King of Hollywood
Chapter 446 - 168 Simultaneous Shooting

Chapter 446: Chapter 168 Simultaneous Shooting

"Everyone ready, we’re starting the first test shoot," Adrian clapped his hands and shouted aloud as "Shakespeare in Love" officially began filming.

The story is quite simple—a variation of "Romeo and Juliet" supplemented by many small details, such as the female protagonist’s name, Viola, which comes from one of Shakespeare’s four great comedies, "Twelfth Night." This movie is loved by many for its surreal feeling of the author enacting his own works.

However, in Adrian’s view, the original movie fell short in this regard; it had not fully exploited this advantage. After all, this was a new style, and the producers could not be sure how many people would accept it, which was one of the reasons the script had been shelved. But Adrian knew exactly how popular this style was. Although "Shakespeare in Love" won the Oscar for Best Picture, partly or perhaps even mostly due to public relations efforts, this did not detract from its excellence.

So he was bolder in this respect, adding more details from Shakespeare’s plays, such as the beginning of the movie, where the theatre owner, finally able to open for business after a plague, had no good scripts and had to press the inspirationally drained Shakespeare, even resorting to threats.

"Damn it, you should know, William, you owe me a considerable sum of money!" the theatre owner roared loudly.

"Enough, Charlotte, look at yourself now, no different from a greedy Jew," Shakespeare said nonchalantly.

"Hell, pay up, or produce a script," the owner retorted angrily, knowing his threats were feigned, which did not hinder him from continuing the act, "Listen, if you delay further, I’ll appeal to the judge to cut a pound of flesh from your chest as repayment!"

"That’s great," Shakespeare replied with a cheeky grin, "Go ahead, Charlotte, I’d be very willing to do that."

"Hey, William, you’re not serious, are you?" someone nearby immediately asked.

"It’s fine, just a pound of flesh, neither more nor less, without shedding blood, otherwise, he could be sued for premeditated murder," Shakespeare stated languidly, instantly infuriating the theatre owner.

This snippet came from another of Shakespeare’s four great comedies: "The Merchant of Venice." Adrian even simply changed the theatre owner’s name to Charlotte. There were many more such segments, and of course, Adrian also carefully observed the boundaries, discussing the application of these segments with many British playwrights through Shawen’s connections to avoid going too far.

"Cut! What are you doing, Dan? Sleepwalking? I want you to play a somewhat cynical rake, endowed with talent but now in distress, and what are you looking like now? Calling you a rogue is a compliment! Or are you not playing Shakespeare but the Doctor?" Adrian rebuked unreservedly after stopping the scene.

For a moment, the set was silent, only his sharp tone resonating. Everyone dared not interrupt; they had worked with Adrian many times and knew his style well. Unlike many directors, he almost never scolded anyone, but once an unforgivable mistake was made, no matter how thick the person’s skin was, his sarcastic words could make them blush.

"Um... Mr. Director, actually, it’s my fault too..." after Adrian had been scoffing for several minutes, Geoffrey Rush, who acted alongside Dennis as the theatre owner, coughed lightly.

"It’s okay, Geoffrey, no need to plead for him, you did very well, far better than him, you honor your reputation," Adrian interrupted him, but eventually, he stopped his ridicule.

"I know you’re working hard, and you’ve done a lot of homework for this, Dan, but that’s no excuse for making mistakes over and over again. Now take a break, and if you make this kind of mistake again, then I’ll have to replace you," he finally said, with Dennis standing in place and listening meekly, bowing slightly at the end.

Although the words sounded harsh, Dennis knew that Adrian had no ill intentions, after all, he was discovered by him, and over the years he had come to understand his thoughts quite well.

Adrian actually didn’t want to start off so sharply, but the current situation was different from before. Actors needed to get into character in the shortest time possible for each take because—

"Geoff, you seem to be in good form, how about you come over there and give it a try?" After letting everyone else take a break, an emotionally adjusted Adrian asked Rush in a half-joking tone.

"I have no problem, but I don’t know about the makeup and costume designers," Rush spread his hands and jokingly said.

Several important roles in the movie had been recast, but some had not, such as Sir Weiser played by Colin Firth, the female protagonist’s personal maid played by Judi Dench, and Geoffrey Rush, who played the role of the theater owner and had just won the Best Actor at the 69th Oscars.

This British actor was no ordinary talent; he could easily portray any kind of character, whether it was a sleazy and shrewd minor role, a sinister and vicious villain, or a serious and earnest good guy. Of course, his role in "Shakespeare in Love" was not extensive, and Adrian’s ongoing invitation for his involvement was also for another movie.

