In this situation, Gilbert wavered a bit, thinking it might be easier to just film in Rome.
At that moment, the Paris city government panicked.
"From here, you can see the Eiffel Tower. For this shot, I want to create an explosion effect on this street."
The accompanying Parisian officials were startled, thinking it was going to be a large-scale blast.
"Director Gilbert, how destructive will this explosion be?"
Gilbert thought for a moment about the effect in his mind, then said, "It won't be very large—just a lightweight explosion. At most, a car might flip or a window might shatter."
As he spoke, Gilbert even took out the effect renderings and explained the plan to the officials accompanying him.
Only then did they feel reassured. After returning and communicating internally, they immediately issued the filming permit for the Inception crew.
This, of course, infuriated the French filmmakers, who criticized the Paris city government across newspapers and online platforms.
The Paris city government, however, had a reasonable argument: the economy was already sluggish due to the financial crisis. Having a Hollywood crew come to shoot a film was essentially free publicity for Paris.
Better promotion would attract more tourists and bring in more revenue.
If filmmakers could shoot movies properly and promote France, why object to Hollywood filmmakers coming?
That reasoning was sound, but soon the Paris city government was drowned in French filmmakers' claims that they didn't understand cinematic art.
In any case, the filming permit had already been issued, and the Paris city government, like a dead pig, was unfazed. They just let it be.
The location scouting went fairly smoothly, and afterward, Gilbert flew to Morocco. There was a scene set in Mombasa, but Gilbert didn't plan to shoot in Kenya—it was inconvenient.
Luckily, Morocco in North Africa was suitable. It's also a popular destination for Hollywood location shoots, often referred to as "Mollywood."
Filming the Mombasa scenes there was convenient and ensured the crew's safety.
At first glance, the name Morocco might seem like Monaco on the Mediterranean coast, but one is a European country and the other is in North Africa.
The regions, climates, and cultures are completely different; they aren't related.
After finishing the location scouting, Gilbert returned to Los Angeles. This year, LA seemed exceptionally hot, even hotter than Morocco.
The scorching weather, however, did not interfere with the crew's work. Gilbert first checked on the actors' preparations.
For the action scenes, Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't particularly skilled, but after some basic training, he managed reasonably well, at least the posture looked correct.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt's training was more complex. For the rotating hotel corridor scenes, he performed all the stunts himself, and the practice paid off.
Simon Pegg's addition was a highlight. Compared to an actor Gilbert didn't know previously, Pegg's natural comedic talent would add a lot to the film.
Tony Leung was an excellent actor, but filming in a foreign country was understandably unfamiliar.
However, Gilbert's team was unlike other Hollywood crews; they didn't discriminate or exclude. They had previously collaborated with many Chinese actors and behind-the-scenes Chinese crew members, so it didn't feel unfamiliar.
Feeling the crew's goodwill, Tony Leung relaxed and devoted himself fully to studying the script and understanding his role.
He also had a task: to observe how a Hollywood crew operates and take detailed notes.
But honestly, Gilbert thought this was of limited use.
Haven't actors like Jackie Chan or Jet Li made plenty of Hollywood films? Especially Jackie Chan, who filmed multiple A-list blockbusters consecutively.
Did this bring significant changes to Hong Kong or Chinese cinema? Not really.
In fact, the changes they brought were even less than the batch of Chinese film professionals trained during Gilbert's early-2000s filming of The Lord of the Rings in China.
Unfortunately, those talented individuals were never consolidated into a usable system.
After the Lord of the Rings series ended, they were divided among various film companies, and the advantages built by the system were lost.
Film progress can never rely solely on one or two geniuses—it's a matter of the entire industry system. Hollywood's mature system is the real secret behind its global dominance.
It's not just that having geniuses like Gilbert, James Cameron, or Spielberg automatically makes Hollywood dominate the world.
Many misunderstand the causality here: geniuses are necessary, yes. But without the power of a complete industry system, no number of geniuses can achieve much.
While busy preparing, Gilbert also attended an internal screening of Avatar.
Undoubtedly, the outstanding 3D effects and the groundbreaking technical achievements completely captivated everyone present at the internal screening.
Everyone praised the film endlessly; James Cameron's years of dedication had not been in vain.
After the screening, Gilbert chatted with James Cameron.
"An unparalleled viewing experience, cutting-edge technology—you were destined to create miracles," Gilbert didn't hold back his praise.
James Cameron smiled wryly: "As long as you're satisfied. If the screening hadn't gone well, you investors might have fed me to the fish."
"No need to worry about that anymore. Trust me, this film will surpass Titanic."
The world king remained the world king—confident and audacious: "Of course, I believe in our film, and you should believe in me too."
When the topic turned to Gilbert's new film, James Cameron asked, "Why not try 3D technology, buddy?"
Gilbert was tempted; shooting Inception as a 3D film wasn't impossible.
But after some thought, he decided against it. He explained, "The new film doesn't have as many vividly colorful scenes. I've also noticed that 3D doesn't perform as well in darker settings as it does in well-lit ones.
For a visually-driven film like Avatar, 3D works brilliantly. But for other films, 3D isn't necessarily suitable."
Gilbert's reasoning was very reasonable. Once Avatar was released, it would surely spark a 3D craze. But Gilbert didn't intend to follow that trend—not because he was stubborn like Christopher Nolan, but because careful evaluation led to the conclusion that making Inception in 3D wouldn't improve the viewing experience.
In fact, 3D could even weaken the emotional and narrative impact that the original film intended for the audience.
What is Inception's biggest selling point? Aside from visual spectacles like the inverted Paris scenes, its greatest strengths are the mind-bending plot and the intense, impactful action sequences.
If 3D divided the audience's attention, making them focus on the visuals and overlook the story, it would be counterproductive for Inception.
Of course, Gilbert wouldn't ignore the benefits of 3D technology entirely—he would still take advantage of it where appropriate.
Disney's new film Alice in Wonderland, the one Gilbert recommended Emma Watson for, was intended to be produced in 3D.
Additionally, following Avatar's success, the Lord of the Rings series would undergo 3D conversion. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit series would also be produced in 3D.
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