Chapter 91

Seeking recommendations and favorites.

As a director, it's best to develop certain habits and rules early in your career, even to the point where they are well-known within the production team.

For example, how to get along with actors.

In the "Saw" production team, these were not issues. The film was funded by Murphy, and the most famous actor, James Franco, had a good personal relationship with him. Others had no right to criticize him as a director.

But what if in future projects, there are more well-known actors?

To a certain extent, actors' vanity is quite normal, and most actors admit this.

Therefore, why would Murphy want to show them what they have done? When they catch a glimpse of the screen, they will want to see more, checking if the shadows are right or if they have a double chin.

As a director, Murphy wants genuine performances, while as actors, they often want perfect appearances in addition to their acting.

Who will win in the end? To completely avoid this issue, it's best for the director to keep actors away from the monitors, inviting them over only when necessary.

Since the last shoot, whenever Carey Mulligan or James Franco asked about their performances, Murphy always repeated the same line: "Your performance is really perfect, dear."

The first day's work ended there. Before the second day's shoot, Murphy called the heads of each department together for a brief meeting.

From the moment he completed the script, he began extensive pre-production preparations, conceptualizing and imagining every scene, every character, and even some subtle actions. Location scouting involved a lot of hypothetical shooting scenarios.

After the shoot began, a pre-shoot meeting before each day's work could ensure that the shooting was detailed and precise.

Of course, even with thorough pre-production preparation, the heads of each department still had to face on-the-spot improvisation due to various reasons on set. In such emergencies, the entire crew would wait for the director's next move, and Murphy also encountered such challenges during the shoot.

Improvising and conceptualizing shots in a short time is crucial for a director, requiring not only an active mind but also solid basic skills.

Technical and mental support is the foundation and confidence for a director to handle problems, ensuring the smooth operation of the production.

When Murphy had new ideas during shooting, he would first have the actors perform the scene in the simplest way, finding their positions in the scene to see the effect. For a new director like him, shooting is also a process of learning and accumulation. Sometimes, the actors' creativity can inspire his own.

However, if the actors' ideas are far from his vision, Murphy would find a way to bring them back on track, rather than letting them get lost in their own direction.

This requires planning, and storyboards that precisely express the plot and character thoughts are most effective at this time.

After a week of continuous shooting, the scenes of James Franco and Seth Rogen being alone in the room were nearing the end. After the crew's meticulous preparation, they welcomed the shooting of a particular scene.

Behind two cameras, Murphy and Phil LaMarr each operated one, with LaMarr's assistant setting up a Steadicam, standing slightly to the side, ready to move in and capture the action at any moment.

On set, James Franco, as if possessed, picked up the chainsaw, took off his shirt, and tied it around the fake leg made by Baker Lebert. The saw blade landed in the middle of the fake leg, and he began to saw furiously.

He slightly cut through the resin surface, and a gush of bright red liquid instantly spurted out, some of it splashing onto his face. James Franco showed no sign of stopping, howling in pain as he continued to saw the leg. The red liquid flowed to the ground, staining a large area, and splattered everywhere with each saw stroke.

It seemed as if a rain of blood was falling, looking incredibly cruel.

Two underage girls, Lily and Carey Mulligan, were taken away by Bill Rosi before the shoot, especially Carey Mulligan. Murphy couldn't quite explain why, but he always worried that seeing this might affect her mental health.

However, the busy work left him no time or energy to dwell on these concerns.

Above James Franco, a large microphone hung silently, recording his agonized screams. Blood splattered to the ground, and the chainsaw cut through skin and muscle.

All these sounds needed to be recorded on set.

Due to the scene and budget constraints, the crew couldn't use a boom arm, so an intern had to hold a boom pole to suspend the microphone. This looked easy but was actually a tiring job. From Murphy's perspective, the intern's forehead was drenched in sweat.

This intern specialized in on-set recording at school, otherwise, he wouldn't be temporarily serving as the sound engineer's assistant.

Holding the boom pole might seem simple, but it requires a high level of professionalism. The way the pole is held and the microphone cable is managed can affect the quality of the on-set recording. Even simple tasks like managing the cable have many nuances, such as quickly pulling and releasing the cable, connecting the male end to the recording equipment, and the female end to the microphone on the pole. The cable should not have any knots or tangles and should not be too close to lighting or other power cables to avoid interference.

Moreover, holding the pole has many techniques. The intern is the sound engineer's ears, and if he does a poor job, the sound engineer is blind.

This job is not something just anyone can do by simply holding a microphone. The microphone must be held low enough to avoid appearing in the shot, requiring a lot of practice. This intern, having done similar work before, knew from a glance at the monitor the lowest position the microphone could be without being seen.

Holding the microphone too high to avoid being seen is unprofessional and irresponsible, as the recorded sound would always be useless.

This physical job also requires strong willpower. When Murphy shot wide shots, he would use a 20-foot boom pole. With character movement and longer shots, it was exhausting, and the intern's hands were not allowed to move, as every finger movement causing friction or vibration would be clearly recorded.

Some might think that with wireless recording, Murphy's method is outdated.

Wireless recording is good, but it cannot capture ambient sounds, and its frequency range is limited, far inferior to the sound quality of a wired boom microphone.

The sound of James Franco's character sawing his leg undoubtedly adds to the film's atmosphere, creating a more terrifying auditory effect.

After shooting this scene, Murphy announced a temporary end to the shoot. The entire crew, including him, moved to an open area in a warehouse to replace the needles on thousands of syringes.

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