Montana was located in the northwest of the United States, adjacent to Idaho, and bordering Alberta, Canada. It was famous for its minerals, oil processing, and prairies. Of course, the most famous was Yellowstone National Park. As the world's first national park and the most popular and spectacular national park in the United States, countless families would come here for vacation every summer.
Although Brokeback Mountain wasn't filmed in Yellowstone, it wasn't too far away. It was mostly set in the Rocky Mountains, so the set was located in the northwest of Montana, in a small town called Graz, not far from Canada.
The name sounds familiar, doesn't it? That's right, it was the same name as the second largest city in Austria, Graz. Of course, this small town had nothing to do with Austria, and the residents weren't of Austrian descent. Adriaan guessed that the town was named this way because he casually flipped through the newspapers when he was naming it. He felt that the word Graz sounded good, so he used it.
This kind of situation was very common in the United States. As long as someone was willing to search carefully, it was guaranteed that the names of famous cities in various countries would be found on the map of the United States. Paris, London, Barcelona, everything. This was also considered a tradition in the history of the United States. At that time, when a town was built in a certain place, no one could think of a suitable name, so they simply used a name that already existed in the world to avoid trouble.
Of course, this was basically a small town with a population of a few thousand. If someone didn't deliberately look for it, it wouldn't be discovered. If it wasn't for the popularity of the Internet and the fact that they had to come to Montana to film, Adriaan probably wouldn't have known. So even if people from other countries noticed, they could only laugh it off as a joke.
"Are you ready? How bright are the lights?" After receiving confirmation from the prop master, Adriaan hurried over to the makeup artist and lighting artist.
"Looks good." After checking the number on the light meter, Adriaan nodded and patted Rui Fan's shoulder. "Let's begin. Do your best."
It was still a bit cold in Montana in mid-March, but it was also the season for Brokeback Mountain. There wasn't much rain during this time, so it was very suitable for filming. When everyone was ready, Revan Phoenix and Brad Pitt, who had changed into old-fashioned jeans, were also in position. Adriaan gestured to the script clerk to start.
That was the first scene of Brokeback Mountain. It was the meeting between Ernest and Jack outside the ranch owner's trailer. It was also the beginning of the movie. In fact, Adriaan originally wanted to shoot the herding scenes first, but the original owner of the flock suddenly changed his mind, and the crew couldn't find anyone else for the time being. In addition, considering that Rui Fan and Pete still needed to get used to each other, Adriaan revised his plan and started shooting from the script.
Admittedly, both Rui Fan and Pete had spent a lot of time and energy preparing for the scene. Standing there, they were no different from the cowboys from decades ago. Also, Ernest's reticence and Jack's unruliness were perfectly portrayed by their body language in front of the camera. Especially when Rui Fan leaned against the wall and pulled his collar up, as well as Pete's swept-back hair and thick sideburns, they were very in tune with the atmosphere of the movie. They perfectly embodied the characters' personalities. What was even rarer was that they were the ones who suggested these two conditions. Therefore, it was relatively easier for the director to use more experienced actors.
Of course, Adrian had also done his homework. Although most of the time he researched based on the information collected by his assistants, he had a competent secretary like Ivanka with him. Coupled with the works from his previous life as a reference, he had a very accurate grasp of the situation. For example, everyone knew that if a man felt that a woman was not bad, he would look at her with admiration. However, if a man looked at a man with that kind of gaze, it would be very rude. If he did that on the street, he might be punched by someone.
So how could a homosexual appreciate someone who was pleasing to the eye? Using the rearview mirror to look at Ernest indirectly. At first, Jack had to look at Ernest through the rearview mirror in the car. Here, Adriaan redesigned the plot. Ernest noticed Jack looking at him, but he just pulled his collar and didn't say anything.
But this wasn't to show Ernest's homosexuality. Throughout the novel, Jack was obviously more proactive. He knew that he was gay, accepted the fact, and fell in love with Ernest. But Ernest wasn't necessarily gay. If it wasn't for Jack, he might have lived his life peacefully after marrying Alma. Or to put it in a clichéd and even sickening way, Ernest fell in love with Jack, not a man.
So, Adriaan added a little trick here to show that Ernest wasn't against homosexuality, and it also foreshadowed the complicated relationship between the two.
Of course, whether the audience saw it that way was up to them. No movie was perfect. If you wanted to find a logical loophole, you could always find it. Just like Brokeback Mountain, the plot seemed to be self-consistent. The two men's hearts and the entanglement of life and death were all in place. But since they had such a hard time staying inland, why not go to San Francisco?
The culture on the coast was always more relaxed than inland, no matter which country it was. San Francisco had been the home of homosexuals since the seventies. So, if they couldn't stay in Montana and Texas anymore, they could save up some money and move to San Francisco together. That way, there wouldn't be any tragedy.
