"So, you're planning to have the main character fall from a height, try to grab the window and miss the first time, keep falling, and only catch it on the second try, right?"
As a professional stunt coordinator, Bob immediately grasped Luke's idea but couldn't help double-checking.
"Exactly! This'll drive the audience wild. Picture it: when they see the main character plummet from that height, they're already sweating buckets.
Then, when he fails to save himself, they'll practically jump out of their seats.
And when he finally catches the window? They'll be over the moon!" Luke said, locking eyes with Bob.
"But do you realize how much that ramps up the difficulty and danger?" Bob asked.
Luke nodded. He knew full well.
To make the fall thrilling, the drop couldn't be too short. After discussing, Bob and Luke agreed that a 12-meter drop each time offered the best balance.
If it was just one fall, the safety rope could be set to about 12 meters, catching Luke right after that distance.
But with Luke's plan for two falls, it meant failing to grab the window after the first 12 meters, then dropping another 10-plus meters!
This drastically increased the demands on equipment stability and safety, spiking the risk of an accident.
That wasn't even the biggest issue. The real challenge was that with a single fall, Luke could aim for the landing spot and prepare his posture.
With two consecutive falls, the second attempt to grab the window would involve unknown position, angle, and mid-air posture.
The difficulty and danger weren't just one level higher—they were off the charts.
Luke nodded again, showing he fully understood the risks.
"I'm sticking with this. It's the only way to make a legendary film," he said firmly.
Bob sighed. "Guess I'll have to figure out how to make the safety rope even sturdier for your crazy idea."
Seeing his request approved, Luke held up two fingers and continued, "I've got one more tweak to suggest."
"Fine, fine! If you're set on it, I'm in. What else can I do?" Bob said, throwing his hands up in mock defeat.
"For the final scene where the main character leaps toward the starting window, I want it shot in one continuous take," Luke said.
The scene's plot: after completing the infiltration mission, the main character needs to rush back to the room he started from.
With a cable tied around his waist, he leaps from the top of the building, sprinting down the exterior wall.
But as he nears the starting point, he realizes the cable is too short to reach the room.
So, he makes a running start in the opposite direction, unhooks the cable mid-air, and uses momentum to leap toward the window.
His angle is spot-on, but he's slightly too high, smacking his head on the window's upper frame and bouncing back, falling.
At the last second, Vin Diesel lunges forward, grabbing Luke's foot, his own body half-hanging out of the window.
Inside, Yuffie grabs Vin Diesel's pant leg, anchoring him so neither he nor Luke plummets.
Originally, Tom Cruise shot this scene in multiple segments.
The running leap was filmed first.
Then the jump, hitting the window frame, and the fall.
Finally, the part where his foot is caught, and he's pulled back up.
Though this approach chopped the scene into bits, it was already thrilling enough to leave audiences gripping their armrests.
But Luke wasn't satisfied—he wanted the entire sequence done in one unbroken shot.
This would elevate the scene to a whole new level, but the challenge was insane!
"…" Bob went silent, turning to Vin Diesel.
This scene couldn't be done by Luke alone; it needed teamwork.
Vin Diesel's throat bobbed, but he couldn't get a word out.
"Help me out! I need you to grab my foot precisely, or all my effort's wasted," Luke said, looking at him earnestly.
Even if Vin Diesel missed, the safety rope would prevent a fatal fall, but it'd mean the shot was ruined.
To nail it, Vin Diesel would have to lean half his body out of a window hundreds of meters up and grab Luke's leg with perfect timing.
"I'm not sure I can do it. I'm afraid of heights, and I might mess up," Vin Diesel admitted, sounding uneasy.
"How about I take it? I'd love to give it a shot!" Depp piped up, raising his hand.
"Don't butt in! With your physical condition, you'd never hold him!" Director Cohen snapped.
Luke encouraged, "No one else can do this but you. Believe in yourself. Back when you were a bouncer at that club, you nabbed those troublemakers like it was nothing."
His words stirred something in Vin Diesel, bringing back old memories.
After a moment, he said, "Alright, I'll do my best!"
Since Luke was dead-set on this, there was no stopping him, so Vin Diesel stepped up.
Relieved that Vin Diesel agreed, Luke let out a breath.
"It's settled then! Director, please adjust the shooting details for the new stunt plan ASAP," Luke said.
Director Cohen nodded. "Now I get why your films are such hits.
With this kind of all-in attitude, how could audiences not love it?
Directing one of your movies feels like a career-defining moment for me."
"You're too kind. This is a team effort—everyone in the crew deserves the credit," Luke replied.
"Looks like I'm pulling an all-nighter to prep. You guys eat up and recharge for tomorrow's shoot!" Bob said with a helpless shrug.
With work talk done, everyone dug into the food.
Depp was tearing into four cheese-stuffed lobsters, wolfing them down.
Bob was scarfing down steak, fueling up for the night's work.
The food at the seven-star hotel was undeniably delicious—even Yuffie found herself eating more than usual.
But Luke's mind wasn't on the meal. He silently asked, "System, evaluate the stunt's difficulty."
[This stunt includes three high-difficulty components. Risk level: B. Success probability: 72%.]
As expected, after Luke's bold changes, the system rated it a B-level challenge.
The success rate had ticked up slightly from 68% to 72%.
His master-level gymnastics skills were clearly helping.
A B-level difficulty was already impressive.