America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 969 - 887 Kicked Out of the Crew_2
Chapter 969: Chapter 887 Kicked Out of the Crew_2
Chapter 969 -887 Kicked Out of the Crew_2
Louise led him away from the set, and the security supervisor who followed said, “Revoke Mr. Rogers’s temporary pass.”
Originally, she didn’t want to completely tear apart even the outermost façade with DC, but for the normal operation of the crew, she simply adopted the simplest and most effective method.
The security supervisor approached Rogers and extended his hand, “Sir, please give me your crew pass.”
Surrounded by brawny men, Rogers, not wishing to add more men to the mix, removed the badge from his chest and reminded Louise, “I represent DC Films and DC Comics. Treating a representative of the rights holders in this manner…”
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Louise directly interrupted him, “If there’s an issue, have Hamada call me. No need to say anything else.”
Rogers took off his temporary pass and handed it to the security supervisor, gave Louise a glance, and turned to walk out of the studio.
Louise instructed the security staff, “Remember this man, and make sure he doesn’t get close to the crew.”
The security supervisor responded, “Understood.”
Their salaries were paid by the crew, and they listened only to the crew’s orders.
As for DC, they had nothing to do with them.
Rogers went to the parking lot, got into a rented car, stared in the direction of the crew, calmed his emotions slightly, and dialed a Los Angeles number, “Tell the boss I was kicked out of the crew by Martin Davis and Louise Mel, and we will move to the second plan.”
The response came quickly, “Okay.”
Before arriving, Rogers had prepared several plans, knowing as a stirrer for the Warner Bros. Team, he might well get kicked out directly from the crew.
However, he hadn’t expected Martin and Louise to be so straightforward and brutal—to be kicked out on the first day without saying much.
Rogers hung up the phone, then called a friend who was an entertainment journalist, “Got time to chat? I have some explosive scoop, about Martin’s new film ‘Joker.'”
“Scoop? Sure!” The response came instantly, “Where are you? Lunch is on me.”
They agreed on a time and soon gathered at a restaurant in Manhattan, where Rogers faced the journalist’s recorder and made numerous attacks on the ‘Joker’ crew.
For example, how Martin ran the show autocratically, refused to accept the suggestions of the rights holders, and even expelled DC’s representative from the crew, acting like a fascist.
The Warner Bros. Team and their controlled team were full of geniuses, always managing to stun the film industry, and indeed the whole world.
…
At Brooklyn Studio, shooting was still proceeding normally.
More and more extras were joining the set, but the crew had an assistant director team of twelve, each with at least three films of on-site shooting experience, capable of helping Martin manage the vast set.
Martin controlled the set through the assistant team, while he needed to concentrate only on a few leading actors.
Today’s scene was very important, so before shooting, Martin had called assistant director Steve Downton, cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, editor Joel Negron, and supporting actor Robert De Niro for a meeting.
Martin glanced at the set and said, “Steve, is the trash in place?”
Downton replied, “It’s all been brought over. I need to wait until the lighting crew has finished setting up before we can bring the trash into the scene.”
Martin then said, “Keep the extras’ emotions in check, dissatisfied but not yet riotous. This is the beginning of a societal upheaval.”
Downton responded, “I’ve got the extras.”
Martin told Cronenweth, “Start with a wide-angle close-up of the street trash and the extras.”
Cronenweth responded, “Everything’s ready here.”
Martin called over a few more actors and said to everyone, “During the script reading, I mentioned that society’s cruelty created the ‘Joker,’ and the next scenes will directly display social turmoil.”
He pointed at the set and emphasized, “The garbage truck workers have been on strike for more than a month. They are demanding better pay and benefits. However, Gotham City government’s approach was to not compromise and declared a state of emergency, resulting in garbage piling up all over the city’s streets and corners, followed by the appearance of giant rats.”
The others nodded in agreement; this was closely related to societal realities. Similar incidents, once they occurred, were first addressed not by resolving the situation but rather the people involved.
“To prevent the situation from escalating, it is essential to divert attention,” Martin turned to Robert De Niro, “and there’s no better tool for that than the entertainment industry.”
Coming from a lower social stratum and having years of acting and field gathering experience, Robert De Niro immediately grasped the essence his role in this scene: “The talk show star I play needs to help Gotham’s elites divert attention by turning a public issue into entertainment, then the elites cleverly sidestep addressing the core issues under the pretext of distraction.”
Martin continued, “All of this is fueling social unrest, leading to the massive riot at the end, which deifies the Joker, elevating him onto a pedestal, becoming a symbol.”
The reasoning was straightforward: the film’s audience was mostly ordinary people, the real-world ‘poor,’ and naturally, their stance and emotional value align with the impoverished.
Anti-elitism is a common trope in Hollywood films. For instance, the authorities in Washington are a bunch of idiots, the CIA is always eliminating their own, and even the quarterbacks in high schools are brainless brutes.
Martin was well aware of whom his audience was, so it was essential for the Joker to stand with the impoverished.
This feedback in the film’s narrative was that Gotham’s elites created the image of the Joker, thus making the Joker a symbol, a concept widely accepted by the poor—as a symbol of the resistance movement!
As the wealth gap in North America widened and social conflicts sharpened, it became necessary to use various bogeymen to divert attention. The Joker was not only meeting the needs of Gotham’s poor but also served as an outlet for the emotions of regular people in reality.
Heaps of garbage were moved to the street set, and several upcoming scenes were set to be filmed with a “garbage dump” backdrop.
Martin also entered the set, and filming soon began.
The set immediately became chaotic, much like the outbreak of a Black Movement.
The filming did not go smoothly, often encountering various issues and occasionally facing challenging problems, Martin also needed to consult heads of departments to find solutions.
He had a solid trait—although he might not be an expert in all backstage industries, he never lacked decisiveness, always able to choose the optimal solution among various opinions.
This, too, was a kind of talent and ability.
There was always a gap between theory and practice; Martin’s control over these scenes also gradually shifted from unfamiliarity to familiarity.
However, repetitive filming brought substantial pressure to all the crew members and Martin himself.
By the weekend, Martin simply booked a famous club in Manhattan to help the crew relax.
By Monday when they returned to work, there was a noticeable improvement in the crew’s spirits, and filming went much smoother.
In this industry, many problems could be solved by money, especially regarding the enthusiasm and mental engagement of the staff.
Offering pie in the sky, the workers got sick of it after a few times.
Once the promised pie was converted into actual money, Martin didn’t need to motivate them; the entire crew’s enthusiasm would naturally surge.
During this period, the media was abound with rumors, such as Martin controlling the crew like a fascist, rudely expelling DC’s representatives from the set, repeatedly speculated by some entertainment media.
There were also news stories circulating in the gossip media that Martin the director was merely a figurehead and the real work was being done by others.
Martin and Louise were well-prepared. Apart from routine press conferences and interviews with the media by cast members like Robert De Niro, they also held two media open days, inviting proactive journalists and peers to enter the crew, meet the personnel, and observe the filming.
A series of actions reduced those false rumors significantly.
Some media even praised Martin, declaring him to be a potential future successful actor-turned-director following in the footsteps of Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner.
