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Chapter 99: External Factors
🕑 Added 2024-12-05 17:55:14 +0000 UTC"Hum!"
The film passed through the projector and projected onto the white screen, forming a visible light curtain. As John started it, the segment filmed by Dion began to play.
But the photographer, although surrounded by the crowd, with the air feeling stuffy and hot, felt cold sweat beginning to form on his back.
He clenched his fingers tightly. Even though he had just smoked several cigarettes, his anxiety remained unrelieved.
"Damn it, Time Brand cigarettes, didn't they say they had blessings?"
Dion cursed silently in his heart and looked at Ethan. He saw his profile bathed in light and shadow, his expression unreadable.
"Phew." Dion took a deep breath, deciding to leave everything to God. Maybe he would get lucky, and the adjusted shot wouldn't have large shadows, in which case, he could turn the blame back on Ethan.
With this thought, Dion raised his eyes to the projection, watching the same scene as everyone else.
Through the footage, everyone could see the camera moving and the dance team's sharp and beautiful movements.
There was no problem—the lighting was perfectly overhead, and Zeta Jones's face alternated between light and shadow, symbolizing her sins and attitude.
The crowd continued to watch, though there was no music in this scene, everyone was familiar with the song.
After all, they had heard it dozens of times in a single day, so some even hummed along to the rhythm, acting as the background music.
As they hummed, they saw the camera slowly zooming in, then Zeta Jones's face gradually approaching the lens. Only her upper body appeared in the frame, as the lighting changed and she danced.
However, at some point, the humming stopped, and everyone fell silent, staring at the segment.
When the clip ended, Ethan waved his hand, signaling John to replay it. They watched it again.
Once again, there was an unexpected silence. Only Dion gritted his teeth, his veins bulging on the back of his hands.
Because everyone saw, in the shot, from the low angle, the shadow below Zeta Jones's bangs blended with her thick eyelashes, and her dark eyes made her look as though she were wearing a T-shaped helmet. It was incredibly unflattering.
Clearly, the shot matched exactly with what Ethan had said, and in fact, it was even worse. If Dion, as the main cinematographer, didn't know the consequences of such a shot, he likely wouldn't even believe it himself.
At that moment, Ethan's distrustful gaze focused on Dion, making him swallow hard.
"Ha-ha... Cough, cough... Sorry, it seems I really overlooked this…" Dion pretended to awkwardly laugh, trying to cover up the situation, but to everyone else, it made him look like a poor actor trying to fool them.
Ethan stood up and looked at Dion.
"Ethan, let's reshoot it. I now know the correct camera angle, I won't make this mistake again."
Seeing Dion trying to downplay the issue, Ethan walked past him without looking back. "Fimos, you'll replace Dion."
"Okay!" A cinematography assistant responded enthusiastically.
"FXXK! Ethan, you can't do this!" Dion shouted in anger, "I'm the cinematographer!"
He took a few steps forward, but the next second, he saw Ethan turn his head and stare at him coldly. "Shut up, Dion! You're not the cinematographer anymore. At least not while I'm the director. And I suggest you go see a doctor for a lobotomy, so they can remove the stones from your brain and clean it up properly!"
Ethan's words referenced a popular procedure from the last century, where doctors would open a patient's skull and remove stones to prove the person's stupidity had been extracted.
However, the ridiculous part was that the doctors were all frauds, and the surgery was just a form of an intellectual tax.
But people still eagerly sought out these doctors and would even perform the surgery in front of others, as if it would prove they weren't stupid anymore.
If you had to use an idiom, "covering one's ears while stealing a bell" would be the best fit.
Dion understood what Ethan meant, but before he could argue, Ethan's harsh gaze silenced him.
As Ethan's figure walked further away, Dion unwillingly shouted, "I filmed it exactly as you instructed! It's not my fault!"
If he had said this earlier, maybe someone would have believed him, but now, after Dion repeatedly insisted he filmed the shot exactly as Ethan had told him, only for it to look like this, people just shrugged and followed Ethan, indicating their stance.
When the room was left with only Dion, he first kicked over a chair in frustration, then covered his head and crouched on the ground, letting out a furious scream.
But unfortunately, no one cared about his feelings anymore.
