America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Missouri, Cape Girardeau.

This city, originally situated along the banks of the Mississippi River, suddenly came alive with the arrival of the "Gone Girl" film crew.

It's human nature to love a spectacle, especially when three top Hollywood figures are involved.

From the day the film crew arrived in Cape Girardeau, local newspaper and TV station reporters went into 24-hour tracking mode, and several cinemas wisely capitalized on the buzz by featuring film marathons of Martin Davis, David Fincher, and Charlize Theron.

The attendance was quite impressive.

As for those who were just there to watch and munch on popcorn, there were even more of them.

Inside the production studio near the riverbank, the film crew had begun the official shooting.

Martin, dressed in a smart suit, stepped down from his trailer and entered the soundstage.

David Fincher gave him a look and admonished, "Right now, you're not a scumbag, but a writer who can earn a decent income from his columns. Show the cultured elite side of yourself."

Martin replied, "That's something I'm quite good at."

David Fincher had worked with Martin on a film before and had considerable trust in him.

Charlize Theron then entered the set, dressed in a striped tee and straight-leg jeans, topped with flowing golden hair, looking delicate and beautiful.

Fincher gave her a once-over and said to the stylist, "Sally's facial lines need to be softer."

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Then to Charlize herself, he said, "Completely conceal any outward sharpness. Right now, you're a cool girl, a woman whose looks and demeanor can most move a man."

Charlize Theron nodded and sat down, letting the stylist adjust the shadows on her face slightly until David Fincher was satisfied.

A few minutes later, the extras who had been waiting came on set to form the background for the first meeting of the lead characters.

It was a gathering of New York's creative industry, where Nick Dunne from a small town in Missouri met the amazing New York girl, Amy.

Martin got into character quickly, but the shooting was not going smoothly as Fincher repeatedly called cut, continually adjusting Charlize Theron's performance.

After over a dozen takes of the first scene, Fincher finally gave the okay.

Stepping out of character, Charlize first apologized to Martin, "Sorry to have made you reshoot again and again with me. I take a while to warm up."

Martin said, "No problem, it's all part of the process."

Charlize then apologized to the other actors and crew, coming across as very personable.

Her reputation in the industry has always been good, one of the actresses with relatively little negative press.

The first day's shooting focused mainly on indoor scenes between Martin and Charlize.

As they shot scene after scene, Charlize gradually found her rhythm, and the number of NGs noticeably decreased.

After all, she had played these kinds of roles, reliant on beauty to succeed, many years before.

David Fincher was not as laid-back as he had been during the shooting of "Benjamin." Wanting the film to catch the holiday season and compete for the next Oscars, it was crucial to ensure the crew's working efficiency.

The cinematographer, art director, and directing team, who were used to working with Fincher over the long term, struggled somewhat with the tight schedule, and occasional roars of anger and urgency from Fincher could be heard on set.

The assistant director, Paul, asked Fincher's assistant, Molly, "Since when did David turn into James Cameron? His loud voice has probably scared all the Asian carp in the Mississippi River to death."

Molly reminded him, "David is in a bad mood after the Oscar setback; he's put a lot of pressure on himself. Pay more attention in normal times and try to keep up with his shooting pace."

Paul nodded, "I see that. Naturally gentle people can be terrifying once they lose their temper."

Everyone on the set started to take things seriously, and the efficiency of the crew manifestly improved.

During lunch, Charlize sat with Martin and specifically asked, "Isn't David known for being a rationalist on set, someone with a relatively gentle working style? Was he like this when you worked with him on 'Benjamin'?"

Martin swallowed his food and replied, "No, during 'Benjamin' the overall atmosphere of the crew was more relaxed. Now David wants to improve the efficiency of the crew, so he wound everyone up tight on the very first day, probably wanting to get everyone spirited right from the start."

Charlize ate carefully and nodded, "Makes sense, we do need to speed up. I have to leave the crew by mid-May at the latest."

Martin had seen her work schedule and teasingly asked, "Why, don't want to stick around with me a little longer?"

Charlize smiled, "Do you ever lack for women? Super playboy."

Though she said this, she explained, "I need to go to South Africa. I am an ambassador for the South Africa World Cup bid and its public face. The World Cup is in June, and there's a lot of promotional work to do before the opening."

Martin understood, "The World Cup of soccer, the hottest sporting event in the world."

Charlize invited him, "Interested? If you want to go, the organizing committee will definitely send you a special invitation. You can take Elizabeth with you to watch the opening and the finals."

