Chapter 483: Daunting

In the southernmost small soundstage of the warehouse, as the extras took their places, Robert Downey Jr. and Christoph Waltz, dressed in immaculate suits, sat at a two-person dining table in front of a green screen. Their retro attire made them look quite dashing and filled with energy.

Especially Christoph Waltz, even just sitting there without speaking, Murphy could see through the camera that his presence was brimming with acting prowess.

Although evaluating acting skills is a subjective matter, Murphy had to admit that if both Robert Downey Jr. and Christoph Waltz performed at their best, the latter would be hard to surpass.

However, acting is only a part of a star's or even an actor's charm.

Seeing the actors ready, Murphy raised his hand from behind the camera and signaled to the clapper loader.

"Scene 219, take 22," the clapper loader placed the slate in front of the camera lens, "and... action!"

With the word "action," the crew started moving swiftly.

"Mr. Hanna, you can take drugs during the day..." Robert Downey Jr. looked both curious and earnest, "and still keep working?"

"Is there any other way to do this job?" Christoph Waltz shrugged, "My friend, to work properly, of course, you need cocaine and hookers."

"Yeah." Robert Downey Jr. could only smile, "I must say, I'm very excited to be a part of this company. The clients are all..."

"Screw the clients!"

Before Robert Downey Jr. could finish, Christoph Waltz interrupted him, "Clients are a bunch of idiots!"

He shook his head, "Our only job is to take the clients' money out of their pockets and put it into ours."

"If we can also make the clients money..." Robert Downey Jr., both his demeanor and words naive, and with makeup making him look much younger, "then everyone profits, right?"

"Wrong!" Christoph Waltz completely denied Robert Downey Jr.'s assertion, "The first rule of Wall Street: Nobody, not even Warren Buffett or Jimmy Buffett, knows if a stock is going up, down, sideways, or in circles. At least, none of the stockbrokers do. It's all fake."

Murphy, controlling the camera, filmed this scene of Robert Downey Jr. and Christoph Waltz using a wide shot.

"Okay!" He stood up from behind the camera and said loudly, "Downey, Christoph, that was good!"

Robert Downey Jr. immediately gave him a victory sign.

Before he could lower his hand, Murphy added loudly, "But not good enough! I need more explosiveness from you two."

Murphy didn't linger on them. As a director, he mainly set the requirements and let the actors fulfill them. With the abilities of Robert Downey Jr. and Christoph Waltz, they could do better.

He left the camera and returned to the director's monitor, saying to Philippe Lachel, who had temporarily taken his place, "Reposition the cameras. Next, we'll shoot this dialogue with shot-reverse-shot angles."

Philippe Lachel nodded, handing the director's seat back to Murphy. He returned to his crew, starting to position a camera to Robert Downey Jr.'s left and another to Christoph Waltz's right, capturing their close-ups.

Shooting quickly resumed, with one camera focusing on Robert Downey Jr. and the other on Christoph Waltz. In post-production, these shots would be edited together to create the frequent shot-reverse-shot dialogue scenes seen in movies.

To avoid showing off, Murphy used the simplest shot-reverse-shot technique, employing just two cameras. According to the axis principle, both cameras were positioned on the same side of the 180-degree line, each aimed at one actor, so they wouldn't interfere with each other.

During shooting, Murphy had Philippe Lachel mainly use over-the-shoulder shots, initially highlighting Jordan Belfort's presence, then switching to Christoph Waltz's over-the-shoulder shot for reaction shots, sometimes framing Christoph Waltz tighter.

By using at least two cameras to capture the same performance, Murphy could freely choose editing points in post-production, enhancing the film's pacing.

Shot-reverse-shot techniques aren't particularly advanced but have been proven in countless films to effectively maintain the rhythm of dialogue scenes. Without them, the rapid-fire dialogue between Robert Downey Jr. and Christoph Waltz would significantly slow the movie's pace. The quick alternation of shot-reverse-shots could save it.

This technique has a long history. In the first 15 years of filmmaking, it wasn't used as a stylistic strategy. Instead, the "tableau style" was prevalent, capturing an entire scene with a single shot.

By the late 1910s, shot-reverse-shot had become common in American feature films, and shortly thereafter, it was adopted worldwide.

This editing technique gives the audience a sense of continuity, making it feel like the events are unfolding in real-time.

As Robert Downey Jr. described it, "The Wolf of Wall Street" is a crazy movie. His meeting with Christoph Waltz's Mark Hanna was a pivotal opening scene. Murphy specifically placed the characters on opposite sides of the frame to maintain the flow of the conversation.

In subsequent takes, both Robert Downey Jr. and Christoph Waltz performed excellently, but Murphy was still not satisfied with the footage.

Murphy then made some adjustments during shooting. Initially, he used wide shots for Christoph Waltz, showing the surrounding environment. After Waltz's first lines, the camera tilted forward into a close-up.

This method kept the background action visible while keeping the viewer and Jordan Belfort at the same distance from Christoph Waltz, maintaining the intimacy of the conversation.

Filmmaking often doesn't go entirely according to plan. Unforeseen situations arise, requiring the director and crew to adapt, achieving the intended goal with minimal cost.

Sometimes, achieving these goals involves more time and money than expected.

However, Murphy's extensive experience has earned him high prestige and respect. His reputation for efficient use of funds makes him a preferred collaborator for third-party guarantors.

In Hollywood today, everyone knows that working with Murphy Stanton is reliable. Within major studios, Murphy ranks at the top of the green tier.

This green tier categorization is an internal system in Hollywood production companies, based on a director's box office performance over the past five years. Directors who consistently deliver high commercial returns with their films are placed in this tier.

With one film grossing over a billion dollars worldwide and others achieving five times their budget, Murphy is among the elite.

However, despite his high ranking, few studios invite him to collaborate due to his hefty fees and profit shares.

Stanton Studios' collaboration with 20th Century Fox has always been pleasant, forming a relatively stable strategic partnership, to quote Murphy's words from his time across the Pacific.

After four takes, Murphy finally approved the dialogue scene between Robert Downey Jr. and Christoph Waltz, marking the end of the film's shooting.

Announcing the wrap, Murphy temporarily handed over the crew to Gal Gadot and, with Robert Downey Jr. and Jonah Hill, exited the warehouse set to meet the media invited by 20th Century Fox.

Wrapping up shooting signaled the start of post-production and intensified the film's promotional efforts.

Facing the media, Murphy and his co-stars shared their thoughts on the filming process.

"The most challenging part was the dialogue. I've never encountered such long monologues in my life. There was one that was four pages long. Murphy's writing is truly amazing!"

Robert Downey Jr., always talkative, continued, "The emotional highs and lows were like bungee jumping. I honestly thought I was going to vomit. I was supposed to deliver a rousing speech in front of a crowd, but it felt like my throat was blocked."

"I still get nervous on set. Directing is both terrifying and wonderful," Murphy added briefly, "but I enjoy it, especially working with friends."

Jonah Hill, in rare seriousness, said, "I love different genres. I enjoy showing my comedic side, but playing in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' is the best opportunity in the world, and it's almost like playing myself. There are many moments in the film that you could put in a comedy."

Following the interviews, the film moved into post-production. Just as this phase began, Bill Rossis brought Murphy good news and a special invitation.

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