This small incident passed quickly, and the filming resumed. However, this time, everyone had a new understanding of Ethan's seriousness.
No one dared to slack off and quickly took out their most focused state to cooperate with the movie's shooting.
So, when Belt received the news and hurried back from the hospital, the key prison dance had already been filmed, and they had even moved on to the next scene.
He didn't say anything but waited until the evening to check the film, then watched through the footage with John and others again.
Ocean Blue
The next day, when shooting resumed, director Rob Marshall returned from the hospital with his arm bandaged, ready to continue directing.
However, everyone noticed Dion's absence, as if he had already left the crew. No one mentioned it though, as this was a temporary team, and they didn't know each other well enough to form any strong attachments.
Thus, any decision that benefited the filming could be made without hesitation.
At the same time, while filming Chicago, Jimmy's Heinz commercial also wrapped up smoothly.
Now, following Ethan's instructions, he had hired director Greta, who, along with the crew, was cleaning up the set, showing no signs of the usual director's demeanor.
"Greta!" Jimmy called the blonde girl over and smiled. "I have to say, you directed really well."
When he met Greta in person, Jimmy had no confidence she could do well with the project, but after watching the entire filming process, he found Ethan had a good eye.
This young female director managed the crew excellently, including the camera, lighting, and crew coordination.
Although she was a bit inexperienced and had to repeat herself to clarify her requirements, the final result exceeded expectations.
Jimmy himself laughed out loud at the funny segments, and even more so when the audience reacted positively.
Heinz would definitely be satisfied with this commercial.
"Thank you," Greta said humbly, "In fact, this is my first time directing... and I'm also grateful for you giving me the opportunity."
"Haha, don't mention it, Greta, it wasn't just my decision…" Jimmy replied, then noticed Greta's curious look and quickly corrected, "It wasn't just me. Ethan and I are good friends, and I originally planned to bring him in, but he recommended you."
Ethan didn't want CAA to know he had opened two companies, so Jimmy was the one handling the creative side of things externally.
As for whether CAA would find out from the various advertising companies? There was essentially no overlap, so there was no real concern.
Greta, upon hearing Ethan's name, immediately understood why a brand had specifically sought her out, this unknown stagehand, to direct the commercial—it was all Ethan!
"So, the script..."
"It was also written by Ethan," Jimmy clarified.
"Oh, that's incredible!" Greta laughed in surprise. "I thought a professional comedy writer had written it."
Although the ad was filled with crude humor, it didn't turn people off. In fact, it had everyone laughing from start to finish, and by the end, it made them want to buy Heinz ketchup.
Greta felt confident the commercial would be a hit.
At the same time, she became even more grateful for Ethan's recommendation. Once the ad aired, she would have a complete piece of work, which would greatly benefit her future career.
"Looks like I have to personally thank Ethan," Greta thought. She still had Ethan's phone number and planned to invite him out for dinner in a few days.
However, when Greta tried to contact Ethan a week later, she didn't get a clear answer. The crew was dealing with a new problem, but this time, it wasn't an internal one—it was external.
After Dion left the crew, he had given an interview to the press, claiming that the Chicago team had left an indelible shadow on him. He said he had been bullied and subjected to verbal abuse, as well as unfair treatment.
This news was explosive, and in just one day, it became the hottest story on entertainment pages.
After all, Chicago had the backing of Broadway fame. Though not a big-budget film, it attracted a lot of attention.
A portion of industry professionals and the general public were debating whether Dion's claims were true. Of course, most people believed him and began to criticize the Chicago crew.
Meanwhile, the higher-ups at Miramax were bombarded with questions by various journalists, who showed up daily to inquire about what happened on set.
Fortunately, in the prison scene in New York, reporters couldn't get in.
Otherwise, those vultures would have turned the place into chaos, perhaps even leaking footage.
Director Rob Marshall purposely found time to face the journalists and clarify Dion's accusations.
However, self-justification never really convinces anyone. Those reporters always had tricky questions and bizarre logic waiting for Rob Marshall, causing this usually gentle director to finally lose his temper after the interview.
It was in this atmosphere that the set began to feel oppressive. Everyone was preoccupied with external matters, and errors began to occur frequently during filming.
