"So, John, how'd it look?" Gilbert asked at the evening wrap-up meeting.
John Schwarzman's thick eyebrows practically danced, showing how excited he was. "Director, you won't believe the incredible shots we got! It's beyond words. That first-person view from the fighter jet, looking at the Golden Gate Bridge and the afterburners of the plane in front—it's going to blow people away!"
"Alright, alright, I figured as much. Good to hear it turned out well," Gilbert said, clapping his hands. After all, he'd come up with the idea for that shot, so he had a good feeling about it.
Over the next few days, six fighter jets worked with the crew to finish the remaining filming. Of course, the missile launch couldn't be done for real; they weren't actually going to blow up Alcatraz. So, that part would need Industrial Light & Magic to handle it with miniatures and special effects.
But Gilbert was still all about practical effects. Car chases and explosions were his bread and butter. After they'd mostly wrapped up the dialogue scenes, the crew went back to the Speed-style boom-boom-boom, torturing everyone's ears.
Roger Moore, with his experience from 007 movies, and Ed Harris, having done plenty of films, were used to this kind of thing. Nicholas Cage, on the other hand, even with some action movie experience, hadn't done anything with this much 'splody stuff. So, during the explosion scenes, he was completely rattled.
The first time he went through one, Nicholas Cage came off set shaking and absolutely terrified.
"Here," Sofia surprisingly offered him a drink. "You'll feel much better after this."
Nicholas Cage took a sip and did feel better. He thanked Sofia.
"No problem," Sofia said, unfazed. She'd been through it herself when she first started learning from Gilbert and had been scared senseless.
Once he'd calmed down, Nicholas Cage watched Gilbert bustling around the set and asked Sofia, "Is he always like this? Just blowing things up left and right? There's no other director in Hollywood who's as obsessed with explosions as he is, right?"
Sofia shook her head. "Cameron's just like him. Remember True Lies?"
Nicholas Cage thought about it, and she was right. When he really thought about it, Gilbert's style was quite similar to James Cameron's. The difference was that Gilbert's style had a touch more realism and sincerity, which made the audience feel the impact even more.
Who would've thought to mount a high-speed wireless camera in a fighter jet cockpit to film a first-person shot of flying under the Golden Gate Bridge? Even though he hadn't seen it yet, Nicholas Cage could already imagine the impact that shot would have on audiences in the final film.
For some of the explosion and car chase scenes, while the main actors would have close-ups, most of the action was handled by stunt doubles. This wasn't just for the actors' safety; it was mainly due to requirements from third-party insurance companies and the Screen Actors Guild. Unless an actor specifically requested it, crews usually opted for stunt doubles.
After all, not everyone had the moves of Tom Cruise. At the very least, the three main stars of The Rock couldn't do it. It required incredible skill and constant practice. You could maybe get Nicholas Cage to practice, but asking Ed Harris and Roger Moore, two old guys whose combined age was almost 120, to do those kinds of scenes was just too much to ask.
---
However, there was one rather interesting scene: Roger Moore's character, John Mason, and John Spencer's character, FBI Director Jim Womack, on the hotel rooftop. In this scene, John Mason uses the opportunity of a handshake to tie Jim Womack up with a rope and then dangles him off the balcony.
This part of the scene had a lot of camera cuts, and it was actually done by a stunt double. John Spencer was over fifty, so dangling him off a balcony would have been a bit much.
Since this part was filmed practically, the stuntman was dangling outside on the day of filming, and passersby saw him. Naturally, curious onlookers gathered, and some even called the hotel: "Hello, Fairmont Hotel? There's a guy dangling off your top-floor balcony! You should send someone to check on him!"
Other onlookers called the police: "I saw someone hanging outside the Fairmont Hotel. I suspect murder. You should send some detectives over right away!"
After this scene was filmed, the hotel manager rushed up to check on the situation and informed the crew that the police suspected them of murder.
Sofia was baffled: "But we filed a permit! Our records show we're shooting some dangerous scenes."
