Perspective on acting

"Cut! Heath, I need your gaze to be more powerful, that kind of feeling of accepting reality but still seeking a glimmer of hope in life. Do you understand?"

Lyman stared at the footage transmitted by the director's camera and looked at Heath Ledger, who had a serious expression on his face, and continued, "Imagine that even the Washington government has abandoned him. For the sake of his daughter's future, he has accepted the fate of being buried alive. But deep inside, the human will to survive still lingers in the depths of his soul. It's almost like that. Do you understand?"

The shooting of the movie "Buried" was going smoothly, even more smoothly than Lyman had imagined. In just four days, the filming progress of the crew had already surpassed the halfway mark. Perhaps this was the advantage of a one-man show. The entire burden of filming was concentrated on the leading actor, Heath Ledger. Other supporting work was streamlined to the minimum, and the daily shooting progress depended entirely on the actor's performance. As long as he didn't make any mistakes, it was easy to complete the scenes for effective shots.

After all, for each shot, there was no need to change the location or props. It was enough for Heath Ledger to touch up his makeup and adjust the camera position.

Moreover, Heath Ledger's acting skills were truly remarkable, and there were very few issues. This was great news for the financially strained "Buried" production crew.

Lyman had calculated that if the shooting time exceeded twenty days, all the existing funds would be depleted, and there would be no money left for post-production. At that time, whether it was his own retreat fund or the "pocket money" René mentioned, it would put him under even greater pressure of failure.

Fortunately, Heath Ledger's performance was outstanding, leaving no room for Lyman to fail.

"I think it should be more desperate. Even his own country has abandoned him, and those thugs even demand that he film a video of himself trapped in a coffin to create public panic. At that moment, he must be at his lowest point of desire to survive, director."

Obviously, Heath Ledger had his own perspective on this scene.

Lyman didn't think it was wrong for an actor to have his own perspective. He pulled Heath Ledger over and pointed to the edited footage, saying, "Take a good look for yourself." Knowing that he's going to die, with a look of despair and lifeless eyes, the character's reactions and emotions are all in place. There was no problem. He looked at Lyman with a puzzled expression.

"It's too oppressive, it's disconnected from the scene." Lyman gestured with his hand. "Your performance is good up to this point, but you need to raise it a bit. Being too contained gives a sense of isolation, do you understand?"

"You need to lift it up a bit, not be so low." His hand slid down from Heath Ledger's waist to his thigh, then moved up to his lower abdomen. Heath Ledger seemed to understand but not fully. He still nodded subconsciously.

Seeing his expression, Lyman understood that he hadn't quite grasped his meaning yet. So he pulled him and watched the playback of the scene again. "Look, doesn't the whole picture seem a bit inconsistent? You're like a solitary figure huddled in that corner, different from the surrounding atmosphere."

Heath Ledger finally began to understand a bit. It wasn't that his emotions were not in place, but the overall environment shouldn't be so gloomy. The lighting was soft, and his presence made this shot stand out as if he shouldn't be there.

"You can't just focus on your character's emotions. You also need to understand the entire scene's atmosphere. Yes, this shot is about Paul accepting his fate, but you are observing it as an outsider. You know the thinking of the Washington authorities, but Paul doesn't. He still believes that if he didn't agree to the demands of those thugs, his daughter will have a good life. He even has a bit of fantasy, thinking that the stationed troops nearby will come to rescue him, rather than the Washington authorities. Do you understand? So the lighting should be gentle, symbolizing his remaining fantasies and the deep-rooted human desire for survival."

"Director, I want to prepare myself." Heath Ledger spoke up. Lyman's words helped him see something deeper in the script, and his own mind had some new thoughts. He needed time to organize his approach to the performance.

"Alright, you have half an hour."

Such a situation was rare on the set of "Buried". Even the camera and lighting had gone wrong. As an actor, Heath Ledger could still ensure his performance, but this time, he needed to step out of Paul's perspective and incorporate the background depicted by the entire script, which was the Afghan War, in order to do better.

"Alright, everyone take a break for half an hour," Lyman said loudly.

