Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

At 10:30 a.m., the Chicago crew gathered at the rented theater venue.

Today wasn't for filming but rather an internal meet-and-greet.

In fact, due to various props and sets still being made, actors wouldn't be joining the crew for another week.

This movie has three main actors, namely the two female leads, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Renée Zellweger is a comedy actress who delivered outstanding performances in the comedy films Me, Myself & Irene and Nurse Betty two years ago.

The other female lead, Catherine Zeta-Jones, starred in Traffic, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

Neither of them is a big star, and their pay isn't high. The budget for Chicago itself isn't large, or else they wouldn't have hired a group of relatively inexperienced crew members.

However, Miramax is a famous Hollywood company known for achieving big wins with small budgets. Many of their low-cost films have achieved impressive box office results.

So, the industry remains optimistic about this film. After all, musicals have a broad audience in America, and the show's long-standing reputation on Broadway is enough to ensure solid box office performance.

As for Richard Gere, there's an interesting backstory. The original choice for this role was John Travolta, the dancing mobster from Pulp Fiction.

But John Travolta turned Miramax down, saying he had played a similar role before and didn't want to repeat himself.

Thus, Richard Gere stepped in as the male lead. This wasn't the first time—this marked the fourth film where Richard Gere replaced John Travolta.

It has to be said that their acting styles have quite a bit of overlap.

Director Rob briefly introduced the actors to everyone before moving on to the day's agenda.

The props needed for the movie had already been prepared. Under the direction of Rob Marshall, the prop team had finished everything more than a month in advance.

What they needed to do now was plan camera angles and map out positions for cameras and lighting, ensuring a smooth filming process.

When Ethan joined the crew, Rob Marshall specifically introduced him to the other members as the assistant cinematographer.

"Dion, this is Ethan! His music videos are incredible," Rob said. Rob had shoulder-length dark brown hair and a square face, the quintessential white male look.

Dion, the principal cinematographer for Chicago, had short hair and was also a white male. In terms of experience and resume, Ethan actually surpassed him. Dion's only previous work was on the Italian drama film Heaven.

But there was no helping it. Dion was a Miramax cinematographer and was directly appointed by the company, so Ethan couldn't take his position.

Moreover, Ethan wasn't in a position to influence decisions here, unlike on the previous projects where circumstances were in his favor.

No matter. Films aren't made by one person alone. Ethan, as an assistant cinematographer, only needed to deliver exceptional work, and Rob was unlikely to overlook his contributions.

"Hello, Dion," Ethan extended his hand.

Dion nodded, giving him a perfunctory handshake. "Hello. Your job is straightforward—just help push the dolly and adjust the camera. You can handle that, right?"

Ethan hesitated for a second. "Of course."

"That's great. Saves me the trouble of teaching."

After that, Rob introduced Ethan to more crew members, including screenwriter Bill Condon, art director John Myhre, and costume designer Colleen Atwood.

After greeting everyone, Ethan joined the crew discussions.

Meanwhile, the MTV awards announced last night had sparked widespread discussion across America.

Naturally, Ethan became a target for criticism because he stole the spotlight at the ceremony.

He was nominated for five awards: Best Female Artist Video of the Year, Best Hip-Hop Video of the Year, Best Director, Viewer's Choice Award, and Video of the Year.

A critic named Dylan slammed the MTV awards, calling them tailor-made for Ethan and accusing them of losing fairness and integrity due to commercial interests.

Although not many shared his sentiment, those who did were vocal. They found various angles to argue that Sk8er Boi was inferior to Without Me.

However, publications like Nylon published counterarguments, listing comparisons that favored Ethan.

For example, music critic Tony wrote a scathing rebuttal in his column:

"First, I must say, the bar for music critics has dropped alarmingly! Any random person can now scribble nonsense for a magazine and claim authority just by throwing around phrases like 'most fans believe,' 'based on statistics,' or 'from my decades of experience.' What nonsense! What fans? What statistics? Experience? Don't use your outdated perspective to judge this work!"

