Chapter 258 257. Sniping Begins

On the set of "Inception", there was a clattering sound as several mahjong tables were being played.

Since bringing the board game cards last time, Eric has been bold and daring, and soon brought mahjong to the set again.

What surprised him was that there were quite a few enthusiasts among these people, and among them, Nicole was a very skilled mahjong player.

Everyone was playing mahjong while filming. Fortunately, they were all highly professional and could get into work mode immediately once filming started.

Originally it was just a fight between a few enthusiasts, but after a few days the entire set's break time was filled with the crackling sound.

Charlize Theron, Daniel Bruhl and Tom Hardy have all joined the mahjong army.

When it comes to mahjong, watching others play it makes you itchy, and since the director is personally participating, of course you have to join in.

"Ninety thousand!" Eric picked up a bill and threw it away.

"Win!" Charlize Theron immediately pushed down the long dragon excitedly, and it turned out to be Win 90,000.

"Wait, I got it too!" Nicole shouted excitedly.

Then the two women happily high-fived: "Yes!"

"What? Ninety thousand can hit two targets at once!" Eric looked at them speechlessly.

"Uh, director, actually it was one shot and three hits, so I won too!" Neil raised his hand weakly.

Eric glared at him, showing no sense at all. He didn't know how to shoot a cannon, but he dared to take the loss! Neil laughed dryly, thinking that for my movie, I'll take the loss! You can't deny it in front of everyone.

The script supervisor wrote down the results: "Neil's next film will receive an additional $1 million in investment, and Nicole and Charlize Theron will receive priority casting rights for Eric's next film."

"It's my turn, it's my turn!" Watanabe Ken rubbed his hands, eager to try.

Neil patted his shoulder and consoled him, "Mr. Watanabe, if you keep losing, you will have to supply all the fruit snacks for the entire crew until the film is finished."

Watanabe Ken's face turned dark. He couldn't understand why his luck was so bad. Others had wins and losses, but he kept losing.

The more he lost, the more he wanted to win a game, but mahjong seemed to be naturally against his luck.

He didn't win a single hand, and even though he got four joker cards, he still lost.

Because in that round Eric started with five joker cards and won right away!

Although mahjong was invented in China, it has long since spread to all parts of the world and evolved into a variety of different ways of playing.

The United States naturally improved the American version, for example, adding nine joker cards, which are universal cards, equivalent to the Lai Zi in Landlord.

At this time, a reporter from Yahoo Entertainment walked in carrying a camera, guided by the staff.

Movies need publicity and popularity, so during filming, the media will often be invited to pretend to visit the set and release some behind-the-scenes footage.

In the past, we had TV interviews to increase exposure, but now we can only rely on online media.

Seeing the director, assistant director, leading actor and supporting actors on the set touching, looking at and playing cards, the reporters and cameramen were confused.

She has interviewed countless crews, but this is the first time she has encountered such a situation. What is the operation of playing mahjong on the set? "Is this really a set? Is this the set of the director who shot "Transformers", "Blue Is the Warmest Color" and "House of Cards"? I must have gone to the wrong place!"

Full of self-doubt, the reporter came to the poker table where Eric was and took a closer look. Yes, it was him.

"Wait a minute, I'm about to win! Ninety thousand!"

"I got you!" Nicole stood up suddenly and shouted excitedly.

"Are you kidding me? You won 90,000 in the last hand, how come you won 90,000 again this time! Ma'am, I suspect you are targeting me!" Eric looked at Nicole's cards speechlessly.

"Hahahaha. I've won a share of the investment in your next movie. I can't deny it."

Eric sighed and stood up. "No more playing. My luck is so bad today. I haven't won a single card. I need to find a psychic to change my luck."

The cameraman pointed the camera at Eric, and the reporter looked at him very strangely: "Hello Director Cooper, even though I saw you playing mahjong, I still can't believe my eyes."

"Seeing is believing. If you see it, you see it. What is there to be unbelievable about?"

The female reporter choked and said, "In my imagination, you should be doing professional training or filming, and there are some accidents."

