America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 583 Sugar Frosting Storm

Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

The city, originally located along the Mississippi River, suddenly became bustling with activity after the film crew of "Gone Girl" moved in.

It's human nature to enjoy watching a spectacle, especially since three top Hollywood stars have come this time.

From the very first day the film crew arrived in Cape Girardeau, local newspapers and television reporters began a 24-hour surveillance operation, and several cinemas also capitalized on the buzz by offering special screenings featuring Martin Davis, David Fincher, and Charlize Theron.

The occupancy rate was quite good.

As for those who are simply bystanders and spectators, there are even more of them.

At the film studio near the river, the crew has already begun filming.

Martin, dressed in a well-tailored suit, got off the trailer and entered the photography studio.

David Fincher glanced at him and advised, "You're not a scumbag yet, but a writer who can earn a certain income from his columns, showing the side of a cultural elite."

Martin said, "These are things I'm very good at."

David Fincher has worked with Martin Scorsese on a film before and has complete confidence in him.

Charlize Theron arrived on set at that moment, wearing a striped sweater with straight-leg jeans and flowing blonde hair, looking sophisticated and beautiful.

David Fincher glanced at her briefly and said to the stylist, "Sally's facial features need to be softer."

He also said of Charlize herself: "Completely hide your outward sharpness, you are now a cool girl, a woman whose appearance and temperament are most attractive to men."

Charlize Theron nodded, sat down in the chair, and let the stylist adjust her facial contours slightly until David Fincher was satisfied.

A few minutes later, the extras who had been waiting entered the stage to serve as the backdrop for the male and female leads' first meeting.

This was a gathering of the New York creative community, where Nick Dunn, from a small town in Missouri, met Amy, a magical girl from New York.

Martin got into character quickly, but filming didn't go smoothly. David Fincher repeatedly called for a stop to adjust Charlize Theron's performance.

The first scene was filmed more than ten times before David Fincher finally called "cut."

Once out of character, Charlize said to Martin, "Sorry for making you reshoot with me again and again, I'm too slow to warm up."

Martin said, "It's okay, it all takes time."

Charlize then apologized to the other actors and crew members, showing that she knew how to handle people.

She has always had a good reputation in the industry and is one of the female celebrities with relatively few negative news stories.

The first day of filming mainly consisted of indoor scenes between Martin and Charlize.

After filming several scenes, Charlize gradually found her footing, and the number of takes decreased significantly.

After all, many years ago, she mainly played female roles that relied on her beauty to win people over.

David Fincher is not as casual as he was when he made "Benjamin Butler." He wants the film to be released during today's holiday season and compete for the next Oscar, so he must ensure the efficiency of the crew.

The cinematography, art direction, and directing teams that had long worked with David Fincher were somewhat unaccustomed to such a tight pace, and David Fincher's shouts and urging could be heard from time to time on set.

Assistant director Paul asked Fincher's assistant Molly, "When did David become James Cameron? His loud voice scared the Asian carp in the Mississippi River to death."

Molly reminded him, "David isn't in a good mood after this Oscar loss, and he's putting a lot of pressure on himself. You guys should pay more attention to that and try to keep up with his filming pace."

Paul nodded: "I see. People who are usually mild-mannered can be much more terrifying when they get angry."

Everyone on set became serious, and the crew's work efficiency improved significantly.

At lunch, Charlize sat at a table with Martin and specifically asked, "Isn't it said that David is a rational person on set, with a relatively mild work style? Was he like that when you worked with him on 'Benjamin'?"

Martin swallowed his food and replied, "No, the atmosphere on set was more relaxed during the filming of 'Benjamin,' but David wants to improve the crew's efficiency, so he's been working at full speed from the very first day. I guess he's trying to get the whole crew on their toes right from the start."

Charlize carefully ate her food, nodded, and said, "That makes sense. We definitely need to speed things up. I'll be leaving the crew by May at the latest."

Martin glanced at her film set schedule and deliberately asked, "What, don't you want to spend more time with me on set?"

Charlize smiled broadly: "You think you're short of women? You're such a playboy."

That being said, she explained, "I'm going to South Africa. I'm the South Africa World Cup bid ambassador and image ambassador. The South Africa World Cup is in June, and there's a lot of promotional work to do before the opening ceremony."

Martin understood: "The World Cup, the most popular sporting event in the world."

Charlize invited, "Are you interested? If you want to go, the organizing committee will definitely send you a special invitation. You can bring Elizabeth with you to watch the opening ceremony and the finals."

"I'm interested in football," Martin said after a moment's thought. "I guess the schedule doesn't fit in; it coincides with the promotion and release period of 'Inception.'"

