Just like past films, during the early stages of preparation, aside from the elements of the movie itself, Duke also decided to include the audience as part of the intricate plan as if making them accomplices in the crime. In this way, he declared his ambition in this genre film. One of the charms of heist movies and also one of the reasons Duke used them as a template is that in most films, the explanatory parts directed at the audience tend to be suspicious, boring, sly, and unbearable. But in heist films, they are the highlight; they become part of the fun. This is an essential element of the genre. Their discussions and planning are what give the audience a reason to keep watching the story. Duke studied deeply and found that a common pattern in this genre is that at a specific point, the audience stops receiving information and merely experiences events as bystanders until the end of the operation. They remain fresh and are impressed by the meticulous plan. But he didn’t intend to repeat that routine. He wanted to make a subversive change. Duke didn’t plan to keep the audience out but decided to take them along the entire way. This small change would make the audience sweat alongside the characters whenever something unexpected happened. With such a fascinating world to explore, Duke was willing to take his time thinking about what the film still lacked to make its unreasonable foundation appear more reasonable. That was the motivation of the protagonist, Cobb. Why did he plan the whole operation? It wasn’t just for monetary gain! Even though Duke wasn’t a father, he understood well the place that home and children hold in the hearts of most people around the world. This is a universal value. Cobb’s biggest motivation was wanting to go home—he wanted to correct his life. Return to his family. This emotion and motivation may seem vulgar, but it is the highest form of human feeling. Back when writing the Batman scripts, the biggest challenge the writers faced in handling character emotions was maintaining enough balance to keep the plot serious while remaining relatable to the audience. The plot of a film can often be summarized in one sentence and labeled with a card, but character emotions require a different approach. Unlike in the past, in this film, there were certain segments that had to be written with the writers sitting down and letting emotion flow from their pens in a very emotional way for the actors to express and then spend a great deal of time revising until they felt real and believable. That meant a few screenwriters had to work closely with Leonardo during early preparation, adjusting Cobb’s lines and behavior based on Leonardo’s own habits and traits. They needed to analyze, deconstruct, and reassemble these elements into part of the movie. This was to make Cobb’s circumstances more authentic and relatable to the audience. When watching certain directors’ films, Duke, as a movie fan, should have felt certain emotions during the viewing but he found that the filmmakers didn’t share those emotions. These directors simply assumed the audience would feel them. But in reality, they didn’t—the audience often felt alienated. So whenever Duke noticed that something he and the screenwriters wrote didn’t resonate with others—but he still told himself, "It’s okay, the audience will like it"—he knew he had gone down the wrong path and had to abandon it. Besides emotions, there was also the film’s setup. Although implanting an idea into an unsuspecting businessman’s mind involves some sensational technology, in the end, the task comes down to identifying the man’s emotions and finding a method to make him act against his original intent. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩 This was a concept Duke thought of when viewing the script through the lens of emotional projection. It was more like a narrative adventure—a group of people making up a story—like a film crew working together. Maybe it was simply because people immersed in such things felt more connected to it. It wasn’t just a crime meticulously planned with technology—it was an invasion of the individual. In Duke’s eyes, this should be a human experience, not just a set of classic tropes tied to a spy mission. Leonardo DiCaprio’s collaboration was also a great help to Duke. During rehearsals, he discussed each scene and script with Duke to uncover the emotional truth and motivation of his character. "One of the things this forced me to do," Duke once said to Anna Prinz, "was to dramatize every rhythm of the explanatory scenes. Every character receives information only because he needs it." The film was presenting an important theme—like being trapped in a dream and unable to wake up—and there had to be a rhythm to it. "I used to place those in relatively passive scenes, using them as neutral explanations. But after discussing repeatedly with Leo, I concluded that I needed to use dramatic conflict. That resulted in effects very different from before—it made the exposition essential for the characters too." When planning the