Adored by the general public, despised by film critics—Duke is that kind of director. The blockbuster films he directs feature dazzling rapid cuts, endless explosions and fight scenes, and a two-hundred percent audiovisual experience, always relentlessly stimulating the audience’s adrenaline.

Critics don’t like him. “Duke doesn’t care about your soul! He’s a sadist! He’s madly abusing your eyes and ears!”

“I work as hard as I can, and I’m glad to see that everyone except the critics enjoys this movie. So let’s just ignore those critics. I make movies for the audience to enjoy.” That’s what Duke says.

He’s a director who injected a dose of testosterone into men all over the world, a man said to have been born when a comet struck the earth.

Some love him, some hate him, but no one can ignore him.

Volume One: The Explosion Maniac

Chapter One: You’re Not Suited for Hollywood

Squatting between several large boxes in the small living room, Duke glanced at his California Institute of the Arts diploma, then tossed it into the miscellaneous box, grabbed some tape to seal the box shut, and got ready to move it back to his home in Santa Monica tomorrow.

“So what if you graduated from the Film and Video program with straight A’s? Tens of thousands of people come to Hollywood every year looking for opportunities, but how many actually make it?”

Muttering to himself, Duke casually tossed the tape onto the old sofa and returned to the bedroom to change clothes and head out. “You’ve been in this world for twenty-one years, and you’ve accomplished nothing so far. Poor Duke.”

At this, Duke sat down on the chair, and those memories surfaced again—some things can never be completely forgotten.

Even though he was born in 1970 and has lived in Greater Los Angeles for twenty-one years, Duke can’t forget those vivid experiences that feel like they happened just yesterday, across the Pacific.

In a previous life, after graduating from the directing department of a famous film academy across the ocean, he struggled in the industry for a while but never made much of a name for himself. In this business, without the support of a company or a big shot, it’s really hard for a newcomer to break through.

To climb step by step toward his dream of becoming a film director, Duke worked in various positions on multiple crews to build up his credentials. He even worked as an assistant in the props and pyrotechnics departments, and through hard work and dedication, after years of effort, he became a well-known pyrotechnician in the industry, mastering the art of creating and filming explosions. Finally, in his thirties, he landed an assistant director position on a low-budget war film, specializing in shooting explosion scenes.

However, before he could enjoy the thrill of initial success, he was caught in a set explosion accident and became the newly born Duke Rosenberg in Los Angeles.

Heaven was fair enough—taking away the possible success of his previous life, but giving Duke a pretty good life in this one.

He grew up in a single-parent household with his mother. His mother, Leah Rosenberg, like most shrewd Jews, had her own business. Though not fabulously wealthy, she was worth tens of millions of dollars. Most importantly, her advertising company had close business ties with Hollywood. As early as the 1970s, before George Lucas made it big, their families were already close friends.

In this life, Duke was no longer naive. He knew exactly what he wanted and had been working toward it. His family environment also provided plenty of advantages. As a child and teenager, he frequently visited the sets of films produced by Lucasfilm, and even played a small role in "Star Wars." Although his scene was completely cut, it was still a rare experience.

On set, he observed the Hollywood production model, quietly familiarizing himself with everything about the world’s movie factory—this was the path he chose for his future.

Directing is a profession that requires intense focus and deep accumulation. Apart from participating in a few sports he enjoyed, he devoted almost all his time to his beloved film studies—screenwriting, cinematography, editing, production management—these are all essential elements for success.

Duke absorbed useful knowledge like a sponge, day after day for over a decade. After graduating from high school, he didn’t choose the business school his mother suggested, but instead joined the California Institute of the Arts, which is closely connected to Hollywood and the film industry. After turning sixteen, he even found himself an agent who was also a “rookie.” With the help of his family’s wide connections, he worked as an extra and crew temp on many sets to gain practical experience.

By now, Duke has played more than a dozen roles with no lines or face time, and has worked as a temp on several crews, including Spielberg’s "Hook." Even with more than twenty years of experience across two lifetimes, he’s always like a thirsty traveler in the desert—never satisfied.

All this was for the sake of practice, and for life.