Eric laughed: "Playing mahjong is a way of entertainment. You can't keep shooting all the time. People need a break."

"I've always been very particular about humanity. I can work better when I'm relaxed. Besides, playing mahjong is also a way to enhance relationships. When relationships are good, filming goes more smoothly. Don't you agree?"

"It seems to make sense." The female reporter nodded.

"What are your bets? How big is the game?"

"We don't play with money. Gambling is a bad behavior." Eric answered righteously.

"But there's another prize. I won the priority choice of role and investment share in Eric's next movie." Nicole couldn't stop smiling.

"I also won the priority choice for the role in Eric's next movie, and a recommendation for a supporting role." Charlize Theron said happily.

The cameraman turned the camera on other people.

Bell smiled and shrugged: "I lost half a month's food allowance for the crew, but I'm very happy."

Watanabe Ken's face was dark: "Don't take pictures of me, I'm the worst off. I'll be responsible for all the fruit snacks for the crew for the next month."

Tom Hardy showed his two rows of white teeth: "I won invitations to the party of two Oscar-winning actresses."

Looking at everyone's gains, the female reporter couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

Yes, you didn’t play with money directly, but you spent more than playing with money.

Once word gets out about priority in role selection and recommendation spots, countless actors and companies will be willing to pay for them.

The invitation to queue may seem useless, but it actually represents connections.

The party for an Oscar-winning actress is not something that any young actress in the industry can attend. There are many investors and directors attending, and becoming familiar with them will be of great benefit to the development of your career.

As for the investment share, it is even more impressive. Eric Cooper's movies are almost synonymous with guaranteed profits.

A niche art film like "Blue Is the Warmest Color" can sell for more than 200 million yuan. The market has proven his vision. What else can be difficult for him?

Even if the share is not much, it can at least bring in tens of millions of dollars in revenue. It takes a lifetime to win that much by playing mahjong normally!

The female reporter sighed with emotion: "Director Cooper, if this interview is released, I think the number of people willing to play mahjong with you can circle Los Angeles."

"Hahahaha. Welcome, welcome. But I only play with friends. Forget about strangers. I'm a socially anxious person. You should ask about movies instead."

The female reporter was speechless. The rhythm of the interview she had planned was completely messed up. She was obviously a reporter, but she was being led by the other party. What social phobia do you have

? "Okay, how far has Inception been filmed?"

"We have completed 60% of the work, and many of the remaining scenes need to be completed in front of a green screen."

When the female reporter heard about green screen shooting, her eyes lit up: "Does that mean a lot of special effects will be used?"

"Yes, and it is a rather shocking special effect. I think it will give the audience a very novel visual enjoyment."

"Like Transformers? When I saw it in the cinema, I must admit that the expressions and textures of the Autobots really scared me."

“No, the special effects used in Inception and Transformers are completely different experiences, but I can guarantee that it will be more gorgeous than the latter. This movie will lead the audience into a strange dream.”

"Wow. Sounds a bit like Alice in Wonderland."

“Hahahaha. But it’s not so childish. It will be an exciting journey.”

The female reporter turned the camera to other people.

"Bell, how was it working with Director Cooper?"

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Bell hesitated. Eric gave him the impression of being extremely talented from the first day they started filming.

But his frequent leaving of the crew and being a hands-off boss made Bale very uncomfortable. Bale is the kind of actor who loves to study the role very much, but after studying, he must communicate.

Of course, the best people to communicate with are the director and screenwriter. Eric shoulders both of these positions, which results in Bell often not being able to find anyone to talk to when he wants to.

"Eric is a very good director. You can't see the immaturity of a young director from him. He always has ways to solve various problems. Working with him gave me a very fresh experience."

"What's your role like? Is it challenging?"

"Cobb is a complex man, he's a dream thief with a past that he can't get over. I'm sorry I can't say much, but it's a very interesting character."

"Dream thief? Sounds like a cool profession, what do you think Theron?"

Theron pointed to the shadow of the female reporter and said, "My character is the Phantom, who specifically opposes Cobb."

