Chapter 187: Test Short Film

Perhaps influenced by his own experiences, Murphy always believed that actions were more persuasive than words. Language without action support was merely empty talk.

To convince Frank Miller, simply finding him and expressing intentions wasn't enough. Miller, over fifty, wasn't easily swayed by mere words.

CAA's analysis suggested that besides his comic creation talent, Miller was also skeptical.

Nothing valuable in this world comes easily. To convince Frank Miller and obtain the basic condition to start comic copyright negotiations with DC, Murphy had to prove he could transform the original's soul, beauty, and black and white charm into a film.

How to prove it? Murphy decided to shoot a short, movie-level video related to the comic, using convincing real images to persuade Frank Miller.

After discussing with Bill Roscius, Roscius gathered Phil LaChapelle, Helena Espora, Jack Watson, David Robey, and others who had worked with Murphy. Following the success of two films, they were keen to continue collaborating with Murphy, just as Hollywood companies chase successful directors, they preferred working with familiar successful directors.

Besides them, Murphy needed a female actress. Since it was an experimental shoot offering minimal remuneration, Roscius found an actress from CAA's many lower-tier clients who pursued both modeling and acting.

Additionally, they contacted a small studio under the Digital Domain for special effects production for the shoot.

As this was a self-funded experimental project, all expenses had to be covered by Stanton Studios. With Stanton Studios' financial strength, there was no concern over the expenditure of up to $100,000 for this project.

After sorting these details, Murphy gathered everyone in a CAA meeting room for a pre-shoot discussion.

"Phil,"

In the meeting room, Murphy stood at the forefront of the long conference table, "We need to rent Sony's HFC-950s camera for the shoot, you're in charge of the rental, just for one day."

"Got it," Phil LaChapelle nodded.

"Also," Murphy continued, "This footage needs to be highly stylized, with vivid colors standing out against a black and white vision to convey emotions and moods. The black and white tone also symbolizes the binary division of morality and human nature, but color complicates it, surpassing monotonous facial expressions!"

Having discussed this over the phone and LaChapelle having seen the comic, none of this was a problem.

"Paul," Murphy instructed further, "Find a studio suitable for green screen shooting."

He delegated tasks one by one, "Jack, the female character's costume and makeup must be strikingly red, and prepare a nude-colored dress as well. Helen, you need to design character backgrounds matching the comic's style…"

Finally, Murphy turned to the last seat on his left, where Roscius's found actress, a British nationality actress born and raised in the US, was sitting.

He noticed her long blonde hair, "Ruth, you'll need to cut your hair short! If you have objections…"

For many actresses, long hair is their second life. Murphy wasn't sure if she would cut her hair to fit the comic's character. If she wasn't willing, they would find someone else.

Sienna Miller, sitting quietly, knew she had no right to speak among these people.

Now faced with a decision, Sienna didn't hesitate, "I can cut my hair anytime."

Although this was just an experimental project, if it went into production, her role could become significant in the actual film.

It was a rare opportunity.

As for James Franco, playing the male role, Murphy said nothing. With his current acting skills and the film's style, handling this character was a breeze.

After the meeting, Murphy had Stanton Studios' finance department allocate $100,000 for the experimental project. With sufficient funds, this temporary crew quickly got to work. LaChapelle secured the camera rental within half a day, Paul Wilson negotiated with Disney's studio for the shooting location, and Sienna Miller cut her long hair under Jack Watson's guidance…

The most crucial post-production background work began after Helena Espora presented the design drawings and modified them according to Murphy's requests. The two visited a special effects studio in Venice for a day-long discussion.

Murphy also prepared a storyboard for shooting and actor positioning references.

Due to the initial agreement, Dark Horse Comics needed Frank Miller's consent to transfer or invest in adapting "Sin City" into a film. To convince the notoriously stubborn Miller, Murphy treated this short experimental film with the same standards as a formal feature film production.

After a week of preparation, all work was ready, and Murphy's temporary crew assembled at Disney's studio. Since the studio was rented for just one day, the shooting had to be quick.

In the morning, Helena Espora's team set up a prop balcony surrounded by green screens for background shooting.

After lunch, the crew began actual filming.

The scene involved only James Franco and Sienna Miller. Murphy left the shooting to LaChapelle, sitting behind the director's monitor to watch the actual footage.

Before starting, Murphy specifically checked Sienna Miller's makeup. As the only character with vibrant colors in a black and white world, her representation of red had to be vivid enough.

Sienna Miller, with her hair cut short and possibly due to makeup, had particularly deep eyes. Further down, her vintage bright red lips seemed freshly stained with blood, and her dress was equally blood-red.

"Is... is this okay?" Sienna Miller asked uncertainly.

Murphy nodded, "Relax, you look great."

He returned to the director's monitor and announced, "We start shooting in three minutes!"

Every crew member did a final check, and James Franco and Sienna Miller took their positions.

The shoot started on time. Sienna Miller, in her striking red dress, walked towards the balcony edge, and LaChapelle gave a full panoramic close-up from behind.

Seeing this shot, Murphy immediately raised his hand and shouted, "Stop!"

Sienna Miller turned to look at Murphy, unsure where she went wrong.

However, Murphy didn't address the actors but called out to the makeup and costume team, "Jack, come here!"

Jack Watson quickly approached, and without wasting words, Murphy said, "The dress isn't vivid enough."

"This is the reddest dress I've seen…" Jack Watson was puzzled, "I'll look for another."

Murphy glanced at Sienna Miller's dress again, shaking his head, "Change to a nude-colored dress. I'll have the special effects studio handle it through post-production."

Before Jack could leave, Murphy stopped him again, "Jack, the red lips too, change them to nude."

If the costume and makeup effects couldn't be achieved, digital effects would solve the issue. Murphy wasn't stubborn and quickly made a decision.

The shoot wasn't smooth. LaChapelle made two errors due to the unique photography style, and both James Franco and Sienna Miller made mistakes in their performances. Fortunately, performing against a green screen didn't require them to showcase stunning acting skills. As the sun moved westward, Murphy declared the few minutes of footage complete.

A week of preparation for just a few minutes of footage. Film production's preparatory work often takes more time and drains a director's energy than the actual shooting.

After a day's work, the raw footage was sent to the Venice special effects studio by Murphy himself, who urged them to finish as soon as possible.

To ensure speedy completion, sufficient payment was essential, a simple business rule.

After Murphy paid half the funds upfront, the studio allocated two teams to simultaneously work on the footage and background images.

After waiting nearly ten days, into mid-September, Murphy received the finished version of the footage. He immediately reviewed it, satisfied with the results, which matched the original comic's style.

He then visited the Death Star Building, where CAA was located, to find Bill Roscius.

"Bill, help me confirm Frank Miller's schedule as soon as possible," Murphy said upon entering Roscius's office, "I need to know if he's currently in New York or Los Angeles."

Roscius nodded, dialed several numbers, and waited patiently. About fifteen minutes later, a call came back. He took it, wrote down a location on his notebook, hung up, and looked at Murphy.

"Frank Miller is in Los Angeles these days," he glanced at his notebook, "He's on vacation and doesn't want to be disturbed."

Murphy frowned slightly, but Roscius added, "He'll be attending a party in Malibu tomorrow night. I'll manage to get you an entry ticket."

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