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"Ms. Schneider, do we need to avoid laying the fake snow directly on the lawn?"
Cheryl Schneider saw the hesitation in Eric's expression, and he spoke confidently: "Yes, you can lay it on the side of the road, but not on the lawn. And after the shooting of the artificial snow on both sides of the road is completed, it must be properly cleaned up."
Eric kept his eyes fixed on the woman in front of him. He could see the struggle in her expression, and he felt more certain of his guesses. If the woman was solely motivated by environmental protection, she would not hesitate to accept his feasible solution.
Although Eric understood all this, he still suggested an alternative in a bargaining tone: "Well, then, if we put a layer of plastic cloth on the lawn pad and lay fake snow on top of it, that should be alright, right?"
Cheryl Schneider was stunned for a moment, then reluctantly nodded and said, "I think...maybe...it's possible."
Eric ignored the woman and said to Jeffrey, "Let's do it this way. Jeffrey, suspend the scene in Central Park and get everyone to prepare for the next scene. I think my next scene should be where Kevin escapes from the Grand Square Hotel and is caught by two clumsy thieves in the back alley. Get someone to set up the scene there. We can't stop shooting in the afternoon."
Jeffrey had also noticed something unusual in Cheryl Schneider's expression, and he said to Eric, "Eric, the headquarters of News Group America is in New York. They must have deep connections locally. Should we contact Murdoch?"
"If we go to Murdoch for help with such a small matter, how will he look at us? Besides, Murdoch is not a philanthropist. " Eric shook his head and then said, "Moreover, 'Home Alone 2' also involves the interests of Fox Film Company. If we can't solve this in the end, Fox will definitely take the initiative, and we don't have to take the initiative to send goodwill."
Jeffrey smiled and said, "As you thought, I'll have someone buy plastic film. But I don't think it will take too long; we don't even need to change the scene."
Eric pointed to the men and women lying all over the lawn and said, "With so many people here, we won't be able to shoot properly. I'm worried they'll intentionally cause trouble, just like what happened when I wasn't here. If something does happen, it'll be even more troublesome to resolve. So, let's change the scene for now. Oh, did any media reporters come by just now?"
Jeffrey was surprised by Eric's question and, after thinking for a moment, he said, "It seems like there were a few, but they just took some photos from a distance and were driven away by our staff and left obediently."
Eric grumbled, "Looks like the trouble is only just beginning." He said to Jeffrey, "You get it sorted out first. Then come back to the hotel with me. I think you have more important things to do in the afternoon."
"OK then," Jeffrey nodded and hurried off to do what Eric had instructed. After he left, Eric asked the staff for a camera and took some photos of the protesters lying on the lawn. He then asked Alan to get them printed out immediately.
After almost an hour, Jeffrey returned to the hotel where the crew was staying, and Eric handed him a stack of photos. Jeffrey picked up the stack, flipped through it with a perplexed expression, and asked, "What is this for?"
"Just in case," Eric said. "Haven't you noticed that the purpose of this so-called environmental organization suddenly appearing isn't pure? We've filmed a few scenes on some sections with vegetation before, and we didn't see any trace of them. But this last week, we filmed scenes in Central Park and they showed up."
Jeffrey quickly understood what Eric said. It was obvious that someone wanted to delay the filming of "Home Alone 2" and the trouble they brought was greater than when they first intervened. Central Park holds a special place in the hearts of New Yorkers, so if the filming crew was met with resistance from environmental organizations and maliciously fabricated facts about the harms of man-made snow ingredients, such as magnesium sulfate, on the vegetation of Central Park, then they would certainly face greater resistance, and even the New York City government would have to intervene to appease public concerns and directly stop the filming of "Home Alone 2" before the crew presented a reasonable plan. "Home Alone 2" is scheduled on a daily basis, and now they have come to the last minute. If it is delayed for a few days, then all the plans made initially would have to be postponed.
