Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

"Cut! The position is wrong again!"

"Cut! The lights! Why aren't the lights coming?"

"Cut! The props failed! Forget it, let's take a break!"

Director Rob Marshall was like an angel compared to Ethan on set. He had never yelled at anyone, nor had he taken a firm stance.

Though everyone appeared to be harmonious, the filming just couldn't progress. There were only two dance scenes left, but every time they filmed, something went wrong.

Ethan knew this situation arose because everyone's attention was no longer on the movie.

But as the assistant director, he couldn't call a meeting to motivate everyone. He could only go to Rob Marshall when he stepped out for a breath of fresh air and said, "Rob, you should encourage everyone."

"You're right, Ethan," Rob nodded, sighing deeply. "This is the first time I've encountered such troublesome media, and I'm a bit out of my depth."

"It's normal. They're just a bunch of shameless bitches," Ethan said with no kind words for Hollywood reporters. "They don't care about the truth; they just want to stir up emotions and fuel division. That's how they generate heat and sales."

"It's really funny, isn't it?" Rob continued. "We made a film that satirizes media and legal manipulation, and now Dion has turned into a practitioner of it in real life. It just goes to show that the environment today isn't any different from 1950s-60s Chicago, right?"

Rob chuckled at the irony, his movie turning into reality in such a bizarre way.

Ethan laughed as well, teasing, "No, you should be thankful. We're not the dead men from the movie. We can still rebut, we can still talk. We can't let Dion's curse become real."

"Exactly, we can't give up," Rob took a deep breath, rallying himself.

"Let's go, Rob, everyone is waiting for you." Ethan placed his arm around Rob's shoulder and turned to walk back into the prison hall.

As soon as they entered, they saw everyone standing around, seemingly ready to get back to work.

Ethan could see confusion, unease, and doubt in their eyes, but there was also a glimmer of determination mixed in.

"Hey, folks, the director has something to say," Ethan raised his hand to grab their attention, then walked to the front and looked at Rob.

"Alright, I'll say a few words," Rob paused for a moment, hands on his hips, and spoke slowly. "I know you're all thinking about what's in the news, and we're all aware the guild will soon be investigating, but we didn't do anything wrong, did we?"

He looked toward Ethan. "Ethan is the assistant director, and it's his responsibility to ensure the shots run smoothly. Getting Dion off the set was for the good of both parties. In fact, the film's cinematographer was originally going to credit him. But now he's turned the media upside down, and we're being portrayed as the bullies. All the reporters are questioning us, saying 'Chicago' will become a joke."

"But you all know it's not a joke. We've put too much effort into this film! So I won't let Dion destroy it!"

Rob paused for a moment, and Ethan could tell that this speech, coming from a director who wasn't good with words, was difficult for Rob. So he picked up the conversation. "We have to prove ourselves..."

He turned to face the group. "Dion said this movie is terrible, garbage, dog shit, filled with an unbearable stench. Do you think those words are accurate?"

"Of course not!" The assistant cameraman, Fimos, angrily responded.

"Yeah, that's right. He's just venting. He has no emotional attachment to the film, but we do." Ethan spoke firmly. "We're the ones who have the most say about the movie, and we're the ones who've put in the most effort. We can't let him casually slander us, slander the film. But what can we do? Should we start a column in the paper to insult him?"

Everyone shared a knowing laugh, and the mood lightened considerably.

"Of course not. What we need to do is channel our energy, make this film the best it can be. Just imagine," Ethan walked over to Rob, "When we're standing on the Oscar stage, giving our acceptance speech, and saying, 'I want to thank someone's exit.' Wow! Wouldn't that be just so satisfying?"

"Exactly!" Everyone agreed, smiles spreading across their faces.

"That's right." Ethan raised his fist. "We won't let what happened in Chicago happen to us. We won't be the sacrificial lambs! And we won't let anyone else take the credit for proving ourselves! That's the reason we're making this movie, isn't it?"

"Well said!" Colleen clapped, always able to create the right atmosphere at critical moments.

"Wow!" Gradually, more applause rang out, and everyone felt encouraged and calmed by the sound.

Rob smiled and placed his arm around Ethan's shoulder. "Thank you, Ethan. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known how to keep going."

"Don't worry, Rob, I won't let this movie get ruined."

This was Ethan's debut film, and he was hoping to win an Oscar for Best Cinematography with it.

Though the film was only nominated in the past life, after Ethan stepped in and made some changes to certain shots, it had a much higher chance of winning now.

