Chapter 164: Vulgarity

The dilapidated highway was full of cracks, and wild grass grew on both sides, among which stood a rust-streaked sign—two miles to the military base!

The sign was on the south side of the road, while on the opposite side lay a row of trash cans that seemed to have not been cleaned for a long time. They were filled with garbage, and their color was obscured by a somewhat nauseating grey-black, lying quietly on the side of the highway amidst the grass.

This was essentially an abandoned highway, where not even a single vehicle, let alone a person, was usually seen.

However, today, the area was bustling with noise. Five or six large trailer trucks and over a dozen vans were parked on the nearby wasteland, with dozens of people busy setting up cameras, checking the lighting, arranging the scene, and performing final checks on several green military vehicles.

Murphy stood in the shadow behind a trailer, listening to updates from various departments, glancing at Jessica Chastain beside him.

"Relax," he noticed the heavily made-up Jessica Chastain was a bit nervous, "Just like when you perform in stage plays."

Jessica Chastain nodded with a smile.

Paul Wilson approached, "All departments are ready."

"Got it," Murphy took a big gulp from a bottle of water on a nearby high chair, then turned and walked behind a camera, picked up a megaphone, and loudly announced, "Shooting starts in five minutes!"

The crew entered the final preparations before filming.

Jessica Chastain walked near the trash cans under Paul Wilson's direction, familiarizing herself with her movements once more. Several military vehicles also moved closer, and an actor from CAA, dressed in a colonel's uniform, stood on the foremost vehicle.

Aside from the past Robert Downey Jr. and the increasingly popular James Franco, the cast lacked any actors of significant fame, certainly none with salaries over ten million dollars. Just in terms of salaries, Murphy was saving much more than his predecessor.

Additionally, the cost of aging film stock and deliberate blurring also required funds.

Murphy abandoned these techniques, believing a film must adapt to societal progression. Deliberate blurring might invoke nostalgia for some but would drive most audiences away. Who enters a cinema wanting to watch a blurry, noisy film?

The film's box office success was unclear to him, but he vaguely remembered its video tape sales far outstripped its cinema takings.

Undoubtedly, the film's visual effects processing did not meet the demands of cinema screenings, being more suited to home video audiences.

Therefore, Murphy instructed Phil Raschel to use a slightly yellowish filming style, rejecting deliberate aging.

After all, he was not Robert Rodriguez and had no special affinity for "Grindhouse" style films. Following Rodriguez's style and hiring well-known actors would far exceed the $8 million budget.

He remembered that "Planet Terror" was released bundled with Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof," with both their costs and box office earnings calculated together, yet they did not achieve a 1+1>2 effect, not even 1+1=2.

Without a doubt, Quentin Tarantino's fame and achievements far surpassed Robert Rodriguez's, but on this joint project, Tarantino's "Death Proof" was heavily criticized, becoming one of his few failures.

The collaboration between two genius eccentrics thus concluded.

Of course, "Planet Terror" also faced criticism, especially for its cinema release, where some content had to be toned down, particularly the overly disgusting elements.

Like "Saw," gore and disgust do not equate; the former resonates with many audiences, while the latter repulses most.

With 9/11 not long past, this film needed to fit the current societal and cinema environment. Murphy reduced the film's explicit content, especially avoiding disgusting depictions of the lower human body, instead emphasizing absurdity and dark humor.

In his vision, this was an absurd, dark comedy about attractive men and women fighting zombies.

After all departments were ready, Jessica Chastain and the other actors took their places. Murphy nodded to the clapper loader, who placed the clapperboard in front of the camera.

"'Planet Terror,' outdoor scene, first scene, take one, action!"

The scene was shot with two cameras at a forty-five-degree angle, with Murphy and cinematography director Phil Raschel each operating one. Due to good natural lighting, no additional lighting was used.

Jessica Chastain, wrapped in a coat, walked slowly along the north side of the highway. She wore four-inch high-heeled leather boots, a short, low-cut, tight top matching her hair color that emphasized her chest, and a leather skirt so short it barely covered anything, hinting at the scenery beneath as she moved.

For a low-budget production, a sexy and fiery lead actress was one of the main selling points. In the North American film market, while zombie films were a niche, there were many similar movies. What made this film stand out?

With zombies being more or less the same, the difference lay in how they were killed and by whom.

A sexy stripper killing zombies was certainly different from tough men doing the same, offering more appeal.

Murphy's camera primarily focused on Jessica Chastain, while Phil Raschel captured wide shots including Chastain and the highway beside her.

Military vehicles approached from a distance, suddenly entering the frame without slowing down, whizzing past Chastain, who seemed to be caught by the vehicles, stumbling and falling onto a trash can, which was knocked over, burying her under debris.

A sound assistant timely lowered the boom microphone.

Lying on the ground, Jessica Chastain cursed, causing Murphy to frown and shout, "Cut!"

The busy crew immediately stopped, everyone turning towards Murphy. If the director called cut, it meant someone made a mistake.

"Jessica!" Murphy, sitting behind the camera, shouted towards Chastain in the trash cans, "You're a nightclub stripper, not a Juilliard scholar. Do you know how a stripper swears? Not like your delicate whispering!"

He set a clear expectation, "Be vulgar!"

After that, Murphy loudly announced, "Reset the scene, we'll start again in ten minutes!"

Shaking off the rotten leaves clinging to her, Jessica Chastain climbed up from the ground, rubbing her sore knee, and hurried towards the makeup trailer; time was short, and she needed a touch-up.

As she walked, she glanced back at Murphy, directing commands from behind the camera. The once penniless rogue director had transformed into a skilled, orderly commander of a nearly ten million dollar production crew, his past naivety almost entirely vanished.

His growth was astonishing, as if he was born for this industry.

Back in the makeup trailer, under the costume designer's direction, Chastain changed into an identical outfit, though it seemed even smaller, accentuating her cleavage more and revealing more skin beneath the skirt.

Considering her role's characterization and her gaudy attire, Chastain felt a tinge of sadness. Was this really the film career she aspired to?

No one paid her any attention or engaged in deep conversation with her. Everyone here functioned like a part on an assembly line, moving closely and busily to complete their designated tasks.

Shooting quickly resumed, and after a repeat take, the first shot of "Planet Terror" was declared complete.

The crew swiftly cleared the set, moving to a bridge nearby before the sun shifted south. On the riverbank opposite the bridge, Helena Espora's team had built a wooden structure for a barbecue restaurant, mainly consisting of set pieces and models, not suitable for interior shots. Murphy only directed some wide shots, planning to film the interior scenes back in a warehouse in Venice.

As Helena Espora's team made final arrangements, Robert Downey Jr. and Kerry Mulligan entered the makeup trailer to get ready. A dilapidated truck was parked by the props department next to the barbecue restaurant on the wasteland.

When the set was nearly ready, Murphy specifically visited the women's makeup trailer. Kerry Mulligan had finished her makeup and was staring blankly into the mirror. Jack Watson's female assistant tactfully left the trailer upon Murphy's arrival.

Mulligan remained seated, her eyes following Murphy through the mirror.

"Hi," Murphy approached, greeting, "What's on your mind?"

Mulligan continued to look at him through the mirror, remaining silent as she had been recently.

Murphy frowned, "Dear..."

"I don't want to talk to you!" Mulligan finally turned around, her youthful face clouded, "And I don't want to listen to you! I've realized over time, just like Julian Firth and my parents, you claim to consider my interests, but you never truly consider my feelings!"

Knocking sounded at the door, with someone reminding from outside, "Director, preparations are ready. It's time to start filming."

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