actual shoot, perhaps due to the influence of the plot, Duke made the plan so complex that even he got a little dizzy. He covered his storyboard with exaggerated charts and timelines, trying to mark where transitions occurred in the movie. For several weeks, he felt like he was banging his head against the board. But looking back, Duke realized he had actually solved some problems and made significant progress. "You know you’re facing new problems," he said, "because you know you’re truly making progress. Eventually, you realize, ’This thing is still imperfect. I have a ton of things I want to do with it—but at least it’s coherent enough. I can show it to someone.’" That was the conclusion Duke came to. Duke continued to revise the shooting and post-production plans countless times because he knew that once the plan was put into action, it had to be more organized. In the film, many different characters were in simultaneous danger. As the director, he had to sit down and have in-depth conversations with each character. It was very difficult. Duke believed there was a limit to what an individual could plan alone. Beyond that, others had to be brought in. Fortunately, Duke had spent nearly twenty years building a formidable team. He often felt that working with Charles Roven or Anna Prince or other team members brought great value. As the final result showed, their involvement made the plan more reasonable. Through constant revisions, Duke ultimately found the perfect balance. According to Leonardo’s suggestion, Duke also made slight adjustments to the characters and their scenes. The most important point was that Cobb assembled his team to carry out a dangerous mission. After assigning all the tasks, he forgot to mention that he himself was the greatest uncertainty in this mission. In Leonardo’s words, Cobb didn’t forget—he deliberately kept the secret in his heart. In discussions with several main actors, Duke referenced Hitchcock’s Vertigo. That film makes the audience completely trust the protagonist because of the actor’s charming performance and the character’s professional skills but in fact, they trusted the wrong person. Audiences trust them because they’re confident, knowledgeable, experts... etc. But in Vertigo, it ultimately makes people realize ah, I’ve been completely fooled by this guy, he’s not who I thought he was at all that truly is a fascinating narrative technique. Lawrence of Arabia was another classic example Duke and the team discussed. Half the film features such a successful, haloed protagonist that people forget how dark he becomes in the latter half. It challenges the traditional wisdom of "protagonist resonance." Achieving this effect is very difficult. It requires truly suitable actors. Fortunately, Duke had Leonardo DiCaprio. Everyone who becomes a superstar always has something going for them. Hollywood indeed has no one who’s irreplaceable, and it’s always the role that makes the actor. But the fact that Hollywood studios are willing to pay big money to invite a superstar, rather than casually choose an unknown but equally skilled actor, does have its reasons. These reasons are very straightforward—basically everyone can see them at a glance. Duke invited Leonardo DiCaprio not just because he was the former lead actor and a very good friend. The fact that Warner Bros. eventually signed him to a contract for a base salary of $15 million plus 8% of the profits wasn’t because of Duke’s relationship with him either. The value Leonardo DiCaprio represents is precisely what justifies such a contract. Beyond all this, Duke was also very aware of another key factor in the film’s potential success mystery for mystery’s sake! That’s right mystery for mystery’s sake. Of course, mystery needs to be applied in moderation. After all, this is a commercial blockbuster, not a niche art film. The film’s previous success lay in its balance between story rhythm, audience comprehension, and narrative structure. That is to say, playing with reverse chronology and nested storytelling isn’t hard; what’s hard is not turning those elements into an experimental niche film. Once the film was completed, it left audiences a bit puzzled, but not to the point of losing interest in unraveling the mystery. Overall, it had to be a watchable commercial film. That’s the true merit of Inception. Duke’s entire concept was very clear this was a big-budget, large-scale commercial film. The film’s true core lay in sci-fi, action, and other mainstream commercial elements. Everything else stemmed from that foundation. After more than four months of lengthy pre-production, Duke officially began filming Inception in Los Angeles in mid-November. Hi For access to additional Chapters of Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters) Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters) Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters) Douluo Dalu: Reincarnated as Yan(40 Chapters) Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters) The Great Ruler (30 Chapters) Join pateron.com/Translaterappu