[Chapter 156: The Tapes]
"Actually, I'm rather helpless when it cos to such doubts," Eric Williams spoke candidly. "My age really is a hard barrier, as there are hardly any directors under thirty in Hollywood, let alone soone who's not even twenty yet." He continued, "I originally didn't need to respond to such skepticism; after all, reality is the best weapon against it. But as this belief has grown, I feel that even if I ignore the irresponsible dia throwing around wild accusations, I should at least give an explanation to the fans who have always supported my films. Fortunately, due to so accidental factors, so footage from the filming process was preserved -- these tapes right here."
As Eric spoke, he pulled out over a dozen tapes from a small box and stacked them between himself and Sophia.
"Wow, are these... behind-the-scenes clips?" Sophia asked.
Eric shook his head. "No, if they were behind-the-scenes, I definitely wouldn't show up on cara. These are just so snippets I recorded with an extra cara while on set."
"So, you an a docuntary fild from a third-party perspective? Is that allowed during the filmmaking process?" Sophia inquired.
Eric chuckled, "Generally, that's not allowed, as the contents of a film need to remain absolutely confidential. But the person who fild these tapes had a unique identity; I believe she wouldn't leak the material, which is why I allowed it. It's precisely because of my leniency back then that I now have the chance to prove my innocence."
As Eric finished speaking, the audience leaned forward, eyes wide. Several fans even whispered, urging Eric and Sophia to play the contents of the tapes quickly.
"Alright then, I know everyone is eager, so let's take a look," Sophia said, not wanting to prolong the suspense. She casually picked one of the tapes and inserted it into the projector.
...
Suddenly, the large screen behind them flickered to life with a sowhat shaky image, as if the person operating the cara were quite inexperienced. After so ti, the picture gradually stabilized, and a slightly bossy girl's voice rang out off-screen: "Allen, keep the audio steady! If I co out with no sound, you'll be in trouble."
Another voice, tinged with mild exasperation, replied, "Alright, Princess."
The audience burst into laughter, many recognizing that the girl's voice belonged to Drew Barrymore, closely associated with Eric. Rembering what Eric had said just monts before, they could understand that only soone like her could behave so freely on a film set; anyone else would surely be kicked out for such antics.
On the screen, the footage began to move, and many recognized it as a large soundstage. As they viewed the scale model of streets and buildings shown, soft gasps escaped the audience. After all, this was years before the internet beca widespread; many had never seen such detailed model sets in person. Although people often watched movies, their understanding of the actual filmmaking process remained limited. Thus, the sight brought considerable surprise.
Amid so background noise, the cara operator walked into a room, revealing Eric wearing a green director's vest, demonstrating sothing animatedly to Tom Hanks. As the cara drew closer, Eric paused his conversation with Hanks, smiling as he reached over the cara, seemingly tapping soone on the forehead, eliciting a pained squeal from the girl and laughter from those nearby.
"Hey, kid, this Sony professional cara costs $128,000. If you break it, I'll have no choice but to turn you over to Columbia for repaynt," Eric remarked after tapping Drew's forehead.
The cara wobbled briefly, and Drew's frustrated voice ca on: "Ugh, that's so annoying! I've told you countless tis not to tap my head!"
Waving his hand dismissively like he was shooing a cat or dog, Eric said to the cara, "Go, go, get back. We're about to start shooting."
As the cara pulled back, Eric's command for the crew to begin shooting rang out, and many crew mbers sprang into action. Hanks and so other actors took their places, and a script supervisor stepped forward, seemingly to clap the slate.
...
At that point, Sophia neatly pressed the stop button and explained to the audience, "Sorry, but the following footage will involve the movie's content, so we have to pause." Although it was just a couple of minutes, the audience was engaged and expressed regret as Sophia halted the playback.
"Eric, I've beco more curious about one question, and I'm sure the viewers at ho are as well," Sophia asked, tapping into the public's interest. "Though it was only a brief clip, it was clear you have a special fondness for Miss Barrymore. You let her handle a cara worth over hundred grand like it was a toy! What exactly is your relationship with Drew?"
Eric hesitated for a mont, gathering his thoughts before he said, "How should I put this? I t Drew while filming, and I quickly grew fond of this little girl."
Seeing so audience mbers getting ready to tease, Eric waved his hands to stop them. "Don't get the wrong idea; it's definitely not what you're thinking! I mostly see her as my little sister. At the ti, Drew had picked up so bad... habits. Although she had gone to rehab a few tis, it really didn't help much. Her mother was at her wits' end. I couldn't bear to see such a talented girl slip away, so I impulsively discussed it with her mom to let her move in with . Maybe I could help her kick those habits. After so consideration, Mrs. Barrymore agreed, so here we are. I suppose Drew and I just clicked; she tends to listen to well. Now, she has completely turned her life around, attending an all-girls school. I hope she graduates from high school successfully and, when she turns eighteen, chooses her own path freely."
Eric felt no pressure as he spun this tale. Being in the industry, he understood that such interviews were re performances; as long as they served his purpose, that was all that mattered. He had seen countless stars beco involved in ssy breakup dramas after displaying their "loving" relationships on air; it would be foolish to take such interviews seriously and react with zeal or tears to their inspirational tales or romantic stories. While Eric internally scoffed, he still played the role convincingly, his expression sincere and stirring, as if he were an angel sent by God to rescue wayward youths.
Sophia also displayed a moved expression, though whether it was genuine, Eric couldn't say.
"So, let's look forward to Miss Barrymore gracing the big screen once again, bringing us remarkable works. Now, let's check out what so of the other tapes have in store," Sophia stated as she selected another pre-chosen tape to play.
...
The shaky image resud, this ti revealing a blocked-off street surrounded by police cars and nurous cara cranes and tracks. The crew in the background seed relaxed, chatting, drinking, or fanning themselves with clipboards -- indicating a temporary break.
A voice echoed in the background: "Hello everyone, I'm Drew Barrymore from ABC News. I heard there's been a bank robbery here. Let's interview the on-site commander, Mr. Eric Williams."
The cara zood in on Eric, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. It seed the girl said sothing, then an oversized fluffy microphone reluctantly ca into the fra, inching its way toward Eric and accidentally poking his nose, creating a comical scene. A boyish voice off-screen lanted, "Director, I was forced into this, don't bla ."
Seeing this mont made both Eric and Sophia chuckle, while the audience erupted in
laughter.
Onscreen, Eric removed his sunglasses, looking sowhat resigned as he gazed into the cara, as if asking, "What now?"
"Mr. Williams, it's been reported there was a bank robbery here. How's the situation? Could you share so updates with us?" the girl asked earnestly.
"Alright," Eric replied, pushing the microphone slightly away, almost lazily. "We've got the situation under control. Reporter, over there, those two gentlen robbers are playing poker with the SWAT team; it's all very peaceful and harmonious. Negotiator Hanks isn't genuinely chatting with that undercover officer; he's actually probing around. We discovered the undercover is a mole, so we plan to make an arrest soon. Police Chief Joe Pesci stepped out for an urgent matter and won't return for an hour. I can assure you that by then, the hostages will
still be alive..."
Eric's humorous remarks again prompted fits of laughter from the audience. After this segnt, Sophia smiled and selected a few more tapes for brief showings, mixed in with conversations between the two and interactions with the live audience. Before they knew it, due to the need to reshoot several scenes, the forty-minute talk show had taken over two
hours to complete.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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