v2 Chapter 704： Gypsum desert

Santa Fe, known as the furthest extension of the American Dream, is the capital of New Mexico and the highest state capital in the United States.

In the early morning, the sun’s radiance was very gentle. Three high-horsepower off-road vehicles passed by the square in the center of the old town. Duke looked outside through the car window. A large number of rock, blues, and country singers gathered in the square. And vendors selling Mexican meat rolls, and some pedestrians watching the excitement.

Here, everything seems to be possible, and the world of music is moving forward madly.

Withdrawing his gaze, Duke asked Tina Fei, who was sitting next to him, "Has the search for rock singers progressed?".

"How many have been contacted." Tina Fei opened the work log and took a look. "A casting director of the crew is coming over."

The most eye-catching thing in this film is undoubtedly the guitarist. Of course, Duke will not forget the plot.

The car left Santa Fe, headed towards the town of Abichu, and finally stopped in front of the famous Devil’s Farm.

Before coming, Duke had seen a painting by Georgia Okoffee about this land.

In 1929, Georgia Okofy arrived at the Devil’s Farm near the town of Abichu. Under the protection of sunlight and dust, she painted this "seemingly crazy landscape" cut off the mountain range and the famous Pei Danaer Mountains, cliffs, chimneys made of yellow-brown stone, straw, lavender, cracked ground, withered juniper.

When I got out of the car, I stood on the ground cracked by drought, and looked at the khaki stone arrow pointing to the sky. The powerful and wild nature seemed to be drawn on a drawing board.

Led by a guide, Duke, Tina Fey, Hannah Serena, and John Schwarzman walked towards the Pedanar Mountain ahead. The scenery they saw along the way was extremely desolate. If not for the existence of some hardy plants. It's really like a doomsday world in a barren land.

Except for weeds, those scattered on hillsides and land are mainly hardy low shrubs.

Tina Fei asked the guide, "Anthony, can these vegetation be removed?".

Vegetation will affect the lens effect that shows the desolation of the doomsday world.

Anthony shook his head quickly, "This is not allowed. All vegetation here is protected."

Duke frowned slightly, looking at his art director, Hannah Serena walked to a bush and took a closer look, then looked into the distance, and walked back.

She said, "You can shade these shrubs with the setting."

John Schwartzman added, "The weeds here are very unevenly distributed."

He pointed to the cracked land in the distance, and said to Duke, "The lens can be aimed at the appropriate shooting background. The panoramic image can be eliminated using post-production technology."

Africa does have more desolate places suitable for shooting, but Duke does not want to go to that chaotic land. Once the crew encounters an accident, the time and capital costs will only be more consumed.

Since the two assistants thought there was no problem, Duke decided to choose Devil’s Farm as one of the film’s locations. Under the guidance of the guide, he went around and stopped by one of the few Mexican restaurants here for lunch. Later, the group rushed towards Baisha National Park.

Baisha National Park is one of the most famous natural wonders in the world. it's here. Huge wavy gypsum dunes cover about 300 square miles of desert area, and the dunes are constantly changing. From growing, reaching, and then falling, the desert is constantly advancing, and the sand covers everything on its way forward.

Duke is no stranger to this place, although he has not gone deep into it, but when he came to the Baisha Missile Range to go out. I have seen it from a distance.

Because the sand contains gypsum and shows the white color of gypsum, it is also called gypsum desert here.

The road here is well-built for visitors from all directions to visit and browse, after going deep into the desert hinterland. The road was pressed directly on the sand with a roller, and there was a lot of friction when the car passed by.

The car stopped at the end of the road in the tourist area, where a large picnic area was pressed out, with awnings, tables and stools, barbecue grills, toilets, etc., for tourists to rest.

Duke and his party have no interest in sightseeing. After getting out of the car, under the guidance of the guide, they walked directly through the picnic area and onto the highest sand dune nearby.

Climbing on the sand dunes, Duke looked in all directions, the white waves were rolling, and the world was boundless. He had to feel the greatness of natural forces. Such a pure and fertile mine should be a huge treasure house, but there is no sign of mining. This country is in the whole world. The world is frantically plundering resources, yet it takes an absolutely protective attitude towards itself...

Shaking his head and dispelling these thoughts, after all, it has nothing to do with him. Duke's gaze is more on the desert itself.

