Chapter 35: The Indie Film Commence
It was already August 14, 2009, and Lucas' mock-up scenes were able to satisfy the director and the casting director.
The crew felt it won't be long before the filming will begin, as Lucas was about to finish the books regarding engineering and medical knowledge.
Lucas was quite confident that he will deliver an exceptional performance. After all, he actually amputated his right arm in his Mind Workshop or Mental World, and his stuck mental body was finally able to get free from being stuck on the narrow canyon.
At the same time, Lucas was able to learn a lot of things when he was able to complete his acting in the Mind Workshop.
Although what happened in his Mind Workshop wasn't real, Lucas felt that life is very precious. And he remembered the people who were actually very precious to him at the same time.
Paul, Liza, Leonard, Samantha, and even Shawn flashed in Lucas' mind as he was exercising.
Before the filming begins, Lucas will still do physical training for a bit, and the crew was also preparing for the film.
Utah's desolate, sun-baked landscapes provided the ideal backdrop for recreating Blue John Canyon. The location scouts scoured the state, ensuring the chosen site mirrored the real-life terrain with chilling accuracy.
After that, the production team, led by visionary production designer Mark Tildesley, painstakingly constructed a detailed replica of the boulder and surrounding canyon walls. Every crack, crevice, and shadow aimed to transport viewers directly into Aron's trapped world.
On August 20, 2009, the filming of "127 Hours" officially began.
The production team will shoot the interior and flashback scenes before heading to Utah, such as Aron's apartment, working with the climbing group, and filming flashback sequences with his friends.
The makeup artists' skills worked wonders as they were able to make Lucas appear older than his age.
Lucas' blonde hair was dyed brown, including his brows a few days ago, and his eyes were wearing brown contact lenses.
When Lucas saw himself in the mirror, although he could still see his handsome features, he had to admit, the makeup artists were really good. Although it didn't significantly change his appearance, it did make Lucas appear older, as if he was in his 30s.
*A moment later.*
The fluorescent lights of Aron's apartment hummed with a low, industrial drone.
The camera crew, a well-oiled machine of whispers and muffled clicks, huddled in the corner, their gaze fixed on the lanky figure in the center of the room. Lucas Knight, in the skin of Aron Ralston, meticulously folded a worn climbing harness, his movements economical and practiced.
The camera crew, a discreet ballet of focus pullers and sound technicians, pirouetted around him, capturing the scene in hushed whispers and the click-clack of equipment.
Director Danny Boyle, a hawk with a watchful eye, leaned against the doorway. "Alright, sound check," he announced, his voice barely a murmur. A disembodied voice piped through a speaker, responding, "Rolling sound."
Lucas, oblivious to the silent orchestra around him, heard Boyle asking.
"Ready for a take?" Boyle's voice crackled through the headset.
Lucas nodded, a smile playing on his lips; it seemed he was already immersed in the role of Aron.
"Action!" Danny Boyle's voice, sharp and decisive, cut through the air. Lucas's head snapped up, his eyes flickering with a familiar mix of excitement and apprehension.
The scene was simple: Aron, packing for his fateful Utah trip. But in the tight confines of the apartment, surrounded by climbing gear and half-eaten burritos, Lucas needed to capture the simmering tension beneath Aron's carefree facade.
Aron moved with calculated nonchalance around the cramped apartment set. Each action, however mundane – stuffing socks into a backpack, rolling a frayed sleeping bag – held the simmering energy of a man on the precipice of change. The camera crew hummed with controlled chaos, whispers rustling amidst the soft whirring of machinery. Director Danny Boyle, perched on a director's chair, scribbled notes, his eyes rarely leaving the monitor where Lucas's image flickered, intense.
Suddenly, a shrill ring pierced the air, shattering the practiced calm. Lucas flinched, the backpack strap slipping in his grasp. The telephone, propped on a cluttered desk, emitted an insistent buzz. "Cut!" Boyle barked, the crew melting away like shadows.
Silence, heavy and charged with anticipation, descended. Lucas, sweat pricking his brow, took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of stale coffee and damp cardboard. He knew the drill. This wasn't the first time, the first take. But somehow, the simple red rotary telephone remained unconquered, its incessant ringing a gnawing reminder of the life Aron was leaving behind.
Lucas shook his head, drank a bottle of water, and then calmed himself. The crew looked at Lucas with confused expressions, but they kept doing their tasks, while Lucas reminded himself that he was embodying the character of Aron before the tragedy.
Quickly preparing himself, Lucas nodded to Danny.
"Ready?" Boyle's voice echoed, softer this time, tinged with empathy.
"The kid immersed in the character too much..." Danny thought. Although an actor immersing himself in the character is good for better performance, actors sometimes get lost in it.
Lucas nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. With a nod to the sound technician, Boyle raised a hand. The phone shrilled again, piercing the quiet like a gunshot.
"Hey, Aron here. Leave a message."
This time, Lucas, or Aron, didn't flinch.
The red rotary phone shrieked like a banshee in heat, its insistent bleating a stark counterpoint to Aron's methodical packing. Lucas, seasoned in Aron's skin, didn't bat an eye. The message was an unwelcome echo, a reminder of the life he was about to shred like cheese on a cheap grater.
As he was packing, the sound of his sister's voicemail echoed through the telephone: "Hey, Aron. Sonja here, again. I know that you're probably gonna be away this weekend, but listen, just think about what we're gonna play. Please."
Instead of flinching, he popped open the fridge. Chips crunched under his teeth, a staccato counterpoint to Sonja's bubbly voicemail bouncing off the peeling wallpaper. His eyes, however, scanned the shelves—not for sustenance, but for something missing.
Aron went to the drawer in the kitchen, and the camera captured his fingers brushing against the empty space where his trusty Swiss Army knife usually lay. The camera caught the hand missing the Swiss Army Knife, and instead, it closed around the cheap handle of a thrift-store multi-tool.
"Cause we have to decide, and we really... We need to practice, okay? Anyway, it will be fun. I promise. And, oh! Please call mom. Please. Cause she worries, which you know already. Okay. Later, A. Bye." Sonja's voicemail continued to play before bidding farewell.
After packing what Aron thought to be necessary things, he closed his bag, and the camera captured him leaving the apartment.
With that, the first pre-Utah scene was completed.
The scene didn't involve much acting; after all, it was just a person packing his things before heading out on an adventure. Yet, Danny, who watched the repeated scene, felt that Lucas truly captured the carelessness of Aron Ralston before the tragedy.
Lucas's hand searched for the Swiss Army Knife in the drawer, ultimately missing it and grabbing the cheap multi-purpose tool instead. After obtaining it, he didn't even check; as the shape of the multi-purpose tool resembled the Swiss Army Knife, Lucas didn't seem to doubt that the thing in his hand was the Swiss Army Knife.
Even Aron's pride, Lucas was able to capture; it was very apparent in his actions when he was packing his things, as if he could do everything on his own.
The team, along with Danny, approved of the scene. After that, the pre-Utah scenes were filmed with or without Lucas before finally heading to the main shoot: Utah.
Mark Tildesley completed the realistically looking boulder, and the location scouts found the right location for the main shoot.
The real Aron Ralston also joined the crew for the upcoming filming.
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