The hotel manager muttered to himself, thinking: I thought your car chase scenes were dangerous enough, but who knew you'd dangle a person outside a thirtieth-story window?! If they slipped and splattered on the hotel entrance, how would people view the hotel? Would we even stay in business?
What was a terrifying scene for the hotel manager was nothing to the crew.
For several weeks straight, the crew filmed car chase scenes on several streets in San Francisco. With the help of the local government and police, these streets were blocked off during the day. Aside from the crew and relevant extra vehicles, all other unauthorized personnel were kept out for safety reasons. If an innocent bystander were hit, the crew would face serious trouble.
---
But despite all precautions, something unexpected still happened. Two particularly curious locals managed to bypass the heavily guarded road closures and entered the filming location from the rooftop of a building on one of the streets.
"Bauer, are you sure this is it?"
"Of course," Bauer said, pulling out his own map and pointing. "Look, it's right here. From here to here is the street block where The Rock crew is filming."
"Good," said Sullivan, the leader, pulling out the camera he'd bought. He turned to Bauer, "I've been looking forward to this movie since it was announced. I can't wait to see it in the theater, but I wanted to see the filming firsthand."
Bauer nodded in agreement. "Ever since Speed, I've been a fan of Gilbert's movies. His directing style is definitely one of the most unique in Hollywood."
It turned out these two were avid action movie fans, die-hard fans of Gilbert.
The two followed their plan, hiding in a small alley. They could vaguely hear the sound of tires screeching and police sirens wailing. Sullivan and Bauer were thrilled, their hands starting to tremble. They slowly crept closer to the source of the sound.
Unlike the seamless car chases in movies, a real car chase scene is actually made up of many short shots, and each short shot means a separate take. Unlike dialogue scenes, where you watch the actors' performance, these car chase scenes require full cooperation from all departments. It's common for a single shot to take several hours. This really tests a director's patience and meticulousness; every single shot must be taken seriously, no sloppiness allowed.
---
Luckily, Gilbert wasn't the sloppy type; he was very serious.
The next shot was a bit dangerous: a stunt driver had to crash a Humvee into the back of a water truck. It was a genuine collision. Of course, to ensure a smooth and safe shot, the props department had modified the rear of the water truck, adding a detachable section. Also, for visual appeal, the water tank was designed to burst open and spray water when hit with a certain force. With this design, the truck couldn't travel long distances, but the crew only needed a few short shots, so a short drive was enough.
This shot design came from the original version, but in the script, it was just a simple line:
John Mason steals a car and escapes, pursued by Goodspeed and federal agents. That was it.
Afterward, John Mason meets his daughter and is cornered by the FBI, which was a separate scene. It's worth noting that John Mason's daughter was played by Liv Tyler, daughter of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler. Liv Tyler had a lot of her father's personality—quiet on the outside, but with an underlying rebellious rock 'n' roll spirit.
Although her part was short, it was her first acting gig, so Liv Tyler stayed with the crew for two days. During those two days, she found an opportunity to corner Gilbert in his makeup trailer and declared that she wanted to be his girlfriend.
"I've seen your rumored girlfriends. None of them are as pretty as me. I have to say, your taste is questionable. I'm the one for you, we're a perfect match."
"Uh," Gilbert was speechless. After a moment, he replied, "Liv, you're still young. You're not eighteen yet."
"So, if I turn eighteen, can I be your girlfriend?" Liv Tyler pressed.
Gilbert quickly waved his hands and fled the scene, leaving her with, "We can talk about this when you're older!"
Liv Tyler posed in front of the makeup mirror, muttering, "I am grown up, aren't I? What part of me isn't grown up?"
---
Afterward, Sofia even asked, "I heard Liv Tyler cornered you in the makeup room. You didn't do anything to her, did you?"
Gilbert was even more speechless. "Sofia, that's not funny. She's not even eighteen yet. If Child Protective Services found out, they'd be after me. And no, I didn't do anything!"
