On the movie set of Memento, everything was buzzing.
Today was the official first day of filming. As the movie's main producer, Zane Blackwood, of course, showed up to support the team.
He knew that sometimes, on movie sets, the crew members might try to bully a young director.
Even though Christopher Nolan had directed Fatal Turn 2 for him, he was still very young. Zane worried that some of the older, more "experienced" crew members might look down on him or not listen to his directions.
Zane's visit today was to send a clear message: He had Nolan's back.
He pulled the production manager, Thurwell, aside for a quiet, friendly chat.
"Thurwell," Zane said, "you're in charge of the crew. I need you to make it clear to everyone that they need to keep their 'clever ideas' to themselves. If anyone dares to challenge Director Nolan or refuses to do what he says... I don't care who they are. Fire them. Understood?"
Thurwell, who had been with Zane's company from the very beginning, knew his boss meant business. He nodded quickly.
"Don't you worry, boss," Thurwell said. "You leave it to me. I'll see if anyone is brave enough to pretend to be tough."
"Good," Zane said, patting him on the shoulder. He was very satisfied.
In Hollywood, they didn't do any big, fancy ceremonies to start a movie. After a few interviews for the media, it was time to get to work.
"Location manager, start clearing the set!" "Camera crew, check your equipment!" "Lighting team, make the lights darker! We're shooting a spooky, suspenseful movie!" "Props team, check the set one more time!"
Even though Christopher Nolan hadn't directed many movies, he was a natural-born leader. Under his command, the whole crew began working in a busy, orderly way.
"Hey, buddy," Zane said, walking over to Nolan with a smile. "I looked at your filming schedule. Are you really planning to finish this whole movie in just 30 days?"
Nolan nodded. "Yes, Mr. Blackwood. The script looks really complicated, I know, with the main story and the 'memory' scenes all mixed up. But after I sorted it all out, it's actually very simple to shoot. 30 days is plenty of time."
Zane was genuinely surprised and impressed!
He knew Memento was the kind of movie that really makes you think. Many people said they felt confused after watching it just once.
One person even said, "I didn't really get it, but I think the director is a genius. It just felt cool."
Other people said, "I didn't get it the first time, so I'm going to watch it two or three more times!"
Christopher Nolan just had a special way of grabbing the audience's attention.
Zane continued, "Nolan, if you're so sure, can you promise me that Memento will be completely finished by the end of April?"
"No problem," Nolan said, though he looked a little curious.
Zane grinned. He had a reason for asking!
"Good!" Zane said. "Because the deadline for the big Cannes Film Festival is at the end of April. We're going to take Memento to Cannes!"
Suddenly, Nolan was overjoyed. "Cannes?!" he gasped.
The Cannes Film Festival! It was one of the three biggest and most famous film festivals in the whole world. Getting a movie into Cannes was a huge honor and a giant opportunity.
This was Zane's real plan. He wanted to use Memento to get his company's name, Wald Pictures, known all over the world.
Of course, his main goal was to build his own network for showing his movies in other countries.
Zane was a big shot in America. Even the "Big Six" studios couldn't push him around anymore. But in other countries, he was still a new guy.
He knew that a powerful new person shouldn't just barge in and act like he owns the place.
Wald Pictures needed to earn its way into other countries. And the best way to do that was by showing them excellent movies.
Memento was perfect. It was a smart, cool, artistic movie. The big European film festivals loved movies like this. This was their chance!
If he could just get his foot in the door in one or two other countries, it would be a huge win.
Zane had to build his own overseas network. He couldn't just keep letting Paramount show his movies and give them a huge chunk of the profit. He knew he couldn't just launch his giant movies, like Spider-Man or Harry Potter, until he had his own, safe way to show them.
"If you don't have your own global network," he thought, "you're just a five-year-old kid carrying a giant gold brick through a crowded city. You're just asking for trouble!"
The "Big Six" studios, even Paramount, would definitely turn on him and try to take his movies if he wasn't careful.
"I have to be smart," Zane thought to himself. "I have to be steady."
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