Fox Studios.
It was already the end of July. Kathryn Bigelow entered a studio in the studio, greeted people she knew well, and soon found the actor who was telling scenes for Robert De Niro and Janet Johnston. Simon.
Today's filming was about the interaction between Butch Coolidge and the taxi driver Esmeralda Villalobos.
In order to allow the actors to perform without distractions, except for the beginning and the end, the entire plot was shot in a studio. The street scene outside the car window in the original film was obviously projected on a big screen.
Simon gave Janet the role of a female taxi driver that he liked very much. Women are also very prepared these days. When Catherine learned about this, she agreed to come to visit the class today and see how her best friend who had never appeared in front of the camera performed.
Seeing that Simon and others were busy, Catherine did not come forward to interrupt. She just nodded to Janet who noticed her, then sat down in the rest area and casually chatted with the film's producer Laura Zekins.
Producer Ron MacMillan, who had collaborated with Simon on "Run Lola Run", was sent to serve as the producer of "Dead Man". This time for "Pulp Fiction", Orion Pictures recommended Laura Zekins.
Laura Zekis is a blond woman in her thirties who has just helped Orion complete the film Starring Kevin Costner and Sean Young, which will not be released until next month. .
The two had just chatted for a few words when Simon and Janet came over together.
After hugging Catherine affectionately, Janet raised her arms and waved in front of the woman: "Kate, how are you?"
Catherine looked at Janet's pajamas-like loose red robe with flower and bird prints and her fluffy and lazy brown hair, and said: "It feels a little weird."
Janet smiled and shook her body again, revealing a pair of bare feet with nail polish under the moon-white wide-leg pants: "I think so too, but if the little bastard thinks it's good, then it must be right."
Seeing Catherine looking at him searchingly, Simon explained: "Actually, I thought about using completely red. Red represents danger, and in Eastern supernatural stories, women wearing red clothes in the middle of the night are usually not human. But a very dangerous female ghost."
Catherine felt Simon's eyes coming towards her and subconsciously avoided it a little, saying, "Then why don't you use it?"
Simon smiled and said: "Because this is a black comedy, adding surreal elements hastily will interfere with the overall style of the film."
Laura Zekins, who had just been standing next to the three of them and listening quietly, heard what Simon said and interrupted: "Simon, in this case, what about the contents of the suitcase? You never explained in the script that the What is the golden thing? It feels like there is something inside that should not exist in reality."
"This is just an Easter egg left for the audience to guess," Simon shook his head and said, "Since no one knows what is in the box, it will naturally not affect the plot of the movie."
A few people were chatting when the assistant director came over and said they could start filming again, and everyone walked towards a car model in front of the projection screen not far away. De Niro and Janet entered the car and began to take their seats. Simon checked again, then gave an OK gesture to the assistant director, and then started operating the camera himself.
Naturally, the film hired a full-time photographer, but when it came to Janet's role, Simon decided to do it himself with little thought.
When Simon is ready, the projection on the big screen and the car model operate at the same time, simulating the taxi's movement.
"Everyone is ready."
"Pulp Fiction, Scene 26, Third Time."
"Action!"
The clapperboard is laid down.
In the carriage, Robert De Niro began to tear off his injured boxing gloves. Janet, who was in the front seat, had one hand on the steering wheel, her expression showing some vigilance and curiosity, and her eyes squinting at the rearview mirror from time to time.
After a moment, Janet spoke in a soft accent she had practiced for weeks.
"Sir... Hey, sir?"
"What for?"
"You were just in that boxing match, right, that boxing match on the radio, and you were the boxer?"
"Why do you think so?"
"You are him, I know you are him. Tell me, you are him!"
Behind the camera.
At this point in the performance, Simon raised his head and gestured to everyone: "Card."
Timeout for everyone.
Simon leaned forward to the open car, gave De Niro a no-questions-asked look, and said to Janet: "Jenny, with the line 'Tell me, you are him,' I want to see your excitement, A tightness that suppresses the madness within.”
