Nestled to the north of Los Angeles, Universal Studios is renowned worldwide, attracting visitors year-round without distinct peak or off-seasons. Not only is it a theme park akin to Disneyland, but it also remains one of Hollywood's most significant filming locations.
Currently, Hollywood's grandest and most centralized studios are located in Burbank. Giant production houses like Disney and Warner Bros. own dedicated studio areas there. Apart from this, there's Universal Studios.
Here, there are over forty studios, along with a series of modern urban streets, Western-style townships, and outdoor filming locations nestled amidst rocky mountain terrain. These versatile facilities accommodate diverse filming needs, with films and TV shows like "Desperate Housewives", "War of the Worlds", and "Jaws" using this venue for shooting. Every day, film crews are busy here, and if one's lucky, encountering top-tier celebrities is just a matter of minutes.
Enthusiastic and devoted film enthusiasts come to Universal Studios, transcending the boundaries of reality and entering the world of movies. Especially when scenes vividly depicted on screens appear right before their eyes, the interplay between reality and fantasy is exhilarating.
"Good morning," Nathan greeted adeptly, then took the daily updated paper pass from the security guard's hand, placed it on the windshield, and entered the premises of Universal Studios.
Nathan gradually slowed the car down, adhering to Universal Studios' regulations. For the safety of visitors, vehicles entering the studio's interior must adhere to a speed limit. The engine's roar promptly quietened, replaced by bustling crowd noise. On the adjacent road, a passenger-packed tour bus cruised by, emanating a chorus of exuberant cheers and shouts.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! That's Simon Baker!"
One voice set off a chain reaction, with a series of shouts spiraling out of control. The full-hearted screams pierced the sky, turning the morning sun scorching and infusing the surroundings with vibrant energy.
Nathan couldn't help but follow the crowd's gaze. Even though this marked their eighth consecutive day at Universal Studios, to be honest, Nathan hadn't had a chance to witness other crews at work or even spot the rumored omnipresent actors. Now, hearing the shouts, he couldn't help but be curious.
Regrettably, due to the sheltering of a few large trees, he didn't catch sight of Simon. Simon's lead role in the TV series "The Mentalist" aired two years ago, claiming the title of Rookie of the Year that year. After airing two seasons, his popularity only soared. However, it was unclear whether the "The Mentalist" production team was stationed in Universal Studios' studios or if they were merely visiting for today's shoot.
Though he didn't see him, Nathan grew excited. It seemed that, indeed, other crews were currently filming at Universal Studios. More importantly, today marked the official start of filming for Renly. They would shoot his first scene after joining the cast, and this would be Nathan's first time witnessing Renly's performance. He was eager to see how it would unfold.
Seven days ago, Renly officially joined the cast of "Fast 5". On paper, Renly was the third lead, but it's important to note that the script wasn't altered specifically to give him more screen time. He was merely granted the status of the third lead in promotional positions.
If it were Tom Cruise, even as the third lead, the writers would surely have tweaked the script to give Tom more exposure. Even if Tom himself didn't ask for it, the production team would want to maximize his appeal and make the most of his third lead role. However, Renly wasn't Tom.
Therefore, during the first week, Renly had no filming tasks.
Entering the set in advance was simple: Renly was the last one confirmed to join, lagging far behind in the overall process compared to other actors. He had to catch up from scratch.
Firstly, Renly needed to establish his look—this involved everything from costumes to makeup to style. The overall appearance must be distinct from others while reflecting Renly's unique features. Even though this project wasn't like "Alice in Wonderland," where costumes played a pivotal role, styling was still indispensable to complementing the character.
Next, Renly had to quickly adapt to various equipment, including firearms, cars, and, most crucially, stunts. The "Fast 5" crew had halted filming midway through the initial stage, but data for leads like Paul Walker and Vin Diesel had already been collected. Now, it was Renly's turn.
Of course, there was also the work of an actor. Renly needed to adjust to the pacing of action films and familiarize himself with the shooting mode of large-scale commercial movies.
In contrast to "Buried" and "Like Crazy", which had followed a linear story progression during filming, with the director having a clear concept of the script's framework and direction, and the actors' performance rhythms following a recognizable pattern, commercial films weren't like that.
The shooting approach of "Fast 5" was closer to that of "The Pacific".
