Echoes of Hollywood

"This way!"

A crew member led Murphy and Philippe Rousselot up to the open-air platform on the top floor of the Death Star Building. A helicopter was already started, its massive rotors slowly gaining speed, the roar of the engines and the whoosh of the wind making their ears buzz.

The sky was overcast, with almost no sunlight visible. Murphy carried a camera on his back, and he motioned to Philippe Rousselot and an assistant cameraman to follow him. The three of them climbed into the helicopter, where someone promptly helped them secure their seat belts and install the equipment.

"We have three hours!"

The person shouted to Murphy and Philippe Rousselot over the noise, "The air traffic control only authorized us for three hours."

"That's enough!" Murphy shouted back, "Let's take off now."

The helicopter ascended slowly, quickly speeding out of the Beverly Hills area, heading directly east toward downtown Los Angeles.

Murphy's target was the area near Old Chinatown in the city center. He planned to shoot some panoramic shots to use at the beginning of the film.

As the helicopter approached downtown, the pilot, experienced with serving Hollywood crews, skillfully adjusted to an appropriate altitude for shooting. Murphy gestured to Philippe Rousselot, and the two operated their equipment, shooting the city's buildings from either side of the helicopter.

Compared to Century City, where they had come from, the buildings here were lower, displaying a somewhat dilapidated grayish-blue and dark brown.

Of course, although downtown was far less prosperous than Beverly Hills, it still had its share of concrete high-rises.

Murphy first used a traditional film camera with a wide-angle lens for the initial circle around Old Chinatown. He then switched to a Sony electronic digital camera.

This was the only place Murphy would use digital technology for shooting.

The reason was simple: Sony's electronic digital camera far outperformed film cameras in aerial photography of buildings and cities.

When shooting cities or buildings, most directors or cinematographers would first choose wide-angle lenses due to their natural advantages in such scenes.

As in Murphy's first round of shooting, the wide-angle lens indeed proved to be essential for architectural photography.

But is the wide-angle lens the only way to capture architecture or cities? For Murphy, the answer was no. Technological advancements had given cameras more powerful functions to capture cities more comprehensively.

Though Murphy was very familiar with this area, the aerial perspective gave him a new, unfamiliar feeling.

It's in these seemingly quiet places that many crimes are hidden—drug dealing, arms trafficking, gangs...

Anyone living here for a while would inevitably see the so-called paradise of the USA from a completely different perspective.

In this film, or any film Murphy had made since entering Hollywood, he had never shot the good side of America. Influenced by the films he studied and his own thoughts, his lens often captured the country's and society's darker aspects, even in superhero films.

Thus, Murphy specifically chose this overcast weather for shooting.

Having the desired lighting conditions, he also needed excellent shooting equipment. Murphy's latest Sony electronic digital camera had a panoramic scanning function that provided a much broader view than an ordinary wide-angle lens.

The helicopter soon completed its second round.

Murphy pressed the intercom, telling the pilot, "One more circle!"

He then notified Philippe Rousselot, "Switch to black and white mode for shooting!"

The camera had a built-in black and white shooting function, which was much simpler and more convenient than using black and white film.

Honestly, the trend of digital shooting technology replacing film in Hollywood was inevitable.

The helicopter flew another round, and Murphy reviewed the black and white footage. Satisfied, he told the pilot to head back.

Although black and white footage did not convey as much information as color, it could simplify and unify a colorful scene. It purified complex backgrounds, making them harmonious and visually pleasing, filled with nostalgic flavor and offering a more profound artistic effect.

Murphy planned to use a mix of black and white and color shots of downtown Los Angeles, particularly the Old Chinatown area, at the film's beginning.

Whether the black and white shots would outweigh the color ones would be decided during post-production.

The day after shooting these scenes, the crew officially announced the start of filming for "Diego Ross" at the warehouse studio near Venice.

