Chapter 96: Joint Twister

After shooting the family scenes featuring James Franco as Dr. Gordon at Stanton Studios, Murphy led the crew back to the warehouse set in Venice to continue shooting the remaining scenes. Though he noticed some subtle tension between James Franco and Lily Collins, Murphy didn't dwell on it much.

As the shooting neared its end and both Lily Collins and James Franco finished their scenes, Murphy's focus shifted away from their dynamics. With his own busy schedule, he didn't have time to concern himself with James Franco's peculiar preferences.

In the warehouse set, Murphy and the crew moved on to the final constructed scene. He stood behind the director's monitor with editor Jody Griffiths, reviewing the just-shot footage.

Such collaboration was common not only on Murphy's set but throughout Hollywood.

"For post-production editing, we can cut the first part of the Saw sequence..." Jody Griffiths paused the playback, pointing to the monitor screen. "And suddenly insert his appearance, creating a thrilling effect."

With his arms crossed, Murphy mentally replayed the sequence according to Jody Griffiths' suggestion and nodded slightly. "Let's go with that."

After Jody Griffiths left, Murphy looked up to see assistant director Paul Wilson giving him an 'OK' gesture. He announced loudly, "Attention, everyone. Clear the set. Shooting continues."

The crew swiftly exited the set, and Foley Russell took his place behind the camera mounted on a slider. Murphy took the handheld camera handed to him by the camera assistant and moved to another designated spot, ready for close-up shots.

Boom microphones descended slowly from above, and an Asian, an African American, and a white actor were ready.

At Murphy's command, shooting resumed. The three actors portraying police officers confronted Tobin Bell, who was strapped to the joint twister prop. His limbs and head were secured to a steel frame, which would rotate 360 degrees, ultimately snapping his neck and causing him to die gruesomely.

Murphy focused on capturing Tobin Bell while Foley Russell's camera rotated between the four characters.

Facing the three officers, Jigsaw refused to yield. He activated the joint twister, and the microphone intended for recording captured the accurate sounds of the twisting mechanism and Beck Claiborne's simulated screams of terror.

After over three weeks of shooting, Murphy's crew had developed a certain synergy.

The African American officer ordered the others to rescue Beck Claiborne while he kept Jigsaw occupied. However, when the white officer attempted to unlock the mechanism, it triggered a hidden shotgun, which went off as soon as the key was inserted into the lock...

With a gunshot, the white officer fell, diverting the attention of the African American officer and his Asian counterpart. Seizing the opportunity, Jigsaw slashed the African American officer and escaped...

Murphy called for a halt, and the crew rearranged the set. The actor playing the fallen white officer would need makeup for a close-up shot, depicting his gruesome death, to be edited together with the previously shot footage.

Beck Claiborne was released from the joint twister, and the assistant and two interns bound the meticulously crafted dummy in his place.

This death trap was not just a prop but a functional device. While breaking a human's bones might be challenging, crushing a dummy made of resin posed no problem.

As shooting resumed, the Asian officer abandoned the dummy and rushed to check on the African American officer, who was already occupied with Jigsaw. Meanwhile, according to his instructions, the mechanism activated, twisting the dummy's limbs, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking and Beck Claiborne's simulated screams. The African American officer clutched his neck, wounded by a knife, and raised his gun...

"Cut!" Murphy set down the handheld camera. "That's a wrap! Move on to the next scene."

The crew busied themselves with transitioning to the next setup as Murphy returned to the monitor to review the just-shot footage.

Many decisions needed to be made during editing, especially considering potential theatrical release, to ensure careful selection. Otherwise, the film could risk an NC-17 rating.

Although Murphy wasn't sure if the film would make it to theaters, he still followed some common practices of theatrical films. These practices were learned from countless failures and could offer some benefits if avoided.

While he wasn't entirely familiar with North American society as an outsider, uniting minority groups had always been a Hollywood film's politically correct move.

Transitioning quickly completed, Murphy proceeded to shoot the final scene: the Asian officer's demise as he pursued Jigsaw, mistakenly believing he had shot him, only to fall victim to an ambush. It was a grim end, with blood flooding the corridor. The main camera captured Jigsaw's silhouette for one last close-up shot, marking the official end of shooting.