Okay, that was a joke. If they really did that, there wouldn't be a Brokeback Mountain novel and movie.
"Very good, guys. You all did a great job." Adriaan wasn't stingy with his compliments. It wasn't often that things went so smoothly from the beginning.
Unfortunately, this situation didn't last long. When the first scene ended, there was an obstacle when they started filming the second scene. The ranch owner only had two scenes. The first was naturally the meeting between Ernest and Jack, and the second was when Jack wanted to meet Ernest again while working for the ranch owner. However, the ranch owner had already noticed their situation, so he chased them away with sarcastic words.
Since Jack was the only one in this scene, it should be easier to get through than before. But for some reason, Peter, who had performed well earlier, couldn't satisfy Adriaan no matter what he did.
"You have to be careful, Brad. You can't show your emotions too obviously. Jack definitely doesn't want others, especially the ranch owner, to find out that he cares too much about Ernest. But at the same time, you can't be too reserved. Jack isn't Ernest, after all. Feeling conflicted? That's right! " Adriaan patiently explained the scene to Peter so that he could better arouse his emotions.
Although the previous smooth situation was good, it was basically something that could only be encountered by chance. Therefore, he wasn't disappointed by the few bad scenes that followed. He'd take it slow, and it also made him realize some problems.
So, after dozens of NGs, they finally got through this scene. For the next three or four days, the crew wandered around the town, filming bits and pieces of scenes, such as Ernest's memories, or some of the more ordinary meetings with Jack. But privately, after that day, Adriaan ordered Rui Fan and Peter to stay in the same room. He said that he wanted them to further feel the sincere feelings between the two characters.
"Is there a need to do this?" Rui Fan, who was dragged to the room, asked in a depressed tone. He didn't think it was inappropriate, but it felt weird to be forced to stay in the same room with Peter.
"There is a need." Adriaan wasn't polite at all. "I know that you've often exchanged feelings before this, and you've learned a lot, and it's very effective. I've seen it all. But obviously, it's not enough. You have to continue to communicate and cultivate feelings until I think it's enough. "
"What if you don't think it's enough?" Rui Fan asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Then I'm sorry, you'll have to stay together until the end of filming. Even if your girlfriends come to visit, it won't work." Adriaan answered matter-of-factly, and then added seriously, "Of course, don't make it real."
Peter, who had been listening obediently to the side, suddenly spat out, while Rui Fan rolled his eyes.
No matter what they thought, the matter was settled. So, the two men began living together on the set. When the news spread, it was inevitable that people would look at them ambiguously. However, the two of them were in a good mood, and they didn't care about these not-so-malicious gazes. They even put their arms around each other's shoulders in front of everyone, looking intimate.
Adriaan didn't care about their strange behavior. After a few days of getting used to each other, after the weekend was over, and after some observation, he felt that it was okay. Plus, the sheep were not completely connected yet, so he was ready to shoot the first climax.
"In short, you have to put yourself in the role of a wife who has sensed that something is wrong with her husband but isn't sure what exactly is going on. Then, when she unconsciously sees that scene, that abnormal shock will be very convincing. I know this may be difficult for you, Kirsten, but I believe you can do it. " That morning, after the crew had set up all the props and scenes, Adriaan said to Kirsten, who had just arrived on set.
"I can do it." Kirsten, who had briefly combed her hair, nodded vigorously.
This was the first time the little vixen had worked with him in so many years, so Adriaan didn't use the nickname Chichi. Instead, he called her by her full name to show that he valued her. Of course, when working with his woman, Adriaan almost never used a nickname on set, even if everyone knew about their relationship. It was a professional attitude.
Originally, the two men's married lives were supposed to start filming at the end of March, but since the sheep problem had not been completely solved, and Kirsten's schedule had already been reserved, Adriaan asked her to come over from Los Angeles.
"Are you sure the foreman won't fire you?" After hearing that her husband was going fishing with his friends at Brokeback Mountain, Alma walked out of the room with her arms crossed, her eyes filled with an indescribable complexity.
"The foreman owes me. He went to work in a snowstorm last Christmas." Ennis didn't care. "Besides, I'm only going for a day or two."
After two paragraphs of dialogue, Adrian had no choice but to stop the game.
"I need you to restrain yourself a little more." After a moment of silence, Adriaan said to Kirsten, "You're still a little too obvious. No matter what, Alma has been hoping that Ennis will change his mind. Otherwise, she wouldn't have turned a blind eye to his date with Jack on Brokeback Mountain. So, even when she saw them being intimate, she had to maintain a calm expression no matter how shocked she was. You can … "
He frowned slightly, then looked at Rui Fan with a gloomy and worried gaze. "Are you sure the foreman won't fire you?"
