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Chapter 6 New York is really small
🕑 Added 2024-09-07 19:18:11 +0000 UTCAfter a moment, Jimmy suddenly started complaining, "Damn, why didn't you tell me earlier that you were so good? If I'd known, I would've had the director arrange for me to be the cameraman! You and I could control the entire set! Jimmy and Ethan, the Tangji brothers—wow, that would be so cool, wouldn't it?"
Ethan couldn't help but laugh, giving him a light punch on the chest. "Nonsense, Jimmy, you never even asked me!"
"Alright, I didn't ask," Jimmy admitted with a sigh, draping his arm over Ethan's shoulder. "But next time, if you feel confident, you have to let me know in advance. With the two of us working together, we could definitely get better positions from the director! We could really make a name for ourselves!"
As they spoke, a commotion could be heard outside the studio. Soon, a plump older man in red suspenders and a felt hat walked in, with a heavily made-up young woman at his side. The man spoke animatedly while the girl looked around excitedly, her face full of pride.
The older man sat down in the director's chair, and the young woman immediately sat on his lap, showing no hesitation.
"So, who is she?" Ethan had a guess about the girl's identity.
"Never seen her before, maybe she was just picked. When we make a name for ourselves on set, it'll be like this for us too. Look at that guy Dudley!" Jimmy was referring to the cameraman for today, who was standing outside the door chatting with a group of women, occasionally reaching out to feel their measurements, seemingly planning to find a model for some private photos.
While Jimmy watched enviously, a young blonde woman in a green dress with a brown coat and sunglasses entered the studio, her high heels clicking as she walked.
Jimmy whistled, excited. "Look, it's the star! I think her name is Connie Johansson."
Ethan corrected him, "No, it's Scarlett Johansson."
Meanwhile, a playful smile appeared on his face.
Just as he said, in America, anything is possible, right?
In addition to Scarlett and the director, a few more people entered the room. One of them, wearing a gray coat and holding a briefcase, looked around cautiously.
Once Scarlett sat down, he took a seat beside her like a bodyguard, clearly her agent.
Another person, dressed in a suit with a hooked nose and small, sharp eyes, had a face full of wrinkles and slicked-back, graying hair, held in place with hair oil, giving it a shiny appearance.
He stood behind the director, with a stern expression that made people uneasy.
Jimmy initially wanted to go over and greet the director, to prove his connections to Ethan, but when he saw the old man talking to the director, he stopped in his tracks.
"We better just wait here," Jimmy said. After working on sets for so long, he had learned that the most important thing was to avoid appearing when you shouldn't, especially in front of the director.
So the two of them stayed put, tinkering with the lights.
Eventually, the director, Apollo, clapped his hands and called everyone over to form a small circle.
"Jimmy!" When the two got closer, Apollo warmly patted Jimmy's shoulder. "How's it going? Any issues with the lighting?"
"No problem, director," Jimmy responded loudly.
"That's good to hear. And Dudley, how about you? Is the camera ready?" Dudley, the cameraman, had curly brown hair and pale skin, giving him a somewhat melancholic appearance.
"All set."
"Great! Now, make sure you talk to Jimmy about the lighting effects. Listen, everyone, no mistakes today. The boss of Domino's is right behind us!" Apollo subtly nodded, and everyone glanced at the stern old man out of the corner of their eyes.
"He's very strict, so don't give him any reason to complain..." Apollo gave some final instructions about the ad's concept, then told everyone to get into position.
Dudley, following the director's orders, turned to Jimmy and Ethan. "We need to create a sense of depth in this ad, making the whole environment look realistic. Jimmy, got it?"
"Don't worry, I got it!"
Jimmy then winked at Ethan, confirming that his friend had been right all along.
Once Dudley left, Ethan and Jimmy immediately turned on the lights one by one.
The lights instantly filled the background poster with soft light, casting layered shadows across the mountains and forests on the sides. From the front, it looked almost like real mountains.
"Huh?" Dudley, who had just set up the camera, widened his eyes. He thought to himself, "I just gave the instructions, and Jimmy already set up the lights?"
He lowered his head and looked through the viewfinder again. It was perfect. In the shot, the forest's shadows were lighter, overlapping like a fence, while the mountains' shadows were tall and blurred, giving the impression of endless depth.
Dudley looked up at the scene again, noting that it was just a bunch of cardboard. Yet, under the lighting, it was indistinguishable from a real environment.
It was the first time Dudley had encountered a lighting technician who worked so quickly. Usually, setting up the lights took much longer.
"Who would've thought Jimmy actually had some skills," Dudley thought, revising his previous opinion that Jimmy was just a drinker and flatterer. He gave the director an okay sign.
At that moment, Apollo was explaining the scene to Scarlett.
"Scarlett, today's shoot is very simple. You just need to hold this!" Apollo smiled as he picked up a prop pizza from the table. "Hold it by your side and say the line."
"Mm..." Scarlett nodded, thinking it didn't sound too difficult and that she might finish early today.
But the stern old man, seeing Apollo's actions, walked over and stood beside them. "Sir and ma'am, I need to change the original concept for this outdoor ad."
"What?" Apollo frowned. "Mr. Monaghan, we already agreed on this."
Monaghan shook his head. "Just holding it by her side doesn't show how big our pizza is! I need a more impactful presentation, like this..."
He grabbed the pizza and shoved it right in Scarlett's face. His movements were so rough that he even bumped her nose.
"Oh!" Scarlett exclaimed softly but didn't complain.
Apollo's frown deepened, but he couldn't think of a rebuttal.
Scarlett's agent, Brian Lord, stepped forward. "With all due respect, this doesn't look good. Plus, Scarlett's face is completely covered. This isn't what we agreed upon for the ad!"
"Shut up, kid." Monaghan sneered. "I paid for this. It's my product, my ad. I don't need you to tell me what's good or not!"
Sensing the tension between the two, Apollo intervened to ease the situation. "Alright, let's do it this way then..." He sighed, unable to think of a more creative solution, and persuaded Scarlett, "Scarlett, just hold the pizza up and cover your face."
"Fine, let's do that." Scarlett, feeling a bit down, changed into a denim outfit and stood in front of the poster, ready to shoot.
Apollo returned to his director's chair, picked up the microphone, and announced, "Alright, everyone, let's get ready to shoot."
