Dunn was now convinced that his sunglasses were truly magical, containing a cheating system that could navigate the intricacies of Hollywood!
This was the fundamental reason he, a complete outsider, dared to make bold promises and compete with James Cameron for the director's chair on "Titanic."
Because the first time he turned on the sunglasses, he received a newbie gift package.
The "Contract Snatch" allowed him to seize the director's position from Cameron, while "Mirror Possession" was his trump card for directing the film!
The "Mirror Possession" skill allows anyone's artistic abilities in Hollywood to be transferred onto someone else, effective only for the duration of one film. Additionally, every time a global box office exceeds $1 billion, an extra "Mirror Possession" skill is awarded.
Dunn didn't hesitate and directly searched for James Cameron, setting himself as the possession target—Dunn Walker!
"Mirror Possession completed. During the production of 'Titanic,' Dunn Walker will possess James Cameron's producing, directing, and acting skills."
Dunn twisted his body and shook his head, finding no physical changes. However, he knew that his perspective and abilities had completely transformed.
Especially the series of amazing ideas and the wild imagination that had appeared—truly astonishing!
Dunn checked Cameron's skill ratings and was thoroughly impressed. Cameron was indeed a world-class director!
The production category included over twenty sub-skills, with the five most important ones being Production, Market Judgement, Artistic Aesthetic, Project Evaluation, and Screenwriting.
Dunn had casually checked out a few other major directors' skill displays yesterday, and generally, a comprehensive score above 70 was considered outstanding.
But James Cameron's numbers were staggering.
Production: 66
Market Judgement: 97
Artistic Aesthetic: 76
Project Evaluation: 70
Screenwriting: 89
The comprehensive score reached an impressive 81 points!
Especially his Market Judgement, which reached an unbelievable 97 points, leaving Dunn astonished. He had spent half the night studying and had never seen anyone exceed 90 points in any category.
James Cameron truly lived up to his reputation!
Next, he checked the five major directing skills.
Cinematography: 91
Story Design: 89
Visual Thinking: 88
Guidance: 93
Camera Work: 95
The comprehensive score was 90 points!
Dunn's eyes widened. He was completely convinced!
Even more amazing were the less critical attributes like Art Direction, Special Effects, and Storyboarding, all scoring above 90—Cameron was undoubtedly a genius director.
As for the five acting skills—Expressiveness, Flexibility, Natural Talent, Authenticity, and Dialogue—Cameron's scores were abysmal, not worth mentioning.
Now that Dunn had inherited Cameron's abilities, his confidence soared!
...
The crew, having taken a day off due to the director change, finally resumed work.
When the news spread that the new director was an unknown 18-year-old, everyone was shocked. And when they heard it was Dunn Walker, the guy Cameron had fired, their reactions were even more dramatic.
Especially actress Kate Winslet and Dunn's friend George Paxton—they felt as if they were experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions.
The crew usually started work at 8 a.m., but when Dunn arrived at the set at 7:30, everyone was already there.
"Everyone's here already."
Dunn hid his inner excitement and greeted everyone with a humble smile and a wave.
"Good morning, Director!"
"Welcome, Director."
"Director, you're so young..."
Various voices filled the room, and the flattering tone was palpable throughout the set.
"Hey, Dunn... I mean, Director."
George Paxton approached with a look of joy, his eyes shining as he sized up Dunn, trying to hide his excitement, hesitation, and a bit of flattery.
His friend was the director!
This alone was something to boast about to anyone!
"Hi, George. Everything's the same as before—we're still friends."
Dunn patted his shoulder. On the set of "Titanic," George was his only friend.
"Yes, yes, friends. Haha, we're friends." George's face turned red with excitement, and he was almost incoherent.
Dunn nodded, his gaze sweeping over to Kate Winslet, who stood nearby with a bright smile that couldn't quite conceal her awkwardness and nervousness. He said coolly, "From today onward, you'll be my personal assistant—not a set assistant, but my director's assistant. Your first task is to find out what really happened that day. I want to know who tried to frame me!"
George's spirit was instantly lifted, his expression turning fierce. "Of course, we can't let that kind of person get away with it!"
Dunn smiled in satisfaction and then walked over to Leonardo DiCaprio. Looking at his handsome face, Dunn asked with a smile, "Leo, after a day off, how's your state of mind?"
In the past, Dunn didn't even have the qualification to stand near Leonardo on set. But now, things were different—he was the director, the core of the entire film!
It was a dramatic turnaround, and the sense of superiority naturally came with the position.
Leonardo didn't know Dunn at all; he only knew the guy was the new director. He was surprised by how young Dunn was, and his nervousness showed as he straightened up. "Mr. Walker, I'm feeling great!"
"Just call me Dunn."
Dunn smiled slightly and encouraged him, "Keep it up, and make this movie great."
"Okay, Mr. Walker... I mean, Dunn."
