Chapter 169: Somewhat Absurd

This once again showed Murphy the difficulties of film distribution. The naive idea of gathering people to establish a distribution department and then distributing their own films, which could sell well in North America and sweep the overseas market, was fading away. If such an idea were to be implemented, Stanton Studio might very well go bankrupt.

Even companies at the level of Miramax face certain limitations in participating in overseas film festivals and distribution.

Fortunately, Murphy didn't need to be too distracted by these matters. After all, he was the director of the film, not the producer or investor. He was just a participant in many distribution-related processes, not the decision-maker, allowing him to focus more on the filming and production of the movie.

As agreed, Quentin Tarantino came to the warehouse set the next day to take over the director's chair for a day. Unlike Robert Rodriguez, who is full of quirky ideas, sometimes Tarantino's verbal expressions seem bold, but he is very careful in his shooting.

A director who doesn't follow the mainstream, achieving Quentin Tarantino's level of success, actually knows how to control the scale reasonably.

The scenes shot that day, Murphy planned to edit and compress them into three to five minutes.

Quentin Tarantino's cameo work lasted only one day, and then Murphy took back the director's baton and continued the intense shooting.

By mid-February 2002, there was a rush to complete all production by the end of April.

In the warehouse set built as a barbecue restaurant bedroom, there was a huge red heart-shaped water bed in the center. Two cameras were set up opposite the foot of the bed. The crew had made the final preparations before shooting. Apart from Murphy and Phil LaSalle, who each operated a camera, and David Robbie, who needed to control the lighting, everyone else walked out.

The next scene to be shot was an intimate scene with the female lead, requiring a cleared set.

This wasn't Murphy's request but a specific clause in the director's contract signed by Jessica Chastain with the crew, stipulating that during such scenes, aside from the director, cinematographer, and a few necessary crew members, the set must be cleared.

This clause is also registered with the actors' union.

Hollywood's rules are extremely mature, especially the actors' contracts, detailing everything from specific remuneration to which body parts can be exposed when undressing.

Jessica Chastain and Robert Downey Jr. came in, exchanged glances, and with Downey Jr.'s long experience in Hollywood, he appeared normal, while Chastain, shooting such a scene for the first time, seemed somewhat embarrassed.

Murphy ignored these nuances, and once the actors were in position, he announced, "Start shooting!"

With her right leg wrapped in green screen, Jessica Chastain lay on the edge of the water bed, and Robert Downey Jr. took off his shirt, then unbuttoned his trousers, proceeding to undress Chastain.

Downey Jr. fully immersed in his role, Chastain was left in just her bra.

She looked stiff, almost like a wooden figure, clearly out of character, but Murphy did not call cut, knowing that most actresses need a process of adaptation, and it would get better after a few takes.

He treated it as a rehearsal.

Soon, Chastain was completely undressed, her already pale face devoid of any color, but she maintained enough professionalism, at least not breaking down or screaming like some first-time actresses.

Chastain, extremely nervous, felt almost out of breath. She knew she was out of character, performing terribly, and eagerly awaited the director's call to stop, to quickly grab the blanket beside her and cover herself.

"Cut!" Finally, the relieving sound came.

As soon as Downey Jr. moved aside, Chastain grabbed the blanket to cover herself, her breathing becoming rapid due to nervousness.

Murphy looked at her and said, "Jessie, you're as tense as a about-to-snap rubber band. You need to relax!"

Hearing this purely work-related comment, Chastain clenched her trembling right hand, asking Murphy, "Got a cigarette?"

"Who has a cigarette?" Murphy didn't smoke.

David Robbie pulled out a cigarette, tossing it along with a lighter to Chastain. She caught it, placed the cigarette in her mouth, and tried to light it with her trembling hand, failing several times.

Downey Jr. approached her, offering help with a gentlemanly gesture, "Need help?"

Chastain looked up at Downey Jr., who was standing in front of her without a shirt and wearing oddly shaped safety shorts, prompting her to laugh nervously.

Seeing her laugh, Downey Jr., confused, looked at Chastain, who just continued laughing. He turned to Murphy, who was discussing something with LaSalle, unaware of the situation here.

Realizing Downey Jr.'s puzzled look, Chastain, catching her breath, said, "Your... your current appearance... looks... somewhat absurd."

Hearing this, Downey Jr. looked down, slightly embarrassed but not overly concerned, as nudity and explicit scenes are common in many European art films.

"Sorry, Downey," Chastain finally regained her composure. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Always a gentleman in front of beautiful women, Downey Jr. replied, "No worries, Jessie. It's good you're relaxed."

Once Chastain relaxed, the scene no longer posed any difficulty. After two more takes, Murphy called it a wrap, marking the film for special handling to prevent leakage, as per the contractual agreement between both parties. Hollywood's rules on this matter are strict; any unauthorized distribution can lead to significant troubles even for Miramax.

In Hollywood, nudity is common among both actors and actresses, with the actors' union setting clear guidelines.

Scenes involving intimacy or nudity in movies have specific contractual clauses to protect the interests of both the production side and the actors, from the filming's inception to its completion.

Actors or their stand-ins must sign a "Nudity Waiver" before performing such scenes, detailing the extent of nudity and physical contact, ensuring the shooting adheres to the agreement within the actors' comfort zone.

If an actor regrets signing the waiver, they can retract their consent, and the production will use a stand-in instead. Without the actor's approval, even stand-ins cannot be used indiscriminately.

Due to the sensitive nature of nudity and intimate scenes, the actors' union has strict regulations to prevent exploitation and negative impacts on the actors, including restricting access to the scene to essential personnel and prohibiting unauthorized photography without prior written permission from the actors.

Sometimes, to prevent producers from using explicit scenes inappropriately, experienced agents negotiate non-disclosure agreements to restrict the use of such footage outside the main film, ensuring actors have the right to review any nudity before it's included.

Ultimately, no director or individual would exploit these scenes for inappropriate purposes, and such professionalism is expected in Hollywood.

Murphy concentrated all explicit scenes into two days of shooting. Except for Jessica Chastain, who was new to such scenes, the other actresses had been in Hollywood long enough to consider such scenes routine. After two days, the shooting of these scenes concluded.

Murphy then took the crew from Venice to a deserted small airport between Los Angeles and Long Beach to shoot the film's final battle scenes, involving extensive gunfights and explosions, marking the most expensive part of the film. Unlike previous frugality, the financing representative, Jim Klayman, didn't trouble Murphy this time but quietly observed the shooting.

The reason was simple: Murphy had not only stayed within the planned budget but had also saved some funds, albeit only a few thousand dollars. Klayman recognized Murphy's frugality.

Explosions, gunfire, beautiful women, and zombies were essential elements of the shoot. After a week of enduring the noise, the filming of "Planet Terror" finally wrapped up.

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