Chapter 55: Rookies Teaching Roookies

Murphy amassed about a thousand minutes of raw footage during filming. Although he followed the narrative sequence during shooting, condensing these into a ninety-minute film required substantial effort.

The entire post-production editing was primarily handled by Murphy and editor Griffiths, with interns Paul Wilson and Griffiths' two assistants serving as assistants.

Griffiths took charge of the actual editing, while Murphy focused on reviewing and articulating the film's requirements.

Every edit has a central theme. Murphy's was simple: Haley discovers Jeff's hidden sins in the room, punishes him accordingly, finds new transgressions to punish, and this cycle continues until the final castration and execution.

However, this approach had its pitfalls. By enhancing Haley's ruthlessness, Murphy aimed to increase the film's appeal with bold scenes. But it risked alienating viewers from the protagonist, a scenario Murphy wished to avoid.

So, Murphy elevated Jeff's villainy. Each time Haley tormented him, she uncovered new sins, deepening the audience's disgust towards him and justifying Haley's actions as cathartic.

Yet, this tactic couldn't be overused. Murphy planned three main phases: pepper spray, castration, and execution.

However, more than just editing, Murphy first focused on the initial editing work. Together with Griffiths, they repeatedly reviewed the black-and-white opening scene footage shot from all angles. Eventually, they settled on using the oblique overhead shot as the film's opening scene.

This shot, with its brutal effect, provided a comprehensive display of both Emily's portrayal as the victim and Jeff as the perpetrator.

Although this opening scene lasted only a few minutes, it was a complete long shot. After discussions, Murphy and Griffiths decided not to re-edit it for now and opted to use it directly.

Progress in editing was slow. Even though it was just rough editing, it took almost the entire morning for Murphy to finalize just one shot.

He was extremely meticulous, more so than during filming, as editing directly determines a film's success or failure.

Montage was now a fully cinematic term. It involved using visual editing and compositing to connect different shots and scenes, creating a unique film time and space to guide the audience's emotions and psyche.

The most typical function of montage was to accelerate the film's pace, which was crucial in a straightforward narrative like "Hard Candy."

Griffiths applied montage to the first meeting between Haley and Jeff, speeding up the rhythm. Inevitably, two strangers meeting would lead to some verbosity, but the film's length dictated a concise approach. Through editing, the scenes between Haley and Jeff transitioned swiftly, completing these moments within a few short minutes.

Griffiths worked diligently at his workstation, his focus unwavering. Before him was an old-style screen with a piece of chalk—a method favored by seasoned editors to gauge the screen's proportions. By comparing the screen with an object—like a cigarette or chalk—they could judge how the scenes would appear on the big screen. This was part of the rough editing process.

After completing this rough cut, Griffiths handed over the editing to his assistants, who played the edited clips on a 27-inch screen.

In the footage, only Haley and Jeff were present, with the camera constantly circling them.

"Jody!" Murphy approached Griffiths, pointing to the two figures on the screen. "Could we incorporate some individual shots of them, alternating between grayscale and red tones? This could represent the contrast between their characters and build up the potential conflict."

Griffiths immediately understood Murphy's intention and nodded approvingly. He signaled his assistants to pause the playback, ready to re-edit the scene.

Paul Wilson, who had been observing, approached Murphy with curiosity. As an intern, he was eager to learn and didn't hesitate to seek clarification.

"Director," he asked softly, "I..."

Murphy turned to him, and Paul Wilson scratched his head sheepishly, leaving his sentence unfinished.

"I and Griffiths are attempting to juxtapose and compare images between Haley and Jeff using montage," Murphy explained in a hushed tone. "Imagine the constant switch between Jeff's gray and Haley's red. This contrast not only introduces their potential meanings but also compares the two, establishing potential conflicts."

Paul Wilson immediately grasped the hidden thread in the film—the little red riding hood's retaliation against the big bad wolf—and nodded in realization.

As they watched the re-edited footage on the screen, he couldn't help but nod in admiration. "Director, your ideas are truly ingenious."

Murphy merely smiled.

While he could conceive many ideas, executing them was a different matter. Despite his expertise, Murphy knew he fell short compared to seasoned professionals like Griffiths.

Griffiths seemed unsatisfied, continuing to refine the edit. Murphy then called Paul Wilson over to assist him in editing another segment.

Compared to the previous ones, this segment was simpler. Murphy had carefully considered the final effect during filming.

This segment depicted Haley and Jeff's online chat. Since the actors weren't shown during filming, the editing consisted of shots of computer screens. They began with close-ups, then cut from top to bottom according to the chat content, displaying the conversation on the screen.

"Cutting from top to bottom also compels viewers to quickly browse the content, generating an initial sense of tension," Murphy explained. "Simultaneously, it sets the film's tense, fast-paced tone."

As they completed their work, Murphy also provided explanations to Paul Wilson's curious inquiries. However, for the upcoming editing, he opted to switch from close-up shots to shots taken with a shaky camera. "Shaky shots gradually narrow the depth of field, transitioning from several lines of dialogue to one sentence and eventually to one or two words, creating a sense of urgency and curiosity, making viewers eager to know what will happen next."

Though his skill level wasn't high, Paul Wilson, the novice, nodded convincingly.

Murphy added, "We also need to add voiceovers here for the best effect."