King of Hollywood

Chapter 320: Chapter 47: New Movie Starts Filming Chapter 320: Chapter 47: New Movie Starts Filming On February 2, 1995, Adrian set foot on the Scottish Highlands with the “Braveheart” crew, intending to shoot the film in two months. This was no easy task, as the vast majority of scenes in “Braveheart” were outdoors, including large-scale battle scenes involving two opposing armies—two months was indeed a tight squeeze.

However, Adrian had his own sources of confidence. First, he had allocated sufficient time for preparation; teams he sent out had traversed the whole of Britain, selecting numerous castles and scenic locations for filming, and under the guidance of historians, they crafted an abundance of era-appropriate props and garments. Of course, this was not without controversy—one historian had raised objections to the use of Scottish kilts, as the Scots of that era did not have the tradition of wearing kilts. But considering the need to distinguish Scots from Englishmen in the film, Adrian insisted on retaining the kilts.

Second, he was very familiar with this film, having conducted a thorough analysis of it in his previous life, and he also had a solid foundation as a director—even if just a minor one—and over the years, he acquired a deeper understanding by continuously replicating classic movies. Therefore, as long as there were no major modifications to the plot, completing the shoot in two months was not impossible.

In doing such things, truly smart people would ensure the plot remained unchanged. After all, even the same director, unaware, might make a film that diverges wildly from the original—even Spielberg had his moments of not grasping the audience’s tastes. Oh yes, you think this change is better, you’ve integrated future reviews, you can make the movie more exciting, but don’t forget, this is just your idea, and your idea does not represent the thoughts of the American people!

Perhaps such changes would indeed be more exciting, but they also posed a greater risk of failure. People’s levels of appreciation change over time; “Braveheart” might get an Oscar nomination if released a decade later, but winning would be nearly impossible. Where lies the advantage of the reborn? It lies in knowing what is profitable and what is popular; isn’t avoiding strengths and embracing weaknesses plain stupidity?

Even Adrian, knowing what style made “Sex and the City” popular, relied on careful collaboration when making adjustments to the first season. Those who arrogantly changed the plot likely belonged to the realm of legends, claiming “If I say this change will be popular, it will be popular” with a protagonist’s halo.

Right, back to the main point. Adrian harbored these optimistic thoughts, but God didn’t seem inclined to make things that easy for him. On the third day of his arrival in a small Scottish town called Gretna, just as he adjusted to the time difference, took care of matters, and was ready to start filming, all of Britain began to be blanketed by snow.

“This is absurd, the weather forecast said this was the warmest winter in the history of the United Kingdom and it wouldn’t snow for the next two weeks,” Adrian said, frustrated, looking through the window at the snowflakes outside in the hotel room he had booked.

The snow wasn’t heavy, but it was enough to affect filming. He was aware that February was the coldest time in the UK and that starting the shoot would definitely be impacted, but this year he had two films to produce, so his time was not particularly plentiful.