[Chapter 479: A Little Mishap]
Once they started working, the time flew by in a flash.
The residents of Lihue, the largest city on Kauai, had already seen hundreds of Jurassic Park crew members heading to the island's canyon every morning for over a week, as if they were heading to an ordinary job. News about Jurassic Park beginning production had long appeared in the media. As a highly anticipated film, people were curious about how Eric would "revive" the dinosaurs from ancient times.
Of course, where there was demand, there were people willing to work. In addition to the Jurassic Park crew, paparazzi from around the world had flocked to the island, going to great lengths to uncover the crew's secrets. To prevent any filming information from leaking, the team had to implement very strict security measures, especially concerning the dinosaur models. If images or information about these models leaked before the film's premiere, it would spell disaster for Jurassic Park. After all, the film's selling point was the lifelike dinosaurs. If audiences saw the dinosaurs on screen but were reminded of a magazine's leaked images, their viewing experience would surely suffer.
As a result, even the crew members could not view the dinosaur models all the time. These props only made appearances on set when specific scenes were being filmed. Once filming was done, they were quickly transported to a heavily guarded warehouse.
When the main group started filming on Kauai, the actors portraying Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler were still in California, capturing archaeological scenes in Red Rock Canyon National Park. The actor playing John Hammond's lawyer was shooting scenes in the Dominican Republic. Only a few child actors and some supporting cast were present on set. Jurassic Park employed a multi-narrative structure, so this did not impact the crew's operation at all, and Eric took the opportunity to film some secondary shots and bond with the crew.
...
A week later, when the lead actors arrived on Kauai, Eric had already completed the scene where workers experienced an accident while transporting a velociraptor, along with most of the shots featuring the chubby software engineer, Dennis.
Inside the dinosaur base built in the canyon, Eric observed a frightened bull that was kicking and thrashing wildly while several nearby crew members seemed helpless as they surrounded it. He turned to the assistant director in charge of props, saying, "Roy, what's going on? Didn't you say there wouldn't be a problem?"
Roy, who had no interest in the onlookers, grimaced and replied, "Eric, this bull is usually very gentle; even though it's a bull, it's been castrated, so a few whips shouldn't cause a problem. I think it... it's afraid of heights."
Roy pointed toward a nearby crane, as they were currently shooting a scene where a live bull was to be lifted into the velociraptor's "nest." However, the usually calm bull started to struggle violently once it was hoisted, shaking the crane's mechanical arm due to its strong thrashing. Even if the shot managed to be filmed, it wouldn't be usable. Eric had to immediately instruct the operator to lower the bull, but after it hit the ground, the agitated bull continued to run wildly, dragging the wire it was tangled in, nearly injuring someone.
While the two spoke, a crew member with a tranquilizer gun appeared at the edge of the set. After receiving a signal, he shot the rampaging bull, and other crew members rushed in to drag it away.
Eric rubbed his forehead in frustration. Animal actors were indeed a challenge for any crew; he was glad the dinosaur props were not live. "Roy, I don't care what methods you use. Tomorrow, or at the latest, the day after, I need you to find me a bull... that isn't afraid of heights."
Even though this simple feeding shot only appeared in the movie for a few seconds, it had already taken more than two hours of preparation, and the outcome was far from satisfactory. Roy could see Eric's irritation and didn't dare argue, simply nodding in agreement. Eric took the megaphone from his assistant, saying, "Okay, let's skip this shot. We'll shoot the next scene directly. Nicole, get the cameras ready, and everyone else, let's move!"
At the sound of the director's roar, everyone who had been reminiscing about the earlier mishap quickly snapped back to reality, heading to their stations as Eric grabbed the script and approached the main actors.
...
"I truly apologize; it seems we need to shoot the dialogue scene next. You all should be fine with that, right?" Eric asked as he reached Sam Neill and the others.
Sam Neill, Helen Hunt, and the rest smiled as they gathered around, nodding in agreement.
Eric did not participate in the actors' rehearsal of lines; he only needed to see the final result. Seeing everyone nod, he added, "Next up is a group scene. All five of you will be in the shot. To help you get into character, we'll play the corresponding dinosaur sound effects. I hope you all can embody the emotions of your roles."
Despite the minor mishap caused by the temperamental bull, even the best crews could occasionally experience small accidents, so everyone was unfazed. After skipping the feeding shot, Nicole Frank, the cinematographer, quickly arranged everyone for the next setup.
"Camera, okay!"
"Lights, okay!"
"Sound, okay!"
"..."
After a while, Eric heard various responses from the group heads through the intercom and announced that they would continue filming.
...
This was a scene showing the five adult lead actors after witnessing the velociraptors being fed. Though it hadn't been long since Dr. Grant and his team saw the dinosaurs come back to life, everyone's emotions were quite different.
As a paleontologist, Dr. Grant was still in a state of excitement, frequently asking John Hammond and game warden Robert Muldoon various questions, displaying a strong thirst for knowledge. Conversely, Ellie Sattler appeared slightly disturbed after witnessing the feeding process, her initial enthusiasm dampened. Mathematician Ian Malcolm had shown concern ever since the dinosaurs were revived; watching the velociraptor feed only intensified his unease. John Hammond, on the other hand, was feeling quite smug as he observed everyone's reactions, while lawyer Donald was busy contemplating how to commercialize Jurassic Park.