"In terms of creativity, production, and essence, Sk8er Boi is undeniably superior to Without Me!"

"Creatively, while Without Me uses comic elements and satire, Ethan's work incorporates even more: stop-motion, grand visuals, fireworks, mist, and comics—all seamlessly integrated to create a dreamlike atmosphere. Anyone who denies this has no place as a music critic."

"Production-wise, Without Me suffers from poor color grading and sloppy green screen effects, lacking visual impact. Meanwhile, Ethan's use of comic elements, like the scene where the artwork seems to flow off the walls, is stunning. If you can't see this, get your eyes checked."

"Finally, the core message is obvious. Without Me is more of a satirical comedy with a superficial message about superiority, while Sk8er Boi feels like the Titanic of music videos—a tragic story under a dreamy, romantic facade."

"Everyone has regrets, and this music video tells a universal story, allowing us to dream and make amends through its narrative. Honestly, I still see flashes of its scenes in my mind, with me as the protagonist. Decades from now, Sk8er Boi will still be a classic and a model for all music video directors."

The article silenced most critics, with readers and fans flooding magazines with letters demanding Dylan stop his baseless attacks.

While a few die-hard detractors remained, the general public had made up their minds, clearly recognizing excellence.

And this was just the beginning for Sk8er Boi. Fans reignited their enthusiasm, propelling the song back into the Billboard Top 10 months after its initial release.

This incredible resurgence thrilled Avril's record label, whose executives quickly decided to have Ethan handle all future music videos for Avril, ensuring no interruptions in their collaboration.

Amid this, major record labels were flooding CAA with offers, leaving Ethan's agent, Carl, overwhelmed but delighted.

Every day, Carl called Ethan to update him on the new opportunities pouring in from famous artists.

However, Ethan had no time to entertain these offers, as preparations for Chicago had hit a roadblock.

On the fifth day of rehearsing camera angles and shooting empty frames, just before the actors were to join, Director Rob encountered a major issue.

In the film's opening scene, he had planned a long take following an actor through a nightclub to capture the glamorous, indulgent atmosphere.

But the location scout had made an error, and during test shots, they discovered that the nightclub set was too cramped for a large camera rig to navigate.

With extras filling the staircases and hallways to simulate the lively atmosphere, it would be impossible to execute the shot as envisioned.

If no solution was found, Rob would have to abandon the long take, which would significantly diminish the film's quality.

This shot was crucial to the film's appeal.

Rob, Dion, and art director John sat in the hallway, brainstorming solutions as cigarette butts piled up around them. Even as the day darkened, they couldn't find an answer.

Ethan didn't join their discussion because Rob hadn't asked for his input. For the past few days, Ethan had been busy with other crew matters, from lighting and makeup to props and art direction.

He had been scouting future collaborators within the crew, knowing that members of an Oscar-winning production, especially in art, props, and costume design, were some of the best in Hollywood.

The stage design team was particularly promising and worth networking with for future projects.

Ethan also identified several management issues within the Chicago crew, primarily stemming from Rob's leadership style. Rob wasn't adept at organization and left most decisions to individual departments, which explained the numerous continuity errors in the finished film.

After addressing these problems and establishing connections with key crew members, Ethan headed toward the nightclub set.

On the way, he ran into costume designer Colleen, who greeted him warmly. "Oh, darling, why don't you help the director figure out the camera setup? I think they're about to scratch their heads bald."

Over the past few days, Ethan had solved numerous issues for the crew. His extensive knowledge and innovative ideas made him seem less like a cinematographer and more like an all-encompassing director.

Colleen believed Ethan was more likely than Dion to come up with a viable solution.

"They're still stuck?" Ethan chuckled. "But I do have an idea."

"That's wonderful! Let me take you to them," Colleen exclaimed, dragging Ethan over to Rob.

....

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