Chapter 507: Human Comedy
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
This era's filming process had no essential difference from that of 100 years later, but the latter may be more refined and more professional.
On its second day, Famous was taken to the studio to film a movie.
It didn't know which film it was currently attending. As one of 18 stunt doubles, Famous didn't have to be told about these things. Roger, who was its temporary owner, didn't care either. His gaze was always greedily pursuing beautiful girls. As long as he could get his money, he'd let Famous do anything, no matter how dangerous it would be.
As for the dog, the distinguished celebrity dog, nobody in the studio really liked it, except perhaps its owner.
The salary of the star dog was eight times more than the leading actors. It took a company car to the studio each time. It wore a radiant diamond necklace on its neck. When the crew members ate their simple lunch, the star enjoyed a steak.
The red wine wouldn't be prepared for the dog in public places. After all, there was the Prohibition Decree.
In addition, the plate where the steak sat was made of silver.
Everything the star dog did was to remind every human in the studio that they weren't as good.
No one dare questioned its intentions in the studio, after all, even the company owner suffered in silence when the dog bit him.
The Dog Warrior studio may have many disappointments, but there was equality. Everyone in the crew, from the human stars to the dogs, would eat the same lunch.
Of course, this was not the star dog's fault, it was merely a dog. It was the fault of the humans who knelt in front of it and put it on a pedestal.
When shooting dangerous scenes, this dog wouldn't take the risks. Instead, one dog of the 18 stunt doubles would be randomly selected to perform the scenes. For example, an unlucky dog would be chosen to fight a big black bear today.
There was a real black bear kept in a cage. The bear anxiously walked in the cage, sometimes issuing a dull growl. It came from a circus, and a trainer had said that it wouldn't cause any trouble. Still, no one dared to let the star dog fight the bear. If the star dog, who would take the role?
"9! Let stunt double 9 try," the director cried.
There was no power grid or anesthetic guns on set, or the computer effects that would appear 100 years later. The only security protection was the trainer's promise that the bear was safe.
Stunt double 9 was pulled out by a staff member, but when it approached the bear, it nervously ran away as soon as the leash loosened up. There was no way 9 would film the scene where a German Shepherd fought against a bear to protect its young owner.
"17! Try 17!" The director designated another unlucky dog.
17 was the opposite of 9. When it faced the black bear, it was too aggressive. As soon as the leash loosened, 17 growled and rushed forward to bite the bear. As a result, the bear extended its claw from the cage and slapped 17 in the head. 17 was instantly knocked to the ground, its skin on its head was torn and badly bruised.
The smell of blood provoked the black bear, and it became increasingly irritable in the cage. Even the trainer didn't know how to calm it down. Compared to this violent bear, fighting the so-called Mastiff King was practically a piece of cake.
Everyone present thought that there was no way to complete the shot today. They might need to find another dog to try tomorrow when the bear calmed down.
However, the director didn't intend to give up. Previously, he had worried that the bear wasn't wild enough for the effect that he wanted. The angered black bear was what he wished for.
"Go on!" the director announced, "Bring another dog!"
"Which one, sir?" the staff asked.
The director's eyes glanced at the row of German Shepherds. "Which one..."
"Woof!"
Famous barked suddenly because that the odds were against the rest of the dogs, who might be injured or killed by the bear.
The director said thoughtfully, "Ah? Is this the newly-arrived dog, 13? I heard that this dog is somewhat capable, and I want to keep it for a crucial moment, but since it's so active, let it try now."
"I'm at your service at any time." Roger didn't want to let Famous fight this fierce black bear, in fear that he'd be dismissed from the studio if Famous was injured. Since the director had requested, Roger had to pull out Famous.
Famous stood steadily in front of the black bear's cage. Instead of barking or running away, it just calmly watched the black bear.
The director found Famous's performance impressive. He clapped. "Good boy! So courageous! Let 13 do this scene! Get ready to shoot!"
Famous and the black bear were brought to the temporarily-built enclosure in the woods to ensure the safety of the staff members.
When the director issued the order, the black bear's leash was released. The infuriated bear immediately snarled and rushed toward Famous. Famous could be wounded or killed by the bear.
In this scene, Famous didn't need to defeat the black bear, it just needed to make the bear retreat. Famous relied on its flexibility and deceptive movements to dodge the bear's attacks. Meanwhile, it was barking constantly to intimidate the bear. Occasionally, Famous kicked up dust and pebbles to blur the bear's vision.
The bear's fury and physical strength faded away gradually. Not only had it not caused harm to the clever dog, but it also might lose this fight, so it turned around and withdrew.
