Chapter 95

Resting her head on Murphy's shoulder, Kerry Mulligan was simply crying. Tears quickly soaked Murphy's clothes as he gently patted the girl's shoulder, unsure of what to say.

Whether living across the Pacific or in America, he was always a solitary figure. While he could read people well, comforting a young girl was something he had no experience in.

"Alright, dear," Murphy could only gently pat Kerry Mulligan's shoulder, whispering softly, "It's okay, everything will be alright."

Not far away, James Franco faintly heard these words and couldn't help but cover his forehead, realizing this guy wasn't as clever as he thought.

"I'm scared, Murphy..." Kerry Mulligan finally lifted her head, "I'm really scared."

Murphy squeezed out a smile, "It's all over now."

This was Kerry Mulligan's last scene, and she had passed it.

"Come on," Murphy gestured to the people around them, "They're all watching. This doesn't look like the behavior of a lady."

"I don't want to be a lady."

Though she said that, Kerry Mulligan wrinkled her nose and pushed herself up on Murphy's body, standing up. She wiped the tears from her face, looking rather eerie with the needles still sticking out of her.

"Beck! Jack!" Murphy instructed the two nearby, "Help Kerry remove her makeup."

After that, he lightly patted Kerry Mulligan's hand and walked towards the director's monitor.

Kerry Mulligan turned to look at him, her drooping face couldn't help but curl up at the corners of her mouth. It felt so good to be cared for by someone.

Even if she had to grab pig intestines again... Kerry Mulligan quickly shook her head, it was better not to have a next time for such disgusting things.

After watching the footage just shot, Murphy had the crew relocate and shoot other scenes. Tobin Bell, who played Jigsaw, also appeared on set.

Originally, Murphy thought of finding a replacement for Tobin Bell casually, but after auditions with several people, the effect was unsatisfactory. Preconceived notions sometimes had a deep impact on people. He simply had Bill Ross contact Tobin Bell. Fortunately, he had played many small roles in movies before, so he wasn't hard to find, and his pay wasn't high.

Since the conditions were suitable, Murphy naturally had no reason to look for someone else. Moreover, in his heart, Tobin Bell was the spokesperson for Jigsaw.

Days passed by, and they were already into the third week of shooting. The progress of the entire project had just exceeded two-thirds. Perhaps his abilities were indeed lacking; Murphy didn't complete the shooting in less than twenty days as he had seen in online materials.

Another important reason was that he was not only the director but also the project's producer. Apart from directing, he also had to take care of many daily tasks of the crew.

Such as logistics and financial management.

Things like personnel safety, set safety, equipment safety, and budget safety need not be mentioned. Each of these was crucial for the smooth shooting of the crew and couldn't afford any carelessness.

This also made Murphy realize the importance of a professional producer. He could hang the director's title, but if he had to also handle this practical role in the future, in slightly larger projects, he would definitely be worn out.

Originally, he had a suitable candidate. Unfortunately, his project and company were both too small, and the other party's goals and ambitions were too big.

In mid-May, actors came and went from the crew. After shooting their few scenes, they left one after another. Almost all the backstage crew, including Murphy, made a cameo appearance. Murphy planned to move back to Stanton Studios for shooting, but before that, he gave the crew a two-day break. After a long period of shooting, most people were tired, and actors like Lily who hadn't appeared yet also needed to use these two days for some necessary rehearsals.

During these two days, except for James Franco rehearsing with a few actors, almost all the backstage staff basically took a break. However, Murphy only slept in for a while and still came to the warehouse set in Venice to handle some work.

There were some budget approvals needed for logistics and finance, and he also had to adjust the shooting plan for the next few days based on the actual shooting situation.

Sitting in the office at the warehouse door, Murphy set aside the modified shooting plan and took a financial report to look through. Up to now, there was still close to $150,000 left in the crew's account. With the remaining few days of shooting, if post-production could ensure speed, the initial budget of $800,000 for the entire film was highly likely to be achieved.

With the continuous depreciation of the dollar, this film that came out a few years early, combined with Murphy's removal of some large scenes like car chases, basically controlled the budget.

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open from the outside. Kerry Mulligan, with her hair dyed back to gold, peeked in first and saw Murphy. Her eyes curved when she saw him, and she pushed the door and walked in.

Murphy glanced at her and said nothing, continuing to look at his financial report.

Kerry Mulligan took out two bottles of mineral water from a box behind the door and walked over, putting one bottle on Murphy's desk and opening the other for herself. She took two big sips, brought over a chair, and sat opposite Murphy.

She just looked at Murphy without saying a word, seeming afraid to disturb him at work.

After a while, seeing Murphy closing the stack of documents, she complained slightly, "I knew you wouldn't rest. Your headache will come back if you keep this up."

Murphy raised his head, smiled at her, and put the financial report aside, "Aren't we starting to rest now?"

"Really?" Kerry Mulligan widened her eyes, jumped off the chair, and turned to him, "Come on, let's go out for a walk. The scenery in this small town is nice."

She reached out and pulled Murphy's arm, urging him to go out.

Since the last film, they had been collaborating. Kerry Mulligan knew that once Murphy was too busy, his headaches would easily recur. This time she came to grab him for a walk to relax.

"Don't be in a hurry, wait a moment." Murphy freed himself from Kerry Mulligan's hand, packed up all the documents, and locked them in the iron cabinet behind him before following her out of the office.

"What are you thinking?" Seeing Murphy lost in thought as the Ford car merged onto the main road, Kerry Mulligan quickly reminded, "You'll crash like this!"

Murphy quickly snapped out of it, "Nothing."

Kerry Mulligan loosened her seatbelt, "I'll be able to start the process of dropping out in a few days."

Murphy turned to look at her, surprised, "Your parents agreed?"

"I don't want them to meddle!" Kerry Mulligan exclaimed.

Seeing Murphy glance over again, Kerry Mulligan nodded earnestly, "I've convinced them."

The word "convinced" sounded peculiar, but Murphy was driving and didn't catch it. He didn't insist further, knowing her parents had agreed.

Though he knew there must be something he didn't understand, it wasn't surprising that the Mulligans compromised again.

Seeing Murphy silent, Kerry Mulligan puffed her cheeks and turned to ask, "Don't you have any suggestions?"

"Suggestions?" Murphy thought seriously for a moment and said, "Kerry, let Bill contact a performing arts school or training class for you."

"I just prepared to drop out and reclaim my freedom," Kerry Mulligan's lips curved downwards, "and now you want to send me back to school."

"Darling," Murphy didn't say it directly but hinted, "Remember? You said I would become a great director, and you would become the best actress. I'm working hard now."

Kerry Mulligan lowered her head, "I understand, I'll work hard too."

Murphy reached out and gently patted her head.

The car drove into the Venice city center, and the two of them spent half a day goofing around.

After a period of relaxation, the crew regrouped and embarked on the final phase of shooting.