Chapitre 89: What is it then?
After resting for a while, Lyman still couldn't figure it out, but the time of the crew was precious and they couldn't afford to waste it. Jonathan Gavin would have come to inquire long ago if it weren't for René's obstruction.
He had been doing this kind of thing a lot during these days of filming. He had to ask about the food, the shots, and even mention the damage to costumes and props. It was unbelievable, this person was truly suited for this line of work, so responsible and meticulous.
"Get ready, get ready, let's do it again."
Lyman picked up the megaphone and shouted, urging the resting crew members to return to their respective positions and prepare to continue filming. But this aimless filming always made him restless. He hastily shouted, "It's a wrap."
Amidst the joy of the crew, he added, "That's a wrap."
...
Night fell, and a quietness enveloped the small town. A hotel rented by the crew.
Lyman opened the door and threw the keys and the sun hat for sun protection onto the storage cabinet at the entrance. Bending down, taking off his shoes, and putting on a more comfortable pair of slippers, Lyman walked into the living room, plopped down on the sofa, and looked up at the ceiling.
It was white, a bit dirty. After gazing at it for a long time, he sighed, "Ah..."
Because his filming ideas were obstructed, the crew had wrapped up early. He had finally returned to the hotel room before it was completely dark outside. The window in the west was partially open, and he could clearly hear the wind howling outside.
Yes, the weather forecast yesterday said that the temperature would drop these days. He thought randomly, allowing his thoughts to wander.
Was he really so terrible? Was he no longer capable of directing? He couldn't even solve a damn problem when it arose. Damn it, he felt like a fool.
The room was not lit, and in the dim environment, Lyman furrowed his brow. When did it start? That sense of self-assured control. Was it due to the success of "Buried" or the good results of "3 Idiots"?
The smooth production of two consecutive films seemed to make him a bit arrogant, thinking he was a genius director who could easily succeed by making a few changes to the scenes. But when faced with unexpected filming situations that deviated from the original script, he was instantly brought back to reality.
He had always been a lucky person, with so many excellent works to admire. As long as he replicated them, it seemed he could easily succeed. "Buried" was like that, especially with Heath Ledger's acting carrying the weight; "3 Idiots Wrecking Bollywood" was the same, where he only made some editing that didn't align with the main storyline, and Aamir Khan contributed brilliant performances, and the result...
In the end, it was too smooth-sailing in the filming process. His mind always had a reference point for comparison. How could he not make a good film? His experience was still too shallow. Until now, he had mixed too many things into the plot of "Fury", making it completely different from the original work. It suddenly exposed his true nature as a mere former director, or even an assistant director, one of many assistant directors.
For some reason, Lyman suddenly felt like laughing. He recalled the media and the film critics comparing him to "Quentin Tarantino". What's even more ridiculous was that he genuinely believed he was successful.
Ridiculous, truly laughable... Hahaha.
From the start of the production of "Fury" until the past week, the crew had been shooting in the well-constructed Allied camp. The progress of the film's production wasn't slow, but it couldn't speed up either because he had made modifications in many places, requiring careful consideration. For the sake of authenticity, he often consulted Colonel Logan, listening to his stories from the military. After listening, he would always make changes.
Because the original "Fury" had too many loopholes, he didn't realize it before, but after listening to someone who had actually served in the military, he understood many things. As a result, the difficulty of filming this movie kept increasing, in all aspects. Tank maneuver tactics, how infantry and tanks coordinated in battle, the distribution and command of troops on the battlefield...
There were too many unknowns, and they were all things Lyman had never encountered before. This lack of reference in filming finally exploded today. His intuition told him that something was wrong, but he didn't know where the problem lay. He only troubled Nicholas Cage and forced his performance, but still couldn't find the crux of the matter.
I overestimated myself, he thought.
The praise from the media and the market's response were all causing him to lose his way. What should I do?
Once a person falls into doubt, they will constantly deny everything about themselves. At this moment, Lyman was exactly like that, his thoughts running wild, judging himself as worthless.
