"Lights?"
"Ready!"
"Camera?"
"OK!"
"Sound?"
"Ready!"
"Lighting?"
"No problem!"
Barry Jenkins and Damien Chazelle bustled through the crew, asking about each department's preparations.
Finally, they reported to Eric: "Director, everything is ready. We can start filming."
Eric nodded, picked up the megaphone, and loudly announced: "Dragon Ball, Scene 37, Take 1, action!"
This was already the fifth day of official filming for the crew, and today they were shooting the World Martial Arts Tournament.
For this, the crew rented a small stadium, then specially built a set in the center, recreating the anime one-to-one.
Bluish-white stone bricks, with sculptures of blue-faced, fanged beast heads on both sides, and extras sitting in the stands.
However, this particular World Martial Arts Tournament was not the first one to appear in the anime.
Instead, it was the one where Demon King Piccolo appeared and sent his subordinates to kill Krillin.
According to the manga, actually ninety percent of the first Dragon Ball arc belonged to Kid Goku.
Only at the end of the World Martial Arts Tournament did Adult Goku appear, staging the final showdown with Piccolo, or rather, Demon Jr.
However, such a movie clearly did not conform to market rules, so after adaptation, Adult Goku appeared earlier.
Kid Goku's scenes were cut to just over ten minutes, mostly presented to the audience through flashbacks, such as transforming into a Great Ape and destroying the trio's castle.
As well as his training with Master Roshi, the first World Martial Arts Tournament, and so on.
Currently, they were filming Yamcha's scene. Standing opposite him was Jay Chou, making a cameo, wearing a dreadlock wig and playing a wrestler.
Jay Chou also wore a wig and a red martial arts uniform with a large 'Turtle' character in a circle on his chest.
"Hehehe, I'm going to crush your bones with just a gentle hug!"
"Pfft!"
Jay Chou was saying his chuunibyou lines, and his emotions were fine at first, but as soon as he finished, before Jay Chou could respond, he couldn't hold back his laughter.
He waved at Eric: "Sorry, my bad."
"Let's do it again. Dragon Ball, Scene 37, Take 1, action!"
"Hehehe, I'm going to crush your bones with just a gentle hug!" This time, he finally held it in.
The camera zoomed in for a close-up on Jay Chou. As one of Master Roshi's three disciples, he had every right to look down on these common fighters.
With a disdainful expression, Jay Chou waved his hand as if shooing a fly: "Hurry up, I'm in a rush."
"Hmm? You dare look down on me! I am the underground wrestling king from West City! Undefeated in 37 consecutive matches."
As soon as he finished his line, Jay Chou couldn't help but laugh again.
The lines themselves weren't funny, but once delivered in an anime-like tone, combined with exaggerated gestures and expressions, it immediately created an unbearable mood.
Eric loudly said: "I know sometimes the lines can feel a bit embarrassing to say, but you must believe in your character. This is the style of a manga adaptation, you need to build a sense of conviction in your heart."
"Eric, let's do it one more time. This time it will definitely be fine."
The third time, they finally got through the lines smoothly. Immediately, Jay Chou rushed towards Jay Chou like Zangief from Street Fighter.
The distance was already less than two meters, and they were about to collide.
"Cut!"
As Eric called cut, the props team immediately came on set and strapped Jay Chou into a wire harness.
"Dragon Ball, Scene 37, Take 2, action!"
"Roar!"
Jay Chou yelled as he pounced. The ground was already covered with foam mats to ensure he wouldn't get hurt, and the camera was close to his face, clearly capturing the saliva spraying from his mouth.
At the same moment, the wire pulled up, and Jay Chou jumped forcefully, doing a somersault in the air.
According to the action design, he should have flipped behind his opponent, but this was his first time filming such a scene live.
When Jay Chou landed, he didn't perform well and made a small hop.
Realizing his mistake, he quickly pulled up Jay Chou, who was lying on the mat, and scratched his head a bit sheepishly: "Sorry, sorry, I messed up."
"It's nothing. I heard you're also a musician. After all, neither of us are professional actors."
"I actually really want to develop in the direction of acting."
"Really? Then you'll have to work hard. I'm just here for fun. Let's start over, and knock me out with one punch."
