Echoes of Hollywood

If Murphy's friends were in trouble, he would definitely help without hesitation. However, it was a different story for someone he had only collaborated with once, even if that person was a Hollywood star he once admired greatly.

Murphy wasn't someone who possessed universal compassion, nor did he hold any lofty ideals about saving the world.

For him, belonging to his social stratum, the principle was simple: one should get something in return for what they give.

Thus, while providing a loan to Nicholas Cage, Stanton Studios also signed a formal contract with him.

The contract stipulated that the $20 million was an advance payment for Nicholas Cage's salary for the three movies he would star in, which were to be co-financed by Stanton Studios, and he was to play significant roles in each.

With an average cost of less than $7 million per movie, hiring a star of Nicholas Cage's caliber was quite a bargain, especially since he hadn't yet become known as the king of bad movies.

Later, Murphy thought about the project he was about to undertake and decided not to use Nicholas Cage in "Inglourious Basterds."

The screenplay and project proposal for "Inglourious Basterds" were next on Murphy's agenda.

He visited Quentin Tarantino at the hospital once again and had a brief discussion about the project. This was their first meeting after finalizing the agreement, and the maverick director had several pointers for Murphy.

Leaving the California Medical College, Murphy first tasked 20th Century Fox with handling these potential issues.

Initially, Quentin Tarantino wanted to make the movie as an "Italian Spaghetti Western" and had planned to title it "Tales of France During Its Fall," but later he decided to go with "Inglourious Basterds."

The title was problematic because an Italian film titled "Act of Valor," which had been released in North America in 1978, was also known as "Inglourious Basterds."

To minimize potential copyright disputes, after consulting with Murphy, the people from 20th Century Fox approached the director of that Italian film. Enzo Castellari, the director of "Act of Valor," agreed to let Murphy use the name "Inglourious Basterds," with the condition that he would make a brief cameo in the film.

This condition was hardly an issue, and both Murphy and 20th Century Fox readily agreed.

Regarding the screenplay, Murphy intended to use the outline provided by Quentin Tarantino as the main thread, but since he was directing the project, it couldn't be shot and produced in Quentin's style; their styles were similar but not identical.

Thus, Murphy hired a team of five scriptwriters to help him quickly finish the screenplay for "Inglourious Basterds."

As long as he could manage this team well, having multiple people could indeed add more creativity to the screenplay writing.

Creativity is the ability to express oneself and solve problems, and in these aspects, Murphy needed a plethora of great ideas. But good ideas don't come out of thin air; they require a lot of time and energy, hence the saying, "You never know the worth of water until the well is dry."

To generate good ideas and stories, the most common method used by scriptwriters is "brainstorming," where the team gathers to discuss solutions to problems.

However, such brainstorming couldn't be limitless; it needed to be appropriate for the film, with Murphy providing the necessary restrictions and guidance.

Murphy's first step was to ensure that the entire scriptwriting team had a clear understanding of the script's direction, theme, and situation, as confusion and anxiety often stem from a lack of clarity on these elements.

Seeing the theme, scriptwriters naturally began to generate their own ideas, which needed to be recorded. Scriptwriters are never short of ideas, but what they lack are good, film-worthy ideas. Murphy's team each had many innovative ideas daily, especially at night.

So, he had each scriptwriter carry a pen and notebook with them at all times, even when sleeping, so they could jot down any sudden ideas.

Different ideas from different people could lead to conflicts and collisions. After recording a sufficient number of ideas, Murphy would gather all the scriptwriters for a smooth face-to-face communication session, which is what Hollywood team scriptwriting and brainstorming are all about.

Brainstorming is an excellent opportunity for cognitive exchange and collision. When Murphy discussed issues with his colleagues, he recorded the discussions on a tape recorder. Regardless of the idea, it was written down and pinned on the wall. Every 15 minutes, the team took turns sharing a solution. In the last 15 minutes, they reviewed all discussions and problem lists, often discovering many issues.

