America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM

Chapter 240 239. The two movie queens looked at each other

Paris France.

This romantic city, which at this time had not yet been occupied by black people, was shouting for the French to get out of Paris and other demonstrations.

Pont Bir Haquem, one of two viaducts in Paris, connects the 15th and 16th arrondissements.

In terms of construction time, this year is the bridge's 99th birthday. Of course, it has undergone many repairs, renovations and reinforcements.

It is one of the tourist attractions in Paris. It can be called a boat passing under the bridge, or it can be called a subway passing above. Of course, the best way is to go from the middle.

"Last Tango in Paris" was filmed here, and today it is also the filming location for "Inception".

MGM negotiated a contract with the Paris city government three months in advance. Generally speaking, major countries and cities welcome well-known film crews with large investments to shoot scenes.

Once the movie is released, it will effectively drive and promote the local tourism industry, and it will also collect a rental fee, which is a hugely profitable business.

For example, in Zhangjiajie, where "Avatar" was filmed, this sign is still hanging after so many years.

And "Inception" perfectly meets the standards of a big production, a big cast, and a big crew.

So when they arrived in Paris, the local government cooperated and gave the green light, and the police station specially dispatched five police cars to blockade them.

Makeup artists applied makeup to actors, stylists matched styles, and Eric walked around the set.

As the assistant director, Neill Blomkamp was very excited and ran much more actively than Eric.

As long as he wins this one and performs well, he will be able to direct independently. He has already read the script of "Super Out of Control".

Although it doesn't seem to use many big scenes and is a bit different from the sci-fi film he imagined, the story is wonderful and the conflicts are well created. He likes it very much.

After adjusting the camera position and saying a few words to the camera, Eric looked at Neil.

"You're too excited, young man, please restrain yourself. Do you know that it's too much?"

"Okay director, I'm going to have a drink of water."

"Well, you have followed me for three plays, and those who follow me have always made the fastest progress. I have accumulated enough experience for you, so don't be nervous."

Neil touched his nose: "It's just the first time, I will adjust my condition immediately."

At 9:30 in the morning, all preparations were in place. Although the weather in March had said goodbye to the cold winter, it was still cool and breezy.

But this is actually a good thing, because being thicker can give the stylist more room for matching. For example, the effect shown in front of Eric's eyes is very good now.

Bell is wearing a casual suit and small leather shoes. He is different from Batman's straight-laced look, and is more in a relaxed daily state.

Theron is wearing a milky white woolen coat, with curly hair shawl, and the hair at the bangs switches between covering her eyes and revealing them as the wind blows, giving people a mysterious and dangerous feeling.

Nicole's style is somewhat opposite to Theron's. She also wears a Nicole coat, but it's red.

The height of the two goddesses is almost the same, both are about 180cm, and their shapes can perfectly show off their outstanding figures.

On the contrary, it is Bell. His height is 183cm. In fact, it seems that the difference is not big. If you want to become taller, you need to use internal heightening and lens technology.

The plot to be filmed revolves around the three of them.

After taking over Saito's task, Cobb decided to form a team. Due to Mel's existence, he could not assume the task of dream builder and could only come to Paris for help.

An old acquaintance recommended to him a powerful dream builder - Ali Ridney played by Nicole.

But to be on the safe side, Cobb needed to test the opponent's strength first. He wanted to know how powerful this so-called powerful dream builder was.

Ariridney is no longer the ignorant female student played by Ellen Page in the original work. As soon as she appears, she is a top player who is no weaker than Cobb. She has an arrogant personality and is naturally unconvinced by Cobb.

So with the help of an old acquaintance, the two started a competition. If Cobb could win, Ariridney would help him.

In this competition, Arthur, played by Sisley, is the dream master, and the two of them enter Arthur's dream as dream builders to compete.

The scene that took place at Bill Hackham Bridge was one of the scenes where the two competed.

The most exciting and famous scene in the original version comes from this. The folding city shocked many audiences at that time.

Although Eric has been in the industry for several years, he still has some experience.

But when I first watched this scene in the cinema, just like ordinary viewers, I was filled with excitement and wonder.

When "Doctor Strange" was released later, the battle between magicians also used the method of folding the city to show a magnificent imagination. The inspiration came from "Inception", and many people will immediately feel familiar when watching it.

Eric planned to film this dream duel into a battle style similar to "Doctor Strange" and upgrade it.

Dreams are meant to follow one's will. In theory, they are more unlimited and free than magicians.