"Alright, I’ve said enough; let’s get started." Not far from the set of "Shakespeare in Love," the shooting for another movie began, and that was "Elizabeth."

Adrian’s previous claim of shooting two movies at the same time was not just talk. He indeed wanted to challenge himself. It wasn’t particularly difficult for him, as the visuals were all in his head, and the years had honed his skills considerably. Moreover, he had been preparing since deciding to undertake the project, and he was quite confident of his mastery.

The biggest challenge was not to get the two movies mixed up in his head during filming. A primary reason for shooting simultaneously was the shared era, both set during the reign of Elizabeth I, albeit one during the early period and the other during the middle. From costumes to props to set design, everything was interchangeable. However, this also meant it would be easy to confuse the two during filming, leading to wastefulness.

Shooting two films at once was already somewhat wasteful. If Adrian was filming one, then the other inevitably had to stop production, leading to even greater costs for what was already a substantial budget. However, while this would be a major issue for other directors, for Adrian, switching thoughts without interfering with each other was a simple matter.

So as long as there was no confusion between the two crews, there would be no issues, and Adrian was confident about this. He had brought both teams to the United Kingdom, both having worked under his guidance for a considerable time. Even if problems could occur, as long as they remained within an acceptable range, the shooting schedule would not be affected. Therefore, the ultimate trouble lay in the actors’ readiness.

It was well known that Adrian’s filming process was fast. As long as the actors were in state, he could cut the shooting time of movies that would normally take two to three months by at least half. However, since he was always on a tight schedule, the savings were often poured into overtime costs, so his movie budgets didn’t decrease much compared to the originals.

This time, though shooting two films simultaneously required more time and naturally higher production costs, it was impossible to save much for overtime expenses. Additionally, there were many other matters to attend to along the way, so he had set the shooting period to four months. Even then, it required significant cooperation from the actors, who needed to maintain form for most of the time to achieve this goal, which explained why Dennis had received such stringent criticism before.

"Good, this take is passed." After rewinding and reviewing the scene, Adrian thought for a moment and then announced the end of the shoot.

This was a scene set inside Balmoral Palace, built under the advice of a British historian, at a time before Buckingham Palace existed, and it depicted a scene where Mary I becomes hysterical after suffering a miscarriage. If she died without an heir, her sister Elizabeth would succeed the throne—a troubling prospect for Mary I, a staunch Catholic who executed many Protestant subjects within her kingdom. Her sister Elizabeth, a Protestant and a heretic in Mary’s eyes, was undoubtedly the lesser of two evils.

The actors in these scenes did not have roles in "Shakespeare in Love," so the filming went quite smoothly. However, instead of continuing to finish those scenes, Adrian decided to rearrange the set to prepare for another shot.

"Geoff, are you ready?" Adrian called out to Rush, who was already dressed in elaborate costume and still being attended to by the costume designer.

"Please give me a few minutes," Rush said. Though he had played a variety of roles in films, in real life, he was a real gentleman.

After pacing back and forth on the set and taking several deep breaths, closing his eyes and brewing for a while, he finally broke free and nodded to Adrian. His demeanor suddenly became somewhat sinister and detached, a complete departure from the somewhat sleazy theater owner he had just been.

Geoffrey Rush had roles in both the original "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth," though his role in "Elizabeth" was more substantial. He portrayed Francis Walsingham, who historically was one of Elizabeth I’s important aides. He created a detailed spy network for her throughout Europe. Although it wasn’t omnipresent, there was hardly any movement on the European continent that escaped his notice. Whether he was her lover, though, no one knows; Elizabeth I, although known as the virgin queen, never married or bore children, but that didn’t mean she didn’t entertain many men.

Since Adrian had invited him to play a role in "Shakespeare in Love" while also shooting "Elizabeth," how could he not let him play this role? Actually, to be precise, Rush was first invited to portray Francis Walsingham in "Elizabeth," and then, considering "Shakespeare in Love" was shooting at the same time, the role was conveniently given to him.

At first, Rush was a bit hesitant about playing different roles in two films being shot simultaneously. Confident as he was, he worried it might be too much to handle. However, a personal call from Adrian had touched his heart.

"You know, I like to create miracles, and I have created many," he had said. "So why not try to see if I can create another one?"

The camera was quickly positioned outside a constructed window, surrounded by a swathe of green curtains that would be replaced by the beautified European cityscapes of the late Middle Ages in post-production. Certainly, those were beautified interpretations, just like the theater and market in "Shakespeare in Love." No one who read about living customs from the Middle Ages would actually want to live in that era.