But there were still two dance scenes to shoot, one of which was considered the least impressive part of the whole movie.

Ethan was still considering how best to present this dance scene.

The original version featured Zeta Jones and Renée in a confrontation. To get Renée to agree to a duet, Zeta Jones performed a solo dance to persuade Renée.

In Ethan's view, the problem with the original was the use of colors—it was too monochromatic and cautious.

During the dance, Zeta Jones was surrounded by darkness, with only the nightclub set in the background slightly changing, but the colors weren't prominent enough to highlight her movements.

After discussing with Rob and the set designers, they decided to add some extra light panels to the scene.

"Alright, Scene 138, let's go!"

Once Zeta Jones and Renée were ready, one sitting behind a table, the other standing in front, the stage manager called "Action," and Zeta immediately began dancing, while Renée maintained her haughty expression.

Zeta sang as she walked backward. "Clap!" The beat hit, and the lights brightened, revealing the nightclub stage backdrop.

As she stood on stage and danced energetically, the square light panels in the background lit up in circles, the red light source immediately contrasting strongly with her black outfit.

Through the monitor, they could see the red lights obscuring Zeta's face, making her appear like a silhouette, leaving a strong impression.

"Cool, Ethan, this idea is brilliant." No matter how many times, Rob was always impressed by Ethan's solutions; he always knew how to solve problems.

Ethan smiled without responding. This lighting setup was inspired by the Jessica Alba dance scene from Sin City. In the original scene, the colors were gray, with only red square light strips highlighting the woman's movements.

But the tone of Chicago was different from Sin City, so they couldn't copy it directly. Instead, they used more intense red lighting and dark contrasts to highlight Zeta Jones's form.

The effect they created was far better than before, and John mentioned that the strong contrast in colors would make a lasting impression on the audience.

The scene quickly wrapped up thanks to the professional performances of the actors, and they were about to enter the final dance scene.

However, this one didn't concern Ethan much, as he had already done everything he could to improve and elevate it. In fact, the entire Chicago crew had been progressing quickly, and the level of professionalism was very high.

This was due to the dance team and the art director, both from Broadway, having rehearsed the production for hundreds of times and being extremely familiar with it.

Moreover, the actors' dedication and professionalism meant that without Dion's disruptions, the movie would have already been finished.

But for Ethan, this wasn't a bad thing. Only through shared goals or common enemies could friendship grow stronger.

Ethan should thank Dion for giving him the opportunity to form closer relationships with Rob, John, Colleen, and others.

Of course, his way of repaying them was simple.

As he had said before, when standing on the Oscar stage, he would speak those words to the camera: "Thanks to someone's exit."

That would surely be a wonderful moment.

Three days later, Chicago officially wrapped, entering the post-production phase.

Before the crew officially disbanded, Colleen found Ethan.

"Darling, we have a show opening on Broadway soon. Are you interested?"

"Of course." Ethan smiled and confirmed.

"Oh, that's great. I'll message you two days in advance... and if you have a companion, feel free to bring them along."

Colleen said this before leaving with her team.

Next came Zeta Jones.

Out of the movie, she wore large, comfortable clothing, possibly for her pregnancy.

"Ethan, don't forget about me if you ever have a role for me," she seemed sure that Ethan would become a real Hollywood director and was already making a request.

"Haha, I'll remember."

"Ethan, what about me?" Renee interrupted, enthusiastically grabbing Ethan's hand. "I have a party tomorrow. Are you interested? It's with people from the industry."

"Sorry, Renee, I need to head home first. My mother and two younger brothers have been waiting for me for too long."

Ethan skillfully used his family as an excuse, and as expected, upon hearing Ethan's words, Renee gasped in surprise. "I suppose taking care of family comes first."

The two left one after the other, and Richard came over, patting Ethan on the shoulder. "Ethan, you can't turn down my party again…"

"Of course, Richard." Ethan had become much closer with Richard Gere in recent days. The two, with nothing else to do, often chatted together.

Richard had been talking about his party for a while, saying that Ethan would be in for a big surprise after attending.

This made one curious about what the surprise could be.

After bidding farewell to the crew members one by one, Ethan finally left the prison.

Although the movie had finished filming, there were still many things to do, such as sorting out company affairs and choosing the MV shoot. Jimmy and Carl had been waiting for Ethan for a long time.

At the same time, Heinz's new commercial was officially aired on television, watched by people all across America.

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