What's more, the two of them were in Arthur's dream and were not on an important mission, so the showdown between the two powerful dream builders should have been colorful and promised to shock this audience in advance.

"Director, would it be better to use special effects for this scene?" Neil asked, pointing to the split shot.

"Yes, first shoot the scenes that can be shot in real life, and then go to the studio to add special effects later."

"What about this scene? Arthur's spinning fight with the enemy? Are special effects easier to achieve?"

Eric did a final tweak on the lens to make sure it was correct.

"Neil, I also know that it would be easier to use special effects, but there is a reason that is more unacceptable than real shooting."

"What?"

"save money!"

"Uh, I understand!"

Eric patted him on the shoulder: "When you really become a director or producer, you will consider these things. Making the actors a little more tired can help you save tens of millions of dollars, or make the actors more tired." It’s easier to be an actor, but it costs a lot more money, so how do you choose?”

"I choose to save money." Neil did not hesitate.

Although he does not know the specific cost of "Inception", he can predict that it will be higher than "Transformers".

When filming "Transformers", MGM was owned by Eric himself, and he didn't charge a penny for the entire process.

Now that the company is re-listed, it must be clear between public and private. He has the three most important responsibilities of producer, screenwriter, and director. His remuneration will definitely not be less than 20 million US dollars, and may also include box office share.

The actors are even more exaggerated. Chris Evans, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds were only paid a few dollars at that time, and the entire cast and crew were paid a combined US$2 million.

What about "Inception"?

Both Theron and Nicole received a salary of US$10 million, which is standard for Oscar-winning actresses.

Although Christian Bale is not the best actor, his acting skills are obvious to all. He has been nominated for many international awards and his salary is US$5 million.

As an Australian star that has risen rapidly in recent years, Heath Ledger has great appeal among young people. He has also won several film festival awards and his film salary is worth US$4 million.

Although the salaries of actors such as Tom Hardy, Morris Chestnut, and Daniel Brühl are not much, the total sum of zero and zero amounts to millions of dollars.

With the support of the film salary alone, "Inception" will exceed 30 million US dollars, which is dozens of times that of "Transformers".

This filming did not have the support of the military, and it did not provide free soldiers for use. There were also filming locations in several countries. The total manpower expenses cost more than 10 million US dollars.

In addition, there are various expenses such as soundtrack, theme song, mixing, editing and so on.

After taking everything into account, we also need to add the super big head of special effects. If more than 100 million were spent on special effects like "Transformers", Eric wouldn't be able to afford it.

Because MGM has too many projects this year, even if it made a lot of money last year, it can't spend lavishly, it still has to be economical.

What's more, the props department still has hundreds of people, many of whom are experienced prop masters. Their comprehensive abilities are the best in Hollywood, or to be precise, the world's.

""Inception" Scene 35, Scene 1, action!"

Following Eric's order, the four cameras ran at high speed, capturing the footage from all angles.

On the front, Bell trotted all the way to the bridge, with a vigilant and cautious look on his face, while looking left and right and slowing down.

As Bell moved forward, the cameraman backed away step by step with the camera, while Eric and Neil stood behind the cameraman and watched the recording.

Out of sight of the camera, the sound engineer held up the equipment, hung the microphone over Bell's head, and recorded the lines he spoke.

When he reached the first step, Bell's raised foot stopped in mid-air, and then fell back to the original place.

The scrutinizing gaze on his face became more intense, as if his intuition told him that this should be Ariridne's hiding place, and he was about to find her.

Behind the camera, Eric nodded. A good actor will figure out the character and add various details to the character to enrich the character and make the character appear more real.

Eric's storyboard script has been written in great detail, but it's impossible to do it all.

All I can say is that if you follow his script, you won’t make mistakes and you can also capture some charm.

However, many famous scenes and lines that have flashes of inspiration still need to be performed on the spot. Bell obviously did a lot of homework and added more details for Cobb.

"You have very good intuition and you are an excellent dream builder. Why are you still looking for another dream builder?"

Outside the camera, Nicole's voice sounded, but she could only be heard but not seen, and she was actually standing next to Bell.

But after hearing the sound, Bell began to pretend to search and became more cautious.

It seems funny to pretend to be blind when someone is right in front of you, but that’s how movies are made.

When this scene finally reaches the big screen, it will become an effect similar to the sound transmission from thousands of miles in martial arts movies. Although I am not there, there are traces of me all around.

"Aliridney, you are indeed here, I'm going to catch you." Belle said, looking around.