After gathering a wide range of ideas, it was necessary for someone capable of making decisions to do so, and naturally, this task fell to Murphy. This was his personal brainstorming session, where he would reflect on the outcomes of

 the team's brainstorming and delve deeper into analyzing and understanding the problems from various angles.

Work could not neglect rest. When Murphy had a general outline of the plot and scenes, he could take a break and do something completely different. Inspiration often strikes unexpectedly, like during a shower or while imagining a fight between Superman and Wonder Woman.

While resting, Murphy also made sure to keep active. Appropriate exercise could get the blood pumping, much like Aristotle, who was known as a "peripatetic philosopher" due to his habit of walking during teaching and brainstorming sessions.

Murphy would capture every idea related to "Inglourious Basterds," no matter its immediate usefulness, and record it timely using a notebook or recording device.

During this period, he came up with some crazy ideas, but he didn't discard them or limit his thinking to conventional norms. Due to the film's theme and content, he instead let his thoughts run wild. He didn't worry whether these ideas were foolish or highly improbable; he simply followed where his thoughts led.

Many problems aren't without solutions; it's just that people are afraid to think about them.

Thinking too much can lead to doubts, and when necessary, Murphy would ignore the inner criticisms.

When he faced problems, a voice inside always told him, "This idea isn't good, this won't work."

It was this voice that hindered progress, and it never stopped. But its job wasn't to work; its job was to question and criticize.

A successful director must learn to differentiate and listen to the positive voice inside, the voice that is young, vibrant, daring, and creative.

In the end, Murphy was about to transform Quentin Tarantino's story.

For every movie he watched or book he read, he could rethink it from three different perspectives: perhaps its beginning wasn't like this, or the story happened somewhere else. At the end of the film or story, he could also imagine three different endings: tragic, comedic, or open-ended.

Thus, Murphy led his scriptwriting team to quickly complete the first draft of "Inglourious Basterds." The first draft was like walking barefoot across a meadow, keeping it romantic, mischievous, and absurdly comical.

Next came the more detailed revision work.

Murphy was involved throughout the scriptwriting process, though not in the usual way where he did everything himself. As a director and scriptwriter, he was also trying a new mode.

In Hollywood, there are generally two types of directors: those who write their own scripts and those who do not.

It's rare for someone to excel at both, alternating between films they've written themselves and those written by others.

This isn't to say that one type of director is more commendable than the other; they're just different. Writing your own script results in a movie with a personal touch, a style that quickly becomes apparent, with recurring interests.

Thus, when facing such directors' works, the audience is encountering a personality.

If a director adapts someone else's screenplay, he might direct exceptionally well—if the script is good—and a great movie might result. However, he will never have the personal touch that a writer possesses.

Once this distinction is made, I believe all directors should make films for themselves. Their responsibility is to ensure that, no matter what obstacles they face, the movie remains their own from start to finish.

At his home in Santa Monica, Murphy sat next to Gal Gadot, who was flipping through the script's first draft, and said, "A director must always be the master of the film. Once he becomes a slave, he becomes numb."

Gal Gadot looked up, curious, and said, "Do you mean not to care about the audience?"

"No!" Murphy shook his head without hesitation. "I mean that the film you make should first satisfy yourself. I'm not saying you should despise the audience. Personally, I feel that if you make a film that satisfies you and is well-made, then the audience will like it, or at least a part of the audience will."

"Mmm..." Gal Gadot nodded repeatedly, her eyes returning to the script. She laughed as she read the ending, "What a Jewish revenge feast."

She turned to Murphy and said, "Dear, thank you."

Murphy shrugged but didn't continue her thought. This so-called Jewish revenge feast was only for the needs of the film and had nothing to do with Gal Gadot's ethnicity.

Gal Gadot looked at the final ending. Murphy shook his head and casually remarked, "Why didn't the Jews fight back then?"

"What?" Gal Gadot immediately looked at Murphy.

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