"What's going on between you and Bryce?"
One afternoon, filming continued. Julie's dad was painting in the yard, and Julie was nearby. That's when her dad brought up the question.
Julie was stunned for a moment, then a smile crept up on her lips as she denied it, "What do you mean? There's nothing going on!"
After nearly half a month of filming, Scarlett was getting into the groove. And since Aidan Quinn was already an experienced actor, performing this kind of role wasn't difficult for him.
"Camera one, switch to a 35mm lens, mount the square frame, focus and shoot. Camera two, focus on Julie's facial expressions. Julie, relax your mouth a bit..." Gilbert continued directing the set.
The performance went on. Julie's dad raised an eyebrow, "Good, looks like I was mistaken."
Julie smiled even more sweetly and asked her dad, "Why would you think that?"
"No reason. It's just that you…" Her dad was working on his painting and looked over at his daughter, "You keep talking about him."
"Really?" Julie hadn't even noticed. She always had a smile on her face.
Her dad nodded and looked at her.
Julie shyly lowered her head, "I think it's because of his eyes, or maybe his smile."
"And what about the rest of him?"
"What?"
Her dad offered some advice: "You need to look at the full picture, Julie."
"What do you mean?" Julie was confused.
Her dad gestured to the painting: "A painting isn't just the sum of its parts. A cow is just a cow, a field is just grass and flowers, and the sunlight filtering through the trees is just a beam of light.
But when you put them all together, you get a stunning landscape."
This scene echoes the later one between Bryce and his grandfather, forming a meaningful contrast.
In the film, there's also a scene of Julie climbing a sycamore tree, looking out at the sunrise and sunset. To capture the best visuals, the crew's cinematographer searched all over Michigan and filmed dozens of shots.
If the shots didn't meet the standard, they would need to be touched up in post-production and then edited into the final cut.
"I actually don't think you're shooting a love story." After finishing promotions for Legally Blonde, Anne Hathaway visited the set and observed the scene, then suddenly said this to Gilbert.
Gilbert was stunned and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Anne Hathaway shared her thoughts, "I think the film is more about growth and reflection during adolescence.
In today's world, where relationships have become increasingly shallow and utilitarian, the way these two teenage protagonists explore and reflect on love feels especially precious."
Gilbert was surprised: "Since when did you become an artsy girl?"
"Just now…" Anne Hathaway smiled sweetly, gazing at the idyllic countryside. "It's nice to get away to the countryside every once in a while."
"Yeah, with the smell of cow dung and horse manure." Gilbert had a knack for ruining beautiful fantasies.
"Oh, you're awful. I just built this perfect image in my head and you ruined it," Anne pouted playfully.
"Hahaha," Gilbert laughed heartily, then added, "It's not just cow dung and horse manure, there are also flowers, trees, birdsong, and fragrant blossoms."
Anne was finally satisfied: "Now that's more like it…"
Filming Flipped wasn't too difficult for Gilbert or the crew, so overall, things were pretty relaxed.
The shoot didn't take long. They started in late October, and after just twenty-five days, they were almost ready to wrap.
Winter was approaching, and the autumn scenery was starting to wither, which no longer suited the film's tone. So finishing up early was ideal.
The last two scenes were Bryce's conversation with his grandfather and Bryce planting a tree in Julie's yard.
It had to be said that even though Gilbert Sr. was a producer, his acting was nothing short of excellent. Watching him perform felt like watching something completely natural, as if everything just flowed.
Maybe besides women, what Gilbert Sr. loved most was Cinema he was getting a thrill from acting again.
He played Bryce's grandfather, and his conversation with Bryce in that scene was deeply moving.
"Some people are shallow. Some people look good on the outside but are hollow inside. And one day, you'll meet someone as dazzling as a rainbow.
When that happens, no one else will even come close…"
"Wow, that line was really good. Am I really that amazing?" The old man was still savoring his lines after finishing the scene.
Gilbert couldn't help but poke fun: "No, that's Bryce's grandpa who's amazing, not you."
"Do you have to be so blunt?" The old man wasn't embarrassed at all and instead gossiped, "I remember you had a crush on your high school cheerleading captain. How did that turn out?"
Scarlett happened to be nearby and perked up her ears to eavesdrop.
Gilbert rolled his eyes: "That was ancient history. Back then I didn't even understand what liking someone meant."
"Really? Did you sleep with her? If you did, then it wasn't a loss."
"Hey, Scarlett is right here!" Gilbert said.
"So what? Scarlett's not a kid, she knows what's what." The old man turned to Scarlett, "Scarlett, do you have someone you like?"
