Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

"Jessica…" Martin stood before the lightbox, calling out, "How're you feeling now?"

Jessica patted the harness securing her, giving Martin an "OK" sign.

"No issues."

"Watch your expressions," Martin reminded.

This scene was mostly Jessica on real footage; the space elements—suit, station, Earth—were all CG. The shuttle interior and Hubble were simulated via LED walls.

"How's the wire rig?"

"Ready."

This shot featured Jessica's character tumbling past the shuttle. No massive prop shuttle—Martin planned 12 wires, rigging her like a marionette for rolls, flips, even "lying" mid-air, defying gravity.

"Jessy, focus on the LED visuals. Expressions matter!"

Martin reiterated, returning to his director's chair.

The shot included a close-up of Jessica's eyes, reflecting the helmet's visuals—details had to be precise to avoid giveaways.

…

After wrapping her scenes, Jessica dismounted the arm, her balance off from prolonged zero-G simulation. She sat, recovering.

Leonardo approached. "How was it?"

Jessica smiled. "Not bad."

Leonardo nodded, chuckling. "You adapted way better than me. Youth's a gift."

Meanwhile, Martin conferred with the cinematographer and lighting tech.

"Lighting needs three main sources: distant harsh sunlight, soft Earth-reflected light, and occasional moonlight bounce."

A Houston consultant interjected: "Martin, that setup doesn't match real space or a station…"

He explained: "In space, it's pitch black. You see only the Sun, Earth, maybe the Moon—not all at once in view."

Martin nodded. "Thanks, I know. But strict realism would make the screen too dull. Most films aren't that immersive, so I'm tweaking the environment for appeal."

"If it's artistic license, no problem."

The consultant smiled. He was an advisor, not decision-maker—that was Martin.

Martin continued: "Experiment—find the right light hardness, reflection ratios, colors. Log the data. These 'small' details create varied atmospheres. Note: shuttles move fast—24 hours sees multiple day-night cycles."

Days later, Martin nailed the look.

The post-VFX reveal awed everyone, including the Houston consultant.

A breathtaking sunset: far-off, the blue planet edged the vanishing Sun; close-up, Jessica's Ryan Stone drifted into black void, lit only by her helmet's faint glow.

"God, it's stunning—and terrifying," the consultant said to Martin. "You're right; this'll hook viewers."

Jessica clutched her chest, stammering, "Oh God, oh God, this is mine, this is mine…"

"This shot's cinema history," Leonardo declared confidently.

He admired his friend. Sometimes I wanna crack his skull open—how does he dream up this stuff?

A tech explained the process: "Based on your storyboard, we built the Earthscape first, then designed lighting and color per the gaffer's data… In this take, Ryan's over African desert void. Sun enters frame, so Earth's warm-toned, her face reflects that. We used high-res satellite maps for lighting shifts…"

"Then, per the pre-vis team's camera and character paths, we created a simple animatic…"

"I recall this camera move was complex. Any animatic hurdles?" Martin asked.

The tech, Lubezki, smiled. "Some minor ones, but solved. We started simple: storyboards, then puppet-and-toy station and shuttle. The animators loved that raw approach. Layered in volume, color, lighting. It's iterative, but the complexity… that's the fun."

The cinematographer recalled: "Never shot such intricate moves. In zero-G sims, the rig's essential—your character's constantly spinning. We started on Leo's face, panned to Jessica at different speeds, circled her, pulled back to Leo. But pulling straight back hit his feet, so we redesigned the board. Sometimes surprises pop up; other times, you overhaul the scene…"

The gaffer added: "It was a unique shoot. We all learned a ton."

Martin grinned. "Yeah, we're learning on the fly. This is unprecedented—we'll be space sci-fi experts after."

Laughter rippled through the room.