Chapter 312: Stringent Demands

As was his custom, Murphy started shooting the indoor scenes in the studio first, but this time his demands were even more exacting.

"Cut! Jim, your expression isn't right."

"Sally, your smile isn't pure enough, one more time!"

"Lights, the lighting just flickered. David, let there not be a next time!"

From the start of shooting, everyone in the production team felt a different atmosphere from previous shoots. Murphy had become almost a perfectionist, rejecting shots that would have been acceptable in films like "Deadpool" or "Sin City" and demanding they be redone.

The first shot for James Franco and Charlize Theron was taken six times in a row, and Murphy was still not satisfied.

It was just a seemingly simple shot of Nick and Amy meeting at a party and chatting together.

The scene wasn't difficult, but Murphy's frequent calls for cuts were partly to achieve the best possible shooting effect and partly to establish a different filming atmosphere from the outset, ensuring everyone understood that he sought perfection this time.

"Cut!"

After halting the shoot again, Murphy took off his baseball cap and tossed it onto the director's monitor, stepped over the camera tracks laid out on the floor, and approached James Franco and Charlize Theron, "Jim, Sally, both of you had issues in that last take."

James Franco pinched the bridge of his nose, first to break out of character, while Charlize Theron paced back and forth a few times before also breaking character.

"What was the issue?" James Franco asked, puzzled. "Isn't Nick supposed to be inexpressive?"

"We don't need inexpressiveness now." Murphy shook his head, circling around James Franco, "Nick's aloofness comes with laziness, but now he's just met Amy and is attracted to her..."

He turned to look at Charlize Theron, who was listening intently.

"Nick needs to be appealing to Amy, not revealing his true self," Murphy continued. "He's already tested Amy, has a rough idea of her, and now he needs to be the version of himself that Amy wants to see."

Directing actors isn't about telling them exactly what facial expressions to use or how to act—that approach is amateurish and leads to stiff, formulaic performances.

In movies like "Deadpool" where acting isn't crucial, you might get away with that approach, but in "Gone Girl," it would be disastrous. Murphy needed James Franco to be in top form, not confined within rigid boundaries.

Thus, he could analyze the character's current state for James Franco, but he wouldn't dictate the specifics.

To be frank, James Franco knew far more about acting than Murphy could ever hope to teach.

"I understand," James Franco nodded. "Give me a few minutes to find the right feeling."

Murphy waved him off, then turned to Charlize Theron, "Sally, you have the same issue."

"Okay." Charlize Theron nodded lightly.

"You do look beautiful and sufficiently innocent, very appealing," Murphy remarked, looking at her wig line and raising his voice, "Jack! Readjust Sally's wig!"

He brought the discussion back, "Nick Dunne likes not just beauty but coolness; he loves cool girls."

Charlize Theron immediately understood, "So I need to be the cool girl for Nick Dunne."

"That's right," Murphy affirmed, raising a finger. "Bring out your cool side."

After these directions, Murphy stepped away from the set, leaving Charlize Theron and James Franco to find their bearings and communicate further as the lead actors.

Returning to the director's monitor, Murphy reviewed the previous takes and called over the director of photography, Philip Lasher.

"The camera movement is still too broad," Murphy pointed out on the monitor. "Next time, keep the camera as still as possible, cancel all moving shots, put Camera Two on a tripod, and don't move it."

Philip Lasher nodded, "I'll make the adjustments."

He understood Murphy's intent. During the preliminary preparations, the two had communicated enough to know that the filming of "Gone Girl," unlike "Deadpool," required minimal camera movement to create a serene visual field.

This was Murphy's vision for the film: the language of the camera should be static rather than dynamic.

Currently, Hollywood's mainstream commercial films mostly featured heroic feats and monster battles, with audiences expecting stunning, dazzling effects and camera work, leading to a preference for directors skilled in dynamic shots.

Murphy's last film, "Deadpool," had used plenty of motion shots.

But such techniques were utterly wrong for "Gone Girl," a film where content, themes, and the portrayal of emotions dictated a more stationary camera.

It might seem different from Murphy's previous style, but it wasn't an unachievable task.

Anyone with a decent understanding of film knows that directors aren't rigidly bound to one style. The beauty of filmmaking lies in the myriad ways a story can be told—it's all about who tells it best.

Filmmakers often find that the more films they direct, the better they control the details within a story. Many think a director's brilliance is shown in how they shoot grand scenes or create personal, stylized visuals.

These classic scenes and shots are often imitated for their strong visual impact, with many directors believing that these elements help audiences understand the thoughts of the characters in their films.

However, different film genres require different approaches. Compared to shots with strong visual impacts, Murphy was more concerned about what the camera conveyed to the audience. While many directors like to create suspense in their storytelling, he wanted to control the dramatic tension at moments when characters receive new information.

For instance, in the scene where Nick and Amy first meet, they seem instantly attracted to each other, a seemingly perfect match. But is this really the case?

Do the qualities that pique their interest genuinely reflect who they are?

Murphy needed the shots to extend this information, so when the audience sees later developments, they realize these qualities are merely what the other person wanted to see and were intentionally displayed.

Hollywood can film anything imaginable, and for an experienced director like Murphy, the real challenge is not "what you film" but "what you don't film."

Thus, based on the theme and emotional needs of the film, Murphy had early on decided what not to film.

Murphy prefers to mount the camera on a tripod; he detests handheld shots. Even if a follow shot is necessary, it must be stabilized with a Steadicam, not just handheld and shaky. This film, in particular, required a stable camera; he wanted most shots to be as solid as a damn tripod.

Another point is that many directors like to add a sense of camera shake and hints of the camera's presence. Murphy demanded the exact opposite for this film; there must be no indication that a living, breathing human was operating the camera.

His camera needed to appear flawlessly quiet, moving from here to there, all while perfectly concealing its presence, calmly and objectively showing what is happening now and what will happen next.

Furthermore, the film's close-ups had to be attention-grabbing. For example, Charlize Theron's appearance should immediately dazzle the audience, making her the cool girl Murphy required. The illusion created by these close-up shots should extend to the middle of the film to achieve the dramatic effect of the second half's twist.

Murphy also had to

 control the number of close-ups, using them only when absolutely necessary.

As a film with a strong element of mystery, every time the director cuts to a close-up, the audience immediately speculates, seeking the truth.

So, he decided to be extremely cautious with close-ups.

Murphy wanted cleverly alternating camera angles to portray a significant dramatic moment, not through close-ups but in a straightforward manner that simply shows what is happening and what the characters see.

This shoot placed many stringent demands on Murphy and the entire production team: no handheld shots, no traces of human operation on the camera, no unnecessary close-ups, no camera movement without a motivated reason.

Shooting quickly resumed, abandoning the Steadicam for completely fixed shots, and Murphy had to readjust the camera operations, trying two more takes. James Franco and Charlize Theron found their form, and everything seemed to return to the smooth shooting track of earlier days.

"So..." Charlize Theron leaned against the wall, holding a wine bottle coolly, "Who are you?"

"I'm the one who saves you," James Franco replied, his hand against the wall behind Charlize Theron, "keeping you away from all things terrible."

The scene ended there, and Murphy stood up and shouted, "Stop!"

Everyone exhaled, waiting for the director to approve the take, but what came was Murphy loudly instructing Philip Lasher, "Shoot it again, Philip, capture Sally from forty-five degrees on both sides with two cameras!"

His command set everyone into motion, all except for one person, the representative from the American Friendly Insurance Company, serving as the third-party guarantor on the production team.

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