Chapter 64

In order to create *Wasteland*, Catherine spared no expense.

She even adopted the bullet time technique.

Bullet time is a technique that gained prominence in the film *The Matrix*. The scene where Neo dodges bullets is particularly memorable and is a classic example of bullet time.

In the 21st century, bullet time has dedicated technology, but Catherine had to settle for a simpler method. She used a series of still cameras (not video cameras) arranged around the object to achieve this effect. These cameras were triggered in sequence. By combining each frame captured by the cameras, a rotational view of a static object could be created, and Catherine sometimes used this technique to achieve super slow-motion effects.

This technique actually existed as early as the 1950s and was used in *The Wild Bunch*. Its slow-motion shots had a profound impact. However, no one had yet discovered the true beauty of the technique—bullet time, which is the essence of it.

Such a technique also required a substantial amount of funding. Catherine truly spent money like water to achieve this effect.

The first use of this technique in the film was when Sean Connery shot a deathclaw in the wilderness. This scene appeared multiple times afterward.

Catherine put a lot of thought into the deathclaw. The "headshot" deathclaw was not an actor but a model container filled with pork, pig brains, and blood. This way, when the bullet was fired and the scene was captured, it looked incredibly realistic.

The influence of the *Hays Code* was gradually waning, and by 1962, their reviews were becoming more lenient. Catherine no longer had to worry about it.

Sean Connery was the lead actor.

In the film, he played a mysterious wasteland ranger, hovering between light and darkness. Catherine required Sean Connery to maintain a "profound" expression to fully embody the character's aura.

Freeman, on the other hand, played a naive young man who had just escaped from a vault and knew nothing about the outside world. He was kind-hearted but in the wasteland, he was the type who would count the money for the person who sold him.

Three people with different backgrounds came together.

Catherine was trying to incorporate elements of future American blockbusters into the film. Art house films were still popular in this era, and Catherine also wanted to give the film some depth.

Of course, if this era didn't need depth, Catherine would have abandoned it without hesitation. After all, she didn't want to waste $20 million; at the very least, she wanted to break even.

Catherine was fully devoted to her directorial work, and her performance amazed everyone on set.

When filming, she didn't act like a minor girl at all. Her astonishing directorial skills shocked everyone.

Although Catherine had only studied directing as a second major, it was just for fun. Without this life's efforts, it wouldn't have been possible. In the first 12 years of her life, Catherine was accumulating experience. Accumulating and then bursting forth—this was the right path.

In the film, there were also many zombies, humans who had mutated after the nuclear war. They were a completely different species from humans, and those who had been heavily irradiated and infected by a special virus would also become zombies.

To ensure smooth performances, Catherine made the extras wake up at five every morning and spend three hours on makeup.

The film begins with Connery hunting in the wilderness.

At this moment, he discovers Bruce Lee, who is being attacked by bandits. Bruce Lee's power armor is already broken, and he has lost his memory due to a blow to the back of his head. However, his combat instincts remain, and he quickly uses an emergency release to disassemble the armor and engage the bandits in hand-to-hand combat.

Bruce Lee kicks several extras several meters away, making them eat dirt. This visual effect was impressive, but it wasn't lethal—had someone been kicked with full force by Bruce Lee without retreating or dissipating the force, they would likely have been severely injured or killed.

At this moment, a bandit suddenly pulls out a gun, and Connery takes him out.

This is the beginning of the film.

Next, the two arrive at a town where Freeman is being swindled by a group of people.

The outdoor scenes involved a lot of wilderness survival knowledge and items that would only be used in an apocalypse, which was also a selling point of the film.

Although the outdoor shooting had some bumps, the completion time was better than Su Li's expectations. During the filming, Freeman kept learning, and fortunately, his character was a naive young man. Although still somewhat stiff, he was a different person compared to when he first joined.

After meeting Freeman, Connery helps him, solving his problem. The three of them then come together.

Next, Bruce Lee wants to repair his armor, but it's high-tech and requires a lot of money.

So he decides to accept the town's employment to find a water purifier chip to drive the broken water purifier in the village, with a generous reward.

In the future of *Wasteland*, external water sources are heavily irradiated and cannot be consumed directly.

Because of the generous reward, Connery and Freeman, who wants to repay the favor, also accept the mission.

They eventually reunite in the expedition team searching for the water purifier chip.

According to intelligence, there is such a chip in an abandoned vault, so the team decides to go there.

After a series of twists and turns, the chip is found, but the team starts to fight among themselves!

Everyone wants to keep the chip to get the generous reward.

At this moment, a super deathclaw bursts in, and in the end, only the three main characters survive.

At this point, Bruce Lee regains his memory and decides to find the Brotherhood, but this place is in California, and Bruce Lee is a member of the Eastern Brotherhood, so he faces discrimination everywhere.

In California, there is also the New California Republic (NCR).

The main storyline follows Connery's adventures, while the underlying plot revolves around the power struggles between the Brotherhood, NCR, and various organizations. Only the discerning audience would notice these details.

In the end, after experiencing various events, the three come together again. Bruce Lee decides to return to the East, Freeman decides to stay and improve the area, and Connery smokes a cigarette and says goodbye to them.

At this moment, Freeman asks Connery who he really is.

Connery doesn't turn back and leaves with the words, "A-man."

This means "a person" or "a man" and can also be interpreted as "human." It also has a vague phonetic connection to the Christian "Amen." Here, Catherine deliberately left out the subtitle, giving the audience something to ponder.

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