"Wow, this dog is awesome!" The director applauded excitedly. This scene, which would have been so difficult to shoot, had been done in one take, to everyone's surprise.
"How awesome could it be? It's nothing more than a stunt double, if my dog was in this scene, it would've done a better job than this stunt double," Duncan, sitting on the sidelines to watch the battle, said disdainfully. His dog was lying beside his feet, and for some reason, it seemed lifeless.
"Yes, Mr. Duncan. You're right!" The director knew his own words were inappropriate, so he quickly smiled. "Mr. Duncan, after the black bear is driven away, the next shot is the dog who plays the protagonist and the little boy hugging. Should this shot be... "
Duncan proudly stood up. "Of course, this shot should be played by my dog, no other dog can outperform it in showing this kind of delicate emotion. Come on, buddy, it's our turn to play."
His dog stood up tremblingly. The dog walked only a few steps and then fell to the ground feebly.
"Doctor! Where's the doctor? Bring the doctor over!" Duncan freaked out and pushed his dog. His dog struggled for a few times to stand up, but couldn't.
The director was also panicked. "Go get the doctor! Go get Mr. Charles! Go get the boss!"
The studio suddenly became chaotic.
The doctor hadn't arrived yet. As a former soldier, Duncan was strong enough to bring his dog into his car. He stepped hard on the gas pedal and rushed towards the hospital.
In the midst of chaos, Famous watched everything, its memory was recovering.
Even though Duncan arrived at the hospital in time, his effort was futile. The veterinary science in this era was very basic and there was no way to find out why the dog was sick. The doctors tried everything, but it was useless.
Famous closed its eyes.
The people and things around Famous appeared and then disappeared rapidly, like a movie in fast-forward.
Famous opened its eyes and it was at a different location. Famous was in its own Imagined Landscape, the master of its own world.
Famous had once again returned to Charles's luxurious office, except that this time, Roger wasn't there.
Apart from Famous, only Charles and Duncan were in the office, frowning and sighing as if doomsday had arrived.
"It's over." Duncan shook his head. "Everything is over."
He stood up and walked outward staggeringly.
"Wait!" Charles jumped up to grab Duncan by his shoulders. "It's over? Don't be silly! How can it end like this? You can choose to leave now, but how about the money of the investors? How do I explain this to the boss? "
"Do you think I want to quit? What else can I do?" Duncan had already burst into tears. The big man was covering his face and crying aloud, "It has gone forever ... There is no other dog in this world that has its superb acting skills..."
"Well ... I don't think so," said Charles meaningfully.
Duncan felt offended and said angrily, "What do you mean?"
Since his dog's passing, Duncan felt that Charles's attitude towards him had subtly changed. Charles was less respectful of him and was occasionally arrogant. Duncan found it difficult to accept this shift in attitude. Duncan had forgotten one thing, in this building, dogs were more valuable than humans, including Charles and himself.
Charles pointed to Famous, who was sitting beside him. "Don't you think 13 looks pretty much like your dog?"
"It does. So what?" Duncan said in a very angry tone.
Charles said slowly, "13 is a lot like your dog, and according to the director, its acting skills are also excellent, so I have an idea."
Duncan was not a fool. He had guessed what Charles wanted to say. "You ... you ..." He pointed at Charles incredulously.
"Don't look at me like that. I have no other choice." Charles shook his head. "Mr. Duncan, this is an issue of expediency, but it can reduce the loss for both of us. If we are talking about human actors, there will be many potential troubles, but 13 is just a dog and it'll never reveal this matter. Only you and I know about this. As long as we keep our mouths shut, who'd find out?"
Duncan's facial expressions kept changing, and it was obvious that there was a fierce struggle taking place in his mind.
Charles further advised, "Mr. Duncan, you see, this is a very simple matter without any risk. Have you already earned enough money? I heard that you recently bought a piece of land, which is currently being constructed into a villa. Do you still have enough money to spend?"
His tone was gentle, but threatening. If this matter couldn't be properly solved, not only would Charles lose his senior executive position, but the prospects of the company, which had just been on the right track, would become gloomy.
Like all the upstarts in the United States, Duncan didn't know how to save money, nor did he have plans to. He had never imagined that his dog would have a sudden accident. He had spent all his money, including the advance payment for the movie, on his villa and luxury goods. Such a lifestyle would have been fine because once the movie was completed, there would be tons of opportunities for him to make money with his dog. Who could have expected that his dog would die so abruptly?
Duncan felt a sense of loss. It wasn't until then did he realize that everything he had gained was merely because he was fortunate enough to pick up a dog on the battlefield. He was nothing without the dog.