He said knock out with one punch, but this simple action scene took over an hour to get right.
Then Little Liu came on set, also for an action scene, and she was much more decisive and agile.
Donnie Yen's martial arts choreography for her combined hard-hitting traditional moves with Taekwondo, looking both powerful and striking, while also possessing flexible beauty.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
After five consecutive backflips, Little Liu landed steadily.
And as she landed, her lower body assumed a horse stance with a forward bow, her arms positioned one in front and one behind, capable of both offense and defense, exactly like the moves in the manga.
Most importantly, she didn't use wires or the assistance of crew members; she just flipped like that.
"Holy cow!"
Jay Chou nearby immediately swore. Thinking about how much effort he put in even with assistance, and then looking at her.
He felt utterly ashamed. No comparison, absolutely no comparison!
Everyone else was also stunned by this series of moves, then applauded.
During training, Liu Yifei would also do some moves, but none were as visually exaggerated and shocking as today, even Donnie Yen's eyes widened.
"Excellent! This is the feeling I want, Crystal, you did a fantastic job!"
Eric praised loudly. This set of moves only needed frame acceleration and could be used directly, practically saving all special effects costs.
Having her practice martial arts was definitely the right choice, but Eric also had some concerns.
What if a conflict arose later, for example, if she discovered his illicit affairs with Liu Xiaoli and Zhou Wenqiong, what would Little Liu do if she resorted to domestic violence against him?
Although his physical fitness was also good, he was visibly no match for her.
"What should I do? Maybe I should have Gadot learn some martial arts too, to protect me in the future?"
The morning passed quickly. During lunch break, Eric was on the phone.
Suddenly, the door to Room was pushed open, and Daddario stealthily crept in, then locked the door from the inside.
She walked up to Eric, wrapped her arms around him, and the husky girl slightly stood on her tiptoes for a kiss.
Eric pointed to his phone, indicating it wasn't a good time.
Daddario smiled mischievously, first kissing his nose, then tracing down Eric's face and neck.
In a flash, Eric's pants were already off, and squishing sounds began.
"Hmm? Eric, what's that sound next to you?"
The person on the other end of the phone was none other than Liu Xiaoli.
Hollywood rules were very different from those in China, for example, regarding assistants.
In China, almost all celebrities would bring assistants to film sets. Assistants would be responsible for a series of tasks like carrying bags, holding umbrellas, rehearsing, and trying out scenes, just like full-time nannies.
However, in Hollywood, this situation was less common. It's not that celebrities didn't have assistants; while not as exaggerated as Chinese celebrities, they would sometimes hire three or four.
But when filming on set, almost no one brought an assistant. They all came and went alone, at most having a driver pick them up if they couldn't drive.
The large disparity was due to multiple factors.
In terms of work, Hollywood crews had very clear divisions of labor. Even for each celebrity's chair, there would be a dedicated person responsible for looking after it.
After a take was finished, a crew member would immediately bring the chair over for you to sit and rest. Their eyes would always be on you, and other tasks like makeup, snacks, and water were all handled by dedicated personnel.
This was difficult to achieve in China, especially for larger crews.
With hundreds or even thousands of people on set, no matter how big a star you were, often no one had time to bother with you, and you had to do these things yourself.
Of course, work reasons were only a small aspect; the key was character and professional ethics.
When in China, Liu Xiaoli had to be with her daughter during filming.
But ever since filming supernatural, and seeing that other actors were all alone, Liu Yifei naturally felt embarrassed to have her mother follow her, so Old Liu became unemployed.
Now Little Liu was taking a nap, and Old Liu couldn't find her, so she could only call Eric.
"Eric, why does your side sound so strange? Are you doing something bad?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? You misheard!"
Squish, squish.
"There it is again! Don't try to fool me. Xixi is right here on set. You're still messing around behind her back. You want to make people die of anger!"
"Heh heh. Now you're angry? Then didn't you and Ah Qiong also mess around with me behind Xixi's back?"
"You, you! Get out!"
The call ended. Eric picked up Daddario and placed her on the table.
Fortunately, she didn't understand Chinese and didn't know what Eric was saying.
See? The importance of learning another foreign language, isn't this where it shows?
Ring!
But just a few minutes after they started, the phone rang again.
