A_nobody
patreon
Chapter 103: Compromise and Follow-Up
🕑 Added 2024-10-03 17:18:22 +0000 UTCParamount, the only major Hollywood studio still holding its ground in the region, faced challenges in 1993. As a representative of traditional Hollywood studios and independent film companies, Paramount finally succumbed to the financial pressure from Viacom, marking the end of Hollywood's independent film era and ushering in a period of intense competition among major players in the industry.
However, after securing support from the massive media conglomerate Viacom, Paramount Pictures had a rocky start.
First, many film projects, including *Forrest Gump*, were put on hold due to the acquisition. When the projects were finally able to restart, *Forrest Gump* faced a dispute with the original author, Winston Groom, over adaptation issues, nearly leading to a court case. Just as things settled down and the crew got back on track, an inexplicable fire broke out on set, forcing them to redo much of their work.
Moreover, the film had already announced a North American release for early July next year. However, another film, *Independence Day*, began to make waves, with its release date swinging between the Independence Day holiday and Memorial Day weekend. Paramount chose to hold off, and a few days ago, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox finally revealed *Independence Day* would be released on the Independence Day holiday!
This left little time between *Forrest Gump*'s release and its direct competitor, leading to inevitable intense competition.
"Wendy, what do you think?"
Sitting behind her desk, Paramount's new CEO, Sherry Lansing, looked at *Forrest Gump*'s producer. "Does *Forrest Gump* have the strength to compete directly with *Independence Day*?"
"Sherry, you should know about director Duke Rosenberg."
Wendy Feinerman, a renowned Hollywood producer, appeared concerned. "In my opinion, Duke was born for the summer blockbuster season. *Independence Day* is a hot sci-fi action film, and judging by his last two movies, the chances of him failing are slim. Plus, *Forrest Gump* is at a disadvantage in both investment and genre."
"What's your opinion, Jonathan?" Sherry Lansing asked the executive director of Paramount.
"I suggest we don't collide directly with that destructive film during the summer." Jonathan Duggan replied straightforwardly. "*Forrest Gump* has a reader base, and Tom Hanks has some box office appeal, but let's not forget *Interview with the Vampire* and Tom Cruise; to be precise, their genre is even more advantageous than *Forrest Gump*, yet they lost out to *The Rock*."
What kind of films are best suited for summer releases? Everyone present was experienced enough to know that Duke Rosenberg's popcorn film was a prime example of successful summer blockbusters.
"*Forrest Gump*'s official marketing hasn't started yet," Sherry Lansing sought input. "There's still time to adjust the release date…"
Hollywood isn't known for keeping secrets, and news of Paramount moving *Forrest Gump*'s release date up by a month quickly reached Duke's ears. He was momentarily shocked but then breathed a sigh of relief.
It was clear that Paramount wanted to avoid *Independence Day*, which was why Duke was surprised; after all, *Forrest Gump* could potentially sweep North America. The sigh of relief was due not only to the lack of a strong competitor during that release window but also because he understood the reasoning behind it.
He knew that *Forrest Gump* had previously dominated North America, but Paramount and the film's investors were unaware that while this film had a distinct nostalgic theme, it clearly didn't hold an advantage against the typical summer popcorn film like *Independence Day*. Moreover, the investment scale and pre-release audience and media attention were significantly lacking.
Importantly, he had already proven his competitiveness in the past two summer blockbusters. *Speed* managed to outpace the *Alien 3* series project in box office earnings and clinched two consecutive weeks at the top of the box office chart.
With *The Rock*, the competition intensified against the formidable *Interview with the Vampire* and Tom Cruise, but Duke's film still triumphed, not only seizing the box office champion title but also surpassing Stallone's *Cliffhanger*, securing back-to-back wins in North America.
Paramount wouldn't overlook these factors, even with the addition of Tom Hanks, a newly crowned Oscar winner.
Furthermore, the relatively disappointing performance of *Interview with the Vampire* made many film companies more acutely aware of the importance of genre in the summer release schedule.
Of course, not every film company believed that only popcorn films were suitable for the summer. While Paramount chose to step back with *Forrest Gump*, the vacated weekend slot presented an opportunity for other companies. A prison-themed film produced by Castle Rock and distributed by Columbia Pictures quickly seized the opportunity, taking over *Forrest Gump*'s original release date.