Charlize said, "I'll have the organizing committee send you an invitation first. If you don't have time to go, we'll talk about it later."

As the two were chatting, David Fincher and producer Dana Buunetti came over and started talking about the film's budget and tax refunds.

The film crew came to Missouri for two reasons: firstly, most of the story takes place in small towns in Missouri, and secondly, Missouri also has a tax refund policy.

Dana calculated that if the crew used 25% local employees during filming, they could receive a tax refund and save 15% on filming costs.

It has an advantage over Atlanta in terms of tax refunds.

In recent years, states across the United States have become increasingly competitive in vying to attract Hollywood film crews, as the release of these films has a significant boosting effect on tourism and the service industry.

However, Missouri is still in its infancy, with only a few small studios, which cannot compare to Atlanta's growing filming base.

After a while, the novel's author, Gillian Flynn, also came over and started talking about the novel's sales and promotion.

Since its publication last year, and after Martin Scorsese and David Fincher jointly announced the film adaptation, "Gone Girl" entered the New York Times bestseller list and has now squeezed into the top three.

With the filming of the movie and related promotional activities underway, topping the bestseller list is not out of the question.

Gillian Flynn also truly transformed from an entertainment magazine reporter into a bestselling author.

The novel's popularity also provided the film with its basic audience.

After having a light lunch and a short rest, the group returned to the set to continue filming.

The afternoon's focus was on filming the love scenes between the male and female leads.

The rise of the internet and social media has killed too many print media writers, and poor Nick is one of them. At this time, he meets Amy, a rich girl who also shows the cool girl temperament that men like, so of course he has to make a move.

A young man from a small town works hard to marry a wealthy woman and realize his life's value.

Martin performed with great ease because it was so similar to his own experience.

When he started in Atlanta, Martin once hoped to hook up with Kelly Gray and settle down there.

During this time, he planned to rescue a damsel in distress, organized a united front against a common enemy, and even "designed" a pink water bottle, all to impress Kelly.

Strictly speaking, Martin's behavior was not much different from Nick's.

The biggest difference between the two is that even after Martin succeeds, he remains proactive enough. When he realizes he can't just give up, he immediately puts in his best effort and uses the ladder that Kelly built to climb up as fast as he can.

Instead of hiding in his turtle shell and becoming a颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, decadent, or dispirited) man.

The last scene of the afternoon.

In the studio set up as a loading and unloading site, at David Fincher's command, a dust machine kicked up some frosting, creating a sweet storm.

Wearing a coat and black knee-high boots, Charlize walked into the film set arm in arm with Martin, filling the air with a sweet atmosphere.

Charlize released Martin as if she were dancing ballet, spinning and spreading her arms, dancing in a storm of frosting.

The handsome and sunny male lead followed from behind.

Whether on camera or in the eyes of the cast and crew on set, the two seemed like a match made in heaven.

Frosting danced in the air, shimmering like snowflakes as it landed on Charlize's lips.

Martin walked up to Charlize, put his arm around her, and gently stroked her red lips: "You're sweet from head to toe, how could I resist kissing you?"

Charlize leaned against the wall and closed her eyes slightly.

Martin kissed her, just as he often did at Charlize's house.

The male and female protagonists confirmed their relationship.

In Martin's eyes, this is also one of the scenes that best reflects the theme of the film.

To paraphrase what he discussed with Charlize privately: "A bitch and a dog, a match made in heaven!"

The sweet kiss didn't last.

"Cut! That's a good take!" David Fincher yelled from behind the director's monitor. "Martin, Sally, you did a fantastic job. That's enough for today, wrap it up!"

Martin released Charlize's red lips, but did not leave, one hand still supporting himself against the wall.

Charlize's eyes were blazing with anger as she said, "I'm sweet from head to toe, how can you resist taking me away?"

Martin looked at the spilled frosting, reached out and caught some, then touched it to Charlize's red lips: "I want to make you sweeter."

Charlize tilted her head back, letting more frosting fall onto her face.

Half a minute later, Martin pulled Charlize up and left.

No one on set seemed surprised; it was commonplace on Hollywood film sets.

Martin left the studio, grabbed Charlize's hand, and started running, saying, "Shall we find somewhere secluded?"

"Are you crazy?" Charlize licked her sweet lips and said deliberately, "I'm single now, so I don't care if someone takes pictures of me. Are you sure?"

Martin didn't answer; instead, he opened the trailer door and pulled Charlize inside.

The next moment, all that I could smell and taste was a sweet, cloying aroma.

The trailer started to shake, and the real frosting storm began.

(End of this chapter)