"Cut!"
"Scene 12, Take 8, Shot 4, done!"
On the afternoon of June 4th, after nearly twenty days of filming, Luca had completed a little over half of his scenes.
Infernal Affairs is a commercial blockbuster, so during filming, the actors' performances weren't held to very high standards. The director's team focused more on the actors' lines, looks, and actions than their acting skills.
Luca, being an experienced actor with a solid background, didn't face any major difficulties during the filming process.
"Mr. Kelly, there are two action scenes scheduled for tomorrow. Please be prepared in advance," the production assistant reminded him.
"I understand!" Luca nodded. The action scenes involved two types of combat: hand-to-hand fighting and gunfights.
The crew had hired a Brazilian martial arts expert to train Luca and the other lead actors, while the gunfight choreography was done by action directors from Hong Kong.
He had practiced the fight scenes for two weeks, and there were no significant issues.
"Luca, are you ready to leave?"
The director, Jose, came out while munching on a burger. He had been too busy to have lunch that day.
"Let's go!"
Luca drove away from the set, heading to a theater on Atlantic Street to watch the newly released movie, Saving Ronaldo.
Luca hadn't had a chance to watch Saving after it was finished, so he invited Jose to come along.
Once inside the theater, the two of them sat in the back row.
The main auditorium of the Atlantic Street Theater was quite large, with seating for about 800 people. When they arrived, the movie was about to begin, and the auditorium was around 60% full.
"The attendance isn't bad!" Jose commented as he looked around.
"Not bad at all," Luca replied. In Brazil, where movie-watching wasn't all that popular, filling even half of the seats was considered decent.
The movie started.
The first thing to appear was the logos of the production companies: Marcel's VOD Film Company, Luca's Toco Toucan Pictures, and Baragua Pictures.
Toco Toucan had invested $400,000, so their logo came second.
Click! Click!
An animated toucan appeared on the screen, snapping its beak twice as the company's name appeared—a simple opening animation.
Clatter, clatter.
After the production company logos faded, the scene opened in the noisy backdrop of a casino in a Rio de Janeiro slum.
The camera panned over hundreds of people: some were singing and dancing, others were drinking or using substances, and a few scantily clad women were gyrating wildly on a platform.
The most chaotic scene was at the center table, where a group of gamblers were shouting excitedly. The gambler in the middle was a sweaty, middle-aged man, clutching some crumpled banknotes with bloodshot eyes, staring at the table with a crazed expression. This man was none other than Ronaldo's gambling-addicted father.
Unsurprisingly, he lost all the money he had borrowed, and in a desperate move, he stole some cash and tried to flee.
This led to a chase scene, with the gambler running through the dark, narrow streets of the slum, while a mob chased him. The background music was fast-paced, like drumbeats—da-da-da-da—while production credits for the producer, director, screenwriter, and lead actors rolled on the screen.
"Not a bad start, it's very engaging!" Jose commented.
Luca nodded in agreement. For this opening scene, he had drawn inspiration from an old Hollywood movie, using dark tones, heavy breathing, and rapid drumbeats to set the movie's rhythm.
Suddenly, the gambler screamed as he collided with his pursuers, causing laughter to erupt in the theater.
Unfortunately for the gambler, he was caught, and the mob threatened to take his organs to settle his debts. Terrified, the gambler claimed that his son was a brilliant soccer player, and once his son became a star, he would surely repay the money.
The scene transitioned to the third act, where Ronaldo was shown playing in a soccer match on the field, and the atmosphere in the theater became more lively.
"Luca, is this Ronaldo related to the famous Ronaldo?" Jose asked.
"Nope!" Luca naturally denied any attempt to piggyback on the famous Ronaldo's name.
"But the similarities are striking. In the movie, this Ronaldo grew up in the slums of Rio, with a gambling-addicted father, and incredible soccer talent. The real Ronaldo also came from a slum, had an alcoholic father, and both are dark-skinned. Are you sure there's no connection?"
Luca chuckled and shook his head. "In Brazil, there are over a dozen soccer stars named Ronaldo—Ronaldo Rodrigues, Ronaldo Guairo, Ronaldo Suarez… Want me to keep going?"
The name Ronaldo is so common in Brazil that it's said that when the legendary Ronaldo was born, both the doctor and the driver who brought his mother to the hospital were named Ronaldo. His father thought it was fate and gave him the name.
Jose laughed. "I saw in the news that Ronaldo really admires Lima, but also called you a playboy who's not worthy of her. Are you mad at him? Is this movie your revenge?"
"Not at all. I'm not that petty." Luca had already heard about this from Lima. She and Ronaldo were actually distant relatives.
Lima's full name was Adriana Lima.
Ronaldo's full name was Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima.
They shared the same last name, and about a hundred years ago, their families were related.
"Whether or not you're petty, you better watch out for Ronaldo suing you for defamation."
Jose warned.
"Sue me? That might not be so bad. It would give us some free publicity!"
"Haha!"
The theater burst into laughter again as the protagonist outwitted a group of thugs in another scene.
"I thought this was a crime film. I was hoping to get some ideas, but it's more of a comedy," Jose remarked, rubbing his chin.
"It's not strictly a comedy. It's more of a blend of gangster, comedy, sports, and romance."
Jose nodded and continued watching the movie.
Just as Luca said, the film had moments of laughter, but also brutal gang fights. In later scenes, two gangs went to war over Ronaldo, leading to heavy casualties and some very emotional moments.
In the final scene, Macio, who played 'Parrot,' and other gang members were lying in a hospital, watching Ronaldo dominate on the soccer field on TV. They cheered and cried with joy, only to wince in pain from their injuries.
The movie ended with a burst of laughter in the theater.
"What did you think?" Luca asked.
"It was good, but the shifting tones might keep it from doing well at the box office," Jose said thoughtfully.
"Let's hope we at least break even," Luca sighed. If the movie flopped, he might give up on Brazilian cinema altogether.
Unfortunately, Jose was right. After Saving was released, it earned less than 2 million reais on its first day and only 8.05 million reais in its opening week. It lost out to Hollywood films like The Day After Tomorrow, The Stepford Wives, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Mean Girls, coming in fifth place.
"Haha, Luca! You invested 6 million, and the first week brought in 8.05 million! You hit the jackpot!" Macio exclaimed excitedly, holding a newspaper.
"Jackpot my foot!" Luca sighed. "52% of that 8.05 million goes to the theaters, 16% goes to the distributors, and the producers only get 32%. Of that 32%, I get just 12%, which is 966,000. But I invested over 1.8 million reais, plus the script. You tell me, did I make money or lose it?"
"Lost money?" Macio blinked, suddenly worried. If Luca stopped investing in films, Macio would lose his chance at stardom.
"Don't worry, Luca. The box office will pick up in the coming weeks. You won't lose everything."
"Not likely," Luca said. Most films made the bulk of their money in the first week, and with rampant piracy in Brazil, the box office would probably plummet. The film was headed for a flop.
"Maybe there'll be a miracle?"
"Just go back to your extra work," Luca waved him off, heading back to the set to continue filming.
"Okay…" Macio walked away, dejected.
The next day at noon, he bought a newspaper on his way to the set, eager to check the movie reviews and box office numbers. Suddenly, a headline on the entertainment page caught his eye:
"Ronaldo's Management Team Files Complaint: Saving Damages Ronaldo's Reputation; Demands Apology and End to Film's Screening"
"What?!"
Macio's face went pale as he read further.
"Luca, bad news!" Macio burst onto the set, holding the newspaper.