I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1044: This Should Be a Compliment]

In recent days, the filming had primarily relied on motion capture, focusing on a scene where the female lead, Ryan, tried to use the space station's landing module to reach her next destination. However, a parachute snagged on her, and she had to exit the module to untangle it.

After sending Chris off, Eric returned to the studio. Judy had already changed into a simple space suit covered in sensors, standing in front of a green screen. The complexity of the scene made it impossible to shoot with live actors, so they turned to motion capture to create pure CG environments.

Waving to signal everyone to begin, Eric took his seat in the director's chair. The monitor displayed Judy's general outline, showing how this footage would be processed and rendered into realistic 3D graphics, ensuring the movements appeared lifelike.

Eric flipped through his director's script, reviewing the storyboard sketches and notes, quickly getting into work mode. He instructed Judy to test out a few movements for the visual effects, marking the official start of filming.

While blockbuster films typically offered unparalleled viewing experiences, the actual shooting process could be extremely monotonous. The making of Gravity was especially so, with hardly any outdoor scenes. Although the studio was spacious, much of it was dimly lit to create artificial lighting simulations. After months of interior shooting, a slight claustrophobia began to set in.

...

After a busy afternoon, Eric announced at five o'clock that they could wrap for the day.

Looking at Judy, who was tiredly resting beside her workstation after hastily removing her sensors, Eric handed her a bottle of water and asked, "You alright?"

Judy unscrewed the cap and gulped down about half the bottle, releasing a long sigh. "If it weren't for another month of shooting, I'd be feeling great right now."

Having started filming in early July, about two and a half months had passed. Numerous issues had cropped up during shooting, along with Eric's desire to implement some cutting-edge filming techniques, so what was originally a three-month timeline had extended to four. If everything went smoothly, wrapping up the film would be at least by the end of October.

Understanding her plight, Eric said, "Just hang in there for one more month. Our last set of outdoor shots is scheduled at the Colorado River Basin in Arizona. We could stay there for a while for a little vacation -- it's beautiful out there."

After spending more than two months in the studio, Judy found herself looking forward to the trip Eric described.

Setting the half-empty bottle down, Judy turned to Eric, who was several years her junior but exuded a mature composure that seemed seasoned by life. "Eric, aren't you tired? I've been hearing a lot of buzz about Firefly lately."

"Probably just busy enough to not realize how fatigued I am," Eric replied while thinking, then asked, "What have you heard about me?"

"Like how you bought the whole Sony Pictures just for a script," Judy rested her arms on the table, smirking and adding, "Everyone says you want to be the king of Hollywood now."

Eric nodded seriously. "That should be a compliment."

With a playful smile, Judy nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes."

Eric showed an understanding expression. "That's more like sarcasm; I should consider giving my leading lady a hard time."

Judy chuckled lightly. "Honestly, a lot of friends wanted me to find out your intentions the other day. But knowing you, you're annoying yet not the type to actually do those things, so I told them everything was fine."

With a quirky smile, Eric nodded and scrutinized the woman beside him, speaking with a hint of intrigue, "Judy, do you know what happens when a woman subconsciously learns about another man?"

Judy's eyes flickered, her expression turned slightly flustered, and then she narrowed her eyes at Eric, rising to her feet with a tinge of royal demeanor, stating coolly, "I think I need to go take off my makeup."

Watching her rush off, Eric chuckled and opened his laptop to start writing the day's work log.

...

It wasn't until six o'clock that Eric finally left Firefly Studios, heading toward the Beverly Hills Trousdale estate.

Today was September 17, a Thursday.

Brvao's Desperate Housewives Season Two paired with the new reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was set to premiere simultaneously. With a strong fanbase, Desperate Housewives would serve as a lead-in for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, airing its first episode before shifting to a Wednesday primetime slot the following week.

After the Season One finale hit a staggering 7.07 million cable viewers, Desperate Housewives had been the talk of the media for months. Many speculated that Firefly Group might move Desperate Housewives to a public network like ABC.

In recent years, with the rise of cable channels, public television ratings had significantly declined. This led Katzenberg to formally discuss with Eric the possibility of transitioning Desperate Housewives, and even Drew had mentioned she didn't mind.

Initially, Eric was tempted; moving Desperate Housewives to ABC would mean they would once again host a show with over 20 million viewers, significantly increasing revenue.

However, upon deeper reflection, Eric dismissed the thought. Transitioning Desperate Housewives to ABC might turn it into another 'women's network.'

At the same time, Firefly's system already owned two successful women's networks: Lifetime and Brvao -- one targeting urban elite women and the other catering to a broader demographic of North American housewives. If ABC also became a women-focused network, it might not bode well for Firefly's television business overall.

Traffic was congested during the commute home, so the driver took a detour, and they reached Trousdale estate just before seven.

...

As they pulled up to the glamorous entrance, Eric noticed the neighboring mansion -- once home to Elisabeth and Julia -- was bustling with activity. Drew quickly ran over, linking her arm with Eric's as they entered her home.

She subtly lifted her chin toward the commotion next door and asked, "What's going on over there?"

