Chapter 73

Warner Bros. felt that for the return of "The Matrix" to the United States, they should hold a new production launch event to capitalize on the momentum of the awards season and draw more attention to the film. However, Chen Tiandu rejected Warner Bros.' suggestion, not inviting or notifying any media, as he believed it was unnecessary.

He thought that no matter how good the promotion was, it couldn't retain popularity before the film was completed. It would be better to start the promotional efforts when the film was halfway through or nearly finished. This way, it wouldn't add psychological pressure to the main cast and crew, and it would also give him enough time to plan the publicity.

Since the scenes inside the spaceship required Chen Tiandu to shave his head, they started with the scenes inside the "Matrix," which were set in New York City. During this period, many people saw the massive spaceship props prepared by Matrix Digital Effects, as well as various uniquely designed mechanical octopuses and a vast arsenal of props, all of which were quite impressive.

However, this part of the filming still needed to wait. On the first day of resuming work, they were shooting a night scene—a chase in the rain, which was not part of the original plot. This scene required a combination of real locations and blue screen.

The number of scenes involving set construction, blue screens, models, and digital sky paintings was increasing. To meet the requirements of chroma keying, the actors needed to shoot in a blue screen studio. Without a real set, they had to rely on their imagination and ensure that their emotional and physical actions matched the scenes that would be composited later, which was undoubtedly a challenge for the actors' experience and acting skills.

The requirements for lighting and props were different from traditional shooting methods. The lighting crew had to design the studio lighting to match the background and environmental changes, including wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Some parts of the props would be hidden in blue cloth and needed to seamlessly integrate with the composited props during production.

The set and prop designers were not just required to create physical models but also to draw the required scenes and props in the computer for later compositing. After the preliminary work was completed, the post-production compositing was entirely done using computer technology, replacing traditional methods like matte painting and double exposure with specific functions of computer software.

Since the production coordinator had already announced the content to be shot today, Chen Tiandu was relaxed. He only gathered the main actors and gave them a brief introduction to their roles and some important points.

"Uncle Ba, check the wires again, clear the set, and be ready to start shooting in three minutes," Chen Tiandu shouted through a megaphone.

He then walked over to the cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, and said, "When Kate jumps from a height, focus on the moment her cloak flutters as she jumps and the upward shot when she lands. Make it sharp, do you understand?"

Emmanuel gave an OK sign.

Chen Tiandu nodded and then looked at Kate, who was making her final preparations. "Kate, how are you doing?"

"Wait, do I need to roll when I land?" Kate asked quickly.

"No, just bend your knees slightly. Be as cool as possible, remember, you're very cool."

"OK, I'm very cool." Kate took a deep breath, held her guns in both hands, and crouched on a high platform. Dressed in a black leather outfit with a cloak trailing on the ground and hanging in the air, she looked like a goddess of the night. Many young men couldn't take their eyes off her.

Chen Tiandu smiled and gave a signal.

The script supervisor immediately shouted, "First scene of the rain chase, action!"

In the rain at night, with lightning and thunder, the camera showed Kate with short hair, holding a gun in one hand and a telescope in the other, looking down at the pedestrians hurrying past the buildings. She had a wireless earpiece in her ear.

In the film's normal editing, the audience would see Kate monitoring the activity at an ATM on a street corner, where Neo, played by Chen Tiandu, was stealthily using hacking techniques to steal money from a bank card.

Trinity: "Is everything normal? I sense something unusual."

Observer: "My job doesn't need your interference."

Trinity: "That's true, but I just want to take charge."

"Are you falling for him, wanting to protect him?"

"Don't be ridiculous, my mission is to find him. Morpheus believes he is the One."

"You do, too, don't you?"

"My opinion doesn't matter."

"Do you mean you don't think so?"

"Static~~" A sudden noise made Kate uneasy. "Did you hear that? Can you guarantee this line hasn't been tampered with?" "Of course, what's wrong?"

The camera then shifted to show that the streets around the ATM were deserted, and a circle of police officers were already in ambush. The lights of several police cars were flashing in the dark without making a sound.

"Damn, there are a lot of police nearby, and there are Agents. He shouldn't have attracted their attention. The only explanation is that we've been bugged."