He forgot how much he cared about those two works. From the preparation to the shooting and finally the editing, he was involved every step of the way, all for the sake of making the film even better.
Perhaps even fate didn't want him to delve too deeply into the philosophical contemplation of life, as a ringing phone broke the silence in the room. Lyman took out his phone from his pocket and answered the call.
"Hello, is this Lyman? I heard you encountered some problems," came the familiar voice of Luc Besson through the phone.
Lyman listened and glanced out the window. The moon was covered by clouds, revealing only its silhouette.
"How did you know about today's shoot?" Lyman asked.
"George told me. I thought you might need some help." So, everything became clear, and Lyman understood the purpose of Luc Besson's phone call.
"I do have some doubts. You see, I want to know how to make the actors' emotions more in line with the scenes of the story?" Lyman asked about the problem that had caused the hasty wrap-up of the production today, and then he explained, "You know, "Fury" is currently being filmed, and there's a scene today..."
"The situation is like this. I always feel that something is off, but if you ask me to pinpoint it, I can't give you a straightforward answer."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Luc Besson spoke again. "I don't think it's a problem with the actors' performances. It might be something related to the characters or some other element that is missing the specific feeling you want. Your filming experience is still lacking, and it sounds like you're encountering this kind of situation for the first time. You should know that in a single shot, it's not just the actors present; props, set design, environment, and even the recorded sound all play complementary roles."
Luc Besson smiled and shared his own story. "When I first started directing movies, this kind of problem was even more exaggerated than what you're facing. Sometimes, if a shot didn't meet the standards, I would rack my brain trying to figure it out, but still couldn't find a clue... The feeling of filming is elusive, only you can grasp it. But for a film, acting is just one aspect of it. The use of camera focus, set design, costumes, props, and even the editing and music in post-production can elevate a shot's value. We're no longer in the silent film era; you need to think and feel more..."
"Thank you, M. Besson," Lyman's chaotic thoughts suddenly became somewhat clear. He seemed to have demanded too much from an actor's individual performance and forgotten about the sense of performance as a whole, which also required a certain backdrop. A film doesn't end with an actor's good performance; the design of the visuals, the language of the shots, the on-set coordination, and even the editing and music after filming all belong to the director's realm of performance.
"No need to thank me. Every director encounters similar challenges. What surprised me is that you have already made three films and are only now facing this obstacle... I believe you can overcome it because you are a director with aspirations."
"I also hope to solve this problem as soon as possible, but in any case, thank you, M. Besson." They chatted a bit more before ending the call.
Outside, at some point, the moon had freed itself from the clouds and began casting its clear light upon the earth.
Lyman put his phone back in his pocket and stood up, stretching his body. His conversation with Luc Besson had given him some insights and realizations.
In terms of experience in film production, he was indeed far behind. He turned on the lights in the room, and the orange light instantly filled the entire living room.
Lyman opened the drawer of a table placed in front of the sofa and took out the script for "Fury". He pondered the overall plot and the characterization of the characters.
What would a seasoned veteran like "Wardaddy" think and do when he saw his comrades under attack?
"What do you think a veteran with a long military career would be like?"
The next day, under the shade of the film set's canopy, Lyman arrived early. Colonel Logan, due to his responsibility for overseeing the weapons, was even sleeping in one of the erected tents that served as resting places for the soldiers.
"Are you asking me?" Colonel Logan, who had just finished breakfast, was a bit puzzled because, in the past, the director rarely spoke to him except for some military-related filming questions. Mostly, there was a respectful attitude towards his rank as a colonel.
"Well, I want to know how a veteran on the battlefield would think and feel..." Lyman slowly described the image of "Wardaddy" in his script and then looked at Colonel Logan, wanting to hear his thoughts on the character. As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. Perhaps chatting with a serving military officer might shed light on the problem he felt during yesterday's shoot.
"Um, I haven't been on the battlefield, but my grandfather was an Allied pilot. During World War II, he flew bombers in the Pacific Theater of Operations," Colonel Logan expressed his view on the character, "I feel that the personality and portrayal of this character are somewhat unrealistic."
What?
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone