Chapter 374: Ivanka's Troubles

"First, the preliminary background needs to be brighter when transitioning to Minas Tirith. We also need to add all the siege creatures and props."

Inside the spacious tent, Duke stood behind Mary Victoria, the head of the animation group at Weta Studio, watching the preliminary model designs while outlining his requirements.

"Heavy clouds should cover the horizon, with Ringwraiths weaving through the mist. Make them fly through narrow gaps like bats."

After watching for a moment, Duke added, "The Ringwraiths will swoop and glide between the buildings, crashing into pedestrians. Terror will envelop all of Minas Tirith. On the ground, we'll intercut shots of humans fleeing in sheer panic..."

Many scenes in the Battle of Minas Tirith required CGI compositing. Duke would shoot raw footage using the physical models, then send it to Mary Victoria's group to integrate into the digital models.

Although Duke had mandated that Weta Studio prioritize the visual effects for The Fellowship of the Ring, the studio had expanded its operations after receiving the first two payments from The Lord of the Rings Studio, giving them ample manpower to keep up with the crew's shooting schedule.

In reality, out of the entire $350 million budget—which was larger than the original timeline's—aside from his own base directorial salary being higher than Peter Jackson's, he had poured nearly all the extra funds into visual effects.

If The Fellowship of the Ring generated a strong enough market response upon release, additional investment during post-production would be inevitable.

After exchanging a few more words with Mary Victoria, Duke left the temporary visual effects room and returned to the set to continue shooting panoramic footage of Minas Tirith.

Placed before the crew was a nearly forty-foot-tall model of the Holy White City and its backdrop mountains, constructed from polystyrene by Weta Studio. Unlike the primitive, rugged look of Helm's Deep, this capital of men was crafted with far greater precision—the embrasures on the walls, the vertical ridges of the rooftops, and the intricate patterns on the windowsills were all clearly visible. Even the weathered grooves in the paving stones and the chipped corners of the roofs were exquisitely detailed.

Shooting panoramic shots suitable for CGI compositing required perfectly matching the scene's needs. Duke, John Schwartzman, and Mary Victoria had long since established a meticulous plan and shooting method. The moment Duke called for action, a miniature camera secured to a hydraulic lift began ascending at an incredibly slow pace, circling above the Holy White City model first before tracking along its outer perimeter.

This kind of framing demanded a high level of technical precision. To prevent the miniature landscape from appearing out of proportion on film, the lens had to be zoomed in to its maximum. Because of this, the shooting speed wasn't the standard twenty-four frames per second, but rather fifteen seconds per frame. The resulting effect would make this White City appear taller than the Eiffel Tower.

As for the composited scene Duke had just mentioned—where Ringwraiths rode winged beasts between the buildings—that required weaving a miniature camera back and forth through the less-than-one-inch gaps in the White City model.

When the multi-hour shoot concluded, Duke headed back toward the temporary visual effects room. Ian McKellen, who had no scenes scheduled for the day, was taking a stroll around the set and followed him after spotting him.

Seeing the actor step up beside him, Duke asked, "Weren't you going fishing with Billy?"

Ian McKellen sighed in exasperation. "He's far too energetic. He just sat by the lake talking nonstop, and loudly enough that he scared all the fish away."

Duke knew this was just a joke. Ian McKellen was extremely close with his fellow Brit, Billy Boyd. Outside of filming their scenes as Gandalf and Pippin, the two loved to mess around together.

"How was the lake?" Duke asked, slowing his pace slightly to stop in front of the visual effects room, waiting for Ivanka Trump to walk past them and head inside.

"Absolutely beautiful..." Ian McKellen lowered his booming voice. "If you're interested, you could spend the weekend there."

Duke nodded, then led the way into the room with Ian McKellen following right behind him.

The entire visual effects team led by Mary Victoria was bustling with activity. Duke walked over to exchange a few words with her before returning to the doorway. Ian McKellen stood there with his arms crossed, staring at a Ringwraith stationed to the left of the door. The figure held a sword in its left hand and a flail in its right...

The model was so incredibly lifelike that Ian McKellen had to ask, "That's not real, is it?"

Duke shrugged, offering a joke in return. "I think it is. We were very lucky to find a real Ringwraith, Ian."

"Impossible," Ian McKellen said, immediately shaking his head.

"Why is it impossible?" Duke mirrored his crossed arms. "I'll tell you the truth—New Zealand is the only country in the world with real Ringwraiths."

"Duke," Ian McKellen said, well aware they were joking around, "just tell me if it's made of polystyrene or silicone."

"So you figured out it's a model." Duke laughed intentionally and walked over to the Witch-king of Angmar, giving it a light pat. "I'd love to ship a Ringwraith back home."

"Can it move?"

"It can't move because it's out of batteries," Duke replied, turning around to point at a roughly two-foot-tall model of the White City nearby. "And this city doesn't have any AA batteries... I checked with every convenience store owner in the White City, but unfortunately, they're all sold out."