"Boom~~" A thunderclap. Just as the police were about to move, Kate suddenly jumped from the high building. Her cloak fluttered in the wind, and she landed steadily on the ground, then walked away, with no one around reacting.

"Cut." Chen Tiandu shouted.

From a distance, Emmanuel, who was operating the camera on a mechanical arm, waved his fist, indicating that he had captured the scene well. Chen Tiandu smiled, gave a thumbs up, then stood up and clapped his hands, saying, "Kate, that was great, one take. We're moving to the next location for the next scene."

"Is that it? This is a long shot. Don't you need to reshoot from different angles to capture the details?" A different voice came from behind. Chen Tiandu turned around and saw it was Spielberg.

"I think it's enough. More takes would just be a waste."

Spielberg looked at him seriously and said, "Okay, if you're confident." Perhaps this was the shooting method that Katzenberg had mentioned about Chen Tiandu. It was his first time seeing it, and it did seem a bit hasty, and people who didn't understand it might find it hard to accept.

Seeing that Spielberg had no other objections, Chen Tiandu nodded and turned to Yuan Heping, saying, "Uncle Ba, the next scene is the subway chase. It's not easy to find a subway segment for shooting, and we only have three hours. We must evacuate before dawn. Do the actors remember their moves?"

Yuan Heping nodded and said, "You're the director, just give your instructions. My team has trained them for several days. The moves are not very complex. I think it will be fine, we can start shooting anytime."

"Uncle Ba, you always make me feel reassured."

"Stop flattering me, it's better to give us more cigarettes."

Chen Tiandu laughed and said, "No smoking on set. How about I buy everyone a drink after we're done?"

He respected Yuan Heping greatly. Even on a global scale, he was one of the best action directors. And he was self-taught, honing his skills through practical experience in one film after another, which was even more commendable.

They moved to the outdoor location just as the subway was closing. Peck was already waiting there, and the crew quickly got into position.

The camera started again, with Chen Tiandu's scene.

He inserted a card with several metal pieces connected by wires into the ATM, then quickly typed on the keyboard. The ATM began to dispense green bills. Chen Tiandu looked around quickly, showing the demeanor of a criminal. At that moment, a line of green text appeared on his computer screen, "Neo, run, the police are coming."

"What?" Neo's face changed. He didn't know who had hacked his computer to warn him. But he couldn't think about it, quickly stuffed the money into his backpack, and slipped into the crowd.

Sirens suddenly blared, and several armed police officers ran toward Chen Tiandu, shouting. Neo was startled, looking bewildered, and made a comical face, "Just a few thousand dollars, no need to make such a fuss."

He then pushed through the stunned crowd and ran into the subway.

This was Chen Tiandu's version of Neo, a hacker with a more lively personality. Sometimes he was a bit unpredictable, and the audience would find him more relatable and in line with the image of trendy young people today.

After a series of chases, just as he was about to be caught, he met the stunning "Dual-Gun" Trinity in the subway station, who helped him escape into the subway. Several police officers followed them in, and then a series of intense gun battles ensued. Trinity performed incredible stunts, easily taking down the police officers while dodging bullets.

"Cool!" Chen Tiandu's Neo excitedly punched the air and jumped up, "Who are you, and why did you save me?"

"Trinity."

Neo was stunned, "The hacker Trinity? The one who paralyzed the IRS database?"

"That was a long time ago."

"Wow." Chen Tiandu slapped his forehead.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought you were a guy, I didn't expect... I didn't expect..." He looked at the dual-gun beauty in a black leather outfit with disbelief.

"That's a common mistake among your kind."

"Did you hack my computer just now? How did you do that? And how do you know my name?"

"I know a lot. I know everything about you. I know why you can't sleep, why you sleep alone, and whether you feel this world is a bit unreal. Now, I can only tell you one thing: your situation is very dangerous. I must warn you, they are watching you, Neo..." Just as he was speaking, the Agents arrived on the scene.

(PS: This is not a plot to pad the word count, and there's no such thing as "padding" in public chapters. Those who have seen the movie should know that the opening of this "hacker" plot is different from the original. Can you guess which movie's opening this is?)

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