The filming of Inception had to start with indoor scenes.
It began with the scene where Leonardo's character, Cobb, had a conversation with Donnie's character, Fischer, in a bar.
Film shoots were often non-sequential, especially for commercial films, which had to be planned based on cost considerations rather than script order.
As a result, actors were constantly thrown into different scenes, performing in accordance with the screenplay.
Before Inception officially started filming, Ethan first gathered all the key crew members in the conference room to go over the filming details.
"Chris, are all the explosion effects prepared?" Ethan asked the film's visual effects supervisor, Chris Corbould.
This lean, gray-haired middle-aged man had over a decade of experience in visual effects and was one of Hollywood's top VFX masters. He was responsible for the visual effects in Inception.
In his previous life, the water-flooded attic and the street explosion in Inception were both crafted by Chris Corbould.
"We've prepared a plan. We intend to use targeted explosions to depict the instability of dreams. As for the flooded attic scene, we plan to use 200 gallons of water and fire it into the room using air cannons positioned outside the windows, along with..."
He went on for twenty minutes, while Ethan listened and took notes.
Since he had assembled Hollywood's top prop teams along with an elite crew, it spared him a lot of trouble, allowing him to focus more on the film itself.
Once the visual effects were confirmed, he turned to another person.
"Paul, how's the special effects planning coming along?"
Paul Franklin was Inception's special effects supervisor. Though the film was primarily shot with practical effects, special effects were still crucial.
There were always limitations to practical effects. For example, in the street explosion scene, some hard objects couldn't be destroyed using real explosives, so special effects had to be added.
"Everything is set, Director..."
"Tom, what about your side?" Ethan turned toward a man with a high nose bridge and striking green eyes.
Tom Struthers was Inception's stunt coordinator and a key figure for many of the film's sequences. He was responsible for training actors to adapt to complex sets, such as the rotating hallway and the tilting bar.
"The bar scene still isn't quite right. Many of the extras aren't performing well," he said, gesturing with his hands. "Once the bar tilts, they struggle to maintain their balance, and some are reacting unnaturally—flailing around and yelling."
"Hmm." Ethan pondered for a moment. "Then let's hold an on-site audition. Find more extras, and we'll use the bar scene as a live test."
"No problem."
Ollie, one of the assistant directors, nodded.
He was from Sony and had extensive experience directing actors.
Producer Emma, who had been listening to their discussion, also took notes. She was a producer from New Line and had worked on The Hobbit.
She had plenty of experience with big-budget films, which was why the investors had sent her to oversee production.
After three hours in the conference room, they finally aligned on all details, including cinematography, which Ethan had entrusted entirely to the professionals this time.
Inception was not a small-budget film. It was far bigger and more complex than Memoirs of a Geisha or Fifty Shades of Grey.
If Ethan distracted himself with cinematography as well, it would be a waste of energy.
Once everything was set, two more days passed.
On Saturday, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr. finally arrived at the tilting bar.
"Hey, Donnie."
"Hey, Leo."
After a brief greeting, the two approached the tilting bar. This time, instead of rushing through, they took their time observing the massive structure.
The top was a four-sided building with a fully furnished bar interior. On the outside, steel structures held it in place.
These metal frameworks resembled the palm of a hand, firmly supporting the bar.
Below, two hydraulic rods controlled the tilt—when the left side needed to rise, the left hydraulic rod lifted while the right one lowered.
"It looks like a giant seesaw," Donnie remarked.
His makeup today made him look significantly younger. With a finely tailored navy-blue suit, gold-rimmed glasses, neatly styled hair, and a clean-shaven face, he exuded the aura of a true elite.
Compared to the original Fischer, Donnie was older, but Ethan felt this fit the story even better.
If the CEO father in the movie had a child in his old age, he likely wouldn't have been so hard on him.
Fathers were usually stricter with their eldest sons.
Besides, from a visual standpoint, a 30-year-old elite heir with an 80- or 90-year-old father felt somewhat odd.
Donnie's age fit just right.
"Yeah, a giant seesaw," Leo agreed, dressed in a dark suit with his hair slicked back, looking every bit the part of a high-caliber professional.
"Where's Ethan?" Donnie glanced around but didn't see him.
"Good question..." Leo looked around. "Maybe he's inside."
"Could be. Let's go check."
Just as they stepped inside, the bar, which had been tilted, returned to a level position.
With the help of the crew, they entered the tilting bar.
As soon as they walked in, they heard Ethan's voice.
"A3, B2, C1, H3, G2—disqualified."
The two exchanged glances, not quite understanding what Ethan meant. Looking around, they noticed a group of extras standing in the bar, each with a round sticker on their chest—likely for identification.
As Ethan finished speaking, the extras with the corresponding stickers followed Tom out of the tilted bar.
"Hey, Ethan, do we really need this many people?" Leonardo asked, glancing at the remaining extras chatting nearby.
"You're here." Ethan took his eyes off the monitor. "Of course. I need a lot of people to stare at Cobb."
Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "That sounds terrifying."
"The dream world is like that," Ethan spread his hands. "When you try to remind the dreamer that they're in a dream, everyone in that world will start paying attention to you."
"I was even considering having someone suddenly turn their head 180 degrees—so their face and back would be facing the same direction while staring at you."
"Oh, God, please don't," Leonardo raised his hands with a wry smile. "That would be horrifying. The kids watching would cry."
"Hahaha, just kidding."
"But your equipment isn't moving around?" Downey was more interested in the technical setup. He noticed that none of the lighting or cameras were shifting.
