After 20th Century Fox's funding came through, Gilbert took part of the crew to San Francisco for location scouting. Meanwhile, Charles Roven applied for support from the Pentagon, and after the script was approved, the Pentagon quickly backed the film.
Speed had promoted the Los Angeles Police Department and thus gained their support. This film, _The Rock_, with its promotion of military spirit and patriotism, greatly appealed to the Pentagon officials, so the crew easily secured their support. The level of this support was substantial. The Pentagon not only provided F-18 fighter jets, M16 assault rifles, military uniforms, bulletproof vests, and other active advanced equipment for free, but they also lent the Pentagon's premises for filming. Additionally, they dispatched military advisors and liaisons and sent a SEAL team to directly participate in the shoot.
The cooperation between the Pentagon and Hollywood film crews has a long history; Tom Cruise's breakout film, Top Gun, is a prime example of such collaboration. All this equipment was sponsored free of charge; the crew only needed to cover labor costs and jet fuel. In other words, _The Rock_ was practically an American patriotic blockbuster, showing how much various U.S. agencies valued propaganda.
Standing on the famous Golden Gate Bridge, the morning fog hadn't yet cleared, shrouding the entire bridge in mist, making it appear and disappear. Gilbert spoke with the Pentagon liaison officer: "Major, can we have an F-18 fighter jet fly under the Golden Gate Bridge?"
Major Hall thought for a moment and said, "I'll talk to the pilot and get back to you with a definite answer."
Gilbert nodded. If it didn't work out, they could always rely on special effects; it wasn't impossible to make it work.
September in San Francisco was the best time of year for scenery. Gilbert instructed his cinematography director, Dul Randolph: "Dul, starting tomorrow, your camera crew will come here every day to shoot. Remember, I need lots of sunset and sunrise shots."
"Don't worry, Gilbert, I'll personally handle this," Dul Randolph assured him.
Afterward, Gilbert took his team to survey several streets in San Francisco. Some scenes needed to be shot there, requiring support from the San Francisco city government. Then, the crew took a boat to scout Alcatraz Island.
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### Scouting Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island is less than two miles from Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. It was originally called Pelican Island, from the Spanish La Isla de Los Alcatraces. More a large rock than an island, it was home to many pelicans. The name "Alcatraz Island" came about because it was once a federal prison due to its surrounding cliffs, deep water, and difficult access. During World War I, a man named Philip Grosser, who refused military service, was imprisoned there. After his release, he wrote a book about his grim experience in Alcatraz prison, called Uncle Sam's Devil's Island, which is how Alcatraz got its name. However, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed in 1963, becoming history, and now, along with the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf, it's part of the San Francisco Bay Area landscape. It's worth noting that there's a real Devil's Island in French Guiana, South America, which also had a prison and was much more terrifying than San Francisco's Alcatraz.
Upon landing on Alcatraz Island, Major Hall and several other Pentagon consultants discussed with the crew professional military knowledge such as how to set up positions and conduct special operations. This military expertise was exactly what the crew lacked. Although it was a highly entertaining commercial film, Gilbert didn't want any obvious factual errors that would make the film a laughingstock.
Filming some of the above-ground scenes on Alcatraz was feasible, but shooting the underground scenes would be difficult. Therefore, Gilbert asked art director Selina to build sets in the studio for those parts.
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### Pre-Production and Casting
After the San Francisco scouting trip, Gilbert returned to Los Angeles. At Alcatraz Studio, he reviewed Sofia Coppola's script notes and shooting schedule, and looked at Anne Burton's storyboards and scene compositions. At the same time, he also discussed shooting techniques with cinematographer Dul Randolph and the overall visual style of the film with art director Selina Heafey, finalizing each detail. Sofia Coppola recommended her cousin, John Schwartzman, as the cinematographer. After reviewing several of John Schwartzman's shots, Gilbert happily hired him.
Meanwhile, the audition process was almost complete, and the cast was largely set. In mid-September, _The Rock_ crew publicly announced its cast. Roger Moore was cast as Captain John Mason, Nicolas Cage as the biochemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed, and Ed Harris as General Francis Hummel. The three male leads might not have had the strongest box office draw—perhaps even less than Gilbert himself—but they certainly had the acting chops and plenty of grit, which was good enough.
