Hollywood Road

The small studio was silent, and the shooting site in front of the camera lens was arranged as a hospital room. A blond Margot Robbie lay on the bed with his head tilted. The scattered blond hair blocked her exposure. The half of her face outside was just a frown showing that she was not as relaxed as she seemed now.

The door of the ward was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a tall nurse walked in, came to Margot Robbie’s bed, stared at her for a while, and then pulled down the mask that covered her face. The strange face of James Franco was revealed.

As if receptive, Margot Robbie woke up in a drowsy state and saw the magician at first sight, his angry eyes sharp as a knife.

"Cut!"

Hearing the call to stop, Margot Robbie smoothed the stray blond hair behind his head, got rid of the character, and turned to look at Murphy. It was obvious that he had made a mistake just now.

"Maggie." Murphy beckoned to Margot Robbie. "Come here."

Margot Robbie quickly jumped out of the hospital bed without wearing shoes, and walked barefoot to Murphy's director's chair.

"I'm sorry," she said, scratching the blonde. "I've been NG again so many times."

This is one of the few long shots in the film, and it is Jay Rachel’s most critical scene. Murphy will inevitably use long shots in this character-making scene. Mare, who had the advantage in front of Henry Cavill before, Gert Robbie, compared with James Franco, who is in good shape, always looks weaker.

It seems that this has also affected the state of Margot Robbie. The more she wants to perform well, the worse she performs. Especially facial expressions. The pictures taken through the camera lens always give people a deliberate feeling.

"You are a little too hard!"

Unlike the previous few times when Margot Robbie was allowed to adjust herself, Murphy saw that she had no effect and directly pointed out the problem, "Anger is a kind of emotion from the heart, either with wide eyes or anger."

Margot Robbie's staring performance just now reminds Murphy of Leonardo DiCaprio. Exaggerated expression does not mean that acting is good.

"I...have it?"

Probably because there are too many NGs, Margot Robbie is not so sure, "Have I made this fundamental mistake?"

Murphy shook his head slightly and did not answer Margot Robbie's question. Instead, he said to the assistant next to him, "John, tell the crew to rest for twenty minutes."

"Maggie." Murphy said to Margot Robbie. "This long shot is a key part of Jay Rachel’s transformation. What you have to do is not to make an expression, but to grasp Jay Rae. The psychology and background of Chel’s character."

Seeing that Margot Robbie’s thoughts were a bit unclear, Murphy decided to use this time to have a good chat with her. He couldn’t tell or could not tell Margot Robbie how to act, but he could tell her in detail. Analysis of Jay Rachel's light or dark changes in this "Dark City", these should all help Margot Robbie.

"Jay Rachel blackened from the'Light Knight' in New York. It seems heartbreaking, but it is not accidental."

This role is what Murphy considers the most, and naturally has clear control. "She vowed to eradicate crime in New York, but turned a blind eye to the cooperation between her congressman's father and Reina. She showed only one side. That's it, and her other side has existed for a long time, and has always existed! The magician's logic, "Who doesn't want justice and awe-inspiring when there is no need to do so," can be applied to her out of the box."

Listening to Murphy, Margot Robbie is also recalling the script and his analysis of the role of Jay Rachel in the past period of time.

It can be said that Jay Rachel in the script looks upright and kind, but as Murphy said, she has always had another side. Jay Rachel is not pursuing "light", but she I find that I can pursue influence by pursuing light.

Jay Rachel knows very well that through "the fanatical pursuit of justice" it is a great advantage to gain the support of New York City citizens and the financial support from Chris Dann.

All this could go on, however, after the death of her father who loved her, Jay Rachel's survival logic was suddenly subverted.

From this point of view, Jay Rachel and Chris Dann are not the same people at all. The two are just "like but divorced", that is, she looks very similar to Chris Dann, but in essence There are fundamental differences.

Inspired by Murphy’s words, Margot Robbie immediately thought of the difference. Chris Dan was not interested in influence. He pursued justice and protection of New York, even at the mercy of people thinking that he had broken the killing ring. , But he is willing to take on all of this and let the citizens of New York welcome the light. This is not a manifested hero, but a real hero.