Thinking of this, he slumped on the couch and said faintly, "Mr. Charles, tell me. What are you going to do?"
Charles was relieved to see that Duncan was willing to cooperate because Duncan would play an indispensable role in this scheme. Duncan had always been together with his dog. No one would doubt the authenticity of the dog if it was seen around Duncan.
"13 looks much like your dog, so we don't have to worry about its appearance. The key is to develop its habits to make it behave similarly to your dog," Charles said, clapping several times.
Suddenly, Famous thought it was Zhang Zian who was clapping. If it were in his pet shop, then four Abyssinian cats would have appeared and started to dance. However, in this office, it was a polite chef who had appeared. He pushed a diner cart and respectfully placed the carefully prepared fried steak with onions on the table, poured the mellow wine into the glass, and exited the office silently.
Charles walked towards Famous, bowed in front of it, and said with a smile, "Big star, your lunch is ready. Please, enjoy."
Duncan looked at this funny and absurd scene. He was completely confused.
Famous did not move, so Charles secretly gestured at Duncan, indicating that he should come over too.
Duncan bit the bullet and feigned a smile. He said to Famous in a gentle tone as if he were talking to his lover or children, "Come, dear, come eat your lunch."
If Famous was a person, its whole body would surely be covered with goosebumps.
Famous had decided not to escape anymore. No matter what might happen, Famous would courageously cooperate with these two clowns and perform in this Human Comedy until the end.
After all, Famous was the star of today.
Hence, it jumped onto the dining chair and started enjoying its lunch.
The medium-well steak was succulent and delicious. The top-notch red wine was sweet and refreshing. Strangely enough, what Famous missed more was the stewed beef with potatoes and the Red Star Erguotou in the pet shop. Although the beef was just an ordinary item purchased from the supermarket, the potatoes were too hard for it to chew sometimes, and the Erguotou made it feel like its throat was burnt by fire, Famous felt that the food in the pet shop was more delicious than the food here.
Famous seemed to have understood that it wasn't the food that it cared about. What mattered to it most was whom it ate the food with.
The pet shop was shabby, but it had something that this office would never have.
Famous finished the steak and red wine, the broccoli and mushrooms, leaving only the onions.
Charles stroked the mustache on his upper lip and said to Duncan with a smile, "It seems that our star has changed its taste and does not like eating onions."
"Then tell our chef to use a different recipe next time, and not to put onions in the dish." Duncan said indignantly. He had become more skillful in playing his role.
Charles echoed him, "Yes, all the requirements of our star should be met for the sake of filming this movie."
Famous wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. These two individuals had delivered Oscar-winning performances.
"Put that thing on our star! It'll look more handsome wearing that!" Charles winked at Duncan, who painfully pulled out a glittering diamond necklace from his pocket.
Duncan reached over to untie the leather collar on Famous's neck to put the diamond necklace on it. As soon as his hand touched the leather collar, Famous barked violently.
"Don't touch it!"
Duncan was shocked. With his hand shaking, the diamond necklace fell to the ground. The string was broken, and dozens of bright diamonds clattered onto the entire carpet.
Famous eased up its tone. "Don't touch it. You don't deserve to touch this."
Famous knew that in the real history, they must have put that diamond necklace on its neck and it was disguised as another dog. However, in its Imagined Landscape, Famous hoped to remain true to itself.
Nevertheless, Charles had misunderstood Famous's intention. He presumptuously pointed to his nose, thinking that Famous had smelled the scent of another dog on the necklace, so it didn't want to wear it.
"It seems that our star loves new things and hates old items," Charles said with a smile.
Duncan knew what he meant and immediately picked up the topic, "The style of this necklace is too old, and the diamonds are not pure enough, not to mention that this necklace is not exquisite enough for our big star. I'll call the manufacture in Switzerland immediately and order a new necklace for our star."
"That's right." Charles nodded. He added as if he had suddenly remembered something, "The exclusive car for our star has been driven for a year. It's time for a new car. I'll immediately inform the Ford company."
"Also," Duncan frowned, lowering his voice, "What about that guy? What's his name? Roger or Röhm? If he wants his dog back..."
Charles laughed with determination, "The company expresses its deepest regret for the accidental death of his dog during the filming process. Although it's only an insignificant stunt double, the company will still grant him a sum of pension out of morality, and then the corpse of the dog will be given to him for burial. "
Duncan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he held back his tongue.
Famous didn't listen to them. Its eyes were drawn to the starry diamonds on the carpet.
Each diamond was reflecting Famous's images, who had played diverse characters in numerous movies.
Famous suddenly laughed and roared towards the sky, "Alas! I finally know who I am today!"