On the set of house of cards, dozens of crew members were busy checking machines, debugging equipment, and setting up makeup and scenery.
Andrea and Neill Blomkamp patrolled back and forth; the two of them, especially the latter, had followed Eric for two shows.
They were already very familiar with their boss's filming style and knew exactly what each department should do.
Eric, meanwhile, looked at today's shooting schedule, which consisted entirely of indoor scenes, scattered across each episode.
As the saying goes, filming TV shows and movies depends entirely on which scenes are suitable to be shot together. Concentrating on one scene before moving on to another maximizes shooting time.
Saving time is equivalent to saving money and has nothing to do with the order of the episodes.
"Eric, how do I look?"
As he was looking down at the script, a woman's voice sounded in his ear. Without looking up, he knew it was Bar Refaeli.
After examining her, Eric nodded: "Not bad. This look makes you seem like a workplace rookie fresh out of college."
"No, your eyebrows are too light. Go have the makeup artist darken them. Have you studied Zoe's character?"
Refaeli nodded and confidently replied, "Of course. After I got the script, I've been analyzing it very carefully. Although Zoe is a rookie, she's very ambitious. She wants to achieve great things."
"She's a restless woman who wants to fly very high, which is why she fell into the trap of an old politician like Frank, becoming a tool for him to use."
"And she fancies herself smart, thinking she can outplay Frank, believing it's mutual exploitation. In reality, she just hasn't realized she's a pawn."
"Last time at home, I thought what you said was very interesting: Zoe is someone who is in the game but unaware of it, a political idiot who mistakes herself for a player when she's just a pawn."
Hearing this, Eric couldn't help but look at Refaeli with new respect. It seemed she had indeed seriously pondered the role, which was a good thing.
If she could maintain this diligent attitude, with her looks and figure, if Ashley and Maggie didn't want to film mean girls, Eric wouldn't mind giving her an important role, even the female lead.
Then, gradually transitioning from the small screen to the big screen, she could appear in MGM's big productions, slowly being cultivated into a first-class actress.
This was also the path Eric envisioned for Liu Yifei, and Bar Refaeli, being Caucasian, already had a significant advantage in skin tone.
Eric smiled: "Reading the script carefully is a good thing. Keep that attitude. So, do you understand why I told you to darken your eyebrows?"
"Uh, is it because I'm not pretty enough? Or not sexy enough?" Bar Refaeli tentatively asked.
At this moment, Robin Wright walked over. As the female lead of Forrest Gump, with twenty years in the industry and multiple award nominations, she was very experienced.
She directly pointed out the problem: "It's not about being sexy, but about character. A more sculpted, angular eyebrow shape better suits Zoe's ambitious career drive. Am I right, Director?"
Eric gave Robin Wright a thumbs up. This is why good productions prefer experienced actors; their experience can greatly reduce the need to repeatedly nitpick details, saving a lot of time.
"Hello, Bar Refaeli." Refaeli proactively extended her hand.
The two women shook hands: "I know you, Maggie from the walking dead. I watched the show."
"And me! the walking dead is one of the best TV series I've watched recently."
Not far away, the male lead, Kevin Spacey, appeared in a suit, his upright posture and slightly narrowed eyes exuding an aura.
Bar Refaeli immediately smiled. She also had a representative work now. Look, even an Oscar-winning actor knew her.
Eric stood up from behind the monitor and shook hands with Kevin Spacey.
After confirming his role, the two had only spoken on the phone once; today was their first official meeting.
"Hello, Kevin. Welcome to house of cards."
Kevin Spacey smiled slightly: "My pleasure. When I had only read a few pages of the script, I knew I had stumbled upon an excellent piece of writing."
"Frank is a complex character with an appealing dramatic quality. I told my agent then that I absolutely had to play him."
"I can say with great certainty that this is the best script I've encountered since American Beauty."
"For this, I even read the original novel of house of cards. Eric, I must say, your screenwriting ability truly impressed me!"
After being flattered by the Oscar-winning actor, Eric couldn't help but feel pleased and laughed. Look at this level of professionalism.
He didn't earn any less money, and his words were impeccable, giving both substance and face.
You ask why he didn't lower his salary if he wanted to act so much?
Nonsense, the salary amount is the agent's problem, not mine. My desire for the role and the agent's desire for the salary are two different concepts.
After chatting for a while, the group became more familiar. Neill Blomkamp walked over and said, "Director, we're ready. We can start filming."
Hearing this, Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright left to take their positions.
Eric looked at the time and loudly announced: "house of cards, Scene 22, action!"
The main content of this scene was Frank being undermined by the President, not getting the Secretary of State position, then disappearing for a day in anger before returning home dejected, and the subsequent conversation with his wife, Claire.
Due to her husband's failure, tens of millions of dollars in political donations were withdrawn, and Claire's clean water project was also put on hold.
The lighting technician adjusted the light source. On camera, Kevin Spacey pushed the door open and returned home.
He carried his briefcase, and after entering, his upright posture suddenly slumped, as if he had aged several years in an instant.
Outside, he was the Party Whip; he had to control his emotions. Even after being cheated out of the Secretary of State position, he had to maintain his demeanor and composure.
But at home, it was different. Only his wife, Claire, was there. He could show his true feelings, so fatigue and resentment suddenly appeared on his face.
Behind the monitor, Eric softly said, "Beautiful emotional control. Spacey precisely hit the dramatic point."
Assistant Director Andrea nodded in agreement.
Kevin Spacey showed a cautious demeanor, clearly not wanting to disturb his wife, but as he turned, he saw Claire sitting on the sofa, waiting for him.
In the shot, Robin Wright sat with her arms crossed, her two long, fair legs intertwined, her gaze containing scrutiny and coldness.
Then came the sharp, accusatory tone: "Francis, you didn't call. Nine hours, you didn't make a single call."
"Do you know we're going through something big? And you don't tell me the outcome. When have we ever avoided each other?"
Facing his wife's interrogation, Kevin Spacey's tone was soft, revealing a hint of timidity: "Sorry, I just wanted to find a solution first."
"Did you find one?"
"No."
Robin Wright's body suddenly leaned forward: "This affects me too. I'm not angry about the money, but we should face this together. If you don't tell me, we're finished."
Subsequently, the two began to converse, each line of dialogue was a one-take, without any stumbling, and their expressions, emotions, and actions were all perfectly in place.
Everyone present felt as if they were truly watching two political figures communicate, not two actors performing.
"Frank, you should be angry!"
"Yes, I'm absolutely furious."
"Then why can't I see it?"
"What do you want, Claire? For me to yell and scream like a twenty-year-old kid?"
"I want to see you react, Frank."
"Sorry, then I'm very sorry, Claire."
"No, I don't accept it."
"What do you want?"
Robin Wright stood up from the sofa and elegantly walked upstairs: "I don't accept your apology, because my husband never apologizes, not even to me!"
Then the camera pushed in, directly zooming onto Robin Wright's face for a close-up.
Her eyes were cold, as if devoid of emotion. She didn't want to comfort her depressed husband, and her words were not meant to motivate Frank to cheer up.
"Cut! Excellent! Perfect performance!"
Eric stood up and led the applause, and others also offered their claps.
A scene nearly five minutes long was completed by the two without a single mistake, demonstrating their excellent professional quality.
Eric placed this scene as the first to be filmed to set an example for the other actors, so they could gauge their own abilities and quickly work harder in private if needed.
Next to him, Bar Refaeli, deeply moved, couldn't help but widen her eyes.
At this moment, she suddenly felt immense pressure. the walking dead set seemed like child's play compared to this.
It's not that Rick, Daryl, or Daniel Wu's acting wasn't good; they were also excellent actors.
But excellence is graded. 80 points is excellent, and 99 points is also excellent, and the difference of those dozen points in between is the gap between Oscar winners and ordinary actors.
Thinking of the numerous scenes she had with Kevin Spacey, Bar Refaeli couldn't help but swallow, feeling deeply worried.
Although this scene wasn't long, it was an important prelude that established the characters' relationship.
Frank and Claire were nothing like typical spouses. Their relationship was more like closely connected business partners, steadfast political allies, comrades in the same trench.
This situation was more akin to the original form of marriage, a community of interests where they rise and fall together.
As for feelings, feelings were attached to the collaborative relationship, not existing independently.
If one were to make a comparison, it would probably be like Bill and Hillary Clinton in real life.
