thefictionvixens Chapter 66 Trouble Comes Knocking
Chapter 66 Trouble Comes Knocking
The studio truly came alive only after Meryl Streep's tall figure had completely disappeared through the office door.
Emily Blunt slumped back in her office chair, patting her chest as she let out a long sigh.
Just a moment ago, the fur coat that Meryl threw at her almost grazed her nose before hitting the table.
The mental pressure exerted by such top-tier actors caused a fine layer of sweat to appear on the forehead of this young British actress.
"That was fantastic, Emily." Lin Ruiyang stood up from behind the main monitor, took off his headphones, and led the applause.
"Slap—slap—slap—"
A burst of crisp applause filled the quiet studio, followed by applause from the more than two hundred extras and staff members.
On Hollywood film sets, "one take" is the highest praise for both the director's direction and the actors' performances.
Meryl pushed open the office door and came out, having taken off her cold sunglasses and wearing a warm smile.
She walked over to Emily and gently patted the girl's shoulder: "Sorry, darling, was I a little too rough just now?"
"No, Meryl, that's absolutely perfect!" Emily's eyes lit up, and she stood up excitedly.
"It felt like being stared at by a real beast; I even forgot to breathe."
A burst of light laughter rang out on the set.
However, Hollywood's logic never allows a production crew that's having a smooth run to stay comfortable forever.
Just as assistant director Mike was about to raise the megaphone to announce the start of the next scene's set, a noisy argument suddenly broke out at the studio entrance.
"Excuse me, sir, this is a closed film set, and we are filming in a confidential manner. You cannot go in!" The production assistant on set said with a hint of anxiety.
"I am Thomas Wayne, Chief Underwriting Officer of Chubb Insurance. This is my identification."
This person is also the labor safety representative for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) of New York.
A middle-aged blond man with a neatly slicked-back hairstyle, dressed in a gray bespoke suit, strode in.
Behind him followed two security guards holding documents.
Lin Ruiyang frowned slightly.
He and Patricia were checking with the costume team about the new Gucci trench coats they would be using in the next scene when they saw this, and their expressions immediately darkened.
Lin Ruiyang had a memory of Qiu Bo Insurance, the insurer that Fox used to insure all the haute couture costumes and jewelry for the film.
Kara Hack also put down her phone, stepped forward in her high heels, and instantly put on a professional fake smile:
"Mr. Wayne, this is Kara, the on-site producer at Fox. Is there anything that requires the union representative and the underwriter to come in person?"
I think our filming went very smoothly, and there were no violations of regulations.
Thomas Wayne, the underwriter, stopped and arrogantly scanned the central hall filled with luxury sample garments before finally fixing his gaze on Lin Ruiyang.
"Ms. Harker, we have just received a report, and according to our on-site inspection two hours ago, there are serious fire and property safety hazards in the temporary film studio on the 14th floor of the building where the 'The Devil Wears Prada' crew is located."
Wayne opened the folder in a businesslike manner and tore off a notice bearing the joint seal of the insurance company and the labor union.
"Due to a minor pipe leak on the 15th floor during lunch break, although it did not directly affect the 14th floor, according to Chubb Insurance's Tier-1 specific property protection clause:"
Until humidity testing and mold assessment reports are available, all unreleased haute couture garments and core jewelry sponsored by the PPR Group and valued at over five million US dollars must be immediately sealed.
Wayne's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across half the set.
"At the same time, given that the director failed to strictly adhere to the union's regulations on safe evacuation route spacing when directing scenes with more than two hundred people, the actors' union representative hereby issues a temporary warning:"
Effective immediately, all filming involving high-value sponsored clothing is suspended on this set until a successful re-inspection is completed 48 hours later.
These words caused an uproar in the entire studio.
"A 48-hour filming halt?!" Mike nearly smashed the megaphone in his hand; he knew all too well what that meant.
The daily wages of more than 200 high-paid extras, venue rental fees, overtime pay for union employees... A two-day shutdown means that a budget of more than $300,000 will go down the drain!
Even more critically, there's the coordination of location shooting for Paris Fashion Week coming up later. If we delay here for two days, the dominoes will all fall together!
"This is impossible!" Kara Hack's voice rose eight octaves, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Mr. Wayne, the leak on the fifteenth floor hasn't even wet the ceiling! And our security is on around the clock; you're abusing your power!"
"This is just following the contract, Ms. Hack." Wayne sneered, his expression carrying an air of superior arrogance.
"If Fox is willing to assume a unilateral default risk of five million dollars and not buy our insurance, you can continue filming."
But as far as I know, without Chubby's insurance policy, Fox's finance department won't release the next round of filming funds to you.
Kara Hack was speechless.
