Chương 24: Chapter 24: Intense Action Scene
The new film location was still the same farm, but it had moved from the plantation area to the livestock area.
The working title of the movie was "City Folks."
The script was not kept secret; not just the main actors but even most of the extras knew the story.
A young couple came from downtown Atlanta to the ranch and had intense romantic encounters with several young men and women at the ranch.
Martin played a supporting role as one of the ranch's love-struck individuals.
He earned $500 a day, and the role was scheduled for two days of filming.
There were only three actors with more screen time than Martin, and Martin shared a small dressing room with Kyle, the second male lead.
Kyle was a robust, square-faced guy, not yet twenty-five, and his face looked like a block of stone.
He arrived a little late and, upon seeing Martin's unfamiliar face, knocked hard on the dressing room opposite Martin and said, "Buddy, I prefer to sit near the door. You go inside."
Since they were assigned the same dressing room, it meant they had similar status. Martin didn't intend to back down. "First come, first served."
Bullying was too common in America, especially with someone as big as Kyle.
Kyle glared at Martin's head and said, "Do you know what I used to do? Professional English football player! I could kick a football so hard it would explode!"
Following Bruce's lead, Martin learned how to handle such situations with civility.
He pulled back his jacket to politely reveal his holster and said, "I'm a part-time actor, but my main job is a cleaner."
Kyle retreated to the inside dressing chair, exclaiming, "I like to joke around and lighten the mood. Look, we've reached an understanding now. The atmosphere is great, right?"
Bruce's civilized approach had indeed worked. Martin pulled his jacket back up and said, "Don't worry; I'm a civilized man."
Kyle cursed inwardly, wondering if the crew had run out of people and had to recruit gangsters. But he smiled brightly and said sweetly, "You're the boss, just let me know if you need anything."
The makeup artists came in to prepare them. Martin called Jerome to temporarily take care of his gun.
Due to Martin's connection with Andrew, members of the Marietta theater troupe got relatively well-paid background roles this time. The news would soon spread among Atlanta's extras, bringing more newcomers to the troupe, and Jerome could naturally collect more fees.
For the sake of money, Jerome didn't mind temporarily playing the role of a porter.
After makeup and wardrobe changes, Martin was the first to leave the dressing room. He went to the second shooting location, the hay drying field, to get familiar with his marks and prepare for filming.
Robert, dressed as a worker, was already in the hay field.
In the upcoming shoot, he would serve as a background figure for Martin.
"Impossible! It doesn't make sense!" Robert circled around Martin. "I found out that Billy's part ranks seventh in the crew. Why did they choose you?"
Martin shrugged. "Because I'm good-looking."
Robert didn't buy it. "Stop joking around. If good looks alone could get key roles, there wouldn't be so many unattractive stars." He pointed to his own big head. "Logically, I have a better chance of becoming a star than you do!"
Martin was curious. "Why?"
"Because I have a big head. A very big head!" Robert said seriously. "Haven't you noticed? The bigger the head, the better the prospects for men in showbiz!"
Martin replied equally seriously, "Actually, my head is bigger than yours, so I have a brighter future."
Robert didn't respond and continued, "Think about it. Sylvester Stallone has a big head, Bruce Willis has a big head, Russell Crowe has a big head, Arnold Schwarzenegger also has a big head!"
Martin had nothing to say in rebuttal, so he played to his strengths. "Can your head shatter the earth?"
Robert mumbled, "The earth hasn't offended me."
Martin patted his shoulder. "Buddy, for your sake, I'll spare the earth."
"Gee, thanks a lot," Robert said with a bitter smile.
Martin could see that Robert was feeling a bit off-balance, but he was managing to control himself, which was rare.
Some extras, after many years of hardship together, would do unexpected things when they saw a companion land a good role.
At this time, the assistant director arrived on set, instructing Martin and the supporting actress Joanna to rehearse their positions.
As a pure romance drama aimed at a female audience, Martin had to display his handsome face and toned body.
For Martin, the scenes were very simple, with almost no lines.
In this scene, he just had to lie on a soft haystack sunbathing while Joanna hid in the distance, peeking, then boldly walking over when he discovered her.
The rest was all about emotions.
The director, Benjamin Galvin, in his thirties, had graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design and sported a big beard, giving off an artsy vibe.
He gave special instructions to Martin and Joanna about the scene.
Martin, very professional, had avoided eating strong-flavored food that morning and had prepared breath freshener.
Before filming, he asked Joanna, "Anything I should avoid?"
Joanna, seeing Martin use the breath freshener, was quite impressed and smiled, "Just go for it."
They first filmed the dialogue scenes, which Martin was good at and quickly got into character.
Joanna, on the other hand, struggled a bit initially and caused a few reshoots.
After the dialogue scenes, they went to a nearby trailer for touch-ups and to change into protective costumes.
A crowd gathered to watch the shoot.
Unlike New York and California, with various film-related regulations, nothing extended to Atlanta's rural sets. The entire crew consisted of non-union members, with no special clauses, and there was no routine procedure of asking whether to clear the set during filming.
With a total investment of just over $100,000 and a shooting period of less than ten days, the crew didn't have the time or energy for formalities.
While Martin handled the dialogue scenes effortlessly, he had several slip-ups with the action scenes.
In contrast, Joanna, who struggled with dialogue, was adept at action scenes.
After several reshoots, Martin gradually adjusted.
Director Benjamin shouted in frustration, "Don't tell me you've got no experience at all!"
"Don't be nervous. Relax," Joanna said softly, a hint of tenderness in her eyes. "Imagine me as your girlfriend; get into character."
In the subsequent shoots, Martin's performance improved, and some of his action scenes ended up looking quite impressive.
When the scene wrapped, Benjamin couldn't help but praise, "Martin Davis, that was great. You're made for this profession!"
Martin, the type to flourish with a little encouragement, seeing the director's improved attitude toward him, immediately went over to joke around and build rapport. "Director, am I a genius at acting? Or just an action scene genius?"
Benjamin laughed heartily and patted Martin's chiseled shoulder. "I've got classmates in the Valley. Want me to introduce you?"
Martin joked, "I'm afraid they won't dare to shoot anymore!"
*****
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