"Damn."
Emanuel finally couldn't hold back and cursed angrily.
The appointnt had been canceled at the last minute.
In Cannes, photography and interviews are separate matters. Although so large dia outlets combine them for exclusive interviews, that's rare. If you don't book an exclusive interview, there's likely no ti for photos.
Of course, press releases at Cannes primarily focus on text about films, so photos aren't always essential.
Thus, photographers mainly work on the red carpet or at official press conferences, providing photos for interviews from these events.
The core issue is ti.
With so many film crews and official Cannes events—not just premieres but also promotional activities—everything becos overwhelming. Typically, a film crew arrives in Cannes and has just 48 to 72 hours, fully packed with engagents.
The crews are swamped, and so are the dia. There's no ti to spare. Photography requires makeup, styling, and location selection, so this streamlined approach has developed, offering relief to both parties.
However, there are exceptions.
So actors or crews may only co to Cannes once in their careers, and naturally, they want to take morable photos, like a beach shoot. Similarly, so dia outlets are particularly interested in certain actors or crews and want to shoot special photos.
In these cases, special appointnts need to be made, and photographers often barely have ti to eat.
That's what happened here.
Scottish director David Mackenzie had already made three or four films but hadn't gained much attention. This ti, his film Young Adam entered the "Un Certain Regard" category at Cannes, and his whole team was ecstatic and eager to capture the mory.
Coincidentally, Emanuel also wanted to shoot a series of photos for them because the cast was impressive—Peter Mullan, Emily Mortir, Tilda Swinton, and Ewan McGregor.
A group of promising British actors, and Ewan McGregor had already made a na for himself with Trainspotting, Star Wars: Episode I, and Moulin Rouge, gaining popularity in both Europe and Arica.
Emanuel didn't want to miss this opportunity.
And what happened?
She arrived at the appointnt location early in the morning, waited for 30 minutes, only to be told that Ewan wasn't feeling well and couldn't do the shoot. The crew was regretful but had to cancel.
Emanuel: ???
As she left, she swore she saw a very healthy-looking Ewan through the hotel lobby, shouting angrily at two staff mbers in the garden. Though she didn't know what had happened, Ewan looked fine.
If that's the case, it ant… Ewan was refusing to cooperate.
Emanuel felt a wave of frustration rise in her chest.
She was busy too, wasn't she?
For Young Adam, she had turned down a job with the Shara crew, even though that film had been selected for the main competition. Considering popularity and interest, she chose Young Adam.
And this was her reward?
Unwilling to swallow her frustration, Emanuel asked around and learned from hotel staff that Ewan had started the morning in good spirits, but when he found out the dia was flocking to the Elephant crew, his mood soured and soon turned into a full-blown storm.
The Elephant crew?
Emanuel didn't understand. Did Ewan have so grudge with the Elephant crew? Or was there a personal issue with Anson?
She couldn't make sense of it.
Even if Ewan had a personal issue with Anson or was jealous of the attention Elephant was getting, that didn't justify canceling a scheduled shoot, right?
What about professionalism?
Frustrated beyond asure, Emanuel cursed again. Even with so of the truth in hand, she was still bewildered.
She hated being abandoned, ignored, and forgotten: Damn it!
To make matters worse, she had cleared two hours for the Young Adam crew, and now those two hours were empty.
Emanuel wasn't relieved at the free ti. She needed to seize the opportunity at Cannes to make her career breakthrough. Wasting ti was a cri.
Should she head to the main competition premiere at the Palais des Festivals this morning?
Wait, what was screening this morning? The Italian film His Secret Heart. If she hurried, maybe she could still get a good spot.
No ti for frustration. Emanuel rushed toward the Palais des Festivals, only to see from a distance that the red carpet was already sward with people. This dampened her mood.
His Secret Heart was directed by Italian maestro Pupi Avati, who had been nominated at the major European festivals seven tis but never won. This was his third ti at Cannes, and many wondered if this would finally be his lucky year.
The scene before her told Emanuel that the dia had surrounded the red carpet early.
She could still get in, but probably not in a good spot.
She hesitated, her mind racing.
The Elephant crew.
Maybe she could ask if they had ti for a photoshoot. If so, she wanted to schedule sothing with them.
The official review of Elephant had just co out, and its scores weren't good. That could an the film's journey at Cannes might face so bumps. But Emanuel's intuition told her differently; she felt she should give the Elephant crew a chance.
Plus, Ewan had just thrown a tantrum over the Elephant crew, right?
So, what was really going on here?
No more ti to think. Emanuel turned a corner and entered the grand Barrière Hotel, navigating her way to the elevator.
Ding.
The elevator arrived. As Emanuel stepped out, she paused, stunned by the chaotic scene in front of her.
What was going on?
Emanuel couldn't believe her eyes. Now, she understood why Ewan had been so furious. She had never seen anything like this.
The entire hallway was packed with people, wall-to-wall.
Ding.
The elevator doors were closing again, but Emanuel quickly hit the open button and stepped out, standing in awe at the bustling scene. The heat felt like the sweltering asphalt of a sumr afternoon, and she instinctively held her breath.
She stopped, asking soone by the elevator, "Excuse , are you here for the Elephant crew?"
Without turning, the person ahead answered kindly, "Follow the hallway. Soone's handing out numbers up front. You'll need to take a number."
Take a number???
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