The filming of "Detachment" finally settled into a semblance of routine, or more accurately, it formally entered the filming phase. However, with Tony's unpredictable work style, they were never sure what constituted the "routine".
Sometimes, Tony was incredibly meticulous, demanding precision in every aspect, from lighting and angles to camera shots and especially dialogue. He detested any form of creative freedom, insisting on strict adherence to the script's lines, not even allowing the substitution of synonyms. He scrutinized every scene, aiming for perfection.
But at other times, he was carefree, stopping mid-filming to completely change the shooting plan, starting over from scratch. He had no particular demands on the actors' performance styles and methods. In fact, he gave the actors ample space, allowing them to interpret and perform in different ways before choosing the most suitable one.
The entire crew struggled to adapt to Tony's work style, stumbling and fumbling along the way, which resulted in inconsistent filming speeds.
For Renly, this kind of filming experience was entirely new. He had never encountered a director like Tony, although his own experience in filming was quite limited. However, he found it exciting because Tony continuously pushed his limits, abilities, and understanding.
On the first day of filming the first scene, Renly shot the scene a full five times, not because of mistakes but because he was continually fine-tuning his emotions during the performance. He was searching for the most fitting rhythm and pattern, hoping to achieve the effect Tony desired. It was hard to imagine that a transitional scene was shot four times, and it had no lines, no conflicts, and no dramatic elements.
This filming style could be succinctly described as "burning film."
But clearly, Tony didn't care about wasting film. He aimed for perfection, engaging in endless communication, self-reflection, not to pursue perfection or correctness, but only to find what was most suitable.
For the producers, this might be a disaster, but for Renly, it was good news. In such a simple first scene, he continuously polished his performance details and pushed himself to the limit.
As a director, Tony set the stage, then gave Renly unlimited freedom to express himself, allowing him to perform freely and creatively. Tony constantly offered different demands and experimented, giving Renly a real taste of the pleasure of versatile acting, showcasing all the skills and tricks he had learned and observed over the years.
This graduation exam truly became Renly's stage to unleash his creativity.
However, this filming style kept the entire crew in an unstable state. Sometimes, the shooting progressed smoothly, with scenes flowing effortlessly, allowing them to shoot seven to eight scenes in a day. Other times, they stumbled and encountered obstacles, unable to complete even one scene in three days.
When they initially agreed to collaborate, Tony had indicated that the filming for this project should take around a month. However, it was now apparent that this estimate was an unreliable joke. It wasn't a matter of whether the filming period would be longer or shorter, but even Tony himself didn't know when they would finish shooting. The erratic and unpredictable pace of the shoot left everyone unsure whether they could wrap up all the filming within a month.
These past few days had been a real struggle for the crew. They had been filming a bus scene for three consecutive days, yet there was still no progress. The entire crew had become irritable, like a powder keg about to explode. Even they themselves didn't know when the explosion would occur.
The difficulty of filming this scene was inherently high; it could be considered the most challenging scene since the production began. It depicted Henry and Erica's first encounter.
On that evening, Henry suffered from insomnia and couldn't sleep. So, he left his home and took a stroll outside for a while. When he returned home, he received a call from the hospital. His grandfather, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, had locked himself in the bathroom again and refused to come out. The hospital's caregivers were at their wit's end and called Henry to handle the situation.
This wasn't the first time it had happened.
Henry's mother had taken her own life in their home's bathroom when he was only seven years old, and he had been the first to discover her lifeless body. Subsequently, his grandfather had witnessed his daughter's death with his own eyes. Since then, his grandfather had shouldered the blame for her death, even after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He frequently locked himself in the bathroom, calling out his daughter's name, attempting to save her before she took her own life.
This situation was incredibly delicate; his grandfather simply wouldn't listen to anyone. Even Henry had to exercise endless patience and effort to coax his grandfather out, little by little.
Because of this, Henry had asked the hospital to remove the bathroom door lock to prevent such situations. However, the hospital staff seemed indifferent and had never followed through with the request. Whenever an incident occurred, they would call Henry to handle it. Tonight was no different.
Henry struggled for quite some time, finally managing to coax his grandfather out and get him into bed. Afterward, he saw the caregiver, who seemed groggy and unoccupied. His anger finally erupted, and he vented all his frustrations on the caregiver. He even threatened her before turning and leaving.
In truth, Henry wasn't heartless. He had noticed the caregiver's embarrassment and discomfort, as well as her vulnerability and timidity. She resembled a stray dog trembling in a downpour, utterly powerless under the weight of life. Despite this, he continued to vent his anger until he saw tears of fear in her eyes before finally relenting and leaving.
It was a tumultuous night, marred by the torment of insomnia, subjecting him to a severe test of both physical and mental endurance. The dreadful condition of his grandfather had him deeply concerned. The dark and putrid aura of impending death hung heavy, slowly seeping out. His grandfather's constant confusion and obsession with his mother awakened the nightmare buried deep in his mind—the nightmare of his mother lying lifeless and naked in the bathroom.
That day felt like drowning, caught in the painful struggle between staying afloat and sinking. This agony and torment clung to every nook and cranny of his soul, never truly healing. Prolonged suffering had left his spirit shattered, almost unbearable, making each day a mere struggle for survival. He was alive, yet not truly living.
On the bus ride home, Henry broke down completely, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. All the sadness, bitterness, and pain erupted. It was in this state that he encountered Erica.
In this scene, Henry saw Erica servicing a heavily intoxicated man in the back of the bus. After she finished, the inebriated man showed no reaction, so Erica loudly demanded her payment, only to receive a vicious slap. Recognizing the situation, Erica promptly stood up and saw Henry, his face streaked with tears, his eyes filled with sorrow and compassion. She had found herself a new target, deciding to follow Henry, waiting for the right moment to earn her first reward of the night.
This scene itself carried significant weight, lasting about two minutes in total. Not only was it Erica's introduction, but it also marked Henry's first breakdown.
According to Renly's vision, Henry's emotions were gradually unveiled, layer by layer, facet by facet, especially when facing the three female characters. The depth and layers of his emotions would bring his character to life. Therefore, this scene was even more crucial, representing the first moment of an acting breakthrough since the production of "Detachment".
Furthermore, Tony had unique demands for this scene. He was searching for a more suitable and mature angle to depict the relationship between Erica and Henry. His ideas were unclear and constantly wavering.
At times, he hoped to shoot a panoramic view inside the bus to capture the dynamic between Henry and Erica from all angles. At other times, he wanted extreme close-ups to capture the actors' facial expressions. However, the scale of Erica's service scene was too explicit, and since Sami was still a minor, some scenes couldn't be shot directly. Yet another moment, he ventured outside the bus, attempting to indirectly capture the emotions within the performance.
For two full days, it had been Tony who was constantly grappling with ideas. The actors had not had a chance to showcase their skills. Tony himself had vetoed the half-finished shots, starting over from scratch. This meant that the entire crew was unable to focus on making progress. Instead, they were constantly backtracking, returning to square one.
What's more, this bus scene took place at night, and Tony insisted on real-time, on-location filming. This meant the crew had to work around the clock, the demanding overnight shifts already pushing them to the limit. The lack of progress was deeply frustrating, and the overall morale of the crew had taken a hit.
Finally, on the third day, Tony managed to find some momentum, and filming continued sporadically. However, Renly's performance had encountered significant issues. He couldn't meet Tony's acting requirements, or perhaps Tony couldn't find satisfaction with Renly's acting rhythm and state.
Cut. Cut. Cut again!