Chapter 92: Sawing Off the Leg

As a director, it's best to establish certain habits and rules early in your career, becoming known throughout the crew.

For example, how to interact with actors.

In the "Saw" production crew, this wasn't an issue. The film was independently funded by Murphy, and the most famous actor, James Franco, had a good personal relationship with him. The others didn't challenge his directorial authority.

But what if future projects involved more famous actors?

To some extent, it's normal for actors to be vain, and most admit it.

So why would Murphy let them see their performances? Once they glimpse the screen, they'll want to see more, checking if the shadows are right or if they have a double chin.

As a director, Murphy seeks genuine performances, whereas actors often want perfect appearances in addition to good acting.

Who wins in the end? To avoid this issue, it's best for directors to keep actors away from the monitor unless absolutely necessary.

Since the last shoot, when Carey Mulligan or James Franco asked about their performance, Murphy would always reply with the same line: "Your performance was perfect, darling."

The first day's work concluded, and before starting the second day, Murphy called a brief meeting with department heads.

From the moment he completed the script, he began extensive pre-shoot preparations, envisioning every scene, character, and even subtle actions. Location scouting further integrated the plot into possible filming scenarios.

Pre-shoot meetings every day ensured that details were meticulously planned.

However, despite thorough preparation, on-set challenges required departments to improvise. In such urgent moments, the entire crew would await the director's next move. Murphy encountered such difficulties in subsequent shoots.

On-the-spot improvisation and quick shot planning were crucial for a director, requiring both active thinking and solid skills.

Technical and creative support is the foundation for handling problems and ensuring smooth operations on set.

When Murphy had new ideas during filming, he'd first have the actors perform the scene in the simplest way, finding the best positions and effects. As a newcomer, filming was also a learning process, where actors' creativity could inspire his own.

However, if an actor's ideas diverged significantly from his vision, Murphy would find a way to steer them back on track rather than letting them get lost in their own direction.

This required planning, with precisely expressed storyboards being the most effective tool.

After a week of continuous filming, James Franco and Seth Rogen's scenes of being alone in the secret room were nearing completion. The crew had prepared meticulously for the climactic scenes.

Behind two cameras, Murphy and Phil Lacher each operated one, with Lacher's assistant setting up a Steadicam, ready to capture at a moment's notice.

On set, James Franco, acting maniacally, picked up a hacksaw from the floor, tied a shirt around the fake leg made by Baker Clibert, and started sawing through the resin surface. Red liquid spurted out, splashing onto his face. Franco, without stopping, continued to saw while screaming in pain. The red liquid flowed and splattered everywhere.

It looked as if a blood rainstorm had occurred, brutally intense.

Murphy had Bill Rossis take away the two underage girls, Lily and Carey Mulligan, before filming began. He was particularly concerned about Carey Mulligan's psychological health if she saw such scenes, though he couldn't quite explain why.

However, the busy work left him no time to dwell on these thoughts.

Above James Franco, a large microphone silently hung, recording his agonized screams, the splattering blood, and the hacksaw cutting through flesh and muscle.

These sounds needed to be captured live.

Due to scene and budget constraints, the crew couldn't use a crane, so an intern held a boom pole with the microphone. This seemingly easy task was actually tough. From Murphy's angle, he could see the intern's forehead covered in sweat.

The intern majored in on-site recording at school; otherwise, he wouldn't temporarily assist the sound technician.

Holding a boom pole is deceptively simple but highly professional. Both the pole and microphone wire affect recording quality. Even simple wire handling has many nuances: quick retraction, quick extension, proper connections, avoiding tangling, and keeping it away from light and power lines to prevent interference.

Boom operation also has many intricacies. The intern acted as the sound technician's ears. If he didn't perform well, the sound technician would be lost.

This job isn't just about positioning the microphone; it must be low enough without appearing in the frame, requiring extensive practice. This intern, having done similar work before, could judge the lowest safe position for the microphone with a glance at the monitor.

Holding the mic too high to avoid appearing in the frame is unprofessional and irresponsible, resulting in unusable recordings.

This physically demanding task also required strong willpower. When Murphy filmed wide shots needing a 20-foot boom, combined with character movement and longer takes, it was exhausting. The intern's hands couldn't move at all, as every friction or vibration would be picked up by the recorder.

Some might think using wireless recording made Murphy's method outdated.

Wireless is good, but it doesn't capture ambient sound and has limited frequency response compared to the higher quality of wired boom mics.

James Franco's sawing sounds would undoubtedly enhance the film's atmosphere, providing a more terrifying auditory effect.

After filming this scene, Murphy announced a break. The entire crew, including himself, moved to an open area in the warehouse to replace the needles on thousands of syringes.