"No, I can leave at any time, but the game is boring to play like this. Cobb, you haven't answered the question yet, why do you need two Dream Builders?"

"Cut! Passed!"

After Eric finished speaking, Nicole left her place and walked onto the bridge corridor to stand, and a group of staff took up their positions again.

""Inception" Scene 35, Scene 2, action!"

Bell turned around suddenly and saw Nicole standing not far away as if she appeared out of thin air.

He stepped up the steps with serious eyes, and the distance between the two gradually narrowed.

They looked at each other without saying a word.

A gust of wind blew from the river, and Nicole's hair moved with the wind.

Eric snapped his fingers. This was a signal to them, which would be canceled later.

Hearing the snap of fingers, the two danced their arms simultaneously and stared at each other sharply, as if they were casting a spell.

Then Nicole leaned sideways against the bridge pillar, while Bell took a few steps back, as if he suddenly lost his balance and staggered.

"OMG! If I were asked to do this, I would crawl into the ground in embarrassment."

"It does look very funny, even more funny than before. If this paragraph is released, people will definitely think that they are two psychopaths."

"Hey, hey, I just don't know what will happen after adding special effects?"

"What if it's cool? It feels like anime."

"Mr. Watanabe, I didn't expect you to be so childlike."

Watching Nicole and Bell's funny actions, Theron, Heath Ledger, Ken Watanabe and others were laughing and whispering beside them.

"Cut! Do it again! Bell, your movements are a little stiff, please relax."

Bell nodded: "It's not convenient to do actions in a suit. Director, let me take off my jacket. It should be much better."

"Okay, let's try the effect."

As he said this, he walked over to Nicole. From the previous shooting, he found that her movements were not beautiful enough to show the picture in his mind.

The action director also came over quickly, and the three of them discussed for a while and redesigned some actions.

The stand-in was also there to improvise. If Nicole couldn't complete it well, the stand-in would be used when necessary.

Sometimes the use of a stand-in does not mean that the actor is unprofessional. When the actor really cannot complete the scene, in order to ensure the aesthetics and not waste too much shooting time, there is nothing wrong with using a stand-in.

Of course, using a lot of stand-ins is definitely disrespectful, especially in literary dramas.

Can't you fucking move your hands, not even your mouth?

Filming resumed ten minutes later, and the two performed funny action scenes several times before Eric shouted.

"The 3rd chapter of "Inception"!"

At the end of the contest between the two, they were evenly matched.

The scene changes, and Nicole stands tall, looking at Bell a few meters away.

"Cobb, I admit that your ability is outstanding, but this only makes me more confused, why do you need two dream builders?"

Bell's eyes blinked a few times. For the mission, he thought for a few seconds and then seemed to decide to tell the other party. He took a deep breath and was about to speak.

Boom boom

Suddenly, there was an engine roar.

I saw a Hummer suddenly coming over and crashing into Bell at a very fast speed.

In the shot, it is Theron who can be seen driving through the windshield.

"Cut! Passed! Substitute!"

At Eric's command, Theron got out of the car and a professional stuntman got into the driver's seat.

"Bale, let's use a substitute." Neill Blomkamp advised.

But Bell still insisted: "I can do it. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong. And isn't there insurance?"

"Don't mention insurance. The more you mention insurance, the more likely it is that something will happen!"

In this scene, Mel suddenly appears and knocks Cobb to death. Even though professional stuntmen are used, Eric plans to use a stunt double, just in case.

But Bell was very insistent on going up in person. Eric couldn't resist him and decided to give him a chance.

But it is only given once. If it is unsuccessful, it must be replaced immediately.

"The 3rd chapter of "Inception"!"

Boom boom

The Humvee rushed towards Bell quickly, and when he heard the sound, he looked back sharply.

Zheng!

At this moment, the pressure fixed on his body was immediately pulled, and Bell flew backwards and fell accurately to the predetermined landing point, which was already covered with thick foam boards.

Seeing that there was no accident, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cut! Great!"

Eric walked over and pulled Bell up: "How are you? Do you feel uncomfortable?"

Bell smiled: "That's great."

Eric laughed loudly, looked at everyone and said, "Did you see it? Such an excellent actor, I am sure he will win the statuette."

Everyone also gave applause and thumbs up.

Theron then replaced the stuntman and got back into the car.

"The 3rd chapter of "Inception"!"

In the camera, Nicole and Theron looked at each other, and the eyes of the two women revealed inexplicable information.

"It seems that this is why you need two dream builders!"