After a few words of praise, filming continued.
"house of cards, Scene 23, action!"
Most of the scenes filmed today focused on Frank and Claire, and their performances repeatedly impressed everyone.
The vast majority of scenes were completed in one take, with only occasional errors or minor imperfections.
After Eric pointed them out, the two could quickly correct them. Filming went very smoothly, progressing at an unexpectedly fast pace.
In just one day, 9 pages of the script were completed. If this continued, Eric could finish the show in less than a month.
Unfortunately, this was just a fantasy. The skill gap among actors was too wide; you couldn't expect everyone else to perform as brilliantly as those two.
"A pleasant day. See you tomorrow, Kevin. See you tomorrow, Robin."
Waving goodbye to a few people, the crew began to wrap up, and staff members gradually left work.
Eric discussed tomorrow's filming content with Andrea and Neil, then he also left.
Stepping out of the soundstage, other crews were also finishing up. Eric made a detour to the monster set. As for what he was thinking, it could only be understood, not explicitly stated.
"Eric, what are you looking at?"
Noticing Eric peeking around, Patty Jenkins suddenly appeared and asked.
"Nothing, just came to ask about the progress. How's monster coming along?"
"Very smoothly. I took your advice and changed some of the plot. Now it's truly dark to the core, with a lot of twisted content added. Passing censorship will be entirely up to you."
"Don't worry, if I say it can be released, it can be released. At worst, some conservative countries just won't get it. How much longer do you need to film?"
"We can wrap up tomorrow."
"It's finishing that quickly?" Eric was a bit surprised.
Patty shrugged: "I did solid preparatory work, so filming is naturally fast. There's still some budget left, you should thank me."
"Haha. You do have some of James Wan's style. Keep it up and you'll definitely become a director popular with all the big companies. How about this, to thank you for helping me save budget, I'll treat you all to dinner."
"Are you inviting me or Theron?" Patty asked teasingly.
"Of course I'm inviting Theron, you're just a bonus."
Patty Jenkins was momentarily speechless: "You're quite direct. But she's already left."
"She's gone? Then never mind, I'm leaving too."
Patty quickly grabbed Eric: "I've said a lot of good things about you lately, and I found out that Theron and her boyfriend had a fight. They're in a cold war."
"Why did they fight? Did they get physical? Was there hitting? Domestic violence?"
"Not hitting, just everyday life issues. Stuart Townsend is currently living at Theron's house."
"Some media say he's a little man clinging to Theron. Out of male pride, Townsend wants to buy another house."
"But with his income, Beverly Hills is out of the question, so he wants to buy one in Irvine."
"However, Theron thinks his idea is too childish and pointless. Moreover, Irvine is dozens of kilometers from Los Angeles, making work inconvenient."
"Theron doesn't want to live in Irvine, but Townsend insists on buying, so they had a big argument."
"The woman thinks the man is absurd, and the man thinks the woman doesn't respect him. Anyway, Theron said they had a really bad fight."
After Patty finished speaking, Eric burst out laughing. He hadn't even made a move yet, and the other party already had problems. It was a heaven-sent opportunity.
"I've given you the information. Whether you can seize the opportunity is up to you."
After thanking Patty, Eric walked out of the filming base.
As soon as he started the car, he saw Bar Refaeli tapping on the window.
Rolling down the window, Eric looked at her: "What's wrong, Refaeli?"
Refaeli smiled enchantingly: "Eric, do you have time? How about dinner together?"
"Is there something you need?"
"Hmm, after watching Kevin Spacey's performance today, I feel a lot of pressure, so I wanted to ask you for some private guidance."
As she spoke, she licked the corner of her mouth, the sexual innuendo very obvious.
Eric decisively refused: "Sorry, I have other things to do."
With that, he stepped on the gas and sped away. I'm going to pursue Theron, what are you!
Watching the speeding car and the black smoke sprayed on her skirt, Bar Refaeli felt her lungs were about to explode with anger.
She had finally waited for Gadot to leave, and she was in the same group as Eric.
She thought her chance had finally come. She forced herself to forget the previous humiliation, gathered her courage to seduce him, but he didn't even spare her a glance.
"Bastard! Idiot! Turtle son of a bitch!"
Angry curses echoed in the parking lot.