She turned her head, her face ashen, and looked at Lin Ruiyang. That's how Hollywood is; once insurance companies and these unions unite to cause trouble, even the Big Eight studios will suffer greatly.
The actors on set also began to whisper among themselves.
Meryl crossed her arms and looked coldly at the arrogant insurance underwriter.
As a seasoned veteran in the industry, she could tell at a glance that this was definitely not a simple fire hazard or safety concern.
In Hollywood, such sudden security checks that precisely target key moments in filming often have a strong element of internal power struggles within the financial world.
Lin Ruiyang remained silent throughout.
He looked quietly at Thomas Wayne, then at the Fox safety officer standing behind Wayne, whose eyes were somewhat evasive.
The clues in my mind instantly connected.
In 2005, Hollywood was in the midst of a fierce power struggle at the highest levels.
This film, "The Devil Wears Prada," was commissioned by Fox President Elizabeth II, who overruled objections and entrusted it to a Chinese director.
Several senior vice presidents within the company have been skeptical of the project, even preferring to allocate the budget to another traditional Hollywood blockbuster.
More importantly, PPR Group went all out to exclusively sponsor the costumes for the entire film, completely squeezing its arch-rival LVMH Group out of this highly prestigious fashion screen.
LVMH has deep roots in Hollywood lobbying groups and the insurance industry. They used their connections to try and make a big deal out of a minor leak on the 15th floor, using someone else to do their dirty work.
This way, they can both disgust PPR and simultaneously suppress this uncontrolled production team.
"Lin, what should we do?" Roger's voice trembled.
He knew how much Lin Ruiyang had sacrificed for this opportunity. If filming was forced to stop on the second day due to such disgusting human factors, not only would the morale of the crew be completely destroyed, but the opposition at Fox would also immediately find an excuse to attack, and there might even be a situation where the director was directly replaced.
"Carla, call Elizabeth. Have her go through the legal process at headquarters and see if we can switch to another insurance company immediately."
"It's too late, Lin," Kara replied through gritted teeth.
"There are only two or three companies in Hollywood that can insure this level of luxury clothing, and they're all in cahoots. It will take at least three or four days to complete the legal process."
Thomas Wayne stood to the side, glanced at his watch, and smiled slightly with a victorious air:
"Director, right? I suggest you let everyone go back and rest early. The coffee in New York is pretty good; you can take your team to try it. As for these clothes, our people need to seal them off now."
Several insurance company security personnel in gray uniforms immediately stepped forward, holding seals with special markings, preparing to head towards the sample room containing countless haute couture gowns.
"etc."
Lin Ruiyang suddenly spoke.
Lin Ruiyang strode up to Thomas Wayne.
"Mr. Wayne, you just said that the basis for the seizure is the Tier-1 specific property protection clause of Chubb Insurance, right?" Lin Ruiyang asked calmly.
“That’s right.” Wayne raised an eyebrow. “Any unreleased clothing that might be affected by ambient humidity or mold is within the scope of storage.”
"Very good." Lin Ruiyang turned his head and looked at the stage assistant.
"Bring us the original copy of the global strategic sponsorship contract we signed with PPR Group, and turn to Article 12 of Chapter 3 in the appendix."
The assistant paused for a moment, then hurriedly rummaged through the folder and quickly handed Lin Ruiyang a thick contract written entirely in English.
Lin Ruiyang didn't even glance at it, simply shoving the contract onto Wayne's chest and coldly saying:
"Open your eyes and look carefully. In order to cooperate with this photoshoot, all the sponsored sample garments of PPR Group were insured with a full-coverage floating policy underwritten by Allianz Global Industries at its French headquarters before they arrived in New York."
The contract clearly states in black and white that the rights to use, interpret, and conduct on-set safety assessments of PPR's costumes are jointly determined by the costume supervisor and crew professionals dispatched by PPR.
Lin Ruiyang stepped forward, his gaze fixed intently on Wayne:
"Chubby Insurance only covers the Fox production crew's own third-party liability insurance. In other words, if these clothes are damaged, Allianz Germany will be responsible for compensation, not Chubby!"
You come to my film set with a clause that doesn't even cover the ownership of the subject matter, and you're trying to freeze the sponsor's property? Who gave you that right?
Wayne's expression changed instantly.
He suddenly looked down at the contract, flipped to the clause Lin Ruiyang had mentioned, and a layer of cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
He did indeed receive instructions from above to cause trouble for this Chinese director.
In Hollywood, it is customary for film crews to rent costumes from major brands or purchase them from production studios and then insure them. Insurance companies do have the right to intervene.
But he never expected that PPR Group would attach such great importance to this film that they would directly use the group's highest-level global liquid insurance policy!