"Why not?" Sofia asked, confused. "Don't you try to get every beautiful woman you see into bed? How could you resist a beauty like that?"
"I'm not a pervert! Do you really see me as someone who can't walk past a beautiful woman?" Gilbert challenged his friend.
Sofia didn't say anything, but her expression clearly said, Yes, you are that kind of person.
Gilbert finally said, "Her face is too long. I don't like it."
Sofia then had an epiphany. "Oh, that's why you never tried anything with me! So, I'm not your type!"
Gilbert looked Sofia up and down and asked a rather stinging question: "Are you a beauty?"
Sofia replied as if it were obvious, "Of course I am! The line of people pursuing me could stretch all the way down the Hollywood Walk of Fame!"
Gilbert raised an eyebrow, not bothering to burst Sofia's bubble. Were those people really pursuing her? They were pursuing her father, Director Coppola.
Of course, this was just playful banter between friends. Filming can be incredibly dull, so they needed some diversions to alleviate the fatigue.
---
Back on set, the stunt coordinator and stunt driver were discussing the safest and quickest angle to hit the water truck. They had to get the angle just right, or hitting the main body of the water truck wouldn't look good.
For the car chase, Gilbert used his signature moves from Speed: tire-level shots, first-person views from inside the car, and other angles. Gilbert also discussed with Dool Randolf and John Schwarzman about modifying a camera and mounting it on the car. This shot, with the car as the main subject, filmed the road receding, making the road appear to move backward in the shot. Similar filming techniques became common later on, but at the time, it was a fresh idea.
Since Gilbert had become famous, it was the first time his father, Old Gilbert, had come to see his son film. After watching, the old man was in disbelief. "Wow, is this truly a genius born from our Landrini family?" If he hadn't watched Gilbert grow up and seen some of his own youthful looks in him, the old man would have doubted if this son was even his.
When Gilbert saw his old man visiting the set, he thought, Since you're here, why not be a free extra? He arranged a role for his father. After this current shot was done, they'd film the old man's scene. Gilbert planned to have his father appear in every future movie, making him a Stan Lee-like Easter egg character in the Marvel movies.
Thinking about future moviegoers discovering these interesting Easter eggs when they looked back at his films, Gilbert couldn't help but feel excited. This was the fun part of filmmaking. Even though Gilbert was copying, adding his own understanding made it even more interesting. When his films were praised by fans and various details were analyzed, those were Gilbert's happiest moments. Even more satisfying than a threesome with Cameron Diaz and Naomi Watts.
---
Sullivan and Bauer had snuck close enough to the filming location that they could see crew members bustling around.
"Hide well, don't get caught! Where's the camera?"
"Right here."
The two hid, holding their camera and secretly filming without being noticed by the crew.
At this moment, the set was ready. After safety checks confirmed everything was clear, the shot officially began.
The clapperboard snapped, and the stunt driver sped the Humvee forward, heading straight for a slowly moving water truck at a crosswalk. Then, to Sullivan and Bauer's wide-eyed astonishment, it crashed directly into it. The water tank burst, and water sprayed everywhere.
The enormous impact sent water splashing, and under the sunlight, a rainbow even appeared for a moment before vanishing. This shot was absolutely perfect, and Sullivan's camera faithfully recorded it. This amazing scene left the two, who were witnessing a Hollywood film set for the first time, with their mouths agape, unable to recover for a long time.
Finally, Bauer couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my god, that was awesome!"
That shout instantly drew the attention of the crew's production assistants. They quickly followed the sound, searching for the source. "Who's there?"
"Bauer, you idiot! We've been spotted!" Sullivan clapped a hand over Bauer's mouth, put away the camera, and pulled Bauer away, shouting, "Run! It won't be good if we get caught!"
Bauer followed Sullivan, and the two nimbly weaved through the alleyways, attempting to escape the scene. Unfortunately, they weren't John Mason. In the end, with the combined efforts of the crew's production assistants, the two were caught.