And even now it is impossible to edit the script and remove the Central Park scene, as the previous shooting was interlinked within the plot and included many shots of Kevin running out of Central Park. If it were edited, then a lot of the shots captured before would be wasted, and if they had to be reshot, then "Home Alone 2" could only be postponed until Christmas.
Jeffrey grew increasingly concerned, holding the photo in his hand and asking Eric, "Who do you think is causing trouble this time?"
Eric picked up the newly bought "Movie Guide" beside him and pointed to the movie schedule listed on the page: "The release date for 'Home Alone 2' is set for November 17. If we were to delay it due to some trouble, it would be beneficial to the movies released during this period, so we don't know who is causing the trouble at all."
Jeffrey picked up the newspaper and saw that there were seven or eight movies being released that day, November 17th, including Warner Bros. avoiding the competition of "Running Out of Time", "Deadly Weapon 2" which was delayed from the summer to the Thanksgiving file, Paramount's Christmas comedy "Harlem Night Club" starring Eddie Murphy, and the following two days having Universal's "Back to the Future 2".
Eric said heavily, "You see, several major film companies have movies released during this period, and the total box office during Thanksgiving is estimated to be around 100 million US dollars. So, if 'Home Alone 2' is postponed, the other movies can share at least 30 million US dollars of the box office that would have gone to 'Home Alone 2'. According to the law of two eight, it's likely that the main movies of those major companies will get the most, making their suspicion the greatest. However, we don't have the time or energy to investigate this further. Even if we do find out who is behind it, it won't do us any good. The only thing we can do is to find a way to finish the movie on time."
Jeffrey put down the newspaper and thought that this opponent was likely to be a giant such as Warner or Universal. Realizing that Firefly had little chance of competing against these companies, he hesitated before asking, "Eric, do we really not need to inform Fox?"
Eric thought for a moment and shook his head again. "Not yet. Let's wait and see what tomorrow brings. I'm sure the newspaper tomorrow will have a report on the damage caused to Central Park from using artificial snow."
"What should I do now?" Jeffrey asked, as he had never been in such a situation before.
"Two things," Eric said, raising three fingers. "First, Central Park is managed by the Central Park Preservation Committee. You should donate a sum of money to the committee in the name of Firefly, let's say $500,000; this will increase the chances that they will talk to us in case of public opinion storms."
After saying this, Eric handed the photos to Jeffrey and said, "Second, these. You should contact as many local newspapers and media outlets in New York as possible to reveal what happened today when we encountered the environmental organization's protest. Ask them to help with some reports, emphasizing our efforts to protect the environment of Central Park. Also, find one or two professionals in related fields to explain in detail why sodium sulfate magnesium cannot harm vegetation, and that it is even a kind of fertilizer."
"Eric, will five hundred thousand dollars be too much?" Jeffrey asked weakly, as he still couldn't bear to give away so much money.
Eric put his hand to his forehead and said solemnly, "Jeffrey, you must understand the situation. If things change and 'Home Alone 2' is not completed on time, it will not only cost $500,000. Moreover, the budget for 'Home Alone 2' was originally estimated to be $25 million, and there will be some surplus. So, the $500,000 can be counted as part of the production cost."
Jeffery finally nodded: "Okay, I understand. Additionally, because we need to temporarily adjust our shooting plan, the shoot in the afternoon might be delayed by an hour, as we have to coordinate with the relevant streets."
"Got it, I'll take care of it personally later, you just go and do your thing."
Jeffery picked up the photos that Eric had taken and rushed out.
Perhaps because they wanted to make a full show, when they were shooting in the afternoon, a member of the environmental organization came back. Although he still pointed out the crew's behavior of laying artificial snow from time to time, and even taunted a few words occasionally, he no longer laid on the ground to stop the crew's shooting like he had done in Central Park.
Eric also gave a stern warning to the cast members at noon; no matter how these people provoked each other, they must not get into a conflict, as it would be playing into the hands of the other party.
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