His tone was very gentle, but there was an indescribable anxiety in it. Rui Fan looked shocked. "Are you okay, director?"
Kirsten burst into laughter. The tension that Adrian had felt when he yelled for them to stop disappeared immediately. So, he just glared at Rui Fan and didn't say anything.
"Do you understand?" Adriaan asked Kirsten, then slapped Rui Fan again. "Don't give her too much pressure. Let's do it again."
In all fairness, Kirsten's acting skills were very good. Although Spiderman made her very popular, she had also acted in a lot of literary movies in recent years. It was just that her co-star was Rui Fan Phoenix. Basically, Rui Fan had never participated in an A-level big production in Hollywood. The characters he played were always very unique, which allowed him to maintain a good reputation after the drug incident.
This good reputation was not just for show. Adriaan was deeply touched. He knew that Rui Fan's acting skills were good, but he had always seen things from a different perspective. Then, during their first collaboration in Brokeback Mountain, he finally saw it for himself. Among all the actors, Rui Fan was always the first to get into character, and he had a good sense of propriety. If it weren't for Adriaan's rich experience, he might not have been able to control Rui Fan.
Under such circumstances, Kirsten, who was acting with him, was under a lot of pressure.
"It seems that we should take it step by step. First, we'll shoot some scenes of Alma and Ernest's daily life, then we'll go deeper into the filming." After countless repetitions, breaks, and repetitions, which took the whole afternoon, Adriaan finally said this after this scene was finally over.
"Of course, you've actually done very well." He then praised Kirsten, who was a little depressed.
Continuous NGs at the beginning could easily affect an actor's confidence, but conversely, it could also help an actor master the inner workings of the character as soon as possible and work well with other actors. If one had a fragile heart that couldn't withstand blows and negation, it was better not to become an actor. Of course, when it was necessary to praise, encourage, and cheer, it was still necessary.
"Speaking of which, I sometimes think that if Kirsten and Rui Fan had also acted together in 'Interview with the Vampire,' that would have been very interesting." Adriaan then teased them. "I can almost imagine how people who like to make fun of this movie would write reviews of this movie. After Malloy visited Louis, Louis fell in love with Malloy, but Malloy accepted him and rejected him. After getting to know Krau Dia, who had lost her memory, they married. Louis went through a lot of trouble to find Malloy, and they began to meet again. Louis wholeheartedly immersed himself in the world of love with Malloy, but he turned a blind eye to Krau Dia. After Krau Dia regained her memory, she was betrayed twice, and in the end, she divorced Malloy out of anger."
After this comment was made, those who understood it suddenly burst into laughter, and those who didn't also laughed after others explained it. Rui Fan and Pete shrugged or scratched their heads in laughter, indicating that it was okay. Kirsten also cheered up a little.
"Since everyone is so happy, let's try to shoot another scene here," Adriaan then said.
"But, Mr. Director, the time …" An assistant wanted to remind him.
"It's okay, it's just a test shoot. Let them get ready, get a feel for it, and brighten the lights." Adriaan then said, "Scene 48, 33."
Hearing these two numbers, everyone's eyes became a little strange, and they all looked at the two actors. Rui Fan didn't mind, and he began to prepare calmly. Pete, on the other hand, couldn't help but scratch his head again. Because the plot of this scene was that Jack finally couldn't stand the longing and rushed over from Texas. When the two met, they couldn't help but kiss in a corner.
That's right, the kissing scene between the two men was the scene that Adriaan wanted to shoot. It was also the first climax that he had planned to shoot before. This was also the reason why he asked Kirsten to shoot the scene where the conflict was more intense at the beginning. The kissing scene between the two men would be in the beginning of this scene.
Since the director had given the order, the crew naturally had to get to work. Soon, everyone was ready. The first shot was a long shot. Ernest saw Jack coming from the window in the house and immediately rushed to the door. The camera cut to Jack's smile and then back. From here, Ernest opened the door, jumped down the stairs, and rushed to Jack. With a smile on his face, he wrapped Jack firmly in his arms. Then, the two grabbed each other and pushed each other to a corner.
This shot was about a minute long. From Jack's point of view, Ernest's body language was included in the shot. It showed that he was completely different from his usual introverted and silent self. If it weren't for the fact that he thought it was too vulgar and didn't match the style of the whole movie, Adriaan might have done a 360-degree rotation here.
The whole process was very good. Rui Fan jumped down and hugged Pete tightly in his arms. Their actions and the joy that came from the bottom of his heart were all on point. But when the next shot came, it was different.
“Cut！” Adriaan, who was standing on the sidelines, shouted and waved his hand to stop the camera. "Are you two kissing?!"
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