The moment his words trailed off, Ivanka Trump's crisp voice rang out from a hidden corner of the visual effects room.

"Cut!"

Ivanka stepped out holding a DV camera. She offered a thumbs-up before flashing Duke a playful smile. "Your acting has improved!"

That was exactly it. The seemingly casual, slice-of-life interaction just now had actually been an act. The goal was to make this promotional behind-the-scenes footage look like a hidden-camera recording!

Between standard behind-the-scenes footage shot openly with a professional camera and a scene that looked like someone had deliberately sneaked a DV recording, which one would audiences find more appealing?

Therefore, this shoot had been finalized during the routine morning meeting, and Ivanka Trump, a complete outsider, had become the perfect candidate for the job.

In truth, almost all movies operated the same way. Many seemingly candid shots were actually carefully staged in advance.

It was just like paparazzi street photography. Out of all those stunning, flawless photos published in magazines, how many were truly unscripted?

Duke took the DV camera, walked over to a table, and watched the playback for a bit.

"Very nicely shot," he told Ivanka, who had followed him over. "It really has that hidden-camera feel. Evie, you could film some videos of yourself in your daily life..."

"Film myself?"

Ivanka Trump pulled out a chair and sat across from Duke. "Film myself doing what?"

Duke obviously couldn't bring up Teacher Chen or anything of the sort, so he casually threw out an excuse to deflect. "You could post them online and share them with others."

"Share them online?"

Duke had merely made a passing comment, a complete throwaway line. But Ivanka had an active mind, and as a young person frequently on the internet, her eyes suddenly lit up. A vague concept even began to form in her head.

When it was time to clock out, Duke said his goodbyes to Mary Victoria and Ian McKellen, left the visual effects room, and headed toward his trailer. Just like always, Ivanka Trump trailed behind him.

The crew was stationed in the wilderness at the foot of a mountain, so the paths weren't exactly smooth. Duke walked in front while Ivanka lagged half a step behind. She seemed to be spacing out, completely missing a small protruding rock that tripped her. Her body suddenly pitched to the side.

Duke quickly reached out and caught her. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing." Using the momentum from Duke's grip, Ivanka regained her balance and offered an embarrassed smile. "I just spaced out for a second."

"Is your foot alright?" Duke looked down toward the bottom of Ivanka's long legs, only to find his line of sight blocked by two swelling curves. He had no choice but to retract his gaze and look away.

Ivanka subconsciously took a step back, tossing the blonde ponytail that had fallen over her shoulder back behind her. "I'm fine. Let's go."

Duke gave Ivanka a strange look before taking the lead toward the living quarters. She clearly hadn't sprained her ankle; her gait was completely fine as she walked.

"Are you homesick?" he asked.

During the crew's last break, Duke recalled Ivanka mentioning that she hadn't gone home, but had made a trip to her school instead.

"Go back to do what?" Ivanka's tone carried a hint of frustration. "Go back to see the new model girlfriend my dad found?" she huffed.

Seeing her bring up Donald Trump, Duke asked curiously, "Wasn't he dating a Victoria's Secret Angel?"

"They already broke up."

Ivanka swung her long leg and kicked a pebble away with her sneaker. "And then he went and found another model. When I called him a few days ago, he even said he wants to marry her."

Although their relationship was primarily professional, they had spent several months working together and were extremely familiar with each other. Right now, Ivanka Trump seemed more like she was pouring her troubles out to a good friend.

"Can you imagine?" She twisted her body around and threw her hands up at Duke. "I might be getting a stepmother!"

"Things won't turn out like you think," Duke said, offering her a word of comfort.

For a tycoon like Donald Trump, chasing after beautiful models was a common occurrence, but he would definitely be cautious if it actually came down to marriage.

Ivanka Trump lowered her head and kicked away another pebble. "I just hope his future wife will at least be a few years older than me."

Duke gave her arm a reassuring pat. This was Ivanka Trump's family business; listening to her vent was fine, but offering his own opinions was best avoided.

They walked into the crew's living quarters. Arriving in front of Duke's trailer, Ivanka came to a halt. "Thanks for listening to me ramble so much," she added.

"Feeling better?" Duke asked, pulling his trailer door open and looking back at her.

Ivanka nodded. "I've been bottling this up for days. I feel much better getting it out."

She sighed. "When Tina was here, I could talk to her..."

"You can tell me if you run into any trouble, too." Duke pointed to his ear. "I can be a very good listener."

"I'm heading back." Ivanka started toward her own trailer, then turned her head back around. "I'm skipping dinner, so don't wait up for me. I have some things to think about."

Duke nodded at her. Seeing that a trace of gloom still lingered on Ivanka's face, he simply suggested, "Tomorrow is the weekend. Let's go fishing with Ian and the others. Just treat it as a way to clear your head. They all say the scenery there is fantastic."