This was Roger Moore's first collaboration with Gilbert. In a media interview, he frankly stated, "Gilbert sent me an invitation, and I immediately accepted. In Hollywood, no one would turn down an offer from a genius director." In reality, the media were curious where Gilbert had "dug up" Roger Moore, wasn't he semi-retired? But it turned out that "semi-retired" was just a polite term; in reality, no one was offering Roger Moore acting jobs. So, when the crew extended an invitation, Roger Moore was willing to take a lower salary just to be in the film. The fact that he took a pay cut was even exposed by the media. Sarah, a reporter for The Los Angeles Business Journal, commented: "Roger Moore's choice was a wise one. If the film succeeds, the pay cut he took today will be earned back a hundredfold tomorrow."
And would Gilbert's film fail? No one could guarantee that. But judging by his past successes, the chances of success were very high.
Nicolas Cage didn't mention anything about trying to tempt Gilbert with a dozen leggy models. He simply said, "I invited him to my home, and we talked for half an hour. He enthusiastically told me the whole story, and I was immediately drawn in and agreed to participate." Naomi Watts, who had a cameo role this time, also said, "Actually, I watched the whole story take shape and loved it from the start. Even though my part isn't big, I decided to take a role, and Gilbert agreed."
These interviews were mostly mutual commercial praise. The goal was to attract media and audience attention, letting them know a new film was about to start production, who the director was, who the main actors were, and how excited everyone was. This kind of publicity was work arranged by the producers, and the crew naturally had to cooperate.
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### Music and Rivalries
After the cast announcement, _The Rock_ sped up its preparation. Although Gilbert was happy with the composer for Real Steel, he had a much stronger impression of the original soundtrack for _The Rock_. So, he invited Hans Zimmer, who had just finished scoring The Lion King, to compose the film's music. Before scoring, Gilbert gave Hans Zimmer a rough outline of the entire _The Rock_ story, then allowed Hans Zimmer creative freedom to begin composing the score. This was Hans Zimmer's first time scoring a major Hollywood commercial blockbuster. His previous scoring work was mostly for independent films, or animated films like The Lion King. It's worth noting that The Lion King was set to hit North American theaters in October and would be a landmark animated film.
Upon seeing the cast announcement for _The Rock_ in the newspaper, Sean Connery was furious again. He vented his anger, smashing things around. His wife and son had already fled, so he had no one to hit. Martin Bob, busy with Michael Bay's Bad Boys and Mel Gibson's Braveheart projects, rarely had time to visit Sean Connery. After Connery finished his outburst, Martin Bob finally spoke.
"Sean, wake up. Hollywood doesn't need an old 007 anymore. Stop with your foolish ideas." Martin Bob was quite blunt. With other CAA superstars, Martin Bob would be all smiles and pleasantries, fearing they might be displeased. But facing Sean Connery, who needed CAA's support to stay relevant, Martin Bob reverted to his usual assertive self. Sean Connery's chest heaved, clearly suppressing his anger; he couldn't afford to offend Martin Bob.
"So, what do you suggest?" Sean Connery asked.
After a stick, you have to offer a carrot. Martin Bob said, "Mel's project, Braveheart, has already begun pre-production. It's about the Scottish struggle for independence. Haven't you always wanted Scottish independence? Starring in this film would be a great way to promote your cause."
Sean Connery knew there was no other way and agreed to Martin Bob's plan, joining Mel Gibson's new project, Braveheart.
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### Filming Begins
Gilbert was unaware of Sean Connery's change of plans. After countless production meetings and reviewing the progress of various tasks, Gilbert finally took the crew to San Francisco to begin principal photography. On the way to San Francisco, Roger Moore and Gilbert shared a car.
On the way, Roger Moore asked, "I heard the initial choice for the crew was Sean Connery?"
Gilbert admitted, "That's right. It's just that his demands were too excessive, and the crew couldn't agree, so we chose you instead."
Roger Moore was pleased. He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll prove that was the right choice."
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Real Steel in China
Putting that aside, let's look at Gilbert's film's performance in mainland China. It seemed that seeing a Hollywood blockbuster for the first time, especially one like _Real Steel_, greatly amazed audiences. In a nascent commercial film market, the film, screened from July to September, grossed 11.25 million RMB, a remarkable achievement. More importantly, this film enlightened many viewers, showing them what movies looked like on the other side of the world.
However, this wasn't the end. Next up were films like _The Fugitive_, _Speed_, and _True Lies_ set to meet audiences. Especially _True Lies_, which was reportedly uncut. If it were screened in mainland China, it would likely cause a considerable shock to the innocent young minds of audiences who hadn't seen such things before.
The introduction of Hollywood blockbusters has impacted the original model of cinema. Where cinema will go in the future is now up to the filmmakers themselves.
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