Scarlett was caught off guard, froze for a second, then snuck a glance at Gilbert and whispered, "I do…"
"Who is it?" The old man confidently said, "Let me help you get him."
"No need, I'll handle it myself…" Scarlett covered her face and quickly fled.
In the final scene, Scarlett's character Julie comes downstairs with a book. Her dad is in the living room reading the newspaper. Julie suddenly sees Bryce digging a hole in their yard and gets upset.
"What is he doing?"
"Julie, calm down. I gave him permission."
"Permission? Permission for what? He's digging a hole!"
"I told him it was okay to dig."
Julie couldn't understand why her dad allowed this, but when Bryce brought over a sycamore tree, Julie understood.
She opened the front door, walked out, looked into Bryce's charming eyes, and smiled.
"Need any help?"
"Of course…"
And so the two teenagers finally let go of their grudges and planted the sycamore tree that belonged to the both of them.
As the camera pulled back starting from the tree, to the house, and then to the idyllic countryside behind it formed a stunning picture. Flipped had officially wrapped filming.
There was no wrap party or anything wild like that. Given the nature of the film and the fact that the leads were two teenagers, there was no nightclub celebration. They simply had a low-key barbecue out in the Michigan countryside.
Playing the female lead in a Gilbert film for the first time, Scarlett was incredibly excited. Though underage and not legally allowed to drink, she couldn't resist having a few sips and was slightly tipsy.
"Robert, your performance was really great," Gilbert was chatting with Robert Pattinson, not noticing Scarlett's state.
Robert Pattinson was a bit embarrassed but grateful. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity to play the role."
"You're welcome," Gilbert asked again, "Have you seen Harry Potter?"
"Of course. It's famous in the UK, both the books and movies. I'm a huge fan of the series," Robert Pattinson replied.
"Hahaha, that's great. Would you be interested in joining the project?" Gilbert asked.
Honestly, starting off working with a big-name director like Gilbert and then going on to play a supporting role in Harry Potter did seem like a bit of a downgrade.
But Robert Pattinson was a real fan. He agreed immediately: "Of course I'm interested! My whole family are fans of Harry Potter.
They'll be thrilled if I can be in it."
And just like that, it was decided—Robert Pattinson would appear in the Harry Potter series.
But seeing Robert Pattinson made Gilbert think of another global teenage heartthrob movie. Compared to Flipped, that one was a real teen idol film.
That's right—the Twilight series.
Previously, Gilbert had asked Anna to keep an eye out on the market to see if there were any novels titled Twilight, but it seemed the books hadn't been published yet.
If he guessed correctly, Twilight should still be in the process of being written at this time.
In the entertainment web novels Gilbert had read in his past life, reborn characters often took advantage of such timing. Before the novel was released, they would preemptively "claim" the story and write it themselves.
But it wasn't that simple. Film creation and novel writing were two entirely different crafts.
A good novel didn't necessarily mean a good movie.
Likewise, just because you're good at making films didn't mean you could write a good novel.
Besides, Gilbert only knew that Twilight made money. He wasn't interested in the genre at all and had no idea what the story was even about.
So once the original novel came out, he'd simply find someone to acquire the rights—just like with the Harry Potter books.
While he was still thinking about all these random things, suddenly, a soft, alcohol-scented body leaned up against him.
"Scarlett? You've been drinking?" Gilbert was surprised.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Scarlett had gotten bold. She leaned in, aiming for Gilbert's face to kiss him, only to be blocked by his hand.
"Drinking is one thing, but this much?" Gilbert frowned. Without hesitation, he picked Scarlett up in a princess carry and brought her back to her room to rest.
He laid her down, covered her with a blanket, and was about to call the assistant to take care of her.
But at that moment, Scarlett grabbed his hand. "Don't go…"
Gilbert froze and sat on the edge of the bed, quickly asking, "What's wrong? Does your head hurt? I told you not to drink."
"No… it's not that," Scarlett seemed to regain a bit of clarity. When she realized the person in front of her was Gilbert, she boldly gave him a kiss on the corner of his mouth.
"Hey! Scarlett, you're drunk…" Gilbert quickly dodged.
"I'm not drunk. I'm not drunk." Scarlett hugged Gilbert around the waist, refusing to let him go. Her lips continued searching for his.
"I like you, Gilbert. I like you…"
After finishing this film, perhaps emboldened by everything, Scarlett finally confessed her feelings tonight.
Gilbert was stunned. His first reaction wasn't to reject her but to think Scarlett had just turned seventeen, she wasn't legally an adult yet. Would this count as a crime?
.....
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