Chapter 199: Withdrawal

"Hello, Mr. Stanton."

In the director's office of Studio 2, a middle-aged man first presented Murphy with his identification, then nodded to Bill Roscis and Erika Stenberg as he introduced himself, "I am Harry Pierce, from the Directors Guild."

Murphy glanced at the man's identification, then passed it to Bill Roscis and Erika Stenberg, asking, "Mr. Pierce, are you here representing the Directors Guild, or are you here on your own?"

"The Directors Guild."

An assistant brought in coffee, and Harry Pierce nodded his thanks before stating his purpose, "The Directors Guild has come to understand that there are two full-time directors listed for the project of 'Sin City'. Is that correct?"

"Our situation is a bit unique," Erika Stenberg took the initiative to respond, preempting, "The Guild might not be fully aware of our circumstances."

However, Harry Pierce shook his hand, "The Guild has conducted sufficient investigation before my arrival."

He opened his briefcase, pulled out a document, glanced at it, and said, "The Guild's investigation shows that there are indeed two full-time directors on the 'Sin City' crew."

Looking at Murphy, Harry Pierce continued, "One is you, Mr. Stanton, and the other is the comic's original author, Frank Miller."

Closing the document, he added, "If we're not mistaken, Mr. Stanton, you are a member of the Directors Guild."

Murphy, Bill Roscis, and Erika Stenberg exchanged glances, their expressions calm. They had communicated beforehand and anticipated such a scenario. Now that it had arisen, there was no panic.

Harry Pierce spoke rapidly, seemingly unwilling to give Murphy any chance to argue, "Mr. Stanton, as a member of the Directors Guild, you have violated the Guild's regulations. Your crew must suspend filming and undergo an investigation by the Directors Guild."

"Suspend filming?" Murphy frowned.

This was the least acceptable outcome for him.

"Yes!" Harry Pierce stated calmly, "As a member of the Directors Guild, you and your directed project must comply with the Guild's regulations!"

After finishing his statement, he stood up, looked at the three of them, and said, "I hope the crew will comply with the Guild's decision."

After announcing the Directors Guild's regulations, Harry Pierce left the Disney studio, leaving Murphy, Bill Roscis, and Erika Stenberg in the office.

"Do we really have to suspend filming?" Murphy asked the others.

"Let's pause for now." Erika Stenberg, more familiar with these matters, advised, "The Directors Guild is just a guild, but it's best not to openly defy some of their decisions."

Bill Roscis nodded in agreement, "The pause won't last for many days. Haven't we prepared for this scenario?"

"Alright," Murphy stood up, "Bill, you handle my withdrawal from the Directors Guild. I'll go explain things to the crew."

The Directors Guild's demand for a production halt was a troublesome matter, but not without solutions.

Murphy and Bill Roscis had hypothesized such a situation and communicated with Miramax in advance. If the Directors Guild did not notice, it would be fine, but in case they did, they needed a contingency plan.

Indeed, the Directors Guild rarely focuses on whether its obscure regulations are violated, but Hollywood is far from a utopia. The struggle for fame and profit is magnified several times in this circle, and it's unpredictable whether someone might report to the Guild.

Once that happens, the Directors Guild cannot ignore it.

The situation was both troublesome and simple.

Since Frank Miller's role as a director was a prerequisite for cooperation and explicitly included in the contract, breaching it was not an option. If they complied with the Directors Guild's investigation, even if it went smoothly, how long would the crew have to pause?

This solution was unclear.

The best approach was for Murphy to withdraw from the Directors Guild. Frank Miller was not a member to begin with. Like George Lucas who left the Guild over "Star Wars" title sequence issues, the Guild would have no further grounds to mandate a production halt.

Of course, this might bring some negative effects to Murphy personally, but he didn't care. Bill Roscis had also communicated with the higher-ups at CAA, and as a director CAA was keenly promoting, their PR department would work to mitigate these impacts.

After Murphy announced the Directors Guild's decision and explained the situation, the crew temporarily halted filming.

"Sorry, Murphy." Frank Miller approached proactively, "I wasn't aware of such regulations from the Directors Guild. I didn't mean to cause trouble for the crew. Does Miramax and CAA have a solution?"

