Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

"Cut!"

"Scene sixty-one, tail slate!" As director Patty called for a halt, the crew quickly moved in, clapping the slate in front of the camera to mark the end of the shot.

It was the second day of shooting, and they were close to completing all the forest scenes.

Charlize Theron walked over to the monitor, where Patty and Ethan were reviewing the playback.

"How was it?" she asked, feeling exhilarated after the scene. Ethan's earlier suggestion had proven spot on—the eerie atmosphere created by the complex interplay of light and shadow had helped her immerse herself in the protagonist's mindset, as if treading on the edge of a cliff. The environment had accentuated her emotional intensity, making her performance more powerful than before.

"Excellent! Charlize!" Patty exclaimed, her spirits lifted by the smooth filming process, a far cry from the dejection she felt after being criticized by Ethan earlier.

Charlize shifted her gaze to Ethan, the film's art director in name but currently acting as more of a creative leader. He frowned slightly as he scrutinized the monitor, waiting for Patty to turn her attention before saying, "I think your performance was a bit too restrained. While subtle acting can be sophisticated, this isn't the time for it, Charlize."

"Why not? I just killed someone. My inner turmoil needs time to settle. Isn't that appropriate?" Charlize asked, puzzled.

"But you're not experienced yet," Ethan explained. "This is only your second kill. Do you think you've already grown accustomed to it?"

"You have to understand—right now, the scales in your mind are weighing murder against money. Compared to the thrill of earning money, you're still more worried about the consequences of killing someone. It's only after you've killed one, two, three, and more without facing any repercussions that you'll start to feel at ease and become numb. So, for now, you need heavy breathing and a forced sense of ferocity."

Ethan tapped his fingers on his knee as he continued, "Yes, forced ferocity. When you become truly desensitized to killing, there won't be any emotional fluctuation. But for now, you need to mask your inner panic with an aggressive demeanor. You feel no sympathy for these victims—you think they deserve it! But at the same time, deep down, you're worried about becoming the next target."

"So, moving from worry to numbness, there's a process, Charlize."

"Yeah…" Charlize nodded thoughtfully.

Good actors are like that—once you point out the emotional beats they need to hit, they adjust their performance immediately.

"Should we reshoot, Patty?"

Patty nodded. "Go ahead, Charlize. Let's try it Ethan's way."

"Alright."

Once everything was set up again, filming resumed, with Ethan focusing intently on the monitor.

In the shadowy forest, a silver sedan sat with two occupants inside: Charlize Theron and a middle-aged driver.

"Call me Daddy while I'm doing you," the driver said, pulling out his wallet.

Charlize turned to him. "Oh, I will. Do you like doing your own kids?"

"What?" The driver frowned, his face contorting in disbelief.

"Just kidding," Charlize replied, baring her teeth in a wide grin. Her laughter echoed inside the car, gradually coaxing a smile back onto the driver's face.

"Daddy," Charlize said smoothly, "See? I said it. I do this all the time."

"Twenty bucks, right?" The driver's smile grew broader, and he began counting the money faster.

"Exactly."

The next moment—bang!

Blood sprayed everywhere.

The driver stumbled out of the car, collapsing onto the grass. His blue-and-white striped underwear was still visible, but he no longer had the strength to cover himself.

Charlize, meanwhile, began panting heavily after the killing. The interplay of moonlight and car window shadows obscured her eyes on screen, leaving only the whites visible along with the violent rise and fall of her chest.

"Stupid bastard!" she muttered. But she wasn't done yet. Noticing the driver was still breathing, she glanced around nervously, her agitation growing as she confirmed there were no witnesses.

Raising the gun again, she fired another shot.

Bang!

"Cut!"

"Perfect," Ethan said as he stood up, satisfied with the take.

Walking toward the car, he noticed Charlize was still struggling to shake off the scene's intense emotions.

It had to be said that Charlize's portrayal of the character made her intimidating to those on set. Few people wanted to approach her because even casual conversations felt unnerving. Her makeup alone was enough to leave a lasting impression, particularly on children.

"How are you feeling?" Ethan asked, though he himself felt no fear—he'd been through enough training with Tom to stay calm, even if faced with a real killer.

"Not bad… just catching my breath," Charlize said with a faint smile. For actors, fully immersing themselves in a role is a daunting task, but stepping out of that mindset after the scene is even harder.

It's akin to finishing a favorite TV series, leaving you with a lingering sense of loss and yearning that can last days, weeks, or even months.

"What's the next scene?" Charlize asked, ever the professional.

"A simple one—a bedroom scene."

The movie's scenes were broadly divided into three settings: the forest, interiors, and outdoor roads.

With the forest scenes nearly complete, they were moving on to shoot the intimate relationship between Charlize's character and her lover, Shelby.

This included Ethan's specialty—bedroom scenes.

Well, it had been a while since Ethan had shot anything of this nature since arriving in the U.S. The thought brought a nostalgic smile to his face.

However, when the crew moved indoors and Ethan saw Patty's approach to the bedroom scene, he couldn't hold back his frustration.

"Patty! A bedroom scene isn't just a filler! It's not there just to exist! What do you want to convey through this scene?"

"To show their relationship progressing? Then you need to depict the urgency and passion of new love! Messy sheets, blankets, sweat, and skin colliding."

"But look at what you've filmed—dull and lifeless. It's just taking clothes off! And then what?"

"This won't do at all. The scene needs to be redone."

Ethan disrupted Patty's plans once more. However, she no longer seemed as dejected as before. Instead, she appeared relieved and handed over control of the scene to Ethan.

And so, Ethan temporarily stepped in as the film's director.

After directing the lighting crew to switch the room's illumination to a warm, sultry yellow glow, Ethan cleared the set of unnecessary personnel, leaving only himself, Patty, and the two actors.

Standing by the camera, Ethan instructed, "Charlize, Christina. I need you to be bold for this scene. Are you comfortable with that?"

Charlize agreed without hesitation. Christina Ricci, playing Shelby, followed suit.

"Good. You need to show intense passion, like lovers deeply entwined. Charlize, especially you—you've just killed someone and are in desperate need of release. Start passive, then take control. Christina, you start dominant, then relinquish control."

"Got it," Charlize said, tightening the white towel around her body.

As the two actresses prepared, Ethan lifted the camera himself, opting not to use a fixed setup.

Charlize and Christina exchanged a glance before slowly sitting on the bed. Under the camera's gaze, they fell back onto the mattress.

They began with kisses. Christina removed Charlize's towel, and as the bed creaked rhythmically, the scene grew increasingly heated. Beads of sweat and gentle caresses added an intensity that captivated even Patty.

It wasn't until Ethan called "Cut" that the actresses stopped.

"Great work. Let's do another take! Christina, hold back a bit with your movements," Ethan said, slipping into an old habit. He adjusted the camera.

"Okay."

After finishing the second take, Ethan returned to the monitor with the footage.

"Ethan, that was incredible," Patty said. Although her directing skills weren't top-notch, her appreciation for quality was clear.

"It's decent, but the preparation was lacking," Ethan replied modestly. Still, given the limited focus on bedroom scenes in the film, he deemed the result satisfactory.

With the bedroom scene wrapped up, the Monster crew settled into a steady production rhythm, with Ethan taking on an increasingly central role, almost akin to a producer.

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