Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1401 Action Film Shooting Safety First
The casting and preparation for "Mortal Kombat" were in full swing when a tragic news came out: Brandon Lee, son of Kung Fu superstar Bruce Lee and one of the potential casting candidates for the protagonist Liu Kang, died after being shot by a prop gun on the set of the B-movie "The Crow".

"The Crow" is a comic book adaptation movie, which is adapted from the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr. The protagonist Eric Draven is a rock musician who one day broke into the crime scene where his fiancée was murdered and he was also shot and killed by the gangster.

Later, a crow, said to be able to penetrate the Yin and Yang worlds, brings his soul back to the human world, and he is resurrected from the dead to seek revenge on the gangsters.

But for some unknown reason, when filming the scene where he was shot by the gangsters, the blank bullet that was supposed to be used actually fired a bullet, causing Brandon Lee to fall backwards instead of forwards as designed. His heart stopped beating a few minutes later, and he died after being sent to the hospital.

Although all kinds of accidents can happen during filming, such an inexplicable accident really makes people wonder what happened. Ronald contacted the actor's agent because of his daydream, and the movie he shot also has martial arts themes, so he asked someone to convey his condolences.

This also reminded Ronald that the next movie he was going to shoot, "Speed," was also a movie with complicated gunfights, explosions, and car-racing scenes, so he had to be very careful about safety issues here.

To this end, he also found Debbie Evans, the most powerful female stuntwoman in Hollywood, whom he had worked with during the filming of "Top Gun" and first met on the set of "Rock High School". This stunt expert, who doubled for Lea Thompson in Back to the Future III and Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, is most famous for her project team's record of zero casualties. Although the fee is a bit more expensive, there is no need to worry about safety.

The two met again and talked about the past. Debbie Evans asked Ronald directly what kind of stunts he needed.

"There were ordinary gunfights, car chases, and explosions. The two most challenging scenes were driving across an unclosed viaduct, and evacuating passengers one by one from a bus traveling at over 60 miles per hour..."

After Ronald made an agreement with her to work with him and hired her, the double champion of the California and American car and model car stunt competitions, as the special effects director, he told her his ideas about the film.

"It's difficult, but it's not impossible. For a car chase you need a takeoff and a landing, and saving people on a speeding bus requires complex camera design... Do you direct it yourself?"

"I'm not directing this, I have other projects. But I'm thinking about Die Hard..."

"Oh my God, don't tell me it's John McTiernan, I won't work with him, he's on my black list..."

Debbie Evans shook her head. This director had a bad reputation in the industry. He often ignored the safety of the actors and sent them on set. He also liked to change his mind on the spot, which made the special effects staff's original plans and safety measures all go to waste. If they did not change according to his temporary ideas, they would be in danger of being fired. If they followed his new ideas, the risk would be great.

A famous stuntman like Debbie Evans has no shortage of people to work with.

"No, he's also on my blacklist. When filming the first Die Hard, he did a lot of unnecessary risky stunts. Bruce Willis' agent and I both put him on the blacklist."

"OK, he really can't, Ronald. Who are you talking about?"

"It was Jan de Bont, the cinematographer of Die Hard. He was the one who managed to realize many of John McTiernan's messy ideas. And he is not only good at shooting action movies, but also has been the director of photography for many movies with a lot of dramatic conflicts, thrillers, and comedies.

Recently he wants to become a director, and I think he is quite suitable for this movie, so I want to give him a chance. "

"Oh, I know him, the instinctive director of photography. I have dealt with him several times. He is indeed a good person. He knows how to communicate with the special effects team and respects the limits of my abilities. It is the best thing to work with him."

"What's his record on safety? Have you worked with him or heard from friends about him?"

"I have to say that he gets an A+ in this regard. Many Hollywood cinematographers don't pay as much attention to safety as he does. His old partner, director Van Horn, is actually quite imaginative... Thanks to him..."

"Very good, can you repeat these ideas again with the people at 20th Century Fox?"

"Of course, but why?"

"Jan de Bont needs a little help..."

Ronald interviewed Jan de Bont, a cinematographer who graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy. He had been working with Paul Van Horn in Europe, and it was because of Paul Van Horn's move to Hollywood that he had the opportunity to shoot some big productions.

But 20th Century Fox still had doubts about him. After all, not every photographer and director can be seamlessly transferred. They still preferred John McTiernan, who had a proven record of success.

