Chapter 43: Location Scouting

Generally speaking, the Hollywood film production process is divided into five stages: development, pre-production, principal photography, post-production, and distribution. Heading into September, The Rock was still in the initial pre-production stage.

During this stage, Rock Studio needed to make extensive preparations for the actual shoot. Duke had to be involved in everything—hiring actors and crew members, building sets, and scouting locations.

It was simply impossible for a director to detach himself entirely from pre-production. Directors who handed all the prep work over to others while they gallivanted around the world only ever produced flops. There were absolutely no exceptions.

Fortunately, Duke now had assistants who shared his creative vision. He could delegate some tasks to his assistant director, Zack Snyder, and second assistant director, Sofia Coppola, who would then compile their work for his final review. Even so, the three of them inevitably experienced friction due to their differing ideas and mindsets, though they managed to keep their arguments strictly professional.

Reviewing Sofia's continuity logs and shooting schedules, as well as poring over Zack Snyder's set construction blueprints and storyboard illustrations, were tasks Duke had to squeeze into his already busy routine. On top of that, he had to evaluate filming locations with cinematographer John Schwartzman and discuss set designs with art director Hannah Selina.

He also had to participate in the auditions for several major roles. After locking in the three leading men—Ed Harris, Nicholas Cage, and Christopher Lee—Duke had to work with the casting director to communicate the character requirements to them...

In short, bolstered by Speed crossing the $300 million mark and continuing to soar at the global box office, Duke secured even more support from Warner Brothers. He wielded significantly more power than he had on his directorial debut, which in turn made him far busier.

"Lieutenant Colonel..."

Standing on the roof of a building near San Francisco Bay, Duke pointed toward the distant Golden Gate Bridge, shrouded in fog and clouds. "Could our F-18 Hornets fly under the bridge?"

"Duke, I strongly advise you to drop that idea."

Lieutenant Colonel Lenho, the liaison officer dispatched by the Pentagon to the production crew, shook his head flatly. "That's impossible!"

"Looks like we'll just have to rely on visual effects." Duke signaled for Sofia, who stood beside him, to note this down. He then turned to Zack Snyder and art director Hannah. "I want the scenery to look much heavier than it does right now. Zack, it should have that oil-painting feel you mentioned."

"That will require artificial lighting," Zack Snyder said, jotting down Duke's thoughts. On the other side, Hannah added, "I'll make sure to enrich and saturate the colors when we set up the scenes."

"John..."

Duke snapped his fingers at the cinematographer. When John Schwartzman walked over, he said, "It's already autumn—the most beautiful time of year for San Francisco Bay. Starting next week, have your camera assistants come out here every week to shoot B-roll. I want a massive amount of footage capturing the sunrises and sunsets."

This was Duke's first official location scout in San Francisco. Before entering the building, he had already taken the assistant director, cinematographer, art director, military advisors, and the heads of several other key departments on a few tours through the city streets. He had formed a preliminary layout for the blocks that would be destroyed in the upcoming film.

Lieutenant Colonel Lenho was not only the Pentagon's liaison to the crew but also the head of the military advisors.

Unsurprisingly, after Warner Brothers submitted their application and the Pentagon reviewed the script, the Department of Defense agreed to sponsor the big-budget commercial film. Just as Speed had done for the Los Angeles Police, the military spirit and patriotism promoted in The Rock suited the Pentagon's tastes perfectly.

The Pentagon provided a generous sponsorship package for the film. Not only did they supply advanced equipment like F-18 Hornets and M-16 Modified Assault Rifles for the shoot, but they also dispatched an actual Navy SEAL Team to directly participate as the task force on screen.

Aside from some minor labor costs, nearly all of this was provided free of charge, reflecting just how much importance various United States government agencies placed on public relations.

In other words, The Rock was a quintessential American patriotic film.

Of course, to Duke, the genre of the film didn't matter in the slightest. All that mattered was whether this kind of movie could turn a profit.

Leaving the building, the group headed to a pier in San Francisco Bay and took a ferry toward the infamous Alcatraz Island.

Alcatraz Island, commonly known as "The Rock," was surrounded by sheer cliffs and deep waters. Its isolated nature made external transit difficult, which was why the Federal Government had chosen it as the site for a prison. The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary had once housed numerous notorious felons before closing in 1963. Now, it stood alongside the Golden Gate Bridge as a major tourist attraction in San Francisco Bay.

It was also the primary setting for the film's story.

"Duke..."

While they stood on the bow of the ferry, Lieutenant Colonel Lenho walked over and brought up their old argument once again. "Could you reconsider the Pentagon's suggestions?"

"Lieutenant Colonel, the Pentagon approved the script, which means they are generally satisfied with it."

