Hollywood Production - Chapter 27: Must Succeed

The white-painted editing room is unusually quiet. Duke leans forward, both hands on the desk, intently watching the two shots he just edited together on the monitor.

“Mike,” he said to the editor next to him, “change shot 178; try using shot 175.”

“This …” The experienced but little-known editor hesitated for a moment but still replaced the shots according to Duke’s instructions.

The scene replays, as Mike Dawson furrowed his brow and said, “This doesn’t follow the editing logic!”

The scene replayed the shot, as Mike Dawson frowned and said to Duke, “This doesn’t follow the editing logic!”

On the monitor, what’s playing is a scene of Jack driving a sports car to chase a bus. In the previous shot, Jack had just stepped on the gas pedal to speed up, and then the scene switched to the car’s first-person view. All that can be seen is a small part of the car’s hood and the road behind it receding like lightning.

The 178th lens just now is different. After Jack accelerates, it is a very traditional overtaking scene.

“Leave the 175th lens for eight seconds….. No, four seconds is enough; the remaining four seconds are in Jack’s face close-up and between the wheels to do a switch.”

Hearing Duke’s completely illogical editing requirements, Mike finally couldn’t help saying, “Editing is like a puzzle maze, and every picture switch should have its own logic. Your requirements are completely out of line!”

“Let’s break this logic!”

Standing up straight, Duke lightly waved his hand. “Mike, in a scene like this, the coherence of the action energy can completely replace logic! Don’t you think the first-person perspective of the chase scene is more immersive? The camera alternates between Jack’s serious face and the spinning wheels, which can highlight the urgency and danger of the event and bring more psychological stimulation to the audience!”

“I want to achieve this through fast editing and camera configuration,” said Duke, his face showing the same kind of fanaticism as before. “I want the audience to feel like they’re right there!”

“I have to admit that what you said makes sense.”

“I’ve been working on this all week, and we’ve got about 20 minutes of usable footage,” said Mike, downing the last of his coffee. “and even though I watch it every day, I can still feel the pressure. If I didn’t know the outcome, I would definitely be on edge. But…”

When the forty-something editor hesitated, Duke made a gesture of dismissal. “Just say it, Mike. We’re work partners.”

Mike barely managed to organize his words: “The feeling I got from these last thirty minutes is that this isn’t a movie, it’s a long music video or a commercial!”

“That’s right!”

Duke clapped his hands together, as if he had found a kindred spirit. “This is exactly the effect I wanted!”

“Think about it, Mike…” He said fervently, “The audience will be suffocated by the fast pace from the beginning of the film, until the end, gasping for breath! I want the movie to be composed of short shots that have never been used before!”

“But this can lead to the audience leaving because they are tired.”

The door of the editing room was pushed open, and Robin Grendel walked in.

“It’s true!” Duke raised a finger and said, “So we need to control the length of the film, and it’s better to limit the film to about 95 minutes!”

Duke’s first 20-minute cut was also seen more than once by Robin Grand, who nodded his head and said, “This is the style you want?”

“Dazzling footage, sharp editing, and explosive special effects” Duke walked back and forth a few steps, then said very seriously, “This is the effect I want!”

This is the safest way to make a successful film. Even though Hollywood films are leading the world, they are still slow in pace. Fast-paced, exciting and eye-catching films, even if the story and logic are obviously flawed, still guarantee sales.

Although films like this are sure to be spat at by professional critics, what does it matter?

—

Halfway through the afternoon, Duke left the studio and drove back to his home in Santa Monica, where he prepared his tuxedo and waited for his mother to return.

Christmas is coming soon, and it’s the busiest time of year for celebrities and socialites. Tonight, Duke is accompanying his mother to a party.

This is the Spielberg family’s Christmas thank-you party, which is being held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. When Duke came to the party with his mother, he looked around the vast banquet hall and saw that there were more than 20 oak tables scattered. There were many familiar faces from the big screen and some unfamiliar faces. Duke remembered the information he had collected. He could vaguely remember that they were all high-level executives of Hollywood companies.

Under the guidance of the waiter, Duke followed his mother and walked to the third row, counting from the left, and sat in the seat that had been arranged for them in advance.