Orange Studios is Gilbert's visual effects studio. Although it wasn't founded as early as Industrial Light & Magic's digital division, it has grown rapidly since its establishment, producing a large number of films with exquisite visual effects and winning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects four times.
Today, Orange Studios is among the top-tier VFX companies in Hollywood, and its technical secrecy is the strictest.
Guo Fan clearly understood that the core of the visual effects industry is technology.
In fact, whether it's Industrial Light & Magic or Orange Studios, many of the technical engineers are Chinese.
This is very similar to the current Silicon Valley model: white executives, Chinese engineers, and a small number of Indian staff constitute today's Silicon Valley.
As for other ethnicities, it's not that they aren't smart. It's just that without being white or possessing the intelligence and diligence of the Chinese, they can't establish themselves in Silicon Valley.
The fact that Indians can have a foothold there is already quite surprising. African Americans and Latinos are almost extinct in Silicon Valley.
Guo Fan clearly understood the importance of technical talent, but given the current conditions in China, it was obviously impossible to attract these high-end talents back to develop.
Once you have a green card, who wants to go back? Everyone is a staunch defender of the free world.
As for whether they are truly free, or what freedom really means, only they themselves know.
Returning to the production of Inception, Gilbert told the team that Inception was his 007 film.
Although this was true, Inception was more akin to a heist film like Ocean's Eleven.
Analyzing Ocean's Eleven, you'd find that the film shows the audience the props and general actions but conceals the full plan and details.
At certain points, the film stops providing information, keeping the audience fresh and curious, and then gradually reveals the puzzle.
In fact, Ocean's Eleven and its subsequent films follow this structure, a common trick of heist films.
But Inception didn't follow this route. Although Gilbert added the dream setting, it was mainly a device to distract and mislead the audience.
All heist films have an ultimate goal—stealing something, some document, or even a person.
Inception was innovative in that it used dreams to play a trick: planting an idea.
"I'm not here to steal your commercial secrets," it said, "I'm here to change, even implant, a thought." This creative concept was very cool.
In terms of the plot, Inception didn't hide from the audience this time; it let them participate.
The audience would see how the protagonist team carefully develops plans and strategies, giving a sense of involvement.
And the dramatic tension? Undoubtedly, it comes from Cobb himself. The train, and his deceased wife Mal, are all potential threats he brings.
Does Cobb understand the danger he carries? Yes, but he keeps these secrets buried in his heart.
Thus, the film needed a strong enough motivation to drive Cobb's actions. If it were just for money, there would be no need to take such risks.
So the focus is on home and children—simple, conventional emotions, yet the most effective.
After a long preparation period, Inception finally began shooting in early September. The first scene filmed was the Mombasa sequence, shot in Morocco.
It was a chase scene reminiscent of Jackie Chan's style. Although DiCaprio wasn't known for action, months of training made him look competent.
Perhaps to maintain the appearance of a middle-aged man with a little extra weight, despite the training, DiCaprio's stomach hadn't slimmed down much.
During a scene passing through a narrow alley, he got stuck.
"Hey! Help! I'm stuck!" DiCaprio called out loudly.
Several crew members rushed over and freed him.
Gilbert looked at DiCaprio's awkward position and joked, "Mr. Cobb, are you a bit too fat?"
DiCaprio looked speechless. "Who was it that said I was too skinny before filming, didn't look like a middle-aged man, and needed to eat more?"
"Definitely not me. Was it you?"
"Not me either…"
After some joking, Gilbert said, "Actually, this setup is pretty good. Cobb passes through a narrow alley, with pursuers behind him, and he happens to get stuck. A simple yet exciting dramatic conflict is created just like that."
"I think so too," DiCaprio said. "Let's do another one in a bit."
During the second take, DiCaprio didn't get stuck this time and escaped smoothly.
After completing the Moroccan sequences, the crew moved to Paris to shoot outdoor scenes, including the coffee shop explosion scene.
Because many experiments had been conducted beforehand, filming wasn't too difficult for the crew. But the critical issue was ensuring the safety of the two actors, preventing any injuries.
Assistant director Annie Burton suggested using stunt doubles, but DiCaprio objected.
"I've worked with Gilbert on Saving Private Ryan. I know his style—no need for doubles."
With such a top-tier actor personally performing, Ellen Page, though a girl, also felt it inappropriate to use a double, so she performed her own stunts as well.
To help both actors stay calm and deliver their performances, Gilbert even provided them with psychological guidance.
"You've seen during our tests that the stunt team was completely safe. Trust me, this isn't very dangerous. Just sit properly and don't move, and you'll be fine."
DiCaprio, still joking, asked, "Gilbert, if I get blown up, how much would insurance cover?"
Gilbert laughed. "I don't think the insurance would pay—they'd probably announce it's been voided."
The joke about the North American insurance system's "hellish" nature successfully lightened Ellen Page's nerves.
With their minds relaxed, performing became much easier. Although the crew had blocked off the streets, enthusiastic fans still found ways to glimpse the set.
Fortunately, camera resolution wasn't very high back then, otherwise, footage would have spread online.
Even if it had leaked, it wouldn't matter much. Although this explosion sequence was filmed practically, visual effects were still needed to make it perfect.
Moreover, these behind-the-scenes clips could serve as promotional material, drawing fans' attention.
Besides the coffee shop explosion, the Paris sequences included a scene with two mirrors creating an infinite visual effect.
This part also combined practical filming and visual effects. The crew filmed it on the Eiffel Tower and the iron bridges over the Seine.
The two large mirrors alone weighed 2.5 tons and shook during transport. Since they needed to be moved, the mirrors had to be securely fixed.
Otherwise, if a mirror fell, the breakage would be minor, but injuring DiCaprio or Ellen Page would have been disastrous.
The remaining sequences weren't too difficult. The Paris shoot wrapped up in about a week, after which the crew moved to Shanghai.
According to Gilbert's plan, all outdoor sequences were to be completed first, then the remaining scenes would be shot in the studio.
Shooting on location is always much more troublesome than filming in a studio.
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