Chapter 677: Who Is the Fat Man?

"Relax, just relax."

Sitting opposite Murphy, James Franco still wore that roguish smile. "I'm doing great now. Do you really think a movie role could drive me crazy?"

Murphy shrugged and decided not to bring up the subject anymore.

It was obvious that James Franco's mental state was excellent, completely shedding the character of the Magician. Murphy could only say that personality sometimes does determine a person's fate.

James Franco was naturally optimistic and liked to mess around. In contrast, the late Heath Ledger was indeed quite a recluse. Although drug addiction was the main reason for Ledger's eventual misfortune, his personality also played a significant role.

To be honest, James Franco and his peers also used drugs but did not encounter any accidents.

At this point, Murphy did not believe that a manic role would lead to someone like James Franco developing mental issues.

"By the way," James Franco suddenly asked, "you've been engaged to Gal for quite a while now. When do you plan to get married?"

Murphy spread his hands. "We haven't discussed it yet. The earliest would be after this film is released."

He and Gal Gadot had no intention of leaving each other, so getting married was a matter of time, not urgency.

"Are you eager to give us gifts?" Murphy joked. "I won't accept anything that's not valuable enough."

James Franco puffed out his chest. "I'll make sure you're satisfied."

Their friendship made the actual value of gifts irrelevant.

After a few jokes, James Franco brought up a serious matter. "Seth and I are planning to head to the other side of the Pacific after the New Year."

"Over there?" Murphy didn't recall Seth Rogen and James Franco having a new release. "For a vacation?"

"No." James Franco shook his head. "To explore a new project."

"Exploring a new project?" A woman's voice came from the side of Murphy and James Franco. Kara Faith, dressed in a professional suit and high heels, walked over and asked, "James, what new idea do you and Seth have now?"

Murphy glanced at Kara Faith, who didn't stand on ceremony with him, pulled out a chair, and sat next to him.

Knowing Murphy and Kara Faith's relationship, James Franco did not hide anything. "A new comedy."

"Comedy?" Murphy frowned. "A raunchy comedy?"

"Yes." James Franco nodded. "To be specific, it is indeed a raunchy comedy."

Murphy frowned even more and said, "It's best not to release this comedy before next year's award season."

James Franco chuckled. "It definitely won't be released. We only have a preliminary idea now. Seth is not you; it takes him at least two years to produce a movie."

"But..." James Franco was puzzled. "Why not next year?"

Murphy answered directly, "Characters in raunchy comedies are detrimental to your chances of winning performance awards during the award season."

"Oh..." James Franco deliberately sighed. "I didn't know you had so much confidence in me."

"Alright, you two," Kara Faith interjected, "James, tell us more about your and Seth's new idea."

As the director of the production and distribution department at 20th Century Fox, she was very interested in potential profitable projects.

Seth Rogen and James Franco, especially Seth Rogen, had already proven their comedic talents with films like "The Hangover" and "This Is the End."

James Franco scratched his head, mimicking Seth Rogen's style. "How should I put it?"

"Just say it." Murphy said.

"Do you know the marshal who just came to power in North Korea this year?" James Franco explained, fearing Murphy and Kara Faith wouldn't understand. "The country famous for its dictatorship and scandals."

Murphy, of course, knew who the marshal was.

Kara Faith seemed very interested. "Tell us more."

"We're thinking of spoofing the newly empowered leader." James Franco laughed. "They've got nuclear weapons, right? Our plot has them randomly launching nukes, and the protagonist has to go there to assassinate the dictator for the sake of world peace."

"This is classic American thinking." Murphy couldn't help but shake his head.

"Anyway, they're an enemy country," James Franco didn't care at all. "Detached from the civilized world, spoofing them is no big deal."

Murphy was speechless at James Franco's remarks and couldn't find a counter-argument.

After some thought, Murphy said, "James, be a bit cautious. There are significant political risks."

"Not much risk." Kara Faith's opinion differed from Murphy's. "I think this project is great, with plenty of potential, and it naturally attracts an audience."

James Franco nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes. That's what I think too."

He added, "In the US, such a story is inherently humorous because, to the American public, the marshal is more of an internet meme than a real political figure."

It was clear that James Franco and Seth Rogen were not just impulsively excited but had a clear understanding of the market and audience.

Murphy didn't say much more. If the profit potential was clear, investing wasn't out of the question. Kara Faith thought the same way; their fundamental nature hadn't changed. If there was enough profit, they wouldn't care about the political implications or who the marshal was.

Of course, Kara Faith was much more enthusiastic than Murphy. After he left to continue his work, she continued discussing eagerly with James Franco.

Recently, Murphy and Jody Griffiths had completed the film's fine editing. Besides perfecting the editing, they were also doing other necessary post-production work.

In terms of color tone, "Dark City" mainly used dark tones. The night scenes were self-explanatory. Even daytime shots had a dark blue and black tone. Murphy intentionally created an old and heavy visual style, with relatively simple color coordination.

In terms of tone effects, the film predominantly used low-key lighting, with characters treated with significant contrast. Murphy also used changes in tone to create atmosphere and reflect the psychological changes of characters' emotions.

Moreover, in most panoramic shots, Murphy appropriately used lifting movements and lateral tracking shots to display the environment's atmosphere.

Similar to other noir crime films, Murphy used rain, night, smoke, and fog to create atmosphere in crime scenes.

Murphy always understood one thing: when the audience enters the theater, the film must present the style and techniques they expect. This provides a sense of satisfaction, which is crucial for a commercial film.

However, satisfaction alone is not enough. The film must also surprise the audience, making them feel thrilled and giving them a sense of overvalue, leading to positive reviews and ideal box office performance.

After Christmas, Murphy gave an interview to Fox Entertainment Channel about the film's post-production.

In front of the camera, a reporter from Fox TV asked, "Murphy, I heard that 'Dark City' is almost fully edited. Is your editing always this fast?"

"It's generally pretty quick. For a film like 'Diego Ross,' I usually take a few days to edit the footage. At the fastest, I can edit about ten minutes of final film per day."

Maintaining his half-true, half-false interview style, Murphy said, "While editing 'Dark City,' the speed Jody and I managed wasn't that fast, given the many weeks of footage. Just sitting there watching all the footage is exhausting, especially with so many shots. Even though I tried to minimize the number of shots during filming, the final count is still overwhelming."

Murphy smiled. "Despite that, I had to shorten the editing time to better control the film. I have an excellent editor—Jody Griffiths. He was involved throughout our shooting. If you want to sit there, recall everything from filming, and find the right material quickly, you have to make time for that."

"I heard you used two IMAX cameras for most of the filming." This reporter clearly had some expertise. "Why do you prefer using two cameras?"

Murphy thought for a moment before responding. "For action scenes, I use multiple cameras, but for all dramatic scenes, I only use two cameras. I prefer using two cameras because I can focus on each shot without being distracted by other angles, which happens when using multiple cameras. Every night, I watch the dailies. If you always shoot with multiple cameras, you end up with a huge amount of footage, making editing very challenging and time-consuming."

"I've heard you didn't use storyboards or shot lists for 'Dark City.'" The reporter was well-informed. "How do you keep track of everything?"

"With my brain." Murphy tapped his head. "I've always used my brain to create scenes. Every night in bed, I mentally edit each scene until the film is complete. When watching the dailies, the director should remember every shot in his mind; that's what every director used to do."

As time passed, the crew released more and more promotional materials, and Kara Faith, following Murphy's instructions, was also looking for stronger and more effective marketing points.

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