The entire crew was divided into two to three groups, or even more, each led by an assistant director, conducting different shoots. Work locations could be vastly different, even in adjacent studios. Some scenes required the actors' participation, while others didn't. The same actor might spend a whole week at one set, or switch between three sets in a single day for different content.
However, "The Pacific" had a mainly extensive cast, and fundamentally, the filming followed the story or character progression. On the other hand, "Fast 5" was organized around the use of locations. This made the actors' performances more fragmented and challenging to connect coherently.
It was due to this shooting method that performances in commercial films often fell into two categories: either shallow vase-like acting with no skill, or the monotony of the same routine. While it's true that commercial films don't require the same level of acting prowess, as audiences seek stimulation rather than a showcase of acting skills, this could easily reduce actors to assembly-line, formulaic commodities—commodities in every sense.
Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal in "The Hunger Games" series demonstrated captivating and nuanced acting that shone through, even if it was only briefly showcased. This is certainly praiseworthy.
For Renly, acting wasn't the problem itself. Delivering accurate performances at precise moments is the essence of expressive acting, something he could handle with ease. However, in the realm of live performances, actors always have ample time for preparation, whereas during commercial film shoots, directors don't provide actors the time to build emotions. Therefore, Renly needed to adapt to the vastly different shooting rhythm—observing on set, participating—this was a valuable learning process.
From "The Pacific" to "Buried", and then to "Like Crazy", Renly had been continuously exploring methods and depths of acting. This time, he had decided to let go of burdens and fully enjoy the pleasure of performing—more accurately, to convert the fantasies in his mind into reality and experience adventures he would otherwise never have.
The first week flew by for Renly, incredibly fulfilling. Today, he was about to have his first filming experience. For Nathan, this was an entirely new endeavor.
"Universal Studios is open this early?" Renly's languid voice, tinged with a faint nasal tone, came from the passenger seat.
This made Nathan quickly shift his gaze. It was only 8:15 AM, a rather early time. It seemed that Renly hadn't had enough sleep, as he had been sleeping throughout the journey. Apparently, the noise from the tourists had woken him up.
"Yes, the opening hours vary each day. Today, it's 8:00 AM," Nathan replied. He had done a lot of preparatory work to ensure the smooth progress of their work, including seemingly insignificant details like the opening and closing times of Universal Studios.
For example, the park's opening and closing times were different every day. Sometimes they opened at 8:00 AM, and other times they didn't until 10:00 AM. If someone was specifically visiting for tourism, it was better to check the timings in advance.
Renly pursed his lips in understanding but couldn't help but yawn. Today, the crew had notified a start time of 8:30 AM, and the first scene wasn't his. Yet, in order to get into the groove quickly, he arrived on set on time according to the rest of the crew's schedule.
He rubbed his eyes, gradually waking up.
In truth, Renly had never visited Universal Studios before. Having completed the filming of three projects by now, his curiosity about film sets had somewhat subsided, and the allure of Universal Studios naturally diminished as well. However, hearing the excited shouts of the tourists, he could empathize with their excitement.
Even though he had become an actor, deep inside, he was still a devoted film buff, an ardent lover of cinema.
The clamor of the tour bus receded as it moved in the opposite direction, getting farther away. Nathan then turned the steering wheel, heading in the direction of the studio rather than the theme park.
Most of the key scenes of "Fast 5" were set in Rio de Janeiro. The film started with a prison heist, where Dom and Brian became fugitives and had to flee to Rio de Janeiro. However, the crew planned to shoot all the outdoor scenes on location, while the indoor scenes without landmark backgrounds would be filmed in Los Angeles.
Compared to Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles offered more sophisticated shooting equipment and more professional crew members. Not only did work progress more smoothly, but it was also more cost-effective. More importantly, the complex web of official and criminal forces in Rio posed significant challenges. Filming there required meticulous planning, or else things could go south rapidly.
Even now, the filming permits for the Rio de Janeiro scenes hadn't been secured due to these reasons. This was even something major film studios like Universal Pictures couldn't avoid.
The car gradually slowed down as the studio came into view. However, Nathan looked outside the studio at the parking lot with a puzzled expression, then turned his gaze toward Renly with an incredulous look, full of confusion:
The entire parking lot was empty—there wasn't a single car.