The sun had long risen in the sky, but the bedroom window was firmly covered by thick curtains. In the dim light, Duke fully transformed into a mighty knight, riding a beautiful wild horse from Brazil. With skilled techniques and rhythmically changing movements, he broke through countless obstacles, charging towards the peak.
The brown hair drifting in front of Duke's chest swayed back and forth like the horse's long mane. Beneath the mane, his strong nose flared with heavy breaths, as if the Brazilian steed had exhausted all its energy.
Suddenly, Duke reached out and grabbed the horse's long mane, using it as reins to control the steed. The horse below reacted fiercely but couldn't escape his control.
It was a long journey, a fascinating trip. Even though the location remained the same, those involved were treated to a special view, even forgetting their own existence.
Every journey has an end, and for Duke and Ambrose, the end came when they entered the bathroom.
Lying side by side in the foamy bathtub, Ambrose's eyes were veiled with mist, lazily not wanting to move a single finger. She had stayed until the very end last night, not thinking of leaving.
"Duke." She turned her head, resting on his broad shoulder. Duke bent down and kissed the corner of her lips. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Ambrose softly shook her head. "I just feel good being with you."
Duke smiled and pinched her high nose. "Then enjoy this moment."
Ambrose lifted her chin, her red lips kissed him, and Duke once again entwined with her.
After a long while, they finally left the bedroom. As they went to the dining room for breakfast, Duke once again sighed at the hellish trials behind the perfect bodies of these female models. Even though last night's and this morning's exertion had drained a lot of energy, Ambrose's main meal was still vegetables, and she wouldn't even touch salad dressing, let alone salt or oil-vinegar dressing.
"Anorexia is a common phenomenon in our industry."
Walking in the sunny garden, Ambrose linked her arm with Duke's. "Just like how most male models are gay. If you don't have anorexia, you can't even claim to be a model."
The weather was a bit cold, and Wellington was famous for its winds. Feeling the chill from the breeze, Duke turned around and wrapped her scarf more tightly around her. They walked toward the area where the sunlight shone directly.
"Reaching the top in any industry is never easy." Duke said, and Ambrose deeply agreed.
"Yes, to get here, my toes have deformed because of high heels."
She grabbed one of Duke's hands and placed it on her shapely hip. "To make this part more toned, since I was fourteen, I've worn five-inch heels every night, scrubbing the floors in the apartment for two hours."
"Keep going. Colleen."
Wrapping his arm around her slim waist, Duke stood in the bright sunlight on the dry yellow grass. "You will be even more successful."
He turned around and smiled at Ambrose. Perhaps like other models, her private life was chaotic, using various methods to climb the ranks. But in front of him, she was very restrained, and at least the relationship between the two was relatively harmonious.
After what happened with Natalie Portman, Duke became more cautious around women in the industry. He initially thought Ambrose might have some requests, such as giving more scenes to Yvonne or increasing her position and treatment in Victoria's Secret. These would have been easy for him, but she didn't ask for anything, as if they were simply attracted to each other by hormones, like all young men and women, only for physical pleasure and indulgence, leading to a relationship that was destined not to last long.
Thinking about that complicated girl in New York, Duke couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly. Perhaps after seeing too much and experiencing too much, he had become a little weary of his current lifestyle.
Even the wildest playboys, after constant pursuits and indulgences, eventually feel some fatigue.
People are never the same, and with further experience and age creeping closer to thirty, Duke's mindset was also slightly changing.
"What are you thinking?" Ambrose asked curiously.
"Nothing." Duke shook his head, enjoying the moment as his thoughts regained dominance. "I just suddenly feel a bit old."
"Old?"
Ambrose stretched out a hand, slipping it under his coat and gripping his solid chest. "Why don't I notice? An old person with a body like yours? With energy and vitality like yours?"
"Are you trying to seduce me, Colleen?"
Duke could feel Ambrose's other hand grabbing his belt buckle.