Although everyone had different thoughts, perfectly portraying these emotions was no easy task. However, since audiences tended to focus on the person speaking, Eric concentrated on the speaker's performance. If their delivery was flawless and others were at least above standard, the shot would pass.
Nonetheless, the few minutes of dialogue consumed more than an hour of the morning's remaining time.
...
After lunch, taking advantage of the actors' good moods, the crew immediately moved to another scene.
"Keep an eye on Roy's progress. If he finds a suitable bull tomorrow, arrange to reshoot the earlier shot. If not, we'll continue as planned. Also, monitor the recent weather conditions, ready to set up for a rainy chase scene. I don't want to face any issues if it rains and we haven't prepared..."
After a day's work, Eric, holding a bottle of water, quickly walked alongside the director's assistant, managing various directives.
They strolled to a jeep, where the driver opened the door for Eric. He finished his water before tossing the empty bottle into a nearby trash can and climbed into the vehicle.
...
In the back seat, sitting across from him, Allen had already opened a folder across his lap.
On set, Eric was a director; however, once filming wrapped, he often had to switch to another identity.
The jeep rolled smoothly along the road as Allen got straight to work without any idle chatter.
"The budgets for the new seasons of Friends, The X-Files, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire have been completed. There are also release budgets for several Firefly Films and Disney projects in the latter half of the year. These documents need your attention and signature ASAP."
Eric nodded.
"Paris Disneyland is set to open on September 10, and they'd like you to attend the opening ceremony personally; they've already sent an invitation."
"September 10? What kind of date is that?" Eric asked, puzzled.
Allen explained, "Disney had some objections; September 10 falls right after summer vacation and is typically a tourist low season. However, the French partners organized it this way, as there's a lot of pushback from across Europe regarding the Paris Disneyland opening. This date is likely chosen due to public pressure."
Eric lightly scratched his thigh with his finger. Filming Jurassic Park would take at least ten weeks - if all went smoothly, he might indeed be able to make it to Paris by September 10.
"Well, I'll play it by ear. If I can attend, I'll go; if not, I won't."
Allen quickly jotted down a few words in his notepad before continuing, "There's one more thing about The Mask: Fox is handling overseas distribution, and this film has only been released in seven European countries so far. It doesn't yet include the five major markets of England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. However, its total box office has now exceeded $40 million. The marketing department provided a report projecting its overseas box office could surpass $200 million, nearly double the domestic earnings."
As Allen reached this point, he glanced at Eric, who didn't need to say more; this clearly communicated the management's intentions.
Eric shook his head and chuckled, "Firefly handles domestic distribution while Fox handles overseas - that's what Liz and I agreed upon when we established the company. They need to drop that idea. Besides, The Mask is just an anomaly; this kind of locally flavored comedy usually performs poorly overseas."
Allen opened his mouth but said nothing, quickly noting that down. He then continued, "Also, Mr. Martin Davis is coming on the 15th."
"That day isn't a holiday, is it?"
"I informed him of that, but Mr. Davis insisted."
"Let him do what he wants," Eric replied indifferently.
Flipping through the files, Allen added, "One more thing about Speed: about a week ago, there was an accident on set during filming. Fortunately, it didn't lead to any severe consequences; only three people suffered various degrees of injuries, and the worst case requires a month's recovery. Originally, this incident would have blown over once clarified by the crew, but three days ago, a publication called Hollywood Daily published a follow-up report that pointed a finger at you."
"Me?" Eric lifted his body slightly in surprise.
Allen extracted a newspaper from the folder and handed it to Eric, saying, "Here, take a look."
Eric took it and quickly skimmed through the article that Allen had marked with a red pen. The report sensationalized the accident on the Speed set, suggesting it was Eric's fault for setting up an overly dangerous storyline that led to the incident. At the end, the piece even urged Los Angeles and industry associations to pay attention to this matter and called for a halt to the Speed production until appropriate safety investigations were conducted.
"What was the outcome?" Eric asked, his voice low after reading the article. Since the report was three days old, he knew there must have been follow-ups if it had been handed to him.
"After this report, a few other newspapers also picked it up. However, recognizing the unusual nature of this incident, the PR department quickly intervened, and it has calmed down since."
Eric gently rubbed his forehead. He didn't need to think hard; he knew someone was getting anxious and trying to make small moves. The success of Twister clearly had triggered something in those people. After all, if they were only looking for a little publicity, they wouldn't have pointed a finger at him.
"Did you find out more information?" Although Allen hadn't said it, Eric was already aware of the implications, yet he still probed for more details.
Allen shook his head, "No, but Hollywood Daily is owned by Condé Nast of Newhouse Sr.."
Eric recalled some details about Newhouse and said, "Send a letter to Condé Nast's head in my name. My demands aren't unreasonable. I want the editor of Hollywood Daily and the journalist who wrote that article to be dismissed. I don't care who's pulling strings behind the scenes. Since they're willing to take the loot and make themselves the scapegoats, they should be prepared to face the consequences. This also serves as a warning to others thinking of doing the same. If Newhouse refuses, instruct Firefly to halt all advertising spending with their publications until they comply."
Condé Nast didn't just own the famous Vanity Fair; they managed dozens of newspapers and magazines, most of which thrived on their advertising revenue. Eric was confident that Newhouse wouldn't jeopardize their business relations with Firefly over one editor.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.