This guide is from the New Mexico state government. Any state will welcome a project with an investment of up to 120 million US dollars, not to mention the film industry, which can also play a huge role in publicity.

Standing next to Duke, Anthony pointed to the undulating desert ahead and said, "The desert here fits the crew's requirements for the diversity of sand dunes."

He pointed to different sand dunes and introduced them to the four of Duke all the time. “This is a dome sand dune, shaped like an upside-down bowl. It is small in size and can move 50 feet per year. Plants live on them; this is called a horizontal sand dune, shaped like a long belt, up to 60 feet high, because it is in a sand-rich area, the various horizontal sand dunes are often connected together, and it is also the main place for tourists in the park. , Many people will joke on the sand here."

He pointed to the other side and continued, "This is a crescent-shaped dune. This dune is formed under strong winds, but due to the limited supply of sand, its shape is like a person lying on the ground and spreading forward. With two arms, the sand on both sides moves fast, while the sand in the middle moves slowly, forming a crescent-shaped arc..."

Duke nodded slightly, removing the color of the sand, and everything else was in line with the shooting needs.

Color is not a big problem, it can be easily adjusted in post-production.

He thought about the other side and asked, "It is said that there are rattlesnakes and some poisonous lizards in this desert?"

"There are indeed rattlesnakes." Anthony did not deny. "There are some lizards, but they are not very common."

"Tina..." Duke turned to his assistant and said, "Remember to hire a professional snake repeller."

Compared to that little expense, the safety of the crew is more important. He doesn't want to hear the news that someone was bitten by a snake or lizard during filming.

He went to look at several other places in the Gypsum Desert. Duke basically finalized the shooting of Fury Road in New Mexico. In the following days, under the guidance of a guide, he went to several other locations that could be used as location locations. Turned around, and then left Tina Fei to negotiate with the management of Devil Farm and White Sands National Park, and returned to Los Angeles with Hannah Serena and John Schwartzman.

All preparations are being carried out in an orderly manner. In addition to these daily affairs, Duke will also determine the remaining actors as soon as possible.

Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise have signed an actor contract, and they are sure to play the lead actress Felossa and the lead actor Tom, and several other main actors. Duke asked the crew to release the news, intending to come through referral or audition. determine.

He also has his own inclination, such as letting Charles Rowan issue an audition invitation, intending to invite Anthony Hopkins to play the villain's big wave of undead old Joe.

Since "Zorro's Mask", Anthony Hopkins has never had a work that can make waves in the market, and his own pay is not high. Although he will star in Marvel's new film "Thor" in Odin, but This film will not officially start shooting until "Iron Man 2" is released, so there will be enough time to participate in "Furious Road".

Anthony Hopkins is old and has no previous ambitions anymore. How can he earn enough money to provide for the elderly is his most urgent need.

As Duke thought, Anthony Hopkins did not turn down the crew's invitation to audition.

Of course, Anthony Hopkins is only one of the candidates, and the crew also sent out the same audition invitations to Robert De Niro and Al Pacino who have become kings of bad movies in recent years.

Perhaps for the same reason as Anthony Hopkins, these two former Oscars have never been picky in taking roles in recent years. As long as they can meet the demand for remuneration, they are willing to accept almost any bad movie.

Another important role is Nux, the son of war. The former Nicholas Holt left a deep impression on Duke, but after Duke learned about Nicholas Holt’s current situation, he decidedly Abandoning him, the current Nicholas Holt is still rolling in the unknown youth drama, just a fledgling stunner, it is impossible to meet the requirements of the role.

In this regard, Duke has also drawn up a list of invitations. The first actor to be invited is James Franco. The actor who has played the Little Green Devils can perform well, and when needed, the performance is crazy enough.

However, he is only one of the candidates for the audition.

Besides, the five fertility machines of the immortal old Joe, are there any more suitable candidates than the angels of Victoria's Secret?

Duke is a major shareholder of Victoria’s Secret. He hung up a call to New York. Victoria’s Secret management quickly agreed. Five angel models headed by Alexandra Ambrosio soon Will come to Los Angeles to audition for the crew.

The budget of the crew is sufficient and Duke’s appeal is strong. It is not difficult to select the right actors. In this regard, Duke is still handed over to Anna Prinz, who is only responsible for the final review.

Compared to actors, those cool car transformations require him to invest more energy. (To be continued...)

ps: Ask for monthly and recommended tickets!

Chapter 704 Gypsum Desert: