Chapter 40: Natural Acting

Starting tomorrow, there will be three updates per day, each chapter being 2000 words. The times will be 9:00, 15:00, and 21:00. Keep those recommendation votes coming!

One never truly realizes the difficulty of a task until they actually attempt it.

After rearranging the lights and having the actors re-familiarize themselves with their positions, the crew was ready again. Murphy, both director and cameraman, began another test shoot. As before, when Carey Mulligan turned her head, Murphy called for a stop.

Everyone in the crew looked at Murphy, unsure of what he intended to do. Carey Mulligan, her emotions often on display, was now scratching her head in frustration.

She had built up her emotions for this moment, only to be halted after a single action, making her understandably frustrated.

James Franco found a chair and sat down. He had figured out that this was a collection of an unreliable director and a bunch of equally unreliable people.

Fortunately, his goal wasn't the role or the movie itself, or working with such a group of rookies would drive anyone mad.

He looked at Murphy with a hint of disdain. This so-called director talked a good game but kept encountering problems in practice.

Well, at least this would diminish Mulligan's admiration for him.

Unlike the quirky Franco, Jessica Chastain, who came from a proper academic background, was more professional. As Murphy called for another stop, she quickly came over to take the camera and asked, "What's the problem?"

Murphy, without thinking, said, "Carey's eyes aren't bright enough, they lack sparkle, which will weaken the charm of the main character."

"What?" Carey Mulligan obviously heard Murphy's comment and pointed to her eyes. Just as she was about to defend herself, Murphy raised a hand to stop her. "Carey, it's not your fault, it's still a lighting issue."

The camera lens differs from the human eye. Even the brightest eyes seen in person can appear dull on camera.

"Catchlight!" Murphy smacked his forehead. "How could I forget about catchlight?"

He sighed. This was another issue caused by his lack of experience.

This was Hayley's first frontal shot. If her eyes were dull, it would significantly reduce her charm. Catchlight was essential.

In films like "Hard Candy," the actress's sparkling eyes can leave a deep impression on the audience.

Following Murphy's instructions, the lighting technician Douglas added a Fresnel spotlight under the main light to create the necessary catchlight for Mulligan.

After hours of work, they finally achieved the desired lighting effect. Murphy, despite his headache, felt a bit relieved. The scenes to be shot at the café were relatively few and simple, with lighting being the main challenge.

After adjusting the lights, Murphy had Mulligan face him and shot a close-up. Her eyes were now bright and innocent, seemingly able to penetrate one's soul.

A girl who looked this pure, beautiful, and cute was just the kind to lure a criminal into losing his senses.

Solving the lighting issue didn't mean the crew could operate smoothly.

The crew was full of novices, and they lacked previous collaboration experience, so some friction was inevitable. This was especially true for Carey Mulligan, like all new actors, who couldn't immediately adapt to film shooting.

After restarting the test shoot, Murphy managed to get good shots of Mulligan's background and the moment she turned her head. However, when James Franco walked into the café to greet her, her expression and tone changed.

Just like before, her emotions were too obvious. Even the café owner, Lynch, could tell she disliked the person greeting her.

This wouldn't work. Mulligan's character, Hayley, needed to appear innocent and charming at this moment to attract Jeff.

"Stop!" Murphy called for a halt to the entire crew. "Take a half-hour break."

Having been busy with the lighting for so long, he needed a break himself. After drinking a cup of cold coffee, he called Mulligan out of the café for a private talk.

"Sorry, Murphy..."

Standing at the café entrance, Mulligan looked like a child who had done something wrong. "It's all my fault. I didn't do well enough."

For someone like Mulligan, blame would only backfire. Murphy instead asked, "Is James that annoying?"

During rehearsals, Mulligan had managed to control her emotions towards Franco. This morning had been fine, so what had changed suddenly?

"At lunch..." Mulligan lowered her head. "He said a lot of annoying things."

She then looked up, "Murphy, I really don't like him. During rehearsals, he kept trying to ingratiate himself with me, clearly with ulterior motives."

"Oh?" Murphy looked at her. Mulligan was naive and rebellious but not stupid.

"I think... I think James Franco is just like..." She looked at Murphy, saw his encouraging smile, and continued, "I think he's just like Jeff in the script."

"I see..." Murphy wasn't surprised. Instead, he stroked his chin and thought. Mulligan watched him with wide eyes, hoping he'd replace Franco. After a moment, Murphy said, "James is indeed very much like Jeff in the script."

"What?" Mulligan's eyes widened. "Is that true?"

She was inexperienced but not foolish, and looked a bit panicked.

"Calm down, Carey," Murphy reassured her. "Remember, in the script, how Hayley deals with Jeff..."

"And I'm dealing with James Franco..." Under Murphy's encouraging gaze, Mulligan gradually calmed down, showing a thoughtful expression. "A guy who's even more timid than Jeff."

Murphy looked at her with encouragement in his eyes. "It could be quite interesting to handle James Franco."

"Yes!" Mulligan almost shouted, quickly covering her mouth. She cautiously looked at Franco through the café's glass door, then whispered, "I can use Hayley's methods on him!"

"Just a little lesson," Murphy said, sweating slightly.

But he didn't stop Mulligan. This was part of his plan. Although this wasn't a movie, he trusted the girl wouldn't go too far, at most making Franco feel a bit awkward.

The advantage was clear. Facing Franco and his portrayal of Jeff, Mulligan could perform naturally, reducing the difficulty of her acting.

Back in the café, Mulligan's performance changed completely. Facing Franco's Jeff, she fully displayed the innocence, cuteness, and a hint of flirtation required. Franco even seemed momentarily stunned during the test shoot...

Seeing Mulligan in her red hoodie, looking like Little Red Riding Hood, with her innocent and charming demeanor, Franco felt a strong urge, barely keeping it in check. Though he had played similar games before, he had never encountered someone so enchanting. Yet, being an adult, he managed to control himself.

"Cut!" Franco was still in a daze when Murphy called for a stop. He gave a thumbs up to both actors. "That was great. Jim, Carey, you did an excellent job!"

Originally meant as a test shoot, the scene surpassed Murphy's expectations. Franco's stunned reaction to Mulligan perfectly captured Jeff's hidden desires under his gentlemanly facade.

Given Franco's current acting level, it was unlikely he'd deliver such a performance again.

"That's natural acting!" Murphy muttered. "If these two can act naturally, the result will be best."

Like Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, actors often give their best performances when the roles closely resemble their real selves.

One smooth take didn't hide the numerous problems in the "Hard Candy" crew. The following shoots returned to a cycle of mistakes, reflecting Murphy's inexperience and the crew's limited abilities.

After three days, they hadn't completed even a few minutes of café scenes, often managing only one successful take per day. Murphy realized that the low cost of hiring these people matched their limited skills.

Fortunately, he had chosen a relatively simple film like "Hard Candy." As a novice director with an average crew, attempting a bigger project would have been disastrous.

These three days made Murphy understand that watching, analyzing, and studying film in school was vastly different from making one. The gap was as wide as the distance from Los Angeles to New York.

Despite the challenges, Murphy never considered giving up. With over a hundred thousand dollars already invested, quitting now would mean all that money was wasted.

Murphy decided to persist, though he couldn't help feeling frustrated. Another equally frustrated person was Lynch, the café owner.

The crew's filming required the café to close. When signing the contract, Lynch thought the scenes would take at most two days to shoot and didn't notice there was no time limit specified. After several days of shooting, he regretted it.

Not only was his café unable to operate, but he also had to provide free meals and drinks to the crew, which cost money...

Fortunately, there weren't many scenes at the café. Before Lynch's patience wore thin, Murphy finished the few required shots and moved the crew to San Fernando Valley.