After a fierce battle scene, the crew temporarily entered a break. Duke reviewed the footage they had just filmed, sitting in the winter sunlight among the ruins, holding a steaming cup of coffee. The annoyance from the interrupted shooting earlier in the morning had completely vanished, and he was pleasantly chatting with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.
"Are we being a bit excessive?" Leonardo, with a youthful face still bearing signs of immaturity, asked, "Will such explosions have any negative effects?"
"Effects?" Duke seemed puzzled, with an expression as if they hadn't done anything wrong. "We're just filming according to schedule. We can't take a day off just because the plan changed, can we?"
"That's true."
Tom Hanks, who was perhaps the most affected earlier, fully agreed with Duke's words. "My schedule is tight too; I can't delay my scenes indefinitely. The Oscar nominations are coming up in a few days, and I need to return to North America."
"Should I congratulate you in advance?"
Upon hearing Duke's words, Tom Hanks shook his head. "You should congratulate yourself, Duke. You've already secured the title of last year's North American box office champion."
After entering 1995, the film "Independence Day," which was still being screened in nearly 200 North American theaters, had finally surpassed "Jurassic Park" with a North American box office total of $359.91 million after nearly six months of accumulated effort, creating the best box office performance in recent years. It comfortably surpassed the now off-screen "The Lion King" and "Forrest Gump," firmly securing the title of 1994's North American box office champion.
The global box office accumulated to $888.85 million, and although most overseas markets had finished screening, it was still earning money in some remote countries, aiming to challenge "Jurassic Park" for the all-time box office record.
These were indeed commendable achievements, and the main cast was willing to endure the demands of such a workaholic director because once "Saving Private Ryan" became a hit, they would all benefit.
The sound of dress shoes crunching on the rubble drew Duke's attention as Robin Grand approached.
"Something up?" Duke asked.
Unless there was something important, both production managers were like invisible men on the set.
"The crew from 'Braveheart' has come over," Robin Grand dodged a triangular piece of debris as he spoke. "They want to talk to you."
"Who's coming over?"
Not only Duke, but Tom Hanks also showed interest, as he had been directly affected earlier.
"It's not Mel Gibson."
Perhaps having spent time with Duke, Robin Grand could occasionally guess his mischievous thoughts. He shook his head. "It's Bruce Davis, an executive producer from 'Braveheart.'"
Upon hearing this, Duke lost interest. "Robin, let Charles meet him; I'm sure he'd be happy to. You all know where I stand on this."
"Our shooting schedule will not change."
After saying that, Robin Grand went to find Charles Rowan.
Sitting off to the side, Leonardo DiCaprio heard everything. The corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily; it seemed that the young director had quite a strong sense of retribution. With the change in plans, they would be filming the climactic battle scenes over the next few days, which would involve plenty of explosions. If the neighboring crew wouldn't be affected, he would rather believe that Duke Rosenberg was a good person.
He also got up and left, just returning to the actors' resting area when he heard shocking news from some well-informed people.
While the crew was filming the explosion scene, the horses used for filming next door were startled, causing chaos that not only wrecked the set but also resulted in several injuries. The most severely injured, Sean Connery, might have suffered a comminuted fracture in his right leg…
Looking back toward where he had come from, Leonardo saw the young director chatting and laughing with Tom Hanks, seemingly unconcerned about the incident next door. It appeared as if everything that had happened, including Sean Connery's injury, was merely an accident…
Is this Hollywood? Competition both inside and outside the rules is everywhere? To climb up, to be as successful as Duke Rosenberg and Tom Hanks, one cannot fear various competitions? One must step on their opponent's head?
The young Leonardo DiCaprio seemed to have gained a deeper understanding of this circle.
While Duke was gathering the cast and crew to continue filming, Charles Rowan met with Bruce Davis, who represented Mel Gibson.
"Sorry, Bruce," Charles Rowan said slowly. "In the morning, to avoid affecting the filming of 'Braveheart,' Director Rosenberg had to adjust the shooting schedule. The distance between our sets has been kept far enough apart to minimize mutual interference."
"The problem is, your filming has already affected us!" Bruce Davis said angrily. "The constant explosions you're creating have seriously impacted our shoot! Because of your explosions, our horses got spooked! Sean Connery fell off his horse and was seriously injured!"