"The important thing is not the form, the important thing is the soul!" Murphy said at this time, "This is what the magician and Chris Dann have in common!"

Margot Robbie nodded, "I see, the soul is important!"

She smiled at Murphy and said, "There is still time, I will go back to the dressing room and be quiet for a while."

Murphy waved his hand and said, "Go, I'll let someone call you when the time is about."

Picking up the water glass next to him, Murphy took a sip, and used this time to sort out his thoughts. It is not only the characters who need souls, but also the movies!

There is no doubt that the soul of the movie "Dark City" is not the male protagonist Chris Dann, nor the female protagonist Jay Rachel, nor the detective Lynch who has been promoted from deputy chief to police chief. , But the magician of James Franco!

Some gangsters once robbed them of their gems, but they discarded them everywhere. In fact, they were not interested in gems. They did so only because they found it interesting. They will not be bought, they will not be intimidated, they will not be reasonable, and they will not accept negotiations. Some people just want to watch the world burn.

The magician is such a person, eliminating everything. The chaos he represents is the soul of "Dark City".

Any good movie has a soul!

In Murphy's more than ten years of Hollywood directorship, there are many people who have come to recommend themselves, but the most common problem in their scripts is the lack of emotional core, that is, "soul".

Murphy defines "soul" as the emotion that the audience gains from the script and touches their hearts. When creating the script, the plot should not be the plot, but the theme should be the core of the story. This is the universal that can touch everyone. Emotional experience. Take the loss of a loved one as an example. In every city in the world, from the largest city to the smallest village, everyone will experience the sadness of losing a loved one. This is a universal emotion and a common humanity. Experience.

As human beings, audiences have experienced the loss of their loved ones in one way or another. This is part of the collective consciousness. This kind of universal emotional experience transcends cultural barriers and can touch most people.

Studies have shown that people consciously or unconsciously perceive things by watching movies, which is why TV shows and movies can endure for a long time, because they have the ability to touch the audience.

People want to get emotional experience, whether it is happiness, anger, sadness, or happiness...

Great screenwriters and directors know that people are often instinctively connected to emotions. This is the inner influence of the theme of the story on the audience, so that the audience can empathize. It is what the audience can experience through watching movies or TV, and it is the story experience that brings them. Emotional shock.

To find the center of your story, all you have to do is to shape the main character of the story. The center of the story is usually the protagonist’s growth, or lack of growth.

Growth, defined by Murphy himself as the inner change of the character during the narrative process, is the personal dilemma that the character experiences, in the process they struggle with the dilemma, or overcome difficulties like Chris Dann, or like Jay- Rachel was defeated like that.

These can be presented in a large number of different forms or mixtures, and can be emotional, intellectual, psychological, mental, insufficiency, or inner trauma that needs urgent treatment.

Think about the movies that touched the audience the most, the movies that endure, the movies that people keep looking back on, basically about the central theme of human beings who have the courage to overcome their own weaknesses or be defeated by their own weaknesses. This is also the classic role of those who are so fascinating. For the sake of.

They struggled and struggled in the journey of life, and then the theme of the story that finally grew up is what attracts the audience and impresses the audience.

Character growth can be a positive change like Chris Dan, with an exciting ending; or a negative change like Jay Rachel, with a sad ending.

At the same time, the growth of the character can be a huge change or a subtle change; for example, Schindler in "Schindler's List" has transformed from a profiteer and profitable business man into an adventure to save thousands of Jews. , This is a huge change.

Jay Rachel falls into this category.

However, whether it is a huge or a small change, Murphy adheres to the principle that the growth of the character usually leads people to the core of the script. This well-known emotional glue is precisely the reason why the audience will not forget the story.

Twenty minutes passed in a flash. Before Murphy could call, Margot Robbie returned to the set on her own. After the makeup artist touched up her makeup, the filming started again.

With Murphy's guidance, Margot Robbie's performance was greatly improved. Although two NGs were caused by mistakes, the whole person became more and more confident, and finally passed smoothly in the third shot.

The filming of the crew in the studio has also temporarily come to an end, and Murphy is going to New York to shoot on location.