It's not impossible for Ronald to force the other party to decide the director, but doing so might cause a rift between the producers. Ronald can't appear on the set every day to watch, and people with resentment can easily do something to make the crew run smoothly.

It was his old partner, producer Joel Silver, who also participated in the investment of "Speed", who came up with a way for him to veto John McTiernan on safety grounds.

It just so happens that Brandon Lee's accident has had a relatively large impact in Hollywood. Both the Actors Guild and the Stuntmen's Union have used this opportunity to call for tighter supervision and a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.

This is the general situation. If a well-known stuntman in the industry like Debbie Evans can endorse Jan de Bont, it will be easier for 20th Century Fox to turn around.

Hollywood is a very hypocritical place. Most people will flatter the powerful (that is, the ones with high box office sales) in front of them, but behind the scenes, they all want to kick others aside and act according to their own wishes. There is only one way to make them really convinced, that is to make them feel that this brilliant idea is their own.

"I understand. I will cast my vote against it from a safety perspective." Debbie Evans expressed her understanding. Ronald has become a big shot after so many years. His attitude towards his old friend is beyond doubt and he is very respectful.

"By the way, I originally wanted to invite Brandon Lee to star in a movie. How did he get killed by a prop gun?" After finishing his business, Ronald asked the professionals for their opinions on the accident on the set of "The Crow".

"I'm afraid he encountered the problem of reloading a dud. This kind of thing has happened many times in Hollywood, but it's rare for an actor to be killed in this way. I can't say for sure."

This incident also caused a lot of discussion in the stuntmen's union. Most professional stuntmen believed that the tragedy was caused by repeated loading, but there were different opinions on whether it was unintentional or intentional.

Debbie Evans explained her opinion. When shooting such shooting scenes in movies, they are often shot in several shots. When shooting close-ups, there will be obvious differences in the state of the gun being loaded and unloaded. In America, where guns are widely owned, the wrong state of the gun can be easily seen by the audience.

So generally speaking, a fake bullet without gunpowder is loaded to shoot close-ups. "The Crow" is a low-budget crew, and this fake bullet is likely to be handmade, with the gunpowder removed from the real bullet and then loaded.

Although there is no gunpowder, there is still a primer or some residual gunpowder behind the shell for ignition. After the shot was fired, the primer still had enough explosive power to shoot the bullet out, but the power was insufficient, so it stopped in the barrel and became a dud.

The second close-up or mid-shot should also include explosive gas coming out of the muzzle. The general Hollywood practice is to use blank bullets, a bullet with gunpowder but no bullet.

Since the dud from the first shot was still stuck in the barrel and the second blank was fully charged, the different bullet structures of the two shots, plus a series of unfortunate (or intentional) coincidences, finally combined into a full-powered bullet that hit Brandon Lee in a vital part.

"That won't do. We need to have a very strict gun management system." Ronald thought to himself. If they were all shot with real guns, like when he shot "Night of the Comet" in his early years, it would be fine. But I'm afraid that careless and irresponsible people would use fake bullets to shoot real shooting scenes...

"That's easy. Your friend Jim Cameron is the most strict in this regard. He is an experienced gun man himself. At least he will not forget to check the load in the barrel before each shot."

"I'll ask him to share his successful experience..." Ronald thought to himself that he had to borrow some manpower from Cameron to tighten the rules and regulations.

……

"Safety is the most important thing in Hollywood filming, but in the practice of many crews, it is placed at the least important consideration. As early as the early days of Hollywood, Harold Lloyd's silent film classic "Safety Last!" satirized this phenomenon. What's even more ironic is that Harold Lloyd himself lost the thumb and index finger of one hand due to a previous filming accident...

Harold Lloyd's accident was caused by the fact that during a public special effects demonstration, he mistakenly displayed real explosives instead of low-powered explosives used as props.

Such a tragedy happened again in Hollywood last week. The leading actor of "The Crow", Brandon Lee, son of famous action star Bruce Lee, died in an accident on the set.

Two days later, various Hollywood newspapers and television media began to intensively report on this unexpected incident.

Brandon Lee is not a particularly well-known star, but his father was a world-famous action movie star who revolutionized the way Hollywood filmed its actions. In addition, Bruce Lee also died suddenly in an accident, so the similar tragic fate of the two generations of father and son gave a lot of media coverage motivation.

