America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 64, Section 65: Filming Training

On the plane, Eric was resting with his eyes closed.

Last night, Eric left Colossevini, who was lying on the floor with his eyes rolled back, and went to the coffee shop for their appointment.

Now he has a contract in his bag that means "Whale Rider" is no longer related to Niki Caro.

After signing the contract, the two casually tested the different depths and sizes in the coffee shop's restroom, and then walked out under the strange gaze of the waiter.

In this industry, such things happen all the time. After all, given the nature of the work, a special term has been coined: "film crew couples."

Because they often go out to film movies, if it's in a remote area with inconvenient transportation, a group of people can be isolated for several months at a time.

We're all adults, and we live in a materialistic world. A few days might be fine, but over time it's inevitable that we'll have to release our desires.

If you don't have time to find a partner or go home, and ordering takeout isn't safe, what do you do? Naturally, you hook up with someone from the same film crew.

Experienced couples separate after filming, ending their temporary relationship without bringing it up again. If they meet again in the future and are both interested, they might as well rekindle their romance.

Those who are inexperienced or easily swayed by emotions may find themselves falling in love while filming a movie, and often use the excuse that they can't get out of character.

But very few actors actually get too immersed in their roles; the vast majority are just driven by hormones and lust.

Eric and Nikki Caro are a perfect example. Eric is handsome and dashing, while Nikki Caro is just entering her thirties and is a woman with a certain charm.

The woman took the initiative, and the man went along with it. Whether they would cooperate again in the future is unclear. It was a fleeting affair, and then they parted ways.

As for Colisevini, he served me diligently for several days. Coincidentally, there was a female hacker in Transformers who partnered with James McAvoy, so I decided to cast her as a cameo.

Once we have a new project, we'll give her a suitable role.

However, the Sundance Film Festival is not over yet, and Closévini has to participate in promotional activities, so he will not be able to join the crew for a few more days.

In addition, Hasbro's stock price rose a bit today, which can be considered a blessing in disguise.

The release of the Bumblebee video has had a significant impact, raising fans' expectations for the movie several notches and reinforcing their belief that MGM is indeed capable of making a good Transformers film.

Many fans also left messages on MGM's official website, demanding that more Transformers videos be released.

Eric then gave the order to release a new film every two weeks until the movie was released. This method of generating buzz is still quite rare these days.

The third week box office results for "Saw" are out, showing a normal drop of 47% to $2120 million, bringing its North American box office total to $9670 million. Analysts predict that the final North American box office could reach around $1.2 million.

Meanwhile, it was also released in regions outside of several Asian countries, and its high reputation brought high box office returns. As of now, its overseas cumulative box office has reached US$5450 million, and its global cumulative box office has reached US$1.5 million.

According to analysts' predictions, the final global box office is expected to reach $2.2 million, which is quite a strong result for an R-rated horror film.

The Transformers film set, or more accurately, the training ground.

*Sizzle*

A pickup truck was driving recklessly on the road when suddenly a bend appeared ahead, and the pickup truck drifted and fishtailed around the bend.

boom!

The drift attempt failed, and the car crashed into the guardrail covered with anti-collision pads, causing it to overturn.

Upon seeing this, a group of people immediately rushed over, and assistant director Patty Jenkins quickly coordinated the rescue. Soon after, the vehicle was righted, and Gal Gadot, covered in dust, climbed out of the driver's seat.

"Gadot, are you alright?" Patty Jenkins asked anxiously.

"Cough cough."

After coughing a few times, Gal Gadot forced a smile: "I'm fine. Sorry for failing. Let's try again."

Patty Jenkins looked at her hand: "No, you're injured. Get it checked!"

After the crew doctor examined the wound, thankfully it wasn't serious; it was just a scratch. The seatbelt had played a significant role in preventing it.

At that moment, the crowd parted, and Eric walked in: "Gadot, treat your wound first and rest for a while."

"Eric, when did you arrive?" Gal Gadot's eyes lit up.

"Just arrived, and I didn't expect to see such a grand scene right away. It seems everyone has been training very hard."

Patty Jenkins suggested, "Gadot's scene is too dangerous. It's too difficult to perform such difficult vehicle maneuvers in a short amount of time. Maybe we should use a stunt double."

Before Eric could speak, Gal Gadot quickly refused, "No, it's just driving, I can definitely do it, believe me!"

This is a film set, everyone is watching. Everyone else is training hard, but Gal Gadot doesn't want to be special. You can do it with training, but you use a stunt double. What will everyone think of you?

Moreover, although she seems carefree and unconcerned with details, she has a strong personality and doesn't want others to gossip about Eric.

Eric naturally shared this view: having a good relationship doesn't mean you'll get preferential treatment; on the contrary, the standards will be stricter.

"Patty, this scene is crucial to the final battle. It's the best place to showcase the female lead's personality and abilities, so it must be filmed live; no stunt doubles allowed!"

The boss has spoken, and everyone else must obey. All they can do is increase the intensity of their training.

Upon learning of the boss's arrival, the rest of the crew also came to meet him.

Assistant director Neill Blomkamp led over a man in military uniform. The man looked to be in his forties, tall and imposing, exuding a tough aura, completely different from the rest of the crew.

Eric wasn't familiar with military ranks, but judging from the other person's intricately patterned shoulder insignia, he figured it wasn't Little Karami.

"Director, this is Lieutenant Colonel Freeman. The military has appointed him as our military advisor."

Eric reached out and shook hands with the other person, only to find that the skin was very rough, even giving him the feeling of holding tree bark.

"Hello Lieutenant Colonel Freeman, welcome to the Transformers cast."

Freeman smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Eric, I've been ordered to assist you in completing the film shoot."

"During this period, please inform me in advance of any areas where military cooperation is needed, and I will make the necessary arrangements."

"Thanks in advance. By the way, there are a few actors in the crew who need basic military training, at least to make them look like soldiers. I wonder if that's right?"

Before Eric could finish speaking, Lieutenant Colonel Freeman interrupted him: "Don't worry, I've already sent those young men to the nearest camp. According to the filming schedule, they have at least a month of training time."

"Within a month, even a weakling can be turned into a qualified soldier, of course, only on the screen."

"Then I'm relieved. I hope we get along well!"

(End of this chapter)