"I'm interested in soccer," Martin thought for a moment, then said, "The schedule probably won't work out though, right in the middle of promotions and release for 'Inception.'"

Charlize said, "I'll have the committee send you an invite first, and if you can't make it, we can talk about it then."

The two were chatting when David Fincher and producer Dana Brunetti came over to discuss the film's budget and tax incentives.

The reason the crew came to Missouri to film was not only because most of the plot takes place in a small town in Missouri but also because Missouri offered tax incentives.

Dana had calculated that as long as the crew employed 25% local staff during filming, they would be eligible for tax rebates, saving 15% of the production costs.

Tax incentives were even more advantageous than in Atlanta.

In the competition to lure Hollywood productions, states across the U.S. have become increasingly aggressive over the years, with significant post-release impact on tourism and service industries.

However, Missouri was just starting out with only a few small studios and couldn't compare to Atlanta's ever-growing filming base.

After a while, the novelist Gillian Flynn arrived and started discussing book sales and publicity.

Since its release last year, "Gone Girl" skyrocketed to the New York Times bestseller list after Martin and David Fincher jointly announced the film adaptation, and it was now in the top three.

With the ongoing filming and promotional activities, reaching the top of the bestseller list was not an extravagant hope.

Gillian Flynn had also transitioned from an entertainment magazine journalist into a bestselling novelist.

The novel's success also brought a basic audience for the film.

After a light lunch and a brief rest, the group returned to the set to continue filming.

The focus of the afternoon shoot was on the love scenes between the male and female leads.

The rise of the internet and social media killed off many print media writers. Nick, the struggling writer, was one of them. That's when he met Amy, the heiress showing a cool-girl quality that men adore. Of course, he was going to hit on her.

A small-town youth, earnest in his efforts, marries a wealthy woman, achieving his life's worth.

Martin's performance came naturally, as it was incredibly similar to his own experience.

In his early days in Atlanta, Martin had once aspired to win over Kelly Gray and settle down.

In pursuit of this goal, he orchestrated heroic rescues and shared enmity, even "designed" a pink kettle, all to impress Kelly.

Strictly speaking, Martin's behavior wasn't much different from Nick's.

The biggest difference between them was that even if Martin succeeded, he remained proactive, realizing he couldn't just coast along. He immediately exhibited all his energy, climbing the ladder Kelly had set up.

Instead of curling up in a shell and becoming a drop-out.

The final scene of the afternoon.

In the studio set up as a loading dock, at Finch's command, the dust machine stirred up some icing sugar, creating a sweet storm.

Wrapped in a coat, wearing black knee-high boots, Charlize walked into the set arm-in-arm with Martin, surrounded by the sweet air.@@novelbin@@

Charlize let go of Martin and seemed to leap into a ballet dance, spinning with her arms open, swirling in the sugar storm.

The sun-kissed handsome male lead followed from behind.

In the eyes of both the camera and the crew, the two of them seemed like a match made in heaven.

The icing sugar flew through the air, twinkling and landing like snowflakes on Charlize's lips.

Martin approached and embraced Charlize, gently brushing her red lips, "You're sweet from head to toe, how could I resist kissing you?"

Charlize leaned against the wall, her eyes slightly closed.

Martin kissed her as he often did at Charlize's house.

The male and female leads solidified their relationship.

In Martin's eyes, this was also one of the scenes that best reflected the theme of the movie.

As he discussed privately with Charlize, "Whether highborn or lowly, love lasts an eternity!"

The sweet kiss did not continue.

"Cut! That's a wrap for this take!" David Fincher shouted from behind the director's monitor. "Martin, Sally, you did great. That's it for today. Let's pack up!"

Martin released Charlize's red lips but did not let go, one hand still pressed against the wall.

Charlize, eyes full of fire, said, "I'm sweet from head to toe, how can you restrain yourself from taking me away?"

Martin looked at the falling sugar, caught some in his hand, and touched it to Charlize's red lips, "I want to make you even sweeter."

Charlize tilted her head back, allowing more sugar to fall on her face.

After half a minute, Martin took Charlize by the hand and left.

No one on the set was surprised; such occurrences seemed common in Hollywood crews.

Martin left the studio, pulling Charlize along and started running, "Shall we find someplace private?"

"Are you crazy?" Charlize licked her sweet lips playfully and said, "I'm single now, I don't mind if people see. Are you sure?"

Martin didn't answer but just opened the trailer door and pulled Charlize inside.

The next moment, all he smelled and tasted was the cloying sweetness.

The trailer began to shake, and the real sugar storm commenced.