"What's wrong? Did my lighting mess up again?" Lighting technician Dax asked somewhat uncertainly. After shooting for several days, the most mistakes seemed to happen under his responsibility.

"Haha, no, it's not your problem. We're just taking a break." After saying that, Lyman glanced at Dax. In fact, this hired lighting technician had some significant issues. The lighting setup required for the film was not particularly difficult since there were few scenes that needed to be changed. But he always made some minor mistakes. It could be called carelessness, but he was very diligent in his position every day. So, it could only be a matter of competence.

You get what you pay for. Although he had the second-highest salary, most of the people on the crew were beginners, so there was no comparison. The only advantage was that he saved money and didn't complain. He was really patient and hardworking; that couldn't be denied.

"What's going on?" René walked over soon. He knew his old friend very well. During filming, he would give his all. Why would he suddenly think of taking a break?

"I want Heath to find the right feeling. His previous performance was too contained and not harmonious," Lyman turned around and glanced, casually answering the reason for the break.

Following the instructions, René took a look. After Heath Ledger touched up his makeup, he sat there with his eyes closed. "Isn't his performance already good? Besides, it's getting late. Shouldn't we...?"

Lyman understood what René meant. The whole crew was waiting, and it was getting late. Should they rest first and continue shooting tomorrow? "Let's give him a chance. If he can adjust while maintaining the emotional coherence, it should be fine."

Actors, well, aptitude was also crucial. Some actors grasp it instantly, while others wouldn't even understand if you acted out the whole scene right in front of them. As for Heath Ledger, who had consistently performed well, which type of actor he was would soon become clear.

Half an hour passed in an instant. Heath Ledger stood up, nodded at Lyman, and then went into the coffin. Seeing this, Lyman clapped his hands and shouted, "All departments in position, ready to shoot."

"Action!" With the script supervisor's clapboard, the scene began again:

Inside the narrow and dim coffin, Heath Ledger half-sat, and the cinematographer started adjusting the camera.

Now, the background of the entire scene is that Paul calls the US government for help and informs them about the terrorists threatening him to film a video of himself being buried alive. But instead of thinking about rescuing him, the US authorities casually ask if he can help them film the video because if such a video were to circulate, it would have a detrimental impact on the credibility of the US government and its strategic international relations. So, they lied, promising to rescue Paul as quickly as possible and protect his family, asking him not to film the video.

On the other side, the situation with the kidnappers is simpler. Driven by their own nationalistic sentiment, they want to torture and kill Paul, obtaining a death video to mock the US military and government. They understand very well that the person they have buried alive will not receive any help from the US side because they have done this before, and the deaths of many American citizens did not bring them any additional gains. Hence, they came up with the idea of burying him alive, using the ransom excuse, not really intending to spare his life, with the intention to deceive Paul and make him film the video, ultimately leading to his demise.

Throughout the entire movie, using a mobile phone and a few conversations, the film reveals a reflection of the high-level society in the United States. The protagonist gradually slides from the peak of hope into the valley of disappointment, completely unaware that he is being manipulated and deceived. It is truly the most subtle irony.

Once he understood all this, the performance fell into place naturally.

In the scene, Heath Ledger lay despondently in the coffin, his breath barely audible, with only the movement of his chest indicating signs of life. Just as Lyman said, the emotions shouldn't be too contained; it's all about finding the right balance.

A glimmer seemed to flicker in his hollow eyes, and his lips curved up for some unknown reason.

I just want my daughter to be safe. If possible, I hope I can hold on until the rescue team arrives.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the coffin, looking into the distance, while various physical discomforts caused by the thinning oxygen tormented him. However, his expression did not show much pain. Instead, there was a sense of liberation. Amidst the despair, a trace of hope still lingered.

Lyman didn't shout or click his tongue; he simply exclaimed, "Cut!"

Heath Ledger slowly rose from the prop coffin, and the heavy burden in his heart finally lifted.

His emotions were exceptionally well conveyed this time, without the initial oppression. It harmonized perfectly with the entire scene. Lyman appreciated the flow of the entire shot, which fully met his expectations. Heath Ledger had done a great job.