Echoes of Hollywood

Los Angeles is dry with little rain and plenty of sunshine, with the sun almost always shining brightly in the sky, making it an ideal location for most film crews for exterior shots.

However, this wasn't ideal for Murphy's crew. His entire exterior shoot would have no sunlight, with the scenes entirely in dark tones. The abundant sunshine brought nothing but trouble. The crew had to block out the light constantly, or the film would be overexposed, which would be challenging to fix even with modern post-production techniques.

"David, the light is too bright and too soft!" Murphy's voice was heard almost every scene shot, "The light needs to be harder, and the tones darker!"

Unlike the previous "City of Chaos," this film was filled with a gloomy atmosphere and a sense of despair and absurdity. It was an extremely bleak and hopeless personal biography, something rarely seen in Hollywood.

Murphy had never expected this film to be profitable. Instead, he considered its impact during the award season. The nature of the film meant it couldn't be a commercial success, preventing it from becoming widely known, which was against Ross's wishes.

Having promised his friend, Murphy naturally wanted to do his best. For such a niche subject, the Oscars were the best way to gain fame and become known worldwide.

Historically, typical Oscar-contending films with a noir style had seen success during the award season. Films like "Chicago" in 2003, "Million Dollar Baby" in 2005, "The Departed" in 2006, and "No Country for Old Men" in 2008 were examples.

Of course, these films weren't as dark as Murphy's, which adhered to the mainstream Hollywood narrative style and were not as commercially oriented as Murphy's works.

Murphy's films, from surface to core, were entirely dark, with values that made moralists scoff.

Although he had suffered setbacks at the Oscars due to his style, Murphy wasn't planning to make fundamental changes for this film.

Is noir cinema a celebration of cynicism or a courage to face human darkness? Is it defined by its visual style, or is it determined by its controlling idea and overall narrative tone? Is its visual style merely "sinister and terrifying," or does it contain a deeper theme?

Murphy had his understanding of these questions.

Noir cinema was a very distinct artistic phenomenon in the film industry, and it was also a complex one. It wasn't derived from a theoretical concept but was a description and summary of an existing phenomenon in the film industry.

Whether in the studio or on location, Murphy's scene construction and shooting followed four basic principles.

Most scenes were lit as night scenes; compositions preferred diagonal and vertical lines over horizontal ones; actors were often hidden in city nightscapes, with their faces partially obscured by shadows when speaking, or using light and shadow to split their faces; the tension of the camera composition took precedence over the actors' body movements.

In addition to these four basic principles, Murphy used more techniques in his field shoots.

After discussing with Philip Lashell following the first few days of shooting, Murphy adjusted his shooting style slightly, preferring to use low-angle lighting, high-contrast lighting, and very hard photographic tones.

They typically used solid focal points and avoided using soft focus or fog filters to soften the image.

For example, Philip Lashell often used wide-angle lenses and small apertures to achieve a greater depth of field, creating an oppressive feeling.

In some scene setups, Murphy asked Helena Espora to add props with typical noir meanings, such as fallen angel paintings. In subsequent shoots, he had Philip Lashell use unstable camera compositions, using odd-shaped light areas and lines, objects like venetian blind shadows, doors, windows, stairs, metal frames, etc., to create a sense of separation and oppression.

Especially when using large-angle upshots and downshots.

In almost all his shots, Murphy asked Philip Lashell to compose using diagonal and vertical lines instead of horizontal lines, making the noir world feel uneasy and unstable.

In noir cinema, light enters the room in peculiar shapes, showing the audience jagged quadrilaterals, acute triangles, and vertical slits.

Murphy's handling of noir elements in this film also included a strong visual element: the use of bloody scenes.

This aspect required no further elaboration, as it had been his forte since his first films.

From expressionist painting to noir cinema, this type of visual image had been endlessly recreated and enjoyed by humans, developing into a complex and self-contained noir visual system. It had a sense of aestheticism in the vein of Oscar Wilde.

However, even if a film created a typical noir visual style, it wasn't necessarily a noir film. The decisive factor was the overall tendency of the narrative, the endless gloom and darkness in its controlling idea.

"Moist city streets, dramatic staircases, dark train stations, tilted camera angles, melancholy shadows, and dreamlike lighting effects..."

During a break, Seth Rogen was reviewing the footage Murphy had shot, seeing many typical dark elements.

"Noir cinema indeed has some commonly used iconic elements, but these aren't the decisive factors."

Holding a cup of coffee, Murphy stood behind Seth Rogen and said, "The decisive feature of noir cinema lies not in its visual treatment but in the overall hopeless tendency and dark consciousness of the narrative."

He took a sip of coffee and continued, "In our film, the theme isn't tragedy but a sense of helplessness and despair."

Seth Rogen immediately thought of a film he had seen and said, "In 'The Godfather Part III,' Al Pacino's heart-wrenching cry over his daughter's body is a tragedy brought by violence, not the complete descent into a noir world."

Murphy nodded, "Such films are filled with night, violence, guilt, and illegal passions. No other genre is as enticing."

In reality, Seth Rogen's film "This Is the End" was also influenced by his style, containing many dark elements.

"Noir cinema, a broad and unusual concept, was largely crafted after the fact, once the films themselves had already been produced."

Robert Downey Jr.'s voice rang out. He hadn't yet removed his makeup and swaggered over, saying, "Noir cinema might be the most creative period in Hollywood history. Even if judged by its average work, it surpasses the average comedy, musical, and western films... Noir cinema seems to bring out the best in directors, cinematographers, screenwriters, and actors. A noir film can represent an artist's career peak, something not uncommon."

Murphy and Seth Rogen looked at him, as did Gal Gadot, who was instructing her assistant.

Robert Downey Jr. approached Murphy, laughing, "This isn't my idea; it's from Paul Schrader's 'Notes on Film Noir.'"

"That makes sense," Murphy shrugged. "Noir cinema embodies a strong set of values. Its narrative and controlling idea have a fundamental view of the world. Its narrative mode is highly invasive and corrosive. It's like a highly contagious virus, transforming any bright, rational, and humane genre into a noir subgenre."

Murphy spread his hands, "So, recognizing human evil is an act of kindness, and creating and watching noir films is also an act of kindness."

Hearing this, others seemed to ponder deeply, except for Robert Downey Jr., who scoffed and mocked, "You love to glorify yourself."

His words reminded Seth Rogen and Gal Gadot, who couldn't help but laugh.

Murphy checked the time and reminded them, "Alright, let's get ready for the next shot."

With his command, the once quiet bar became busy. Tyrese Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. sat at the bar, briefly conversing to prepare for the shoot.

This was the bar Murphy and Ross often met at, where the owner, a friend of Ross, had offered the filming location for free.

They were about to shoot a scene showing Ross as a drug lord, a crucial moment in the film's final act.

Inside the bar, Murphy had Philip Lashell set up multiple cameras for multi-angle coverage.

Usually, a single camera would suffice for a specific scene, capturing all the footage needed.

But Murphy rarely used a single camera unless for specific scenes. He generally added a second or even third camera.

These additional cameras captured the scene from various angles. During editing, Murphy could choose different angles for a comprehensive and cohesive shot.

Every shot Murphy planned was a result of careful consideration.

_________________________

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!] 

[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]

[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter]