Many scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed on sets constructed inside the Fox Studios in Baja California, Mexico.
In addition, the crew built some simple sets on an uninhabited island not far from the mainland, which would later be used to shoot certain scenes.
However, the most labor-intensive constructions were undoubtedly the cave where Barbossa hid his treasure, and the building of the Dauntless.
The studio used during the filming of Titanic was still there, and with its vast space, the crew transformed it into the cave where Barbossa's treasure was hidden.
Gilbert rushed from Los Angeles to supervise the construction progress, which turned out to be quite satisfactory.
Selina, the art director responsible for the design, explained to Gilbert, "We based this on the legends of the Caribbean pirates, some of our own imagination, and the settings in the script to construct this cave.
Around a thousand workers participated in the construction, and it's expected to be completed in about a month."
Looking at the busy construction scene, Gilbert was quite pleased and asked, "How's the water injection setup coming along?"
"Very well. We've designed one channel for water to enter and another for it to exit, which connects directly to the sea," Selina continued, leading Gilbert to the water tank.
"When filming is needed, we can inject 300,000 gallons of water into the tank within just one day."
"Well done…" Gilbert praised.
Every movie requires a lengthy preparation period, and the work is very meticulous. It's impossible for Gilbert to oversee everything personally.
That's why having a reliable team greatly boosts work efficiency.
After completing the location scouting in Mexico, Gilbert also toured the Caribbean and met up with Charles Roven before returning to Baja California to inspect the Black Pearl.
A representative from the cruise company came along as well. Their team mainly provided crew to sail and maintain the ship, although the film crew had to cover both salaries and maintenance costs.
The cruise company representative took Gilbert and Charles Roven aboard the wooden sailing ship and introduced its basic specifications.
After disembarking, Gilbert said to the cruise company, "We want to make some modifications to the Black Pearl. Would that be possible?"
The cruise company's representative agreed readily, "Of course, as long as the modifications aren't modern."
"Of course," Gilbert replied matter-of-factly, "There wouldn't be a ship equipped with electricity in the 16th-century ocean."
This referred to the Black Pearl, which had previously been electrified for practical purposes.
Gilbert wanted to remove the electrical systems to ensure nothing would look out of place during filming.
Soon after, the Black Pearl was towed into a Mexican shipyard for the planned modifications.
Gilbert also instructed art director Selina, "Make sure to keep an eye on the shipyard. I don't really trust these Mexicans.
They tend to work too spontaneously. Make sure the modifications strictly follow the design plans."
Selina nodded, indicating she understood.
After finishing his inspection in Mexico, Gilbert returned to Los Angeles, where another ship was under construction the British Royal Navy's Dauntless from the film.
The Dauntless was designed based on the historical HMS Victory of the British Royal Navy.
Prince Charles provided a great deal of assistance in this regard. He specially dispatched several historians, as well as experts in wooden sailing ships and naval warfare history, to help the film crew create many era-appropriate scenes.
Aside from these efforts, Gilbert also emphasized the Pirates of the Caribbean theme park project during meetings with Warner Bros. and Disney.
In private conversations with Doug Walter and Robert Iger, Gilbert said, "Actually, the original inspiration for the story came when I was riding a pirate ship and felt the centrifugal force.
If we had a theme park project like this, I think people would love to experience it after watching the film."
Gilbert's vision was quite compelling, so both Disney and Warner began planning pirate-themed attractions at their respective parks.
Another piece of good news was that the Shanghai Disney-Warner Theme Park project in China had officially been approved.
According to the plan, construction would begin in 2005, with the park expected to open in 2010.
To ensure the project's success, the local government offered many policy incentives such as lenient bank loans and tax breaks.
With increasing cooperation in recent years, people were no longer completely unfamiliar with that region.
Many economists believed that China's consumer market would grow significantly in the coming years. This was the primary reason why Disney and Warner were entering the Chinese market.
Following Disney and Warner Bros., other major Hollywood studios and media companies also began entering the Chinese market.
It wasn't just the film companies tech giants had long since set their sights on China's vast potential. Microsoft had begun laying the groundwork there back in the days of pirated operating systems.
Steve Jobs also planned to find OEM factories in China, shifting the manufacturing of all products except those involving core technologies like chips over to the region.
Numerous multinational corporations were sharpening their knives, just waiting for China's "chives" to grow tall enough so they could begin harvesting.
Returning to the film preparations, Pirates of the Caribbean was progressing very smoothly, with high work efficiency and no major issues encountered.
While busy preparing the movie project, Gilbert also asked his investment manager David to start keeping an eye on the Premier League, especially Arsenal.
Charles and Abramovich had completely reignited Gilbert's interest in football, and he was considering buying a Premier League team also as a means to expand his business empire.
As the world's number one sport, football may not be wildly popular in North America, but it still has a considerable following not to mention the massive fan base in the rest of the world.