Alright, back to the matter at hand. The scene in question depicted Elizabeth after her coronation, calling back the exiled Walsingham. But her enemies knew he was not easy to deal with and tried to bribe his servants to kill him. Walsingham, however, was well prepared and casually disposed of his bought servant.

"Very nice, excellent work, Geoffrey," Adrian was very satisfied with Rush’s performance.

"Thank you, but if we keep doing this, I’m still going to have issues," Rush said after a long exhale.

"Don’t worry, I’ll try to stagger the schedule," Adrian laughed, "It’s a pity that we now have to go back and finish up the rest of ’Shakespeare in Love.’"

"No problem, we’ll give it a try," Geoffrey shrugged.

They returned to the set of "Shakespeare in Love," where everyone seemed to have had enough rest. Dennis also seemed to have adjusted his state and eager to give it a try. However, Adrian didn’t proceed with the leftover scenes from before. Rush had just come from "Elizabeth," having expended a considerable amount of energy—of course, he needed some time to rest and adjust.

Although Dennis had prepared for a long time, the subsequent filming still NG’d five or six times because he couldn’t capture the right temperament. But Adrian said nothing; the previous threats to replace him seemed to have been left behind, and after each NG, he simply ordered another take. Dennis did not disappoint; after the seventh NG, he finally nailed the shot and passed all of the following ones in one go.

Applause broke out once the segment concluded. Adrian clapped his hands lightly, wearing an approving smile. Others followed suit, clapping loudly, with Geoffrey Rush among them. In the midst of the warm applause, Dennis bowed slightly and then visibly relaxed.

"Nicely done, but this is just the beginning. Keep it up," Adrian said, patting him on the shoulder as he approached.

Unlike Joseph Fiennes, who played the lead in the original, Dennis had never played a Shakespearean role. Well, that’s not entirely accurate; at least when he was starting out in Hollywood, he had acted in some plays, including Shakespeare’s "Macbeth," though he played the role of the King of Scotland’s guard, Duncan, and was killed off not long after his appearance.

But Dennis had something that others couldn’t compare with; his versatility was exceptionally high. Since "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," he had played around ten different roles. Although these characters shared similarities in some aspects, almost no one would think that he kept repeating certain expressions or actions in his performances.

Such versatility, coupled with a deep understanding of how precious opportunities can be, made Dennis very diligent. He learned things quickly. After finding out that he was going to star in "Shakespeare in Love," not only had he watched all of Shakespeare’s main plays, but he also frequently practiced with videos of stage plays or past movies adapted from Shakespeare’s plays. It was precisely because of this that Adrian let him play the role.

Moreover, this was one of the reasons Geoffrey Rush was invited to play roles in two films simultaneously. He was also a versatile actor, albeit not very appealing in appearance, and Dennis could learn a lot from him. Rush had roles in both films, and his part in "Elizabeth" was significantly larger than his role in "Shakespeare in Love," so the responsibility was comparatively greater. Without employing some special methods to pressure him to master the temperament people of that period should possess, the upcoming shooting would be quite troublesome.

"Alright, take a five-minute break and then continue; give it your all to finish the remaining part, and we can wrap up for today," Adrian said.

But while others could rest, he could not. He still had to discuss the specific arrangements for the next day with the assistant director and heads of various departments.

"Are you sure this will be okay, Shawen?" Adrian asked Shawen McDonald, Keira Knightley’s mother.

Screenwriters generally need to follow the film crew to facilitate script revisions by the director whenever necessary. Since Adrian initially entrusted the script to her, and she had done an excellent job connecting with numerous professional scriptwriters from the United Kingdom to contribute to the script, it was appropriate for her to hold this position.

"Yes, if you have any questions, I can consult them immediately," Shawen nodded.

"Very good," Adrian nodded back and then added, "And your husband as well."

"Thank you," Shawen said, her smile beaming.

Will Knightley might not be very famous, but he was essentially a rather outstanding actor. He had already proven this in "Braveheart," and giving him a supporting role in "Elizabeth" was no big deal because, after all...

"By the way, how is Keira doing? Did she like Nata’s gift? She seemed a bit upset when she came over this morning," Adrian suddenly asked.

"Um..." Shawen hesitated, "She seems... to have had a fight with Emma."

"A fight?" Adrian was slightly surprised, "Over something timely? Emma didn’t mention it to me."

"Sorry, you know, kids always have their own secrets," Shawen shrugged.

"That’s true..." Adrian nodded, wondering whether he should check on Keira, as the girl was quite sensitive.

Just then, Charlize stepped forward and reminded him, "Ed, it’s almost time to pick up from the airport." (To be continued. If you like this piece of work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket. Your support is my biggest motivation.)