This wasn't the first time the man had raised the issue. It was likely that there were internal disagreements within the Pentagon's Hollywood liaison office; some officials wanted to spin General Hummel and the FBI in a more positive light. But Duke would not yield so easily. "The nation should treat the individuals who made sacrifices for it with decency."

"The Pentagon has no objections to that theme," Lieutenant Colonel Lenho said.

"Good." Duke nodded, gripping the ferry's railing. "Then let's talk about the characters."

"General Hummel crosses the line because his men are being ignored, and Mason, the man sent to stop him, is a spy who made tremendous sacrifices for the nation's interests. Every major and supporting character is faithfully fulfilling their duty. Even Womack, the FBI director who serves as the antagonist in the shadows, only threw Mason into prison to protect national secrets."

"In the end, none of these characters betray their country or their duties. Hummel diverts the missiles at the final second; Mason, after suffering decades of unjust imprisonment for his country, simply chooses to walk away in peace; Commander Anderson, fully aware that he will be gunned down, refuses to drop his weapon and tries his hardest to persuade his opponents to uphold the Navy Oath."

"As for the two minor grunts who defect at the end, do characters that small even matter?"

Staring intently at Lieutenant Colonel Lenho, Duke said seriously, "In my vision, this is a movie without a true villain."

By explaining all of this, Duke was trying his best to smooth over his differences with the Pentagon. After all, the free sponsorship they provided allowed him to funnel more of his budget into visual effects. Furthermore, as a director who intended to stay firmly within mainstream cinema, he would need the Pentagon's backing for many projects down the road.

The dispute wasn't so easily resolved, but Lieutenant Colonel Lenho was temporarily persuaded. He agreed to continue communicating with his superiors at the Pentagon, and once they stepped onto Alcatraz Island, he dropped the subject entirely. Instead, he used the island's architecture and terrain to give Duke—a layman—a detailed breakdown of how to properly deploy troops and conduct special operations. This was highly rigorous, specialized knowledge, and it was exactly why Duke had hired military advisors in the first place.

Although it was a popcorn flick, he didn't want to make elementary mistakes that would turn him into a laughingstock.

The Alcatraz Island of today was a far cry from its days as a prison; it had long since transformed into a tourist haven. After touring the surface and the underground levels, Duke discussed the feasibility of on-location shooting with the rest of the crew.

"The surface shouldn't be much of a problem."

Cinematographer John Schwartzman noted, "But the underground areas don't meet the requirements for live-action filming."

"Right." Duke nodded, turning to the art director. "Hannah, I'm leaving the construction of the Alcatraz underground replica to your team."

The female art director flashed him a reassuring hand gesture.

Finally, the group walked into the Alcatraz recreation yard. It was a rather vast, flat expanse. Standing there, one could clearly see the distant Golden Gate Bridge and the sweeping beauty of San Francisco Bay.

"Robin..."

Stopping in his tracks, Duke walked over to the production manager, who habitually kept a low profile. "The main setting of the film is right here on Alcatraz. If we hold the premiere here in the future, wouldn't that be a fantastic promotional gimmick?"

"It would definitely help market the film." Robin Grande nodded in agreement. He scanned their surroundings, seemingly calculating the feasibility and costs of erecting a giant silver screen. After a long moment, he said, "It is somewhat doable. I'll discuss it with Warner Brothers."

As the sun dipped toward the west, Duke wrapped up the two-day location scout. He and the crew split into several cars for the long trek back to Los Angeles.

"Are you suffering from insomnia again?"

Seeing Duke leaning back in the backseat to rest, Sofia Coppola handed him an energy drink. "Are you under too much pressure?"

"No..." Duke shook his head, twisting off the cap and taking a few gulps. "The pressure is a lot lighter than it was when we were shooting Speed. I'm just a little tired lately, so I haven't been sleeping well."

"Finding a woman would clear that right up." Sofia's voice carried a hint of teasing as she pulled out her cell phone. "Need me to make a call for you?"

"What?" Duke was taken aback.

"Naomi Watts..." Sofia pointed to her own eyes. "My eyesight is still perfectly fine."

Duke waved a dismissive hand, too lazy to entertain her.

"Do you know how Nicolas relieves stress?" Sofia leaned in closer, lowering her voice mysteriously. "There are companies in Hollywood that specialize in providing that kind of service."

"Have you participated in them or something?" Duke deliberately teased her.

"No..." Sofia shrugged, speaking quite openly. "But I've seen my brothers throw them."

"Alright, Sofia. Enough joking around." Duke felt his spirits lift a bit. "Let's steer the topic back to work. Tomorrow we have to interview the pyrotechnician Uncle Lucas recommended, and we also need to hold auditions for the female roles..."