Janet paused, glanced at the rearview mirror, changed her mood slightly, and repeated the line just now: "Tell me, you are him!"
"Not even close," Simon shook his head, thought for a while, and said, "By the way, hold your breath. Hold your breath when you say this."
Janet took a breath, glanced at the rearview mirror again, and repeated again: "Tell me, you are him!"
"Don't take a deep breath in advance, otherwise your emotions will be inconsistent. Be natural and don't think of this as a performance. Remember, you are Esmeralda, a crazy and dangerous taxi driver. And then, suddenly Meeting a boxer who had just killed his opponent with bare hands, the evil deep in your heart was suddenly aroused. You became strongly curious about the feeling after killing a person, so you asked Butch relentlessly, "Simon said slightly She lowered her voice and described it seductively for a moment, feeling Janet gradually integrating into certain emotions. Finally, she raised her finger and pointed at De Niro in the back seat, saying: "Look, Ace, he is the murderer. "
With that said, Simon stepped back behind the camera again.
"Everyone is ready."
"Pulp Fiction, Scene 26, Fourth Time."
"Action!"
In the car, De Niro, who was once again covered in sweat, began to tear off the gloves on his hands again.
Behind the crowd, Catherine watched the scene quietly.
Still failed for the fourth time, Simon stepped forward again and patiently pointed out how Janet should perform. Occasionally, he would not hesitate to imitate a woman's voice and personally demonstrate to Janet how Esmeralda should speak.
Then.
The fifth time, the sixth time, the seventh time, the eighth time...
Simon kept shouting 'CUT', and then gave Janet instructions again and again without any impatience. He was completely without the mania of other directors after making many mistakes. Janet also made adjustments according to Simon's requirements without resistance, appearing extremely obedient. However, this obedience has unknowingly added a bit of madness.
Nearly two hours passed like this, and Catherine watched quietly for two hours.
At a certain moment, Catherine suddenly felt that these two people were probably going crazy.
This set of shots, which started shooting at one o'clock in the afternoon, was still repeated boringly until the end of the day. I felt the investment of a certain man and woman, and no one asked to get off work.
until seven o'clock in the evening.
The projection on the big screen lit up again, and the car model started running at the same time.
inside the carriage.
Perhaps due to fatigue, the fluffy brown hair of the woman sitting in the driver's seat seemed listless. The soft hanging hair also added a bit of coquettish and lazy aura to the woman. Her eyes were still bright, with a look in her eyes. Curiosity, the whole person is like a dangerous cat that may pounce on its prey at any time.
at this time.
Everyone in the room felt that this was Esmeralda, a taxi driver with the same name as the heroine of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
She is coquettish, charming, with an accent and a soft tone. At the same time, she suppresses a sense of danger and madness that may break out at any time, as if she will pull out a sharp blade and stab a living person in the blink of an eye. There were several holes with blood splattering.
in the lens.
The woman raised her chin slightly, and her eyes were not very sharp, but the state of being completely integrated into the character gave her a certain mysterious attraction, which even faintly surpassed the two-time Oscar winner sitting in the back row.
“…”
“…”
"So, Esmeralda, what do you want to know?"
"I wonder what it feels like to kill someone?"
"I can't tell you. If you don't tell me, I won't know he's dead, so how can I tell you how I feel. In short, I don't feel guilty at all."
“…”
The thirty-first performance is over.
The projection is still playing, the model is still running, and the two people in the carriage are all immersed in the characters. Although they are silent, they each maintain their own state.
After a while.
Simon finally looked up and said: "Good."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and could finally get off work.
Everyone began to clean up the scene quickly. Robert De Niro got out of the car, took the towel handed by the staff and wiped his body. He turned his head inadvertently, but noticed that Janet was still sitting in the car, with no intention of moving at all.
Then, everyone noticed Janet's strangeness, and Simon quickly stepped forward.