"Of course not. The lights, cameras—everything is secured." Ethan patted the monitor. "Even this guy."
"Then you have to sit inside the tilted bar to watch?"
"Of course." Ethan spread his stance slightly. "But that's no big deal for me."
"Alright, but when the bar tilts, won't the camera move with it?" Downey, with his past experience as a producer, was naturally curious about these details.
"Look here." Ethan walked to a camera and patted its base. "This is a massive gimbal. No matter how the set moves, the camera stays stable."
"Amazing."
As they chatted, Ethan continued screening batches of extras. Meanwhile, Leonardo and Downey took the opportunity to get used to the tilting of the bar. As professional actors, even if they felt uncomfortable, they could adjust quickly—unlike the extras, who struggled to keep their balance and screamed in panic.
Once the right extras were selected, the crew immediately sent them for makeup. Ethan then began explaining the scene to his lead actors.
"In this scene, Cobb, you deliberately try to hint to Fischer that he's in a massive illusionary dream. I don't think this will be difficult for you. The main challenge is for Downey."
Ethan turned to him and continued, "Downey, you need to show a complex mix of emotions. First, disbelief—your first instinct is that this world is real. But when the bar starts tilting, you realize something is wrong. Then comes tension and unease. You're afraid that what Cobb is saying might actually be true."
"Mm, so I'll have a lot of subconscious physical reactions…" Downey swallowed, blinked, and in an instant, a nervous expression appeared on his face.
"Yes! Exactly like that!" Ethan realized he barely needed to direct them—both were outstanding actors.
When it came to capturing a character's psyche, they might even understand better than he did.
Ethan returned to the camera and said to Chris, "Alright, let's run the scene again. I want to check if everything is in place."
"Got it. Everyone, get ready."
Assistant director Greta picked up her walkie-talkie and coordinated with the crew.
After Little Miss Sunshine, Greta hadn't taken on any new projects. When Ethan started filming Inception, she joined, eager to learn and prepare for the future.
"3, 2, 1—action!"
At Chris's command, the tilted bar began to move again. The glasses on the bar counter slowly slid at an angle, the liquid inside tilting along with them.
The effect was surreal—it felt as if the entire world's axis had shifted.
Seated in their chairs, Downey and Leonardo tried to maintain their posture, while the extras did their best to stay balanced and not move unnecessarily.
"Alright, pause."
Ethan stepped onto the slanted floor, inspecting the glasses and various props one by one.
"This one—the placement is wrong."
"And this—the chair's angle isn't right."
"The table is wobbly. Reinforce it."
"That lamp! Watch out!"
Crash!
A lamp that hadn't been properly secured slid across the floor and crashed into a wall decoration.
"FXXK! What the hell are you doing?" Ethan exploded. "I told you—check everything three times! Secure it properly! Fix that wall within ten minutes!"
"Sorry, director." One of the crew members stepped forward to apologize.
But Ethan just waved him off. "I don't need your apology—I need action! Got it? If that thing had hit someone, you'd be waiting in the hospital with a compensation check right now! Do your job! Fix it—immediately!"
"Yes, sir!" The crew hurriedly retrieved the fallen lamp and re-secured it.
Greta shrugged. There's that temper again.
But wasn't that just Ethan?
Once everything was reset, Ethan finally began filming for real.
"All departments, ready. Confirm when set."
With so many people involved, they had to use walkie-talkies for coordination.
Ethan sat behind the monitor, waiting for the set to be prepped.
At that moment, Scarlett Johansson walked up.
In the original Inception, this role had been played by Talulah Riley—Elon Musk's future wife, a stunning actress with a background in quantum physics.
But at this time, she was busy filming St Trinian's 2 and couldn't audition for Inception. So Ethan gave the role to Scarlett.
With her status, she could have played a more significant part, but Inception simply didn't have a fitting role for her.
Plus, an overload of high-paid actors would inflate costs, which wasn't ideal.
So she appeared in just a brief cameo.
Yet, even as a minor character, when she stepped out in a shimmering dress, her back exposed, makeup flawless—she immediately drew gasps from the crew.
"Wow."
Scarlett smiled, flipping her hair back, and locked eyes with Ethan.
"Where do I sit, director?"
"Right here." Ethan grinned and led her over to Downey.
Downey glanced between them, sensing something.
But he said nothing—just returned a polite smile.
"Alright, let's get started!"
Ethan returned to the monitor. Once everything was set, he called out—
"Action!"
The camera rolled.
As Cobb entered the bar, Fischer was chatting with a beautiful woman.
Cobb approached and extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Rod Green from Marketing."
"And you are…?" Cobb looked at the woman.
She immediately stood up. "I should get going."
She leaned in close to Fischer and whispered, "If you get bored, come find me."
Fischer hesitated for a moment before pulling a napkin from his pocket—on it, a string of numbers.
"She totally ditched you," Cobb said, raising his glass. "Unless her number actually has only six digits."
Fischer frowned, realizing something. He picked up the napkin and—sure enough—only six numbers.
"Chatting up strangers can get you pickpocketed."
Fischer instinctively checked his pockets—his wallet was gone.
"Damn it! That wallet alone cost—"
"Five hundred bucks? Don't worry. My people are handling it."
Fischer looked at the stranger sitting beside him, realizing this man didn't seem to belong to Marketing.
Cobb leaned in. "My name is Charles. You should remember me—I'm your head of security here."
"Head of security?" Fischer didn't say it aloud, but his expression made his thoughts clear.
...
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