The number of football fans definitely surpasses that of Gilbert's movie fans, so wouldn't choosing a top-tier club be the same as turning all those football fans into his movie fans?
That might be a stretch, but at the very least, it would increase his influence.
Unfortunately, Gilbert couldn't get any shares in Real Madrid or Barcelona these two La Liga giants operate under a unique membership system.
If he could've gotten shares in Barcelona, he would've just benched that Yoshie guy, sidelining him for good.
Things in North America were moving smoothly as well. With preparations proceeding well, Pirates of the Caribbean was scheduled to start filming in late October.
Just two days before filming began, at Stern's invitation, Gilbert attended the NBA 2002–2003 season opener with him: the Rockets vs. the Lakers.
It was supposed to be a center matchup between Yao and Shaq, but the spotlight was completely stolen by the Afro-headed Kobe.
Yao, being the number one pick, didn't perform particularly well he only scored thirteen points with eight rebounds, four turnovers, and two assists.
Throughout the game, the broadcast camera frequently cut to Gilbert, giving him plenty of screen time.
In the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Hollywood stars often showed up to watch games, it wasn't anything too special.
What was special, perhaps, was that during halftime the TV network arranged for an interview with Gilbert:
"How does it feel to watch the game live?"
Gilbert replied, "It's absolutely fantastic—a great experience. There are so many details you just can't see on TV. I think that's the charm of watching a game in person."
The reporter followed up: "We know you've watched many games of the Bulls led by Jordan. In your opinion, who's the heir to Jordan in today's league?"
Ever since Jordan aged out, the media had constantly been hyping up the next Jordan the NBA needed that kind of buzz.
Gilbert thought for a moment and answered, "I think Kobe, also Carter, Iverson, and McGrady from the Magic all have the potential."
Even though he said that, after the game Gilbert didn't go chat with Kobe. Instead, he sought out Yao and greeted him in fluent Chinese.
Surprisingly, though Gilbert was a foreigner, Yao had heard of Gilbert back when he was still with the Sharks. He'd even gone with his girlfriend to watch Gilbert's films.
Suddenly hearing familiar Chinese in a foreign land, Yao felt a lump in his throat.
But he quickly regained his composure and smiled while chatting with Gilbert.
Many NBA players came from the bottom of society before joining the league, and facing someone of Gilbert's status made them a bit nervous.
Seeing Gilbert casually chatting and laughing with Yao, some players couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. This Chinese number-one pick didn't play that well, yet big shots seemed to love interacting with him.
Gilbert didn't act overly enthusiastic he simply praised Yao's performance and asked for a No. 11 jersey as a keepsake.
After that, Gilbert went out for dinner with Stern, and the two discussed the topic of NBA teams over the meal.
Stern mentioned that a new NBA team was set to launch in Charlotte next year, temporarily named the Charlotte Bobcats, and asked if Gilbert was interested in investing.
Gilbert declined: "If I were to acquire an NBA team, from a serious business perspective, I'd prefer to buy a team like the Knicks or the Lakers in a major city."
Stern admitted that was impossible: "The Buss family and Dolan aren't letting go. Those teams are their core assets especially the Lakers. That's everything to the Buss family."
"So what about from a not-so-serious angle?"
"Not so serious," Gilbert stroked his chin and said, "Then I'd like to buy the Cavaliers. I heard you're really keeping an eye on some kid named LeBron.
Once I buy the Cavs, you give me the number-one draft pick, I'll choose him then bench him for four straight years and completely ruin him. How about that?"
Stern froze what kind of strategy was that?
Seeing Stern's expression, Gilbert burst out laughing: "Relax, I'm just joking. I'm currently involved in acquiring a Premier League club. I don't have the time to focus on the NBA."
Stern finally let out a sigh of relief. He'd already started his star-building plans. The next draft would feature many promising prospects, and LeBron James was the one he had the highest hopes for.
If Gilbert actually did what he said, LeBron James would truly be ruined and that was the last thing Stern wanted to see.
Actually, when it came to NBA teams, Gilbert already had a target in mind the Seattle SuperSonics.
Back in the day, the Thunder's trio of young stars were a force in the league and left fans with some regret.
Gilbert thought to himself: If he had been the owner, he'd never have let the bearded one go. The trio would've stuck together and kept blocking LeBron's path to glory a solid plan.
What's that? You mention luxury taxes?
Then Gilbert could only say, the later it gets, the richer he becomes. He could eventually afford to buy the entire NBA without even breaking a sweat.
Of course, this was just a side story a little indulgence outside of his filmmaking work.
In other words, whether it's Arsenal in the Premier League or the NBA, they're all just toys to Gilbert.
Just very expensive toys not something ordinary people can afford to play with.
After watching the NBA season opener, Gilbert officially led the film crew into Mexico to start shooting yet another movie.
In addition, Gilbert's side project starring Scarlett Flipped was also about to debut for the audience.
The first to meet the public was the film's theme song, composed by Avril Lavigne.
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