It was Damien calling. Reporters from Lionheart Network were coming to shoot promotional material.
There was no choice but to stop halfway. He had Daddario clean him up, and he would properly discipline her tonight.
Outside, seeing the erected World Martial Arts Tournament ring, the two young reporters' eyes were already gleaming.
Then looking at the actors who were already in makeup—Goku, Chi-Chi, Tien, Krillin—everything seemed like a childhood dream come true.
"Director Cooper, is the filming progressing smoothly?"
"Of course. We made thorough preparations, and everyone is very serious. This is the best crew."
"The best? What about transformers, blue is the warmest color, house of cards, Inception?"
"Equally great, but if I had to say which one I put the most effort into, I would say Dragon Ball."
Next to him, if Barry Jenkins wasn't Black, his face would surely have turned terrifyingly dark.
What effort did you put in, old man? Wasn't it all of us silently dedicating ourselves behind the scenes?
Even if you counted everyone in the crew, seeing you, the busy man, ten times would be considered good. Of course, he didn't know that Little Liu and Daddario were getting 'hardcore output' once or twice a week.
"What made you willing to put so much energy into this movie?"
"As for the reason, I think it should be sentimentality, or more accurately, it was my childhood."
"I believe Dragon Ball is also a childhood memory for many people. We would wait in front of the TV after school for Goku to search for the Dragon Balls, watching him adventure and defeat one strong enemy after another."
"So, having put so much effort into it, what are your expectations for Dragon Ball?"
Eric shook his head: "I cannot make rash conclusions. I will only do my best to make it a success."
"Director Cooper, what is your anticipated box office?"
"The more, the better."
"Hahahahaha. And awards?"
"Also, the more, the better. At least a Saturn Award."
"Only a Saturn Award? I thought you would say Oscar."
"An Oscar is not impossible either."
The reporter was stunned. He just said it casually. Who doesn't know the Academy's temperament? Giving an award to a manga adaptation commercial film like Dragon Ball, unless those judges were crazy.
"I just need to wish for it with the Dragon Balls, right?"
Hahahahaha.
After touring the set and finally filming promotional videos for each actor, the reporters left.
When the report was published the next day, it immediately sparked widespread discussion.
Although the character designs had already been released, photos could be faked. It wasn't until people saw the characters in the video that many finally approved of the casting.
"Wow! After seeing Krysten Liu's backflip, I'm convinced I've been conquered by her. She is the perfect Chi-Chi in my heart."
"James Lin's muscles are really good. With that spiky, messy hairstyle, he really looks more and more like Goku."
"Daddario is beautiful, but her age doesn't match Goku's. She's actually several years older than Goku."
"At that time, sibling romance wasn't popular, otherwise Bulma would clearly be the female lead. Her family is so rich, more than enough to support a Saiyan."
"Heh heh. Saiyans eat too much. Chi-Chi saves money every day to raise her children. I wonder if the movie will highlight Goku's appetite."
"Wow! The crew actually built a fighting stage. Who knows where the filming location is? I want to visit the set."
"Wishing for an Oscar with the Dragon Balls? If I had the Dragon Balls, I'd wish to be the richest person in the world. I want to be the wealthiest person."
"What's money for! If I were to wish, I wouldn't be greedy. Having Master Roshi's combat power would be enough. Then I would become the King of the World!"
"Master Roshi isn't that powerful, is he? He definitely couldn't withstand a nuclear bomb."
"What are you kidding about! Master Roshi's full power Kamehameha can destroy the moon. A nuclear bomb is like a fart to him."
"Dragon Ball's power level settings are not scientific. The early stages were completely based on a gag manga. Those exaggerated plots don't count. Goku even gets a heart disease."
"100 combat power or the world's richest person, what would you choose?"
Somehow, the audience later evolved into discussing the rationality of Dragon Ball's combat power.
Then they started comparing it to famous works like Saint Seiya, Yu Yu Hakusho, etc.
Such as the Golden Saints' setting of destroying galaxies with a single punch, being able to jump at light speed, and so on.
Later, even American comic fans joined the discussion. Sure enough, digital cricket fights and cyber power PK never go out of style.
But no matter what, from the perspective of early promotion, the goal had clearly been achieved.