Looking at Murphy, he tentatively offered, "If it really comes down to it, I can step back to being an assistant director."

"It's okay," Murphy shook his head, "We've found a solution."

He could tell Frank Miller was suggesting a last resort; he didn't want to give up his directorial power.

This was understandable; his position in the crew was already somewhat awkward. If he relinquished the contractual authority, he'd have no say should the film deviate from the comic's style.

Hollywood is rife with examples of adaptations that sideline the original author after signing contracts.

Murphy had made promises to him, but Frank Miller, not without social experience, wouldn't rely solely on those promises.

Bill Roscis handled Murphy's withdrawal from the Directors Guild. Although filming paused, it didn't mean all work stopped.

The visible halt in filming continued, but special effects production went on. During the two days awaiting the completion of Murphy's withdrawal, he, Phillipe Lasher, and Helena Espola reviewed some of the special effects backgrounds submitted for approval. They used these backgrounds as references to continue refining future imaging effects and visual styles.

As Murphy demanded and the comics depicted, the completed segments of special effects backgrounds were based entirely on black and white tones.

But Murphy was not entirely satisfied due to the lack of strong contrast in colors.

"Helena, these need to be redone!" In Miramax's editing room, Murphy told Helena Espola, "I need the audience to feel a strong visual impact. The images must be strikingly beautiful, unforgettable at a glance!"

"I'll communicate with the special effects studio," Helena Espola nodded.

Murphy reiterated, "I'll emphasize again, the tone of the special effects background must be vivid. In handling black and white, there must be a strong contrast between light and dark, making the image clear and sharp. The white must be flawless, and the black, utterly complete!"

Helena Espola noted Murphy's requirements.

These few segments of close-up background images were experimental. The special effects team submitted them early for Murphy's review, and he unhesitatingly pointed out areas that didn't meet his standards.

"The color scenes aren't up to par either," Murphy pointed to a segment with a brightly red bed, "The red should stand out against the black and white but also complement them. The current red is vibrant enough but completely detached from the black and white."

"Don't forget, color is a tool for reflecting characters and plot emotions!" he continued, "Different emotions need different colors to express. Red is conducive to igniting and expressing passion; black and white reflect the city's danger and darkness!"

After discussing the special effects backgrounds, Murphy turned to their related filming. Filming wasn't entirely independent of the background and wasn't solely reliant on green screens. Especially for him, as the director, and Phillipe Lasher, the cinematography director, even against a green screen, they needed to envision a complete scene construction.

"Phillipe, pay attention to the transitions during shooting," although this was more related to editing, controlling the shots during filming was equally important. Preparing clever transition points for editing could make the sequence natural and cohesive rather than abruptly disjointed, "Re-examine the cinematography plan for transitions guided by gaze, language, similar objects, and action."

Those attentive would notice these transition methods are commonly used in Hollywood films. Through these ingenious methods, a film's narrative appears fluid, natural, and logical.

Three days after the production halt, Bill Roscis completed Murphy's withdrawal from the Directors Guild, allowing filming to resume.

Now neither he nor Frank Miller were members of the Directors Guild, leaving the Guild without a basis for interference.

In Disney's Studio 2, many crew members were preparing for filming. Bill Roscis stood behind the director's monitor with Murphy, watching as Phillipe Lasher's test shots were transmitted.

"The company also had someone investigate," Bill Roscis whispered, "The Directors Guild's sudden intervention was due to a report."

Murphy glanced at him, "Who reported?"

"It's still unclear," Bill Roscis shook his head, "Brian Lourd suspects it might be a competitor."

He sighed, "I was too naive initially. These actions don't require much effort, nor do they risk much; just a phone call to the Directors Guild could draw their attention."

Murphy also shook his head.

Bill Roscis added, "You focus on filming now; leave the rest to me."

Knowing Murphy's personality, he wasn't someone to quietly accept setbacks, he cautioned, "Murphy, don't overthink or act rashly. Your priority is to excel in your directorial duties. With CAA and Miramax backing you, most issues won't affect you. Just keep moving forward. Once you reach a certain stature, with sufficient strength, these issues will no longer be a problem."

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