"Are you saying…" Charles Rowan's expression turned serious, "that the 'Saving Private Ryan' crew should take responsibility for this?"
"Responsibility is an exaggeration," Bruce Davis replied, his tone not friendly. "But you have seriously affected Director Gibson; we should sit down and negotiate a shooting plan that both sides can accept."
"I had the same thought this morning," Charles Rowan said with a snort. Without waiting for a response, he continued, "You should know the media and fans have a nickname for Director Rosenberg. The scenes we will be filming over the next few weeks are all battle scenes, and much of the preparatory work is already in place. Adjusting the plan will definitely incur losses. Who will take responsibility for those losses?"
"You…"
Bruce Davis felt his anger rising. Clearly, they had been shooting dialogue scenes in the morning, and the battle scenes were a temporary change…
"We can only say sorry!"
Hearing Charles Rowan's rather cold response, Bruce Davis understood that this matter was unlikely to be resolved through negotiation. He bluntly stated, "We will lodge a complaint with the union regarding your actions!"
This veiled threat only fueled Charles Rowan's anger. He had been played by Mel Gibson in the morning and had a bellyful of frustration that had nowhere to go.
"Fine!" He glared at Bruce. "As a member of the Producers Alliance, since there's been a serious safety incident on set, I feel obligated to report this accurately to the actors' union!"
Sean Connery and the others' injuries were indeed related to "Saving Private Ryan," but legally, it was irrelevant. Moreover, this was Ireland, not North America!
Watching Bruce Davis leave begrudgingly, Charles Rowan felt much more at ease. The humiliation he suffered earlier in the morning had been returned within just half a day, thanks to Duke's few explosions—a perfect form of retaliation.
As for Sean Connery's broken leg, he didn't care at all. Even if the other side complained to the union, so what? Besides, behind "Saving Private Ryan" stood the three giants: Warner Bros., Walt Disney, and 20th Century Fox!
Charles had no intention of caring about how "Braveheart" would react next. Upon hearing the news of Sean Connery's leg injury, he was only slightly taken aback before continuing with the filming. Regardless of the other side's actions, he had already decided to finish filming the climactic battle before addressing anything else.
As for whether it would disrupt Mel Gibson's filming schedule, it was just like the other side's reaction after the negotiation with Charles Rowan—he didn't care at all!
Gunshots, cannon fire, explosions—this remained the theme of the set for over a week.
"Clear the area! Unauthorized personnel retreat to four hundred feet away!"
Looking up at the abandoned clock tower, Duke personally held the megaphone to issue commands. "John, adjust camera one to the left fifteen degrees and capture in medium shot! Ben, I want a wide-angle close-up! David, be careful to capture the tank!"
The crew was busy and tense, the props team was adjusting the modified tanks, and the fireworks team had already climbed up to the clock tower to set the demolition points. To blow up this half-collapsed building, they were using military-grade explosives again, which was also why Duke wanted unauthorized personnel to retreat as much as possible.
During the set construction, special filming positions had been reserved, and there were protective measures in place, so they didn't have to worry about flying debris posing a threat.
After nearly a month of cooperation, the team had found the best rhythm and state. Although the constant explosions did stress them out, those who had followed Duke for three continuous films had adapted to working in such a noisy environment. Even if they occasionally made minor mistakes, they could still generally complete their tasks with quality and quantity.
After receiving a notification from Joss Williams, Duke called for another clearance. Once confirming that all departments were ready, he signaled to start filming.
The German tank, modified from a Soviet T-34, slowly turned its gun barrel, aiming at the clock tower. A puff of smoke flashed, and the top of the abandoned clock tower exploded violently, debris flying into the sky. A significant portion of the tower collapsed and crashed down onto the rubble below, raising a cloud of dust and covering a large part of the set in a layer of gray.
Emerging from behind the main camera position, covered in dust, Duke ignored the wet towel his assistant brought him and walked directly to the director's monitor to check the footage they had just shot. The effects of this localized explosion were quite impressive.
"Here you go."
When he looked up from the monitor, Sofia Coppola handed him a steaming wet towel. Duke took it and wiped his face. Then she continued, "I just received a call from Nancy. Independence Day has been nominated for several awards."