"Vincent, I don't want black gears. I need bright gears with a metallic lustre, preferably stainless steel".
"Do the sides need grooves, like the gears in Chaplin's 'Modern Times'? I think that would be more artistic".
"No, the sides don't need any grooves."
"That will look very monotonous, Simon. I'll show you a part and you'll see."
"Of course I know, but if multiple gears overlap, creating a three-dimensional effect, it won't be monotonous, just like this concept drawing of mine".
"Simon, your concept drawing, while beautiful, is actually pretty amateurish".
"So? I'm the customer, and you're the shop owner, Vincent. It's your job to try and realize my vision. Moreover, when the wall clock operates, all these gears must turn with it. I need to convey a very strong sense of the passage of time".
"Two options, Simon. If you only need to show such an effect, I can set up a separate power system. That's simple and cheap. If you want these gears to integrate with the clock's mechanical structure, it might take two or three months, and it will be very expensive".
"I choose the first option".
"Alright, then let's look at your next concept drawing. This is, um, a butterfly?"
By the counter of Strong's Clock Shop, Sandra Bullock still held Simon's backpack, sitting quietly beside the boy, listening to his series of conversations with Vincent Strong, the shop's owner. Although she wore a smile, she felt a bit frustrated that she couldn't interject at all.
At the same time, Sandra's gaze fell more than once on the two concept drawings Simon showed to Vincent.
These were two wall clocks.
The first had a pendulum, and its main body was made up of many intricate gears. As it was only a light grey pencil drawing, it easily brought to mind scenes from Chaplin's 'Modern Times'.
The other clock, however, was a butterfly with very beautiful patterns. The designs and textures on the butterfly's body cleverly marked out the twelve hours. Listening to Simon and the shop owner's conversation, he seemed to want it made in gold, which would undoubtedly be even more beautiful.
Simon and the shop owner discussed the designs for over ten minutes, confirming all the details of the two wall clocks and the custom price.
Finally, after paying the deposit, Simon left the clock shop with Sandra.
Standing on the street, Sandra saw Simon begin to look around again. She perked up and said with a casual smile, "So… where to next?"
Although the girl hid it well, Simon still felt a faint hint of complaint in Sandra's tone. He pointed across the street to a coffee shop: "Here, I'll treat you to coffee, and we can talk about the movie".
The slight dissatisfaction that had just arisen in her heart immediately disappeared.
She realized she was quite happily following him across the street, and she secretly laughed at herself.
Sigh, what a pathetic fellow.
But, who cares?
Simon locked his bicycle on the street, and the two walked into the coffee shop, found a table, and sat down.
After they each ordered coffee and a plate of muffins, Sandra was the first to ask, "Simon, what are those two wall clocks for?"
Simon patiently explained, "They are two filming props. The gear wall clock is for the beginning of the movie, and the butterfly wall clock is a set piece in Lola's room. As clocks, they both, of course, represent the passage of time. However, the butterfly wall clock has another layer of meaning; I hope this movie can lay some groundwork for another movie of mine".
In the original 'Run Lola Run', the two clock props that appeared were both European retro types. This was actually very consistent with the overall style of Berlin, that ancient European metropolis.
However, Simon was currently in Los Angeles.
A young and vibrant city.
Therefore, if he simply copied the original, the two European retro clocks would look very out of place in the new film.
Since the time, location, plot, and other elements of the new film needed significant adjustments, Simon was essentially creating a completely different 'Run Lola Run'.
Given this, Simon also intended to express some ideas that were completely different from the original.
In fact, the original 'Run Lola Run' was hardly a film expressing any profound philosophical thoughts.
Director Tom Tykwer simply wanted to express the various ideas he had accumulated as a crazy video game fan through a movie. So he quickly wrote the script, quickly filmed it, with his good friend as the male lead, his girlfriend as the female lead, and most of the other characters also acquaintances. Everyone joyfully made a very fun movie.
Now, Simon's purpose in making this movie was equally simple and clear.
First: Make a cool movie and demonstrate his abilities to Hollywood.
Second: Through the production of this movie, reacquaint himself with the production process of Hollywood films in the current era.
Third: Promote the concept of the 'butterfly effect' to pave the way for the future release of 'The Butterfly Effect'.
Among these, the first two points were goals Simon had to achieve, while the third point was more incidental. If it could be achieved, great; if not, it didn't really matter.
However, even though the third goal depended on luck, Simon spared no effort in expressing the details.
The two custom-made wall clocks: the first, a modern-looking gear wall clock, was to match the new filming environment. The second, the butterfly wall clock, was a clearly hinting at the concept of the 'butterfly effect'.
In fact, Simon planned to incorporate three sets of 'butterfly' imagery into the film.
One or two wouldn't leave a deep enough impression on the audience, and more than three would seem too pervasive. Three imageries were just right.
The waiter brought their coffee. Sandra waited for him to leave and asked, "Another movie? You're planning to make two movies?"
"No" Simon shook his head and said, "The other one is 'The Butterfly Effect.' You must have heard about what's been happening these past few days, right? I wrote that script".
Sandra had only just signed with Jonathan last week, and then the media storm surrounding the WMA packaging project, which led to infighting within the company, broke out a few days later. The girl had even been worried for a while that she might have to find a new agent right after signing, so how could she not know about "The Butterfly Effect?"
However, she had never imagined that the script for 'The Butterfly Effect' was written by the young man sitting opposite her.
Staring at Simon for a few moments, it was a while before Sandra finally let out a soft exclamation: "Wow!"
Simon merely shrugged and continued, "Most people who have read the 'Butterfly Effect' script feel that the name is too obscure. The plot of 'Run Lola Run' happens to be able to explain the concept of the 'butterfly effect' very graphically. So, through a clear prop like the butterfly wall clock, I hope 'Run Lola Run' can make more people aware of the term 'butterfly effect'".