Chapter 20: Explosion Madman
This is a live shoot, so there is no opportunity to retake the scene after yelling "cut." The only fortunate thing is that he has shot a lot of explosive scenes independently.
"Cruz, place Unit 1 and Unit 2 on the front."
"We'll set up the two wide-angle cameras on the lawn," Duke told the director of photography Cruz. "The other two cameras should be placed at a forty-five-degree angle to get the close-up of the explosion. I also want to use a wireless high-speed camera."
"This one is ready." Cruz gave Duke a look at the camera that was ready.
"This is Unit 5." Duke looked at the dummy in the police uniform on the side. "Put the camera on it."
Apparently, Duke was going to use it to capture the internal explosion.
Just as Cruz was about to leave, Duke grabbed his arm and reminded, "Cameras are set two hundred feet away!"
Although he valued the shoot, Duke didn't want a tragedy.
After explaining what he wanted, he went back into the house and walked into a bedroom. The props team was there, trying to restore the scene like the one in the studio. This is also where the first explosion will happen.
Duke felt itchy when he saw the pyrotechnic group bury explosives at the support point of the house. In his previous life, he was a good expert in the pyrotechnic industry, but now he will not take other people's jobs. For him, shooting explosives is more important than creating an explosion.
After leaving the house, Duke checked the four cameras on the front lawn to make sure they were set up properly. He then walked around to check the shooting angles from different perspectives. Finally, he returned to the vicinity of the first camera to check it again.
"Why use line control?"
Looking at the person who was wiring in the distance, Sofia Coppola asked him curiously, "Isn't it more convenient to have a wireless remote control?"
"You don't know?" Duke explained when he saw her blank face.
Wire-controlled explosions are the guidelines that the crew must abide by when shooting. Many people think that explosions are operated by pyrotechnicians with remote controls, but they are not. Because there are too many communication tools now, it is easy to interfere with signals and cause false explosions. Wire-controlled explosions are more effective and safer.
This misunderstanding is also due to Hollywood movies. The characters in the movie always press the button dashingly, blowing up the vehicle or building to shreds, never looking back at the explosion...
Under normal circumstances, the explosives used by the crew for filming are also completely different from military or mining explosives. The principle of the latter two is that solids instantly turn into gas, and the explosive power is huge; for filming, special soft explosives are mostly used. The principle is that combustion generates pressure The explosion is much less destructive.
If you want the explosion to look more powerful in your shots, you can try filling the bomb with some dirt before detonating it. This will cause a cloud of dust to be blasted into the air, making the explosion appear more forceful.
Of course, if you want to blow up a boat, a big car or a house, you have to use military explosives.
In order for the building explosion scene to meet Duke's requirements, the amount of explosives required is quite large. The pyrotechnic team placed nearly 30 pounds of explosives in various key parts of the house. Obviously, it is not just to blow up the house, but to let it collapse. They were enjoying the chance to blow something really big.
"You mean..."
After listening to Duke's words, Sophia said slowly, "You are using military explosives? but why use that much?"
"Because I want an earth-shattering explosion!"
With his arms crossed, Duke calmly looked at the house in front of him that was about to fly into the sky.
"You're crazy!" Sophia said, it was rare that she didn't have a nasal voice.
"I want the best visual effects." Duke's face had a hint of frenzy.
"Robin didn't stop you?"
"The film has no stars, and the director is also an unknown little character like me." Duke suppressed the frenzy in his heart and regained his calm. "Only thrilling scenes can attract the audience."
After three hours, the work on the layout was finished, all the cars had been driven away, and Duke was standing behind Unit 1 with a megaphone.
"Clearance?"
"Clearing is complete!"
"Photography?"
"Ready!"
"..."
After the routine questioning, Duke signalled to the pyrotechnic team, and the pyrotechnic team immediately responded with an 'OK' gesture. and another person shouted the countdown sound in a loud voice.
"10, 9, 8, 7...3, 2, 1!"
"Detonate!"
An invisible electric current set off the bomb, which caused a sudden, loud explosion. An orange-red fire rose about fifty feet into the air, as the white wooden house disintegrated. Countless fragments were scattered by the force of the explosion, and the air around them was heated to the point of scorching.
A lot of debris fell less than 50 feet in front of me. The wind was so strong that it blew his hair back, and the ground seemed to be trembling under him...
None of this distracted Duke, he was just focused on controlling the camera and making sure the shot of the fire was perfect, like a religious fanatic would use a lens to worship something.
"My God!"
With trembling hands, Sofia Coppola slowly took off her earplugs, bent over to support her throbbing thighs, and stared at the guy who was still controlling the camera. She and Duke had been getting along on the set for more than half a month. But at this moment, Duke was still calm and indifferent. He was simply a lunatic!