"I borrowed the yard for a party. They're setting up for a start at 7:30."

Initially, Elisabeth and Drew had purchased these two adjoining mansions together, but after Elisabeth and Julia moved to the mountaintop, this one had remained vacant.

Eric imagined how the girl might sneakily borrow things from Elisabeth and raised an eyebrow. "You're not using it without permission, are you? Be careful Liz doesn't get into a fight with you -- I won't help."

The girl laughed, "Of course not! We're best friends -- it's no big deal to borrow a few things."

"Alright, so it looks like I need to redefine what 'best friends' means."

"Ha ha," the girl laughed as they entered the villa, sitting on the couch together. "Tonight's going to be lively -- main cast members from Desperate Housewives and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will be here. You can pick and choose."

Eric pinched her cheek playfully, "Only you, then."

"Hey," she twisted her face away, opening her mouth around Eric's finger and playfully biting it before letting it go.

He gently tapped her forehead, retracting his hand. "Have Natasha prepare some snacks for me. I'm going to take a shower. And I won't be joining you guys over there tonight; have fun."

Knowing Eric fundamentally disliked such noisy parties, especially after being busy, she didn't press him, playfully suggesting, "Do you want me to keep you company in the shower? I just learned about massages."

Eric shook his head, standing up with a smile. "Who taught you that?"

"Natasha."

Eric halted, "Then never mind."

"Ha ha," the girl laughed, watching Eric walk to the stairs. "Oh, by the way, what do you want to eat?"

"Just make whatever."

...

After showering and eating dinner, it was dark outside, and the commotion next door intensified.

Eric didn't make an appearance, and the guests came to the party unaware he was there, so no one greeted him, and he was glad for the peace.

In September, Los Angeles nights cooled to a perfect 20 degrees Celsius.

Eric had no intentions of engaging with work again that evening. He swam briefly in the pool, then lounged in a beach chair, casually flipping through one of the girl's Vogue magazines.

Natasha silently approached, placing a glass of orange juice on the small table next to Eric. Since that night, she had remained quite shy around him.

He set the magazine aside, sitting up and waving to her with a smile. Natasha moved a little closer, her face reddening, her rigid body resembling a small animal caught in a trap.

Eric assessed the girl before him, tall and clad in a white blouse and white pants, her fair skin peeking through. He knew she was naturally conservative, disallowing any forward moves. He merely took her small hand, giving it a gentle kiss, and said, "Natasha, you can go play over there now; you don't have to sit with me."

But Natasha shook her head, whispering, "The boss told me to stay here and keep you company."

Eric laughed. "Between the boss and the master, of course, you should listen to the master."

A deeper shade of red washed over Natasha's cheeks, yet she still shook her head.

Eric pointed to a nearby lounge chair. "Then just sit here and talk to me."

Natasha nodded and stepped back, sitting at the edge of the chair, her back straight, legs together, quietly gazing at the man relaxed across from her, a hint of contentment in her eyes.

After all these years, while the twins generally maintained a quiet presence, in truth, they had grown very familiar with each other.

Conversing little, Eric occasionally said something, and the girl would softly reply with a hum. Most of the sounds in the yard were just Eric flipping through the magazine.

...

Time passed, and cheers erupted from the neighboring mansion.

Judging by the timing, the preliminary viewing data from the East Coast on Desperate Housewives Season Two and the first episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills should have been released. Based on the samples from the East Coast, the overall ratings for North America were mostly set.

Having already created a cable viewership miracle in its first season and remained a hot topic for months, Eric wasn't at all concerned about Desperate Housewives' second season ratings. His curiosity and anticipation were more focused on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' performance.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' success would shape the future of Brvao channel's entire wives series. If this reality show successfully gained traction, the entire channel's ratings for the next five years would be significantly secured.

Following Eric's gaze, Natasha peered over and softly asked, "Master, do you need me to check on anything over there?"

"No need," Eric shook his head. "The data will be there; we will find out eventually."

Natasha nodded, already cherishing this chance to spend time alone with Eric.

Just as Eric restrained Natasha from checking, someone else approached.

"Eric, if it weren't for Drew, we'd still be in the dark about you being here tonight."

Kris Jenner, dressed in a sleek black gown with a plunging neckline, encapsulating a glamorous image of a captivating woman.

Inside, Eric felt a sense of resignation; despite her cheerful demeanor, the girl would eventually get jealous. Kris Jenner was clearly sent over to disrupt his connection with Natasha.

As she arrived, Natasha promptly stood up, courteously offering Kris a cup of coffee, before retreating into the villa.

Eric didn't feel like standing either. Gazing at the alluring figure of Kris Jenner sitting across from him, he asked, "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' first episode ratings should be out now, right? How did it go?"

Kris beamed with excitement. "Data just came in from New York, about 3.5 million viewers, with around a 2.0 rating among the 18-49 age group. Preliminary statistics suggest it should rank among the top five cable shows for the timeslot tonight. Tomorrow's detailed data will provide more clarity. Plus, moving it to 8 PM on Wednesdays next week should boost the ratings even higher."

*****

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