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Chapter 145: The Comical Robbers
🕑 Added 2025-01-01 09:03:21 +0000 UTC"Bang!"
At the sound of the gunshot, all the crew members were momentarily stunned. They didn't know why, during the shoot, several masked men wearing hoods suddenly rushed in, glaring at the blinding lights, pulled out their guns, and fired into the air, declaring a robbery.
They were originally planning to light up the factory doors and have Beyoncé perform a dance in front of them.
Ethan's remark, "What are you hiding over there?" was directed at the lighting crew. When the lights came on, one of them was still by the tripod, blocking part of the light. Ethan had scolded him for it.
The comment "Why are you so late?" was directed at the lighting technician, as one of the light chargers had been left behind in the previous scene, and the technician had gone back to retrieve it, coming back later than the others.
These two comments led to a misunderstanding with the robbers, turning what was supposed to be a sneak attack into a full-on robbery.
However, after hearing the gunshot and those words, everyone snapped back to reality and, in a panic, quickly ducked down.
The next moment, Ethan drew his gun from his waist, crouching behind a prop box, and aimed at the robbers.
"Bang!" The bullet hit the ground right in front of Kabigo, who immediately retreated.
At the same time, Ethan, holding a microphone, shouted, "Drop your guns! Get out of the factory! Our people have you in their sights! Anyone who dares to take one more step forward will be shot dead immediately!"
Although Ethan didn't know where these people were from, since his side didn't have the advantage in firepower, he decided to bluff, hoping they would back off.
It worked. The five robbers, blinded by the powerful lights, could barely open their eyes. They struggled to see and point their guns forward, clearly unable to make out how many people were in front of them.
With their vision impaired and the threat of gunfire, Kabigo was the first to retreat. He hurriedly backed away and turned to run towards the gate.
"SHXT!" The leader of the group, a black man named Big D, realized their plan had failed and quickly followed Kabigo out.
The other three tried to escape too. But as soon as they turned, Ethan's bullet reached them.
It's common knowledge that when fleeing, you shouldn't expose your back to the enemy. Unfortunately, they didn't know this rule. Ethan, staying calm, aimed at their thighs and fired. After three shots, only three moaning unlucky men were left on the ground.
Seeing the robbers retreating and the ones who had fallen, the crew regained their confidence. Everyone began shouting "Kill them!" as they pinned down the three robbers with leg wounds, with no intention of chasing after them.
Ethan, however, was more concerned with where these robbers had come from.
Ten minutes later, before the police arrived, Ethan had gathered all the information.
It turned out that these guys were underground West Coast rappers, not well-known, and spent most of their time drinking and chasing women. They came for revenge after Beyoncé humiliated them at a party, aiming to ruin her shoot.
As for how they knew the location, it was thanks to Kabigo, who had connections with local gangsters. After asking a few friends, he found out where Beyoncé was filming.
The leader of the group, Big D, was an underground radio DJ, a close friend of LaTavia, and the leader of the other rappers.
"Ridiculous," Ethan said with a wry smile, looking at the robbers and then at Beyoncé, who looked apologetic. He didn't say much and directly called Slocum.
"Hey, find two people for me... Tell Old K, one is named Kabigo and the other Big D... What stage are we at?"
Ethan paused for a moment, "Doesn't matter, do whatever it takes. I just need them gone."
After hanging up the phone, Ethan looked at the somewhat chaotic scene and heard the sound of sirens in the distance. He sighed and said, "Well, the shoot will have to be delayed."
This incident, like a stone thrown into a pond, disappeared without a trace after a day.
No one was injured except for the three unlucky robbers, and the crew members had more idle gossip to talk about.
To ensure the safety of the crew, Ethan also asked Jay-Z to hire a local security company for protection. With security personnel holding shiny guns and wearing neatly arranged bulletproof vests, everyone finally felt secure.
Thus, the music video shoot continued for three days and was finally completed.
Beyoncé's sultry dance moves spanned from day to night, with numerous costume and scene changes, including graffiti-filled streets and burning ruins.
To capture the passionate feel of the duet, Ethan had five abandoned cars brought in, all set ablaze.
That night, with the fire lighting up the sky, the shots of Beyoncé dancing in front of the flames left every crew member in awe.
After finishing the music video for Beyoncé's new song, Ethan immediately rushed to CAA for actor auditions.
It must be said that some actors were truly destined for the movie. For example, the original Lawrence Gordon and Detective David Tapp were still on the list of candidates. As for the role of Adam, it was still confirmed that writer Leigh Whannell would play it.
As for Jigsaw, Tobin Bell was confirmed for the role, and the key characters from the original had largely remained unchanged, except for Amanda, Jigsaw's first apprentice.
The original actress for the role didn't appear, so Ethan cast Cindy, as her temperament was quite similar to the original. Cindy was just a bit more beautiful, but that could be fixed with makeup and aging effects to create the necessary contrast.
Additionally, Kyoko Fukada was cast for a small role as the intern who has an affair with Dr. Lawrence. This character appeared briefly, and her beauty and sex appeal were perfect for the role.
With the actors confirmed, the only thing left was the sets. Ethan had to praise CAA's efficiency.
The prop team completed seven completely different scenes in just three days at their rented warehouse. They even recreated terrifying killing machines according to the script and Ethan's requests.
For example, the iconic "Jawbreaker" from Saw, as well as the "Human Twister" and "Needle Pit," were made. The latter two were added by Ethan to give the movie some extra thrills, with plans to use them in the movie's sequel.
Though Ethan wouldn't use these devices in the first movie, he planned to film some scenes with them and include them as an Easter egg at the end of the film to set up the sequel.
When Whannell and Wan heard about Ethan's ideas for the devices, they couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. The props he described were all incredibly gruesome—things like a "hair-pulling vise," "furnace game," and "scalp-pulling device." Just hearing the names was enough to make one feel the pain, not to mention seeing them on screen.
Wan already had a pretty good idea of what the second movie would be about, and he knew it would make the audience hold their breath in terror.
With this exciting mood, the movie finally began shooting.
The first scene, set in a bathroom, showed Ethan's incredible control over the entire production.
"Use the small lights on the left to outline the character's edges, 30% light exposure!"
"Add some water stains on the ceiling, they need to drip every now and then! Sound technician, make sure the dripping sound doesn't overpower the dialogue."
"Leigh! Your performance needs to be more natural. I want you to show fear mixed with anger. Yes, you think you're right, you shouldn't be punished!"
"Elvis, you're calm, and that's good for this scene, but remember, you're just an ordinary person! Inside, you're cursing, so you should occasionally show a ferocious expression. Got it?"
Elvis, playing Dr. Lawrence, was one of the main characters in the film.
Ethan walked around the set, directing each department to do their job.
Wan couldn't intervene at all. He realized that everything he had thought of, Ethan had already mentioned. Even things that he hadn't thought of, Ethan had already requested.
When Ethan started filming with the camera, Wan couldn't help but marvel at his skill as an Oscar-winning cinematographer.
"Wow… incredible. He didn't even have a hint of shake throughