When the filming of "Fury" was almost completed, the marching of the summer had quietly come to an end. Back when they had just started preparing for the film crew, it was just the beginning of summer. In the blink of an eye, the entire season had passed.
The golden and fruitful atmosphere had already driven away the slightly hot weather. In a wilderness somewhere in Australia, the film crew was setting up the shooting location for the scene.
Lyman sat behind the monitor, flipping through the storyboard script to see if there were any adjustments needed. It was best to determine the lighting and camera techniques for each shot in advance, so they could communicate with Thomas and others when the time came. And also the positioning of props and actors...
In short, all these shooting details had to be accounted for. They kept busy until half past nine in the morning when the set was roughly set up. The atmosphere on set was relaxed, even the department heads reporting to Lyman had smiles on their faces. Yes, as long as they finished the final few shots of the day, they could finally rest both physically and mentally. The tightly wound nerves of everyone could finally relax.
"Let's begin," he said to the script supervisor beside him.
"Scene 132, shot 1, take 1."
"Action!"
With the crisp sound of the clapperboard, the film crew immediately sprang into action.
"Sergeant" and Norman sat together, bloodstained. Both of them had an unusually calm expression, while their hearts beat violently, announcing their existence.
Restless and chaotic energy flowed, occasionally interrupted by shouts and commands of soldiers nearby. They were being searched, the two of them.
"Wardaddy" turned his head and glanced at Norman. The once naive young man had transformed into a qualified soldier. He tried hard to force a smile, but his face was too stiff, having lost the ability to smile long ago.
The Sergeant's awkward posture and gaze caught Norman's attention. Norman turned his head as well. A pair of eyes revealed a fierce determination, accompanied by the indelible bloodstains on his face, like a wolf feasting on its prey, remaining alert to the surroundings.
In the mere pause of a breath during their encounter, the footsteps outside grew increasingly urgent.
"They're coming," Norman said calmly.
He was no longer eloquent, but his mature demeanor was heart-wrenching.
Underneath his youthful appearance was an indifference to life and death, including that of the enemy, and even himself.
The sense of sharpness was like a tightly stretched string on a violin. One careless move and it would cut through the enemy's throat.
"Wardaddy" watched all of this, somewhat dazed. When did he become like this?
Was it the first time he killed an enemy? The first time he stepped onto the battlefield? The first time he witnessed the sacrifice of a comrade? Or perhaps it was all of them?
The footsteps outside drew closer, and the soldiers seemed to relish the feeling of playing cat and mouse. They could have scattered to search, but they remained concentrated in their search. Well, it was because they had already inflicted heavy casualties on the other side.
They were afraid.
The air carried a scent of blood that seemed like child's play, making it hard to imagine that this was the scene of a battle between two small squads. Fury had been destroyed, and "Bible" was the first to fall. Their squad was ordered to hold this position, but they didn't expect reinforcements to arrive from the rear.
Oh, it couldn't be considered reinforcements; it was just a squad composed of a bunch of youngsters. Germany had truly gone mad. They called on everyone, regardless of age or gender, to join the battle, and it seemed that they were really implementing this slogan.
Silence and chaos formed a stifling tension, roaring and stretching their bodies to tell everyone of the absurdity of war. Splatters of blood chilled the soul.
The small squad finally found them. But the soldier who discovered them first didn't shoot them; instead, he shouted with joy. Norman, annoyed by the noise, picked up his Colt.
"Bang." The sound of the gunshot was more pleasing than the cries of men.
The leading soldier of the small squad looked down on them from above, feeling extremely proud. He tried hard to demonstrate his authority, but with such a young figure, he looked like a joke.
"Wardaddy" had a gentle gaze, not taking this group of soldiers seriously at all. His limbs had been pierced by shrapnel from a sudden explosion, rendering him powerless.
Originally, he was supposed to die along with "Bible", but Norman's sudden display of power made the squad wary, allowing him to survive until now.
But that's how it is.
It's a pity for Norman, he's still young.
Life, it's truly unpredictable.
"Wardaddy" thought with a sense of melancholy, using his slightly mobile left hand to pull the hidden grenade from his waist.
Dream on if you think you can capture prisoners.
The captain of the small squad stood there foolishly, watching as the explosion went off.
It's over, everything's over...
Lyman called up the footage that had just been shot and watched it repeatedly. Satisfied with the result, he stood up and, facing the expectant eyes of the film crew, picked up a megaphone and shouted loudly, word by word, "I declare "Fury" completed. Let's wrap up boys!"
His powerful voice filled the air.
The temporary set erupted in cheers from everyone. Yes, it was over. His third work had also completed filming, and Lyman felt a lightness in his entire being. All the past events had finally come to a close.
"You've worked hard, Thomas," Lyman walked to the center of the set and said to Thomas, who was holding the camera.
"I haven't worked hard; I love this feeling. It seems like you're the exhausted one, with those dark circles under your eyes," Thomas hugged Lyman tightly. "I want to keep working with you, buddy."
Lyman was momentarily stunned, then patted Thomas on the back with his hand. "Of course, you'll always be a member of my team."
"Just...," Lyman let go of his hand and joked, "The work isn't over yet. There's still a lot of editing work in post-production. You're not thinking of running away, are you?"
Thomas laughed. "Yes, I know. I'm a true soldier; I won't run away on the battlefield."
"Like Norman?"
"Yes." Lyman smiled and patted Thomas's backside, playfully.
After greeting each member of the film crew warmly, Lyman went to the dressing room where the actors were removing their makeup.
"How's everyone doing? Still tired?"
Heath Ledger and Nicolas Cage were chatting, and when they saw Lyman approaching, they smiled and held his hand.
"What do you think?"
"I'm covered in dirt." As they spoke, their smiles grew.
"You did a great job," Lyman said.
Nicolas Cage recalled his performance just now and was momentarily immersed in the story.
Comradeship, it's truly wonderful.
The filming was over, and in an atmosphere of excitement, the film crew quickly tidied up the set. They organized the filming equipment, gathered scattered props, and tidied up...
They didn't finish until the sun moved to the west, approaching its highest point. The film crew had everything in order. They stored all the equipment and film used for shooting, boarded their respective business cars, and returned to a hotel they had booked in a small town in Australia.
"George," Lyman spoke up, "the film footage is temporarily stored in the film studio's warehouse... Oh, by the way, if you have the time, you can make a duplicate copy. It's good to have a backup in case of any accidents."
"Sure, I'll take care of it."
"Oh, is there any remaining production budget?"
"Yes, there's quite a bit left."
"Alright, use some of it to give bonuses to the members of the film crew based on their performance. Also, I want to organize a wrap party. Do you think we should do it here or wait until we get back?"
"Let's do it when we return. Everyone is tired, and they'll have more energy to celebrate after resting for a few days."
"You always consider everything thoroughly." Lyman looked at him sincerely. "Thank you."
"We don't need to be so polite with each other."
During dinner, Lyman made a special announcement. The film crew became even more excited, laughing and showing their support. In this way, after countless sweat, hard work, and a huge production cost, "Fury" was successfully completed.
Two days later, the "Fury" film crew boarded a flight back to Paris, France, with the finished film footage. Upon arrival at the airport, the film crew immediately disbanded, awaiting only the wrap party the following evening.
The set design team and the photography team, except for Thomas and a few staff members, bid their farewells and left first. Many of them lived in Paris, so there was no need for them to stay. If they wanted, they could even skip the wrap party.
As for the people like René, Thomas, and others who were familiar with Lyman, they had already agreed to rest in the hotel for a while, attend the wrap party, take a two-day break, and then regroup to complete the post-production work for "Fury".
Regarding the actors, Nicholas Cage, the first of the main cast, had returned to Hollywood in advance for some matters, but he said he would come back to attend the wrap party.
Heath Ledger and Jon Bernthal, on the other hand, didn't want to rush and planned to bid farewell after the wrap party.
The remaining group of people took a shuttle provided by EuropaCorp to the hotel where they would be staying. This was EuropaCorp's territory, so it was up to them to decide.
After arriving at the hotel, everyone took their luggage and got off the car. However, George and Lyman went to the headquarters of EuropaCorp. After meeting with Luc Besson, Lyman was very polite. The other party had helped him in the filming, and they had a cooperative relationship. With these two connections, their relationship had become closer.
"How was the filming? Was it tough?" Luc Besson asked.
"It was alright. It was exhausting at the time, but after wrapping up, I felt a bit uneasy," Lyman smiled, enjoying the labor of making movies.
"Haha," Luc Besson also laughed heartily. Then he continued, "I envy you. You're so young. I can't handle this anymore. Often, after completing a film, I'm physically and mentally exhausted."
"Is that so..."
After exchanging pleasantries, Lyman took the opportunity to bid farewell.
The post-production work for the film hadn't started yet, so there was no point in talking too much. Luc Besson understood and instructed the staff from EuropaCorp to escort Lyman back to the hotel.