This scheduling shift could be seen as an alternative competition in Hollywood, a clever choice made by many filmmakers who considered themselves at a disadvantage.
However, none of this affected Duke. The pre-production for the film finally wrapped up before Christmas, and after spending the holiday in Santa Monica with his mother, filming shifted away from just stunts and explosions, with actors gradually joining the set.
"Stan, are you ready?"
Through a layer of glass, Duke asked Stan Winston beside him. "I want all the alien's tentacles to move, not just two hands."
"Don't worry," Stan Winston replied with a thumbs-up to Duke.
Duke nodded and called out, "John, get ready!"
John Schwartzman personally operated one of the cameras while Ben Watters set up the Steadicam, moving to the right angle for the shot.
"Action!"
Duke gestured to those in the isolation room from behind the glass and stepped back.
The chosen position for the president and several soldiers was already in place. One soldier checked the glass wall, when suddenly, a scientist was seen tightly pressed against the glass, his neck constricted by a tentacle, looking incredibly terrified.
Standing next to John Schwartzman, Duke observed the performances of the actors. Frankly speaking, aside from Bill Pullman playing the president, the others displayed varying degrees of excessive effort, their expressions slightly exaggerated. However, he didn't intend to call for a stop. The acting standards for this film were just above the average line; if this group didn't meet the standard, then the current Will Smith could be dismissed outright.
This shoot ended with the glass wall shattering, and Duke checked the footage, giving it a nod of approval.
All the aliens in this scene were filmed using models, with the waving tentacles operated by a special effects technician. The two alien hands gripping the scientist were merely prop hands worn by another prop master for control.
Aside from the final outer space battleship filled with CGI-generated aliens, all other aliens were modeled, crafted by Stan Winston and the Industrial Light & Magic special effects team. As Scarlett Johansson once said, they were realistic enough to be indistinguishable from real ones.
After shooting several more alien-related scenes, Duke led the crew to a new set, where the scene had long been prepared. Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum sat inside an alien spaceship, familiarizing themselves with the environment and rehearsing their upcoming scenes.
"Jeff, and Will."
Standing in front of the two, Duke tried to be as concise as possible. "You see hope in the crisis, with excitement tinged with anxiety. Don't forget, there are pursuers behind you and a nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment."
Duke felt relatively assured about Jeff Goldblum. Although his acting range was limited, he had appeared in several films, which provided him with ample experience. Will Smith, however, was the difficult one. Since joining the film, despite Duke's relaxed expectations for the actors, Smith had nearly double-digit NG counts per shoot.
The same happened this time. As soon as filming started, the alien ship shook, and the future star, with persistently poor acting, transformed his nervous expression into an exaggerated lion's roar.
"Cut!"
Calling a halt, Duke avoided the cables on the ground and entered the spaceship, looking at Will Smith, who wore an apologetic expression after his mistake. Ultimately, he suppressed his anger; yelling would only increase Smith's pressure. Since he chose to cast him, he should be adequately prepared for that.
"Will!" Duke said sternly. "Remember this: you are an actor now, not a hip-hop artist. If you show that hip-hop artist's expression again during filming, I'll send you to the top of the studio to sing R&B all day!"
"You just need to feel excited and anxious! Think about what it was like when you first performed on stage! Don't tell me you were completely at ease then."
Although he could provide some guidance and use camera angles to improve Will Smith's performance on screen, Duke was merely a director, not a directing genius with a super halo.
The crew's time and energy were limited, and if Will Smith continued to perform poorly, Duke planned to give him only rear shots. Fortunately, during the subsequent filming, Will Smith's performance improved slightly; although the progress was minimal, he successfully wrapped up the scene after three NGs.
Perhaps it was because Duke's requirements were relatively lenient, or maybe it was due to the teamwork established during *The Rock*. The core team worked more harmoniously, combined with Duke's significant progress after filming two consecutive movies, this shoot relied more on stunts and special effects than on actor performances, leading to a smooth production.
1993 quickly passed, and as January 1994 approached, news arrived from the Pentagon that Edward Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range would soon enter a brief period of unused space, and the crew could enter to shoot.
