the office. He gestured towards the sofa in the corner, "Have a seat; I'll read this before we talk."

Peter nodded and took a few steps back to sit on the couch.

Eric flipped through the report, which contained statistics on the age demographics of the audiences who watched The Rock. It also compared these viewers versus John Woo's earlier films and other summer titles.

Once he finished reading, Eric started piecing together why The Rock had been underwhelming at the box office.

The summer months typically saw an influx of teens rushing into theaters, significantly boosting the box office numbers. Statistics showed that consumer contributions to box office revenues from students aged 22 and under accounted for roughly 40% of overall revenue. This additional demand for viewing paired with the sheer number of high-quality films during the summer was what allowed this period to leapfrog other slack months with box office totals averaging two to three times higher.

Consequently, whether a film succeeded during the summer highly depended on whether it resonated with young audiences.

In this respect, The Rock faced challenges. While its stars, Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, were box office giants, their appeal to teens was limited, and the film had no standout young female leads to draw that demographic's attention. Furthermore, The Rock tackled the serious subject of unfair treatment of retired military personnel -- far removed from the edge-of-your-seat high-octane thrills that blockbusters like the Mission: Impossible series offered.

As a result, those factors shaped the primary reasons why The Rock, despite positive buzz, failed to draw in a substantial youthful audience.

Among the comparative data, only 17% of viewers for The Rock were below 22 -- a figure even lower than the R-rated Matrix, which managed to reach 35% in that demographic. Furthermore, The Rock's percentages lagged even behind several of Woo's previous films, such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Despite the shortcomings, The Rock couldn't be written off as a failure. The Firefly distribution team estimated a projected box office return of $130 million domestically and $200 million internationally based on current ratings and box office progression. This was well above its $75 million production budget, indicating that Firefly could likely recoup costs.

"So, at the end of the day, we've still fallen short," Eric said, glancing back at Peter after reading the document. "What's the reaction from Hollywood now?"

*****

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