As soon as Arsha walked in, she immediately caught Sinéad's interest.
With her blonde hair, angelic face, deep brown eyes perfect for portraying emptiness, and a sweet, innocent smile, Sinéad's first reaction was to turn to Eva and say, "This girl is great, she has a very Saoirse Ronan feel."
Eva, naturally wanting to speak well of her friend, added, "Absolutely, I think she's perfect."
Sinéad wasn't looking for stellar acting skills in this audition; for an MTV video, the focus was more on appearance and aura. She had Arsha spin around and then asked with a smile, "Your name is Arsha, right? You look like a larger version of Saoirse Ronan."
Arsha smiled sweetly, "Really? That's an honor. Although I'm four years older than Saoirse Ronan."
Sinéad then asked a few more questions about Arsha, keeping the interview brief before moving on to the next actress. However, during the subsequent auditions, Sinéad couldn't stop mentioning Arsha. Arsha, with her traditional European beauty, stood out as an unforgettable angelic blonde with a captivating smile.
Eva knew that despite Arsha's angelic exterior, she had a devilish side, particularly her ambition to win over Kristen Stewart. This thought made Eva smirk.
After all the auditions were done, Sinéad asked for Eva's opinion. Naturally, Eva strongly recommended Arsha, believing she was the best fit. Sinéad agreed.
Ultimately, Sinéad had her assistant notify Arsha that she was selected and should report for filming the following week.
As Eva left the studio, she was surprised to find Arsha waiting for her at the door. As soon as she saw Eva, she hugged her tightly. "Eva, I got the part! Oh yeah!"
Eva patted Arsha's soft hair, catching a whiff of her shampoo. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming to audition?"
Arsha proudly replied, "Of course, I had to rely on my talent. If I had told you, you might have helped me prepare, and then it wouldn't have been solely based on my ability."
Eva realized that Arsha was a bit like her present self, determined to rely on her own efforts rather than trying to please others. With this outlook, she felt a deeper connection with Arsha.
They went out for dinner, where Arsha excitedly talked about her idol Kristen Stewart's latest news. Eva massaged her temples, trying to listen patiently.
The following week arrived quickly, and Eva and Arsha began their work on the shoot.
Before they started, the crew had already been discussing the director and actress. Many were shocked to learn that the director was a complete novice. Given how important this MTV was to Sinéad, with significant funds invested, how could she hire a complete newcomer? Was Sinéad making a mistake, or did this girl truly have exceptional talent?
Although Eva had won the short film competition, most of the attention it garnered came from ad agencies, media, and students, not industry professionals. Many hadn't paid much attention to the competition or the winners.
"I think Sinéad is very cautious. Maybe this girl really has some extraordinary talent."
"She's only 18... What kind of talent could she have? In this industry, age equals experience. Very young directors generally aren't very good."
"Then why would Sinéad choose her? What was she thinking?"
As Eva and Arsha entered, the conversation ceased. The crew realized that their job was to get paid for their work. Whether Sinéad was making a mistake or if the MTV would turn out poorly didn't really matter to them.
Eva greeted everyone, and the day's work began.
"Girl on the Ruins"
The script depicted a future world with highly advanced civilizations, where human society was nearly in a state of "anarchy." Various powerful nations attempted to dominate the world, secretly experimenting on ordinary people to create enhanced beings.
An American doctor created a super-strong artificial girl and sold her to the US government, claiming she could help them conquer the world. However, upon witnessing the ugliness and greed in human society, the girl changed her mind.
She believed that the disordered society was beyond saving and that only through destruction could it be reborn. Ultimately, in a war of artificial beings, she destroyed them all, and the world perished at her feet.
The story, driven by typical apocalyptic and violent themes, wasn't about the plot but about the world-building, visual creativity, and thought-provoking examination of human nature.
Arsha played the lead role, a sweet-looking, blonde artificial girl with complex emotions and an empty gaze. Despite her beauty, Arsha's performance felt off from the start.
The cameraman was the first to notice something strange but kept quiet, as he was already skeptical of Eva as a director and didn't want to interfere. However, he didn't anticipate that Eva had an experienced eye and quickly spotted the problem with Arsha's performance.
Approaching Arsha, she said, "Arsha, you've done a lot of stage acting, so you might not know this about being on camera."
Arsha blinked her big eyes. "What do you mean? Am I not acting right?"
Eva summarized succinctly, "Please don't look directly at the camera."
Arsha was stunned. "Don't look at the camera?"
Stage actors are used to looking at the audience, but for MTV and films, staring at the camera looks unnatural. Arsha finally understood. "You're right, Eva. I shouldn't look at the camera."
The shoot continued.
Gradually, the cameraman, assistant director, and other crew members realized what set Eva apart from other directors: her unique ability to construct imaginative worlds with a distinct aesthetic.
Dark, murky, and richly layered colors characterized her work. The scenes were mostly in shades of blue and brown, with red used sparingly yet powerfully, such as in the aristocratic red house or Arsha's red dress, enhancing the visual impact.
Occasionally, Eva used bright blue, like the pale blue sea Arsha swam in, with ugly mechanical planes flying overhead. This was Eva expressing her worldview.
Eva shot the scenes out of order, starting with the final scenes. Despite much of the filming being done against a green screen, her standards for the actors remained high.
She spent a lot of time with Arsha, trying to perfect a scene where Arsha stood high above, watching the city's destruction. Eva explained, "Your eyes should be empty but filled with human compassion. You pity the people, but you're also ruthless."
Arsha struggled to grasp this, taking a long time to get it right. Although she wasn't naturally talented, Eva's persistence paid off, and they finally got the shot.
Due to spending so much time on this scene, Eva wrapped up the day's shoot. She had a habit of working on post-production effects while filming. While complete effects weren't possible, she liked to add rough effects to see how the footage would look, aiding her in better grasping the project.
After several days of shooting, Sinéad visited the set one evening to see how Eva's work was progressing. When she arrived, Eva was working with the effects team on the final shot of Arsha.
What Sinéad saw on the screen was astonishing.
In a retro-fantasy style, steel constructs and chaotic urban scenes filled the frame. Beneath the seemingly dazzling lights was an underlying sense of coldness, dampness, and despair.
This was Eva's vision of a future city: decadent, ugly, complex, oppressive, and hopeless. A ray of sunlight fell on Arsha's face, and a white kitten jumped onto her shoulder, making Arsha look like an angel descended to earth.
Yet her empty, compassionate gaze suggested it wasn't that simple. The camera panned down to her feet, revealing a stark contrast to the serene scene above—a scene of utter destruction below.
Explosions, collapsing buildings, and falling bodies signified the end of the world. Arsha stood amidst a kaleidoscope of light, with a trailing aura behind her.
An angel bringing destruction, the juxtaposition of ethereal singing and violent imagery was both beautiful and shocking.
Sinéad was mesmerized. She had never envisioned the MTV achieving such an effect under Eva's direction. The use of color, composition, and frame work was unlike anything she'd seen before.
Sinéad realized that Eva, capable of creating such a powerful visual impact, was indeed a genius. She had an epiphany:
If in the future, people saw a girl standing on ruins, they might not think of Arsha, but they would undoubtedly think of Eva Cody.