Leonardo relaxed and smiled, his tension easing significantly.
It seemed that this new director was much more easygoing than James Cameron. His temperament was good, and he seemed easy to work with—no more daily scoldings to worry about.
Then Dunn approached Kate Winslet. After a quick up-and-down glance, he complimented, "Kate, you look beautiful today!"
Without a doubt, Kate Winslet was the most nervous person on set. Seeing Dunn approaching, she was so scared that she almost screamed. She quickly caught herself, a sweet smile appearing on her face as she lifted her gown slightly, giving a lady's curtsy from the Middle Ages. "Thank you, Director."
Dunn chuckled, teasing, "You're really in character, huh?"
Kate's face turned pale. That was a reflexive action out of panic. She quickly forced another smile, "I'm sorry, Director..."
Dunn waved her off, interrupting her unceremoniously. "Being deeply in character means you're putting in the effort—it's a good thing!"
With just a few words, Kate Winslet felt cold sweat forming on her back. She bit her lip, unsure of how to please him.
She was terrified that Dunn still held a grudge over what had happened that day.
---
Dunn Walker remained calm and simply wanted everyone to get ready to start filming.
At this moment, one of Cameron's partners and producers, Jon Landau, suddenly stood up and shouted, "Let's welcome young Dunn Walker back to the crew! Now, let's have young Dunn Walker say a few words. Everyone, applause!"
Dunn Walker's expression changed, and a sharp look flashed in his eyes.
"Young Dunn Walker?"
He was the director now. Even a close friend like George had to respectfully address him as "Director," so who did Jon Landau think he was?
It was obvious that this was deliberate targeting!
On the surface, it seemed like a ruckus, but by emphasizing "returning to the crew" and "young Dunn Walker," it was clearly meant to embarrass him. Asking him to speak was even more of a trap—if he spoke well, it would be expected, but if he didn't, it would surely undermine his authority on set.
Dunn Walker glanced deeply at Jon Landau and quickly understood the reason.
Jon Landau was a friend of Cameron and a longtime partner. This action was clearly in support of Cameron, trying to stand up for him.
However, Dunn Walker wasn't sure if this was Jon Landau's own initiative or if it was done under Cameron's instructions.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Dunn Walker walked up to a platform, looked around at the crew, and asked, "Let me ask everyone a question: why did you come here to make movies?"
This abrupt question caught everyone off guard. They fell silent, too afraid to speak.
Seeing the awkward silence, George quickly shouted, "For art! For faith! For humanity!"
Dunn Walker shook his head. "Such sacred words should be spoken to Jesus. This is a film set, not a church."
Everyone burst into laughter.
They suddenly realized that this young man standing above them was not as naive and inexperienced as they had imagined. His blend of seriousness and humor was clearly a quality only a great director would possess.
Jon Landau, however, sneered.
He didn't believe that an eighteen-year-old kid could handle such a large scene. Even Steven Spielberg couldn't have done it at that age!
Dunn Walker continued, "Let's put it this way: making movies is tough. Why did you come here to suffer?"
"Why? To become stars, of course!"
The majority of the people on set were extras, and this answer perfectly captured the thoughts of this large group.
Even Leonardo and Kate were enduring Cameron's torment because they wanted to become even bigger stars and make more money, weren't they?
Dunn Walker nodded slightly, gave the person a thumbs-up, and loudly said, "That's right, it's to become stars! This is our shared dream!"
Pausing for a moment, Dunn Walker switched to a more powerful tone, "You want to be stars, the biggest and brightest stars in Hollywood! And me? I am a director, and I want to become one of the top directors in the world!"
"Tell me, what do we rely on?"
"Louder, I can't hear you! To achieve our dreams, what do we rely on?"
"What do we rely on?"
Under Dunn Walker's continuous prompting and encouragement, the previously lifeless atmosphere finally came alive. The scattered voices gradually came together.
"Movies!"
"What is it?"
"Movies!"
"Louder!"
"Movies! Movies! Movies!"
In the studio, the atmosphere finally reached its peak.
Over a hundred people shouted in unison within the closed set. The momentum was magnificent and overwhelming!
The unified voices of more than a hundred people echoed like a dragon's roar across the sea, as if they were about to lift the roof off and shake the earth.
This wasn't just a film set; it was clearly a battlefield on the verge of war!
James Cameron stood quietly on the side, observing coldly. Despite his experience, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
Who doesn't have dreams?
Titanic was the only way for everyone present to realize their dreams!
Only by making this movie well could they get one step closer to their dreams!
Cameron understood Dunn Walker's deeper meaning, and when he looked at him again, his gaze became more complex.
Is he really only eighteen years old?
Equally shocked was his old partner, Jon Landau. His face turned pale, then flushed, growing so dark it seemed like it might drip water. He sneered internally, "Kid, don't celebrate too soon!"