Gus felt his assumptions were being overturned, bit by bit. The labels he'd previously stuck onto Anson were being peeled away, one by one.
Now, it was happening again.
Gus had thought blonde hair didn't suit Anson.
Anson's own aura was relatively low-key—handsome yet sunny, elegant yet carefree. Such a flashy blonde color was too garish; not only did it not add any appeal, but it also unnecessarily detracted from his looks.
The wig was a perfect test.
But Anson had a different idea.
To him, it wasn't about whether the blonde hair looked good or not. Teenagers often made the wrong choices; the key was the sense of rebellion—it could be seen as an act of defiance.
The result?
Gus didn't like it.
He admitted that even after seeing Anson's blonde hairstyle, he still didn't like it. It looked cheaper and tackier than the wig, and he even suggested that Anson shave his head.
"At least a shaved head has character."
However!
As time passed, Gus began to understand Anson's intention.
Over the past few days, Gus had been hiding in the corners of the school, observing. He watched Anson, with his dazzling blonde hair, wandering through the campus, like a wandering soul. The students would pass by him, look at him, even pause, but never truly get close, as if an invisible barrier surrounded Anson, separating him from everyone else.
The sense of loneliness and vulnerability naturally surfaced.
A shaved head would have been too stubborn, too sharp, contrary to the tone of the movie. But this blonde hair, blooming like fireworks, subtly masked his loneliness and sorrow.
In just a few strokes, an image sprang to life.
So, Gus had judged wrong again.
For a brief moment, Gus worried he might be biased towards Anson, just finding excuses to justify his decisions. But seeing the reactions from the other students on campus confirmed it—
Anson had been wandering right in front of them for three days, yet they continued searching for his presence like headless flies.
Anson said, "They're looking for Peter Parker, not Anson Wood."
A simple statement that made one ponder deeply.
Now, Gus somewhat understood why Anson agreed to act in "Elephant." So, when he saw Anson enthusiastically volunteering as a camera assistant, Gus wasn't surprised at all. This is exactly what Anson needed right now:
Everything returning to normal.
Look, step by step, Gus was completely changing his perspective on Anson.
More importantly, the scenes of the entire movie were starting to take shape in Gus's mind.
Gus couldn't wait to see Anson's performance in front of the camera—
"Cut!"
"Alright, this scene's good. Next one."
Compared to Anson's previous works, Gus's filming style was minimalist. Although Steven's shoots were efficient, it was because of meticulous preparation beforehand. Gus, however, didn't prepare much. Everything was kept simple, and the filming progressed quickly.
In "Elephant," there weren't many scenes, but Gus had a twist in mind—switching perspectives in the same scene. This meant the same events could be presented continuously from multiple viewpoints.
But unlike those mind-bending twist movies, Gus wanted to use these monotonous, repetitive shots to reflect the dullness of school life while sketching out a vivid, lively crowd, showing different perspectives.
So, before shooting, Gus would confirm the "plot" with the students, ensuring they knew what they were doing and continued with their activities without minding the camera. Then he'd confirm the camera's movement path, ensuring the students wouldn't bump into Harris.
As for lines, actions, and other details, Gus wouldn't give much direction—students were free to improvise.
Finally, Gus would find the main character for the scene. The confirmation was mostly the same; the only difference was that the camera would focus on the main character, capturing them in close-ups, medium shots, wide shots, and so on.
The entire shoot had only a basic framework; everything else was very spontaneous.
Overall, Gus rarely nitpicked. Rather than focusing on acting details, he cared more about the actor's state and aura—what the camera aimed to capture.
The next scene's main character was Anson.
Not only Gus, but everyone in the small crew was eagerly anticipating it. However, Gus's anticipation was different from the others'.
Gus expected Anson to surprise him with his acting skills, while the others were excited to see a Hollywood actor perform up close—
In simple terms, one was from a professional perspective, while the other was just for fun.
So, what about the main character in the spotlight?
To be honest, Anson felt a bit unsure.
In the past, no matter the role or plot, there was always a script. The script had lines, expressions, and directions. With the crew's arrangement, actors could always find their place in front of the camera.
Now, without a script, nothing at all, being told to "improvise" actually made it harder to know what to do—
The hardest decision in the world is to "do whatever."
Gus told Anson to improvise, but Anson couldn't just make a dramatic entrance with a 360-degree windmill move. If he did, Anson wasn't sure if Gus would explode on the spot.
In terms of acting, Anson was still a newcomer. His previous roles had clear guidelines, giving his efforts a direction. This time, there wasn't one, so he could only rely on himself.
Whew.
This was a challenge and also a learning opportunity.
Before joining the crew, Anson had done his homework and researched the character. From wig to blonde hair to blending into the school, he was gradually building the character, step by step. Now, he just needed to follow his mental blueprint and immerse himself in the role—everything would be fine.
Anson silently reminded himself.
Then, he nodded at Gus, indicating he was ready.
But was Anson really ready?
"… Cut!"
Gus halted the filming for the first time, tilting his head, lost in thought.
"Relax a bit more, yes, just a little more relaxed."
But by the fourth interruption, Gus changed his mind again.
"Too much. I need you to pull back a bit, tighten it up. You get it?"
Again and again.
Gus kept interrupting the shoot. Even though Anson followed his directions each time, Gus remained unsatisfied, and the scene ended up with another "NG" take.
"This doesn't feel right. Let's do it again."
"This one was good, but... let's do it again."
"Hmm, one more time."
The seventh take, the tenth take—the continuous "NGs" turned the shoot into a disaster. The entire set was filled with a suffocating tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. The smiles had long faded from Alex and Eric's faces. No one knew what was going on or what to do—
So, this was the truth of Hollywood?
Were all those brilliant films actually backed by messy, amateur performances?
By the fourteenth "NG," Anson could no longer hold back, his face exhausted and serious.
"Director, we need to talk."
Wait, is this about to turn into a showdown?