To produce an outstanding or even classic film, every aspect is crucial. The director is one part, and the actors are another. Perhaps due to being busy with work and distracted by Ross's situation, Murphy indeed hadn't noticed Henry Cavill's struggles and hadn't communicated with him in time.
The importance of communication between a director and the crew cannot be overstated.
Many believe that directors are the most adept at self-expression, but the prominence of film today is not due to it being an individualistic medium; it is because it is a product of collective collaboration. Making an outstanding film requires the cooperation of writers, screenwriters, actors, computer artists, and visual creators. It needs choreographers, special effects experts, art directors, set designers, sound designers, makeup artists, costume designers, musicians, editors, and various other artists. To complete such an enormous endeavor, it also requires the efforts of distributors, theaters, financiers, and investors. Only then does film become possible. The power and appeal of film come from mutual cooperation.
Murphy has always known that the most essential ability of a film director is to act as a lens, bringing together the great talents of colleagues and integrating them into a unified vision, presenting a conscientious effort to create a good film.
The next morning, before filming began, Murphy specifically sought out Henry Cavill to talk about his character.
Closing the office door, Murphy asked directly, "Henry, what do you think the theme of the film is?"
Henry Cavill thought for a moment and said, "Fear, anger, determination, and strength."
"Exactly." Murphy's eyes moved to the window, where the sun was already up. "At this stage, Chris Dane is more about anger and fear."
He looked back at Henry Cavill and asked, "What do you think about fear?"
"From a physiological perspective, fear is an emotional response that organisms have when trying to escape or avoid certain situations but find themselves unable to do so; it can also manifest as intense contraction of physiological tissues, increased tissue density, and rapid energy release."
Hearing Henry Cavill, a non-academic actor, express an academic view, Murphy couldn't help but laugh and said, "I believe fear is a very paradoxical phenomenon—the more you fear, the more you dread, the greater the counterforce or even counteraction you can muster."
Henry Cavill showed a curious expression, and Murphy continued, "Honestly, I've never agreed that mutually exclusive things can coexist, but this is indeed a strange phenomenon. The only explanation is that fear itself can constrain anger, but when anger is triggered, 'fear fuels strength' happens."
"This is the other side of the protagonist's fear—anger! In fact, I think it's fear that triggers anger, and anger that fuels strength."
Murphy brought the topic back to the character, "Chris Dane's fear of darkness comes from deep within his soul. At this stage, he can't feel the power that fear brings. But after his father is killed, his fear is colored by anger. At this time, Chris Dane gains great strength through learning and training."
"He is different from his father. After losing the opportunity for revenge, he begins to have the courage to challenge the evil forces of New York City, until he finally learns to control his fear. He becomes fear itself; he becomes the harbinger of justice in the night."
"Henry..." Murphy patted his arm, "What you need to do is highlight Chris Dane's fear, anger, and determination in the right scenes through the right performances."
"I'll give it my all," Henry Cavill promised earnestly.
To be honest, their previous communication about the character was insufficient. Murphy didn't blame Henry Cavill for his poor state; instead, he explained more.
Of course, as a director, most of the time, Murphy was the one speaking while Henry Cavill listened.
He continued, "As his adoptive father Raynor said, Chris Dane has been searching not for the fear of criminals but his own fear. He has always feared the power within him, the uncontrollable power fueled by anger. So, he embarked on the path of becoming fear itself, fighting and punishing criminals."
Henry Cavill pondered for a moment before saying, "I think Chris truly fears the immense power within him."
He slowly said, "In the script, there's a conversation between his father and him—'The more terrifying a creature, the more it fears.' Chris Dane fears the dark, but ultimately, adult Chris Dane fears the power that erupts from his fear."
Seeing Murphy's approving look, Henry Cavill continued, "When talking with Raynor about how fear indirectly led to his father's death, Chris Dane was actually using anger to suppress his power. Later, with Raynor's help, Chris found a primitive, safe, symbolic way to use this power correctly, to guide this power—by becoming fear itself, to manipulate and redirect the power, using the power of fear to confront those who truly deserve it. That is, to fight the evil forces in New York City."
Murphy smiled, patting Henry Cavill's shoulder as he walked past him, "I'm looking forward to your performance."
Ultimately, all of this boils down to how to address crime, which is the root of the conflict between the protagonist, the female lead, and the antagonist. This conflict arises from differing ideologies and philosophies.
Margot Robbie's character, Jay Rachel, is a legal professional who believes that crime must be combated through lawful means. This can achieve long-term results because it is the most reasonable and socially acceptable way.
Liam Neeson's antagonist, on the other hand, believes in combating crime through destruction and reconstruction. This method is highly effective but problematic: it relies on the executor's interests to set standards, lacking consensus; and the process of determining how to rebuild and the reconstruction itself is costly, potentially more than reforming before destruction.
The last method is the protagonist's: using private justice, which is more free and powerful than the law, to fight criminals.
However, through the script, Murphy conveys that all these methods of combating crime have personal biases and are not truly superior ways of maintaining order.
True methods of maintaining order that transcend society don't exist.
Humans have thoughts and feelings; they are not machines that only know how to execute orders. This ensures that people will have selfish desires. Any so-called order that ignores human selfishness can only exist in utopia.
During subsequent filming, Henry Cavill's state improved significantly, and shooting became smoother. After a week of filming at the Venice outskirts set, Murphy led the crew out of the soundstage to shoot on the streets of Los Angeles. Since the film's setting was New York, the Los Angeles shoot didn't include any wide or panoramic shots, mostly focusing on close-ups.
Murphy mainly chose Century City as the exterior location. With its skyscrapers, as long as wide shots weren't used, there wouldn't be any discrepancies.
Especially during post-production, the crew could use CGI to make appropriate background modifications.
Stanton Studios moved to Century City a few years ago, renting an office near the Fox Tower. This location was also used as an exterior set. The ground floor of the tower housed a restaurant without any clear Los Angeles identifiers. Gal Gadot signed an agreement with the restaurant early on, allowing the crew to film a crucial scene between the male and female leads.
The shoot was scheduled for the evening. Attracting paparazzi and reporters, Henry Cavill and Margot Robbie prepared, and the filming commenced immediately.
"Jay, no… this, this isn't the real me. Inside, I'm not this superficial…"
As filming began, facing Margot Robbie, who played his friend Jay Rachel, Henry Cavill seemed at a loss for words, stammering, "Inside, I'm not this shallow..."
"Come on, Chris," called two hot blonde girls from the sports car on the side, "Let's go buy a few more restaurants."
Margot Robbie shook her head slightly, pulling a wide smile, "Chris, deep down, you're still that righteous child. But it doesn't matter who you pretend to be on the outside; it's your actions that count."
She turned and walked away.
"Cut!"
Murphy called for a stop, poking his head out from behind the monitor, first praising Henry Cavill, "Good job, Henry. Keep it up."
Then, he waved Margot Robbie over. She walked over in her high heels.
"Murphy," she smiled, probing, "Did I do something wrong?"
"Control your smile," Murphy directly said, "Don't laugh too widely; it ruins the character's image."
Margot Robbie thought for a moment and seemed to understand, "I got it."
Her issue wasn't severe, but whenever Murphy saw Margot Robbie's wide grin, he couldn't help but think of Harley Quinn, completely altering the character's vibe on screen.
He told an assistant director nearby, "Take five minutes, then we'll go again."
The subsequent shoot went smoothly, with one take being enough. The day's work was done.
Margot Robbie didn't immediately go to remove her makeup. Instead, she approached Murphy and said, "Can I treat you and Gal to a drink?"
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