Ambrose didn't answer but slightly lifted her chin, staring at him with misty eyes.
Duke reached out a finger, lifting her chin, carefully examining her face, then bent down and threw Ambrose over his shoulder, walking toward the garden's woods.
After a wild weekend, Duke returned to filming with newfound energy, as if recharged.
This week, the crew was still split into three. Anna Prinz and Zack Snyder were working on the South and North Islands of New Zealand. In between his busy shoots, Duke had to review the footage shot by his two assistant directors. He had worked with them for many years, and except for a few rare shots, their work generally met his standards.
What they were filming was just raw footage; most of the scenes required post-production CGI work.
Anna Prinz was the first to complete this stage, and the Victoria's Secret Angels were leaving Wellington, including Ambrose, who still had unfilmed scenes with Yvonne. In a grand promotional event, Duke's "Elven Angels" boarded the Victoria's Secret & Lord of the Rings private plane, flying out of Wellington International Airport.
Some members of the crew left, some returned, and some were newly reported.
Not long after the Victoria's Secret Angels departed, Ian McKellen temporarily ended his role as Magneto and returned to the crew. Alongside him was Andy Serkis, who played Gollum.
The crew gathered again, and Duke resumed filming the scenes of the Fellowship of the Ring.
First, he exchanged some words with Andy Serkis. This alternative actor, who had just starred in Peter Jackson's "King Kong," was very skilled with motion capture. After testing some Gollum shots, Duke decided to have the crew sign a contract with him to make him an assistant director.
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, not only Gollum but many other creatures also used motion capture. The crew needed a professional guide for that.
Duke's principle was always to leave professional work to professionals. He never believed one person could solve all problems.
Andy Serkis quickly found his place. Duke was preparing to film the Moria Mines scene, where both Balrogs and Cave Trolls would be filmed using motion capture.
Especially for the Cave Troll, Duke planned to perform it himself.
This would be his first role after leaving the California Arts Academy. Though he was sure of his lack of acting skills, seeing how Ang Lee used motion capture for the Hulk, Duke gained confidence.
No matter what, he had been an actor, even if he never had any lines.
Inside the set designed to resemble the Moria Mines, Duke walked in, his entire body covered by the blue screen, except for his face, with nearly a hundred motion sensors attached to him. As soon as filming began, all his movements would be captured and transferred into the three-dimensional model of the Cave Troll created by Weta Workshop.
"Anna, you're in charge of directing."
Looking at his strange outfit, Duke gave his final instructions to the crew before filming. "John, watch the camera position."
Both of them nodded and took their places.
Andy Serkis approached, having had plenty of communication with Duke, but knowing that Duke's acting skills were not great, he came over to give a few words of advice.
"Duke, motion capture isn't just a technical job. I believe performing in motion capture is the same as acting in live-action roles. The key is understanding the character's psychology, and only after that should you focus on actions and expressions."
Upon hearing this, Duke instinctively asked, "What's the psychological state of the character I'm playing?"
He was about to play a Cave Troll, also known as a Cannibal Demon.
Nearby, Orlando Bloom, Sean Davis, and Ian McKellen held back their laughter, pretending to continue working seriously. But Billy Boyd couldn't help himself, answering before Andy Serkis, "Of course, you want to rush in and kill us, then eat us!"
Everyone laughed, and Andy Serkis turned to Duke. "Billy's right. Duke, we're all looking forward to your performance."
A props technician came over and handed Duke a blue-wrapped plastic hammer. Duke gently swung it. It had very little weight.
However, filming couldn't begin yet, as Weta's technicians still needed to make final preparations for Duke. They attached a head-mounted camera to his blue hat and applied fluorescent paint dots on his face to address facial recognition issues.
The most challenging part of motion capture is capturing facial expressions. Hollywood had initially used reflective stickers for face tracking, but the stickers were often too large, obstructing the actor's line of sight and affecting the performance.
Therefore, to make the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Peter Jackson's King Kong, Weta Workshop innovated motion capture technology.