December 25th, overcast.
Around ten in the morning, Lyman led the film crew to a location far from downtown Los Angeles.
Here, there was a warehouse-built boxing gym, streets, and a community—perfect for the scenes in "Million Dollar Baby".
There was no grandiose kickoff ceremony planned, even though Warner Bros. wanted to make some noise. Lyman refused because it wasn't necessary.
With the help of the Directors Guild of America and negotiations with the local residents, all the necessary procedures were completed, and the crew quietly began filming here.
Reporters and such, who somehow caught wind of it and came for interviews, were all politely avoided.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The set had long been prepared, and at the filming location, the voice of the production assistant soon rang out, "Let's run through it once."
Then, Lyman raised a megaphone and said, "Thomas, double-check the camera positions. The lighting team, make sure everything's in order. Sound, bring the recording equipment over..."
The rehearsal began.
A few extras started practicing their movements simply, hoping not to steal the limelight during the actual shoot.
Five minutes later, once it was confirmed that the actors' cooperation was fine, Lyman stood behind the director's monitor and said, "All departments, get ready..."
"Camera 1?"
"Okay."
"Lighting?"
"No issues."
As the heads of each department raised their hands to confirm, the script supervisor gently clapped the slateboard in front of the main camera.
"Million Dollar Baby", Scene 5, Act 1, Shot 1, "Action—"
A crisp clapboard sound rang out, and immediately, the monitor in front of Lyman displayed the footage from Camera 1. This scene was set in the gym owned by Frankie, played by Clint Eastwood. It depicted the daily training routines and the first appearance of Eddie, played by Morgan Freeman, Frankie's only friend.
The casting was consistent with the past because this character had a very magnetic voice, and he needed to provide voiceover narration in post-production. Besides Morgan Freeman, Lyman didn't know of anyone particularly suitable for the role. Moreover, the two had collaborated on "Miscreant", and Lyman was also acquainted with Clint. With a simple invitation, they readily joined the cast.
Three camera positions were set up separately.
Camera 1 was the main angle for capturing close-ups of the characters and was personally controlled by Thomas. They needed to follow the action closely, and since there were no tracks laid down and no fixed tripods, the camera had to be carried on the shoulder. This type of shoulder-mounted camera wasn't particularly heavy, but it demanded precise skills from the cameraman. There couldn't be any hand tremors; even when moving the lens, it had to maintain a very slight range of motion. If the frame shook at all, the entire shot would be ruined.
So, Thomas's skills were highly respected by Lyman. He wasn't interested in many things, and he refused to be promoted to the management level. He had a genuine passion only for camera work. His hands were as steady as an old pro's, and he understood Lyman's shooting intentions perfectly. He was undoubtedly the designated cinematographer, and Lyman couldn't bear to work without him.
Camera 2, on the other hand, was responsible for side shots with a fixed perspective and was pushed slowly along a track.
Camera 3 was even simpler; any camera assistant could handle it. Its primary role was to capture street scenery at the entrance, which would be used in post-production editing.
Clint wore a brown-gray wool coat, carried a worn-out messenger bag with parts of the outer layer peeling off, lowered his head, had slightly disheveled hair, and an unkempt beard. He looked lifeless. Only a minimal amount of makeup was applied to his face to make him appear older, with a waxy, yellowish complexion.
"Morning."
"Morning."
Clint waved his hand, returning slowly to his seat and pouring himself a glass of water.
"Cut."
Lyman scrutinized the performance and felt that something was amiss. He decisively called for a halt.
Clint turned to Lyman with a hint of confusion.
During this period, he had contemplated the role carefully, feeling that his current state matched the requirements of the scene.
"Your gaze is too sharp. Make it dimmer. You're an ordinary, average person who just had a disagreement with your daughter. When you greet again, delay it slightly. Convey a sense of deep concern."
Lyman pointed this out without reservation.
The surrounding crew members were secretly amazed.
Clint, a director himself, was a heavyweight in the industry.
But even he earnestly pointed out his own shortcomings.
Clint thought for a moment and found Lyman's advice to be spot-on.
A loser in life shouldn't look as bland as he did just now.
He nodded and returned to his position, preparing to start over.
At this moment, he was just an actor.
"Action, one more time. The eye expression was good, but your posture is wrong. Your shoulders should droop a little, and your movements should be more relaxed."
"Morgan, your greeting wasn't right. Wait until he's about to pass you before you say hello. Let's do it again..."
Originally, Hilary was chatting quietly with Ashley in a corner of the set. The two minor actors had trained together, were somewhat familiar, and since the rest of the crew was relatively unknown to them, they hesitated to approach others.
Everything around them was so new. Then, they saw the director continuously calling for retakes, and the two veteran actors listening earnestly.
There was a reason why Lyman interrupted the shoot each time. Every time, he pointed out areas for improvement.
Ashley had worked on quite a few sets, even though his roles were minimal. Still, it was his first time seeing a director so dedicated.
Hilary needed no explanation. As the female lead, she was worried when she realized she was also being asked for improvements. If she couldn't meet the director's requirements...
In an instant, she felt a cold sweat forming on her skin.
"Director Lyman is amazing. No wonder his movies are always so successful," Ashley said beside her, seemingly on the verge of becoming a fanboy.
Lyman truly understood how to coach actors.
It wasn't about having advanced acting techniques; it was about getting the actors into the best possible state during filming. Striving for perfection.
Heath Ledger, Jason Statham... all were examples. Tom Cruise, in particular, seemed to have had a breakthrough after "Miscreant", as if his creative channels had been unblocked. Although he quickly reverted to his previous style and signed an agreement with Paramount Pictures to shoot "Mission: Impossible 3", where he needed to be charismatic and cool, his return to his authentic self was undeniable.
"Okay."
Hilary responded twice. She turned her head and picked up the script from her chair to browse through.
Ashley had been waiting for a while without hearing a word from his buddy. When he finally looked back, he felt like there was a dark cloud above his head.
Come on, was this necessary?
On the other side, after the fourth take, things finally went smoothly.
Lyman reviewed the footage on the monitor and was quite satisfied.
As he nodded, the atmosphere on the set lightened up.
The first shot was completed.