Hollywood Production

Chapter 15: Hero and Heroine

The night was getting darker, and thick fog shrouded the seaside residential area. The salty moisture crept through the cracks in the windows, and slipped into the nose of the busy figure in the room.

"Achoo~"

After sneezing, Duke turned off the air conditioner, and looked at the drawing board in front of him again. He did some stretches and then picked up a pencil and drew a few simple lines that formed a pattern representing the male protagonist.

In just a few minutes, the image in his mind turned into a storyboard.

Many young directors in his past life prefer this split-shot painting method because it is concise and direct. In today's era, it can be regarded as a futuristic painting method.

Duke's artwork may be simple, but it is clear and allows him to communicate effectively with the crew in various departments.

Duke put the pages he had drawn into a file bag, his work was done for the time being. If he had any new ideas in the future, he could change it at any time.

After simply tidying up the desk, Duke walked out of his bedroom and knocked lightly on his mother's study door. As expected, there was a sound inviting him in.

"Mom..." Duke pushed open the door and walked in.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Mrs. Leah, who was sitting at the desk, took off her glasses and looked at him.

"It's late," he pointed to the clock on the wall. "You should go to bed."

"Sure, I will just finch this." she nod at file in front of her.

Seeing his mother nod, Duke finally said, "Good night."

"Good night."

Duke was in his room, trying to sleep, but he couldn't. He was thinking about all the preparations he had to do for "Speed". Even though the preliminary preparations had been going smoothly, he was still feeling a little bit of pressure because it was his first time.

When an opportunity doesn't present itself, he look forward to it; but when the opportunity comes, he is afraid of failing to grasp it.

This is a common problem for most people, and Duke is no exception, he is still a normal person.

This is a rare opportunity that cannot be missed. Duke is well aware of this fact. If he makes a mistake, he will not have another chance for a very long time.

Pressure can be transformed into motivation, which is easy to say, but not so easy to do.

Laughing at the famous sayings of those people who engaged in inspirational training, Duke finally fell into a deep sleep.

---

Perhaps a good night's sleep is the best way to relieve stress. After getting up in the morning, Duke's face was full of determination and confidence, as if no force in this world can defeat him.

After going for a run in the mourning, having breakfast made by his mother, and changing into formal clothes. Duke drove his Chevrolet to West Hollywood.

Today the crew is holding a second audition for the heroine, in which Duke has a certain say.

Duke and Robin Grande did not participate in the first leading actor and actress audition because Duke didn't care too much about whether Keanu Keeves, who accepted the audition invitation, passed or get brushed off. Duke believes that there are no actors in Hollywood who can't be replaced, even if that person was Meryl Streep.

As far as "Speed" is concerned, does it matter who the hero Jack is? For such a role, as long as you find a handsome white boy with a bit of toughness, who can pass the basic acting skills, it doesn't really make any difference.

Duke suggested that they cast Keanu Reeves in the role because he is popular now and his salary is low enough. He isn't as popular now as he will be in a few years and the role can definitely be done for under $500,000.

With most of the budget going into things like special effects and shooting, the total amount of money spent on actors' salaries is only $2 million, even Duke and Robin Grande have agreed to try and keep this expenditure below $10 million.

Even though this is the case, one-third of all cast and crew salaries will be paid only after the film is released in North America.

As for whether the film can be released in North America, these people, including Duke, are not worried. Lucasfilm is a top notch production company in the industry, finding distributors is easy.

Fox has already been in contact with George Lucas, there goal was to encourage him to restart of the Star Wars series, so signing a distribution contract is basically not a problem.

Of course, the specific release conditions will not be determined until 20th Century Fox has seen the samples.

---

When he arrived at the 'Speed' studio, Duke discovered that many of the actors who had auditioned came earlier than him, which is not surprising. Actors are the most competitive group in Hollywood. Nowadays, even well-known directors have only half the fame of an actor. An actor is the most glamorous job in Hollywood.

Most people who go to Hollywood to pursue their dreams want to actors, super star actor to be exact!

The crew has no clear preference for the heroine. This is Hollywood, and the news will definitely be picked up by people who are interested in it. These actresses who have played a few small roles but are not really famous will definitely not miss this opportunity.

Although the crew may not be widely recognized, it's important to remember that the film producer is Lucasfilm, which is George Lucas' company.

The actresses' competitive mentality is evident from the way they are standing apart and not talking to each other. They didn't even touch the water bottles the crew has procured for them.

Hollywood is a place where people will do anything to become famous. The competition between actresses is often intense and insidious.