America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

All the storylines of the film, took place on the beachfront of the bay, within this broad setting.

Compared to other crews that frequently changed locations to shoot exterior scenes, the "Shark Beach" crew certainly faced fewer troubles.

As his directorial debut, Martin chose "Shark Beach," which was also a bit of a gamble.

In the ocean waters, clad in an orange-red bikini, Blake lay on her surfboard, paddling with her hands, swimming toward the front.

Martin wore headphones, sitting on a nearby boat, watching the director's monitor in front of him.

Two other boats were nearby, with two cinematographers shooting Blake's performance from different angles.

Martin only needed to tell them what kind of shots he wanted; how it was to be achieved was a matter for the production crew.

Among the directors he had worked with in the past, Nolan was the kind who liked to shoot personally, while David Finch and Chad Stahelski were directors who seldom operated the camera themselves.

The shooting tasks were entirely handed over to the cinematography team.

Professionals do professional work.

Moreover, First Assistant Director Steven Downton was on Martin's boat to assist Martin in resolving any issues immediately.

Martin had to concentrate only on the camera.

The production team was experienced, having worked with Martin on the "John Wick" trilogy, their ability was beyond doubt.

Of course, during that time, Martin was more often the lead actor.

But with enough understanding between each other, as soon as Martin described the shot he wanted, the production team could quickly comprehend.

The shots they produced would mostly satisfy Martin.

Any dissatisfaction could be resolved through further communication.

Blake yelled toward the empty ocean ahead, "Hey, I'm here to surf too."

There was no one there; the shots were taken separately and would be put together through cross-cutting for the conversation later.

Blake asked with a smile, "What's the name of this beach?"

On the director's monitor, the main camera's footage was transmitted live.

The camera followed up along Blake's long legs, across her explosive figure, to her slightly aged face.

Seeing Blake's bright and passionate smile, Martin frowned, picked up the megaphone beside him, and shouted, "Cut!"

The busy crew immediately halted their work.

Blake, who had been propping up her head, let it fall back onto the surfboard, not wanting to move.

Although there was enough anticipation of the difficulty in performing in the water, the actual shooting proved much harder for Blake than expected; the water's resistance was too great. Maintaining both a forward motion in the water and a state of performance was physically taxing, several times more than usual acting.

Martin looked at Blake and said, "Take a fifteen-minute break." He waved to the water, "Blake, come up."

Blake paddled to the back of the boat, climbed onto the rear deck, was handed a blanket from an assistant, wrapped herself in it, and went to join Martin at the front of the deck.

Martin was discussing with Steve Downton, "Is there a problem with the performance in this scene, Nancy being a beautiful and sexy single female, encountering two males on such a seldom-visited beach..."

Steve Downton immediately realized and said, "Considering Nancy's self-rescue setup later, she should maintain a certain level of caution."

As Blake approached, Martin pointed to the chair beside him, "Sit."

Blake sat next to Martin and asked, "Was there a problem with my performance just now?"

Most Hollywood directors wouldn't let actors watch the footage during shooting unless the actor had substantial clout.

Ten years ago, this was even an unwritten rule in Hollywood.

Times have changed, and Martin, a director who came into the profession halfway, wasn't so particular, simply adjusting the monitor to replay the footage just taken.

Blake watched it carefully; she was not an actor with high instinctive talent. Purely in terms of acting skill, countless supporting actors in Hollywood could easily surpass her.

Martin asked, "Do you see the problem?"

Blake scratched her wet, blonde hair and asked, "Is it that my posture was wrong, flattening the ball, resulting in a performance that wasn't sexy and explosive enough?"

Steve couldn't help but glance at Blake, finally understanding why, despite the halo of being a second-generation star with a well-known producer father and having Martin's support, she still couldn't make it to the forefront.

She had plenty of resources, but her acting talent was really just average.

"Nancy, on this secluded beach, encountering two strange men, should have basic caution," Martin repeated his previous point.

Blake nodded, "Right, I overlooked that. I'll pay attention to it in my next performance."

Martin said no more, "Take a break."

He and Steve went to the side of the ship, waiting for another boat to come alongside, to discuss the details of the next shoot with Cinematography Director Dan Rothenstein.

The break flashed by, and Blake got back into the water. Filming started once again.

During a pause in shooting, wearing her bikini, Blake also took some surfing pictures at Martin's request and posted them on Twitter and Instagram.

"My new film has started shooting, the content is a secret for now, but it has something to do with the ocean."

The Sect Hierarch's social media posts quickly caught the attention of fans.

"Blake still has an amazing figure."

"I would call it the best figure of any Hollywood actress!"

"Hope the movie isn't all swimsuit scenes, but even if it is, I'd pay 20 dollars a ticket to support it in the theater!"

"Strongly requesting that the blogger shoot the entire film in a swimsuit!"

"Support +1!"

"Support..."

After years of consistent effort, as a fitness influencer, fashion blogger, and Sect Hierarch, Blake Lively's influence on social media far exceeded her status in Hollywood.

Any other actress might have become an internet sensation by now.

But Blake Lively, born into a Hollywood dynasty, had a significant desire for status within the industry; it just so happened that her marketing and promotional skills far surpassed her acting abilities.

She was well aware of the weight and anticipation tied to director Martin's debut work.

As for whether the film would be a success,

Blake actually didn't have much confidence in Martin, but she was highly confident in his ability to draw funds.

Just look at the heads of each department in the crew; outsiders might not know them, but those inside the circle were aware that each was an elite with rich experience in their respective fields.

Moreover, Martin had decisiveness without being an egomaniac, able to take advice well.

Another crucial factor was that producer Louise Rayer was one of Hollywood's top female producers; with her in control, even if the film wasn't excellent, it wouldn't be a complete disaster.

After several more scenes were shot, Blake was so exhausted she sat in the boat, not wanting to move.

Her gaze passed through the overtime work and landed on Martin.

Martin was focused on his work, discussing with several assistant directors how to shoot the next scenes.

The whole crew operated very smoothly; one couldn't tell at all that the director was a newbie.

Blake regained her breath and secretly marveled at the astonishing financial power.

Watching Martin from a distance, she suddenly felt that this film might actually succeed.

Even if it failed, it didn't matter. Blake had known Martin since 2005, and it had been almost ten years. She understood what kind of person he was.

Super playboy didn't suffice to describe him; even calling him a sex addict wasn't an overstatement.

But Martin was also a conscientious person. If this film truly failed, Blake believed Martin would definitely compensate her in other ways.

On this, she was very confident.

Thinking of this, Blake suddenly looked up at the sky and gave herself a hard slap on the face.

If she hadn't messed up before, Elizabeth Olsen's spot should have been hers!

"It's almost evening, let's change locations!" First Assistant Director Steven Downton shouted loudly, "Props team! Get the buoy over here, to the marked point!"

A speedboat dragged the buoy toward the deep-sea area.

Martin checked his watch and said, "Hurry, we only have one hour to shoot the sunset scenes!"

The whole crew sprang into action.

Blake got up to warm up, preparing for the next shooting.

The scenes of the female protagonist fighting sharks were mostly going to be shot in the studio.

Martin said to his right-hand man, Steve, "Shoot the wide-angle background shot right against the sunset." He glanced at the sun approaching the horizon, "Time waits for no one, we'll start shooting in ten minutes."

Steve nodded and hurried off to arrange the set.