From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Undoubtedly, the filming of "Spider-Man 2" presented a challenge to the entire crew, including the props, set design, stunt, visual effects, and acting teams.

Sam Raimi conceived a grand and spectacular fight scene, and everyone on the crew believed that once filmed, it would undoubtedly shock the audience. But the key question was: how to film it? How to transform imagination into reality? How to accomplish the impossible on film?

This is precisely a significant hallmark of mature Hollywood genre films: they always find ways to accomplish impossible tasks and continuously create dreams.

"Anson, are you sure?" Alfred looked at Anson, a hint of worry still showing in his eyes.

In fact, Spider-Man wears a mask throughout, and the audience can't see his face at all. Plus, the fight scenes incorporate computer-generated effects, making it even harder to distinguish. There would be no problem using stunt doubles for these scenes.

However, Anson still insisted on performing as much of the stunt work as he could within his capabilities, leaving only the most difficult stunts to professionals.

Alfred didn't hide his surprise.

"If I didn't need to have my face on screen all the time, I wouldn't be standing here suffering," Alfred grumbled.

Doctor Octopus also had a stunt double, but the problem was that he didn't wear a mask, and his face was exposed most of the time, so Alfred still needed to do it himself.

Fortunately, Doctor Octopus himself was rather clumsy, and the difficulty of the action scenes all lay in the tentacles. Alfred didn't need to worry about his own agility.

Anson was immediately amused. "I guess that's the price of being an actor, right? Holding a check for millions of dollars, you can't just sit on the sidelines and let these young guys with two fewer zeros on their paychecks charge to the front lines, can you?"

A hint of admiration flashed in Alfred's eyes, but his words were teasing, "Millions of dollars? It should be more than that."

Anson spread his hands. "So, we need to be even more dedicated."

"Haha," Alfred laughed. "Not all actors are like that."

"Ahem, Johnny Depp, ahem." A stunt performer who was preparing nearby coughed loudly, seemingly complaining in a roundabout way.

However, after Anson and Alfred both looked over, he put on an innocent expression, as if he didn't know what was going on.

Anson chuckled. "See, I'm just trying to avoid things like that from happening. Besides, the director also wants me to do it myself. Even though you can't see the face, the body shape, movements, and habits are still different."

"That's why I accepted professional kung fu training in the first place."

"You agree, right, Director?"

The last sentence was shouted directly towards the monitor.

Sam: Ahem, ahem.

Choked by his own saliva.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the fact was that Sam was very strict. From the first film in the series, Sam had hoped that the actors could deliver convincing performances. It wasn't prejudice or a special request, but simply for the sake of the film's effect. He wanted the film to meet his standards.

And this time, due to the omnipresent pressure, Sam's demands were even stricter and more demanding, striving for perfection. This crucial scene had reached its peak. Even back at the New York studio, Sam had already begun preparing and rehearsing, demanding perfection in every detail.

Although Sam didn't say it directly, his attitude was clear—

He wanted Anson to personally perform the main action scenes.

The demeanor, the habits, the body shape—the perception they conveyed was indeed different. Moreover, these fight scenes were also part of the performance. Spider-Man's urgency and anxiety, struggle and pain objectively existed, conveyed through body language, laying the foundation for the texture of the scene. Anson naturally had an aura that belonged to Anson, and Sam needed Anson to fully immerse himself in the role of Peter Parker.

It wasn't just about doing it himself, but also about hoping that Anson would go all out.

At this moment, having been called out by Anson, Sam was uncharacteristically embarrassed.

After clearing his throat twice, Sam lowered his voice but said what needed to be said, "That check might be bigger than you guys imagine."

Roar, roar, roar.

Instantly, there was an uproar.

Anson, who had become the target of the teasing, didn't mind. He spread his hands, his face full of composure. "It seems that 100% of my energy today might not be enough. I'll need at least 120%. For the sake of the check, I'll try to squeeze some out."

Hahaha.

The whole place erupted in laughter.

Anson appeared particularly calm, looking at the two stunt performers next to Alfred. "To ensure smooth filming, shall we rehearse the sequence of moves again? I don't mind you guys taking this opportunity to exploit me a bit."

The answer is a combination of reality and illusion.

At this moment, Alfred was wearing an equipment similar to a posture corrector, with a suction cup on his back, extending four metallic tentacles—

Purely props.

The material was lightweight. Not to mention adults, even an ordinary child could lift it, ensuring that Alfred could still move nimbly after equipping it, avoiding any impact on his performance.

At the same time, the tentacles could freely extend and retract, simulating the appearance of real metal tentacles. The difference was that two stunt performers were needed here to operate them.

The two people were wearing green bodysuits, covering themselves from head to toe, so that they could be easily erased in post-production.

The two people stood to the left and right of Alfred, each responsible for two tentacles, and they would control the tentacles to fight with Anson.

In other words, it was indeed "three heads and six arms," with Anson facing three people alone.

The key was the cooperation of the four people. Not only did Anson and Alfred need to coordinate their acting, but the movement routes of the two stunt performers also needed to be coordinated. Only with the concerted efforts of all four could the filming of this scene be completed.

This was how wide shots and close-ups were handled.

Close-up shots would need to be taken separately, with a stunt performer manipulating a single tentacle to engage in a life-or-death struggle with Anson, making it easier for the camera to capture the details of the head-on collision. The entire filming process required a clear mind, capturing all the images from different camera angles and tracks into the lens.

In other words, the director had to have a picture and rhythm in his mind.

Not only the actors, but the props, photography, and visual effects teams were all on standby, ensuring that the filmed footage met the requirements.

Clearly, this was a completely different filming method from "Elephant."

But the wonderful thing was that whether it was "Elephant" or the "Spider-Man 2" crew, all required rehearsal, cooperation, and the concerted efforts of the entire crew.

Anson was no stranger to this.

Rehearsing again and again, time after time. The actors needed to cooperate with each other, but more importantly, they also needed to coordinate with the camera's movement route—

In real life, running at full speed is just running at full speed, but in film, running at full speed needs to be controlled, because the actor and the camera must interact. This is the only way to present wonderful shots.

After rehearsing many times, the crew was finally ready.

Next was the practical application.

"Action!"