Most major media attributed the incident to an accident, but conspiracy theories were rampant in the tabloids, with many reports full of speculation.

Some said that he offended other actors on the crew; others said that he was killed by a powerful boss who wanted to snatch his girlfriend and fiancée Eliza Hutton; and some media said that he learned the truth about his father's death and was silenced by the murderer who killed his father.

Brandon Lee's family members, especially his sister, learned some new information, including that the autopsy found that her brother was shot with a .44 Magnum bullet - such a high-powered bullet would not appear in a normal film crew.

Therefore, she spoke out in the newspaper with great dissatisfaction, saying that her brother was murdered and that the prosecutor was not performing his duties. She called on the public to put pressure on her to launch an investigation.

The Hollywood Reporter had reporters visiting the crew, and the in-depth investigative news they released was even more sensational. On the same day that Brandon Lee was killed, a carpenter was severely burned in a fire caused by the crew's chaotic circuit management. Two other staff members were also injured.

The crew began to spread the word that this film project had been cursed by the "crow". Special effects workers were often injured during special effects scenes, and the photographer who pushed the guide rails had a serious sprain. Many people became bad-tempered because of filming this Gothic-style film, and there were frequent quarrels and even fights on the set.

However, as the special effects action scenes were completed, the atmosphere on the set gradually improved. There were only about three days of filming left, and the shot of Brandon Lee being shot was also the last shot of the day, but the biggest curse of "The Crow" fell just like that.

However, Ronald's reading of these reports further convinced him that he had mismanaged the props and caused the accident. These accidents, fires, sprains, and tensions between actors caused by rushing to meet deadlines were common side effects of ultra-low-budget B-level movies.

This film was distributed under a Paramount distribution contract and was successfully financed by some new investors, so there were many newbie mistakes.

"Hello, Ms. Shannon Lee, I am very sorry for your brother's misfortune."

Ronald was at home, and the person he was talking to was Bruce Lee's youngest daughter, Shannon Lee. She heard from her brother's agent that Ronald had invited his brother to audition, so she called and asked to meet Ronald.

"I think this is murder. The theory that the prop was wrong doesn't make sense. The prosecutor in Los Angeles refused to meet with us. Only a kind detective told us some truth."

Shannon Lee was only in his twenties, and he talked on and on like a young man, telling about the injustice suffered by his brother.

Ronald's patience was running out. He guessed that the prosecutor, in addition to the obvious racial discrimination factor, might have backed off because of his sister's persistence.

"Ms. Shannon Lee, how can I help you? I really can't help you with legal matters..."

"I know you're one of the few Hollywood people who have helped us. At my brother's funeral, there were only some young stars who had worked with him, all good people, and Steve Seagel, the action star who firmly supported the fact that this was a murder case. He wouldn't be unaware of the inside story, right?"

Ronald's remaining patience was exhausted, and he decided not to get involved in the matter anymore, but just made a proposal. Because the actor of the film died unfortunately, the original distributor Paramount cancelled the contract.

Ronald said that he could use his influence, or pay some money himself, to finish filming the remaining three days of scenes, and edit them into a finished film, which could be released as Brandon Lee's posthumous work. This would also be an emotional and financial comfort to her brother's girlfriend and family.

"Oh, I don't know how much Mr. Li is willing to pay. We have received an offer... from Mr. Harvey Weinstein. He is willing to pay $8 million..."

"I think there are still a few shots left in this movie, right? Do you believe him?" Ronald knew the problem as soon as he heard it.

"Yes, but Mr. Weinstein is a good man. He said he wanted to use computer special effects to revive my brother, so he hopes to get authorization from all the family members. Mr. Li, I want to say that if you can pay a considerable amount of money, I also know that in the field of computer special effects, you are the best..."

"Nah..." Ronald raised his hand to stop the naive girl, "Eight million is a price we cannot match. I hope your brother's posthumous work can be successfully published. This will also be a comfort to him..."

Such an excessive condition, either the person is a liar or there is some conspiracy about Brandon's death. Ronald didn't want to bother with it when he heard these two names. He just dismissed the matter.

He had more important things to do. The director of "Speed" was confirmed, preparations began, and people from various brokerage companies were dispatched again, ready to stuff their own celebrity clients into the film.