Chapter 38: Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf

Around eleven o'clock, due to Carey Mulligan's afternoon school schedule, the rehearsal had to temporarily end. Murphy had other tasks to attend to, so after saying goodbye to the three people, he hurriedly left the warehouse. As he opened the warehouse door, he caught sight of James Franco leaning in towards Carey Mulligan...

By now, Murphy could discern Franco's intentions. With Bill Rossis keeping an eye on things, he didn't need to intervene. Shaking his head, Murphy left the warehouse to meet Jessica Chastain at Milton Café and then drove to a Hollywood-area company that specialized in selling film equipment.

While driving, Murphy pondered Franco's past. Had he ever done something similar before?

American laws are strict on the protection of minors, especially in California. If a minor accused him of any misconduct, it would be extremely troublesome. However, Murphy believed Franco wasn't foolish enough to risk that.

As the car turned onto Sunset Boulevard, notorious for its frequent accidents, Murphy shook off these distracting thoughts and focused on driving.

This trip to Hollywood was primarily to place a deposit for the film stock. Jessica Chastain, sitting in the passenger seat, reviewed the purchase list and noticed an additional item. "Why did you add ten rolls of Kodak 5222 film? Are you planning to shoot in black and white?"

"I'm using it for the opening scene."

Murphy had added it just yesterday. The planned opening involved a minor girl being tortured and killed. After considering it and understanding the MPAA rating system, he worried this scene might drag the entire film into an NC-17 rating. Hence, he decided to shoot it in black and white.

Ten minutes later, Murphy's second-hand Ford parked near a large film equipment store on Sunset Boulevard. He and Chastain had been here before to rent cameras and buy film, so they were familiar with the place.

A middle-aged man greeted them. Without wasting time, Murphy had Chastain give him the film list. Once the deposit was paid, the film stock would be delivered in the afternoon.

In addition to the ten rolls of Kodak 5222 film, Murphy also ordered a large quantity of Kodak color film stock.

These 35mm Kodak color film rolls, like the Kodak 5222 film, were 122 meters long each. According to current filming and projection standards, approximately 27 meters of film is needed to shoot one minute. Each roll could film about 4.5 minutes.

Calculating this, twenty rolls of color film might seem sufficient.

However, Murphy ordered 240 rolls, which was a conservative estimate. The actual film usage would likely be higher.

In Hollywood, directors typically shoot footage that is ten to several dozen times the length of the final film. Directors like James Cameron might even shoot hundreds of times the needed footage.

A film crew often spends a significant amount of money on film stock alone.

Fortunately, at this time, Kodak hadn't yet ruined itself, and the prices for Kodak's 35mm film stock weren't as exorbitant as they would later become. After some bargaining, Murphy got the price down to $150 per roll.

"Total of 250 rolls of Kodak film."

On the way back, Jessica Chastain reminded Murphy to prepare the money. "It will be $37,500."

This figure made Murphy's heart skip a beat. Including today's film stock expenditure, "Hard Candy" had already cost over $150,000 in personnel salaries, equipment and location rentals, props, makeup, and costumes.

He began to doubt whether his $300,000 budget would be enough to complete the film.

The early stages of preparation were the most costly. While shooting seemed like it might cost less, Murphy couldn't forget about post-production. He would need to hire a professional editor and rent post-production facilities...

Just thinking about all this gave him a headache.

Murphy was now thankful for the $100,000 he had earned from following Kobe Bryant. Without it, the $230,000 from the Beal Street incident would not have been enough to complete this film.

Even with that, Murphy still worried $300,000 might not suffice, as an inexperienced director like him would inevitably face unforeseen challenges.

As October 2000 arrived, after long preparations and Carey Mulligan and James Franco rehearsing all their scenes, the "Hard Candy" crew officially began filming at Milton Café in Los Angeles' Old Chinatown.

Early that morning, Milton Café owner Lynch placed a closed sign on the door. Two large booths in the café's left corner were tightly covered with screens and curtains, serving as temporary dressing rooms for the actors.