"Phantom! Wow, that sounds like a cool code name. Do you all have code names?"

“I’m a pharmacist.”

"Codename: Pretender!"

"Sentinel!"

"Dream Builder!"

The female reporter looked at everyone excitedly: "Just hearing these code names gives me the feeling of a superhero group. I have become very interested in the movie."

Neil then took her to visit the real set built by MGM. She looked in amazement at the rotating corridor in front of her, where several stuntmen were testing safety.

"OMG! What is this used for? Isn't it for special effects?"

Neil shrugged: "Sometimes real scenes are more efficient and cheaper than special effects. A few days ago we were shooting on the streets of Los Angeles."

"It was a rainy day scene, but there would be no heavy rain in April anyway, so we had to rent a sprinkler truck to create artificial rainfall."

"That's really interesting. Can I experience this rotating corridor?"

"no problem!"

After this interview was released, it indeed attracted a lot of discussion from the audience.

In particular, the appearance of titles such as Dream Builder, Dream Stealer, Pretender, Outpost, and Phantom has made many movie fans imagine a lot.

Speculations about the plot of "Inception" have appeared in major forums and chat rooms.

The more than 20-meter-long revolving corridor also opened the eyes of many movie fans, who praised MGM's props department for being so powerful and still maintaining the world's top standards.

But the most discussed scene was actually Eric and his friends playing mahjong, which not only made the audience laugh, but also attracted a lot of ridicule and envy from celebrities.

Julia Roberts: "They really should have invited me. Everyone knows that I was a mahjong master at the age of 16. Even when I am 80, I may not be able to act, but I will always play mahjong."

Tobey Maguire: "Yes, I watched the interview video. To be honest, I envy the atmosphere on the set. I wonder if Director Cooper will enjoy filming. I'm a good poker player. We can have some fun."

Leo: "I don't know how to play mahjong, but this kind of moderate relaxation should be good. Me? I like swimming, maybe playing water gun games is also good."

Martin Scorsese: "What? Playing mahjong on the set? I don't know, I've never thought about it. Anyway, I don't want my set to be like that."

Unlike the audience and stars who were joking and making fun of it, TV stations and many newspapers launched a fierce criticism of the phenomenon.

Many film critics also joined the ranks of criticism, saying that Eric was corrupting the crew and actors and that he was messing up Hollywood.

Scholars and professors from major universities such as the Yale School of Drama and the Juilliard School also jumped out to criticize Eric, criticizing him for setting a bad example for students who love acting and intend to pursue a career in related industries. Many people demanded that he apologize immediately.

The purpose of these remarks is naturally to tarnish Eric's image, and those guys will seize any opportunity to attack him.

This incident also sounded a wake-up call for Eric. His personal image represents not only himself, but also the huge business empire behind him.

When a person's bad reputation accumulates, everything around him will be affected.

At the same time, Lionheart Network's second batch of programs was also released, this time launching "American Horror Story" and "Keeping Up with the Hiltons."

"American Horror Story" is a mix of classic urban legends and real cases, which should feel familiar to many viewers.

Although "Going with Hilton" is simple to shoot, theoretically it should be more popular than "American Horror Story".

Because "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is very popular, it created a family with huge butts and also led to a trend of big butts among American girls.

Just before Eric traveled through time, the Kardashian family's butts suddenly shrank, and it seemed that the big butt trend was about to pass, and those girls who followed the trend were unlucky.

On the big screen, "Shark Tale" is unrivaled. After all, big productions by big companies have all been rescheduled, and the quality of the film itself is excellent, so it is naturally invincible.

DreamWorks can make a lot of money, and MGM, which is responsible for overseas distribution, can also make a lot of money. Spielberg also privately thanked Eric for helping them attract all the firepower and create a vacuum time slot.

As May approached, the global box office of "The Passion of the Christ" finally settled at 690 million US dollars.

This result is quite impressive. If it were last year, it would have ranked seventh in the year.

The second battle between MGM and the Big Six has officially begun. Can "Million Dollar Baby" break through?

(End of this chapter)