Many media reporters attended the on-site press conference, as 20th Century Fox aimed to boost its promotional campaign. The film naturally had a lot of talking points and controversies.

"Director Stanton, why are you making such a film?"

Although most reporters were from 20th Century Fox or News Corporation's media outlets, other reporters were present as well. Even News Corporation couldn't completely control the media's voice. As Murphy prepared to leave the press conference, a reporter suddenly stepped forward and loudly asked, "Isn't making a film that the audience is bound to dislike evidence that you really have ties to drug cartels?"

Murphy couldn't be bothered to answer the last part. No matter how he explained, it would be of no use and wouldn't be clear. So he simply said, "I create for myself. You can't decide the audience's aesthetics. Knowing their aesthetics doesn't mean you can cater to them. Even if you do, it doesn't mean you'll do it better than others. You can only wait for your aesthetics to align with the audience's; of course, you can also try to lead their tastes with foresight."

Leaving the rambling statement behind, Murphy strode away, heading to the soundstage to start filming the planned indoor scenes.

Inside the soundstage, before the official shooting began, Murphy did a second round of confirmations to avoid any oversights that might lead to subsequent problems.

For example, confirming that all shooting locations could be executed according to the schedule, confirming that all props met his requirements, confirming that each actor's styling met the standards and having the stylist take fixed photos to include in the shooting script, confirming that the cinematographer understood the desired lighting for each scene, and confirming that the sound department understood the specific sound effects needed.

Filmmaking is a process of continually solving problems. Each film's start signifies the beginning of a director's career and fate. Any mistake could spell disaster for the entire crew.

After ensuring everything was in order, Murphy took another look at his work log. A director's desk work is crucial, and relying on improvisation on set is not feasible. Given the limited time, he wasn't like Wong Kar-Wai, who could spend years just shooting a film.

With these tasks handled, Murphy circled the constructed room set and told David Roby, "The lighting is too soft! Make it harder! Darker!"

He pointed to a graffiti painting of the sun and sunflowers on the set wall and said, "Helen, get rid of this. No items related to sunlight should appear in the room."

"Got it." Helena Esparra immediately instructed her team to recheck the set background.

Assistant director Seth Rogen approached Murphy. "Anything else you're not satisfied with?"

"The set construction can't be sloppy." Murphy glanced at Seth Rogen and specifically said, "It determines the story before the camera, the on-site shooting, and post-production."

Hearing Murphy's words, Seth Rogen immediately perked up. He knew Murphy was imparting valuable experience, which was very rare.

"Lighting, color, music, and camera movement are key factors in achieving the right atmosphere for a scene or an entire film." Murphy continued as they approached the lighting team. "We enhance or change the tone as needed. There are simple ways to achieve the desired effect, and the most important is lighting. Adjusting the lighting on set is far more effective than post-production adjustments."

He added, "Music and ambient sound can also alter a film's tone in certain situations."

Seth Rogen nodded earnestly.

"With different tastes, there's no right or wrong in choosing a specific visual effect. Finding the right tone and image is your task as a director."

The two reached a camera, and Murphy glanced at the busy assistant cameraman. He said to Seth Rogen, "When shooting a scene, check the monitor to ensure it's shot as intended. Then adjust the things you can't control on set during post-production. Filmmaking isn't just about one aspect but handling different aspects comprehensively to create the best experience."

Unlike his always-joking good friend Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen had been very diligent, especially in directing. When he realized he didn't understand many basic technical and professional aspects, he did something simple: he swallowed his pride, asked more questions, studied more after filming, summarized experiences and lessons, and improved the next time.

That's why he joined this crew to continue his learning journey.

Seeing Robert Downey Jr. and Margot Robbie arrive at the set with their makeup done, Murphy stopped talking and called the two actors over to give a few instructions. Having worked together multiple times and being friends, their communication and understanding were seamless.

With everything ready, the crew began filming the scenes between Robert Downey Jr. and Margot Robbie.

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