From the moment he entered the café, Murphy stood across from the counter, directing the lighting technician to set up the lights according to the plan. The set designer adjusted the interior setup as per the storyboard, the prop master checked the prepared chocolate cake and other props, and Jessica Chastain led three interns in managing miscellaneous tasks...

With only one makeup artist, the actors' makeup had to be done one at a time. Fortunately, there were only two main actors. Lynch and his employees, serving as background extras, didn't need elaborate makeup.

No actor ever appears on camera without makeup. Everyone knows that what appears to be a bare face is actually achieved with minimal makeup.

"When will it be my turn?"

After observing the nearly finished café setup, Murphy had just caught his breath and was about to ask for a coffee to refresh himself when Carey Mulligan approached. "I've been waiting for my turn for makeup, and I'm getting anxious."

She pursed her lips tightly, obviously nervous.

This was Mulligan's first major role, and she was not even sixteen yet. It was impossible for her not to be nervous.

"Carey, you're nervous," Murphy said, leaning against a coffee table. "And you have dark circles under your eyes."

Mulligan immediately touched under her eyes and forced a smile. "I couldn't sleep last night."

This was not a good sign. Murphy frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and suddenly changed the topic. "How are you getting along with James?"

A rebellious teenage girl's first impression is hard to change. Mulligan's mouth twisted in disapproval. "He's been trying to be nice to me, but I think he has ulterior motives. He's up to no good, and I still don't like him."

Murphy shook his head. Mulligan tugged at his sleeve, "Don't worry, Murphy. I won't intentionally make things difficult for him."

Then she added resentfully, "Why do I still dislike him so much?"

Murphy was about to say something when he saw Jessica Chastain approaching with someone and quickly went over to meet them.

"Hi, Kara."

Reaching them, Murphy opened his arms and gave Kara Faith a light hug. "I'm surprised you came."

Taking a step back and removing her sunglasses, Kara Faith's words were as sharp as ever. "I just wanted to see how you're going to fail."

"You'll be disappointed," Murphy shrugged and pointed to a nearby booth. "Take a seat anywhere."

Faith placed her handbag and sunglasses down, then pulled out a chair and sat. "Go ahead and do your work. Don't mind me; I'm just here to watch."

Murphy wanted to roll his eyes but restrained himself. He asked Chastain to get Faith a coffee and then went back to his tasks.

While others continued setting up, Murphy walked to the right side of the counter. A 35mm camera was already set up in the corner, with a shoulder-mounted camera nearby for different shots.

Compared to the cameras Murphy had used across the Pacific, these were practically antiques. The film industry is a fast-paced technology sector with rapid updates and advancements.

Murphy had already studied these cameras thoroughly and was now only doing some simple adjustments.

As time passed, the preparations neared completion. Once Carey Mulligan emerged from the temporary dressing room, they could start filming.

Murphy called Mulligan and Franco over for a final briefing. He reminded them to act convincingly – one to appear hypocritical, the other innocent.

He also reviewed their costumes.

Just like in the test shots, Mulligan wore a hooded red sweatshirt, while Franco wore a gray jacket and glasses.

The glasses were suggested by makeup artist Jack Watson, effectively softening Franco's slightly roguish demeanor, making him appear more gentle and refined.

Murphy's intentions were clear from their outfits. Mulligan's character, Hayley, was the modern Little Red Riding Hood, making Franco's Jeff the Big Bad Wolf.

However, contrary to the fairy tale, in this version, the seemingly harmless Little Red Riding Hood would be the one who is truly dangerous and in control.

Filming didn't start immediately. Murphy had Mulligan and Franco practice their positions at the café counter while he used the shoulder-mounted camera to find suitable shooting angles.

These preparations took nearly an hour.

At ten o'clock, Murphy officially announced the start of the test shoot.

He positioned the camera on the Steadicam, first capturing Mulligan's slender and beautiful back at the counter, then quickly adjusting the lens for a close-up when she turned as someone entered the café.

"Cut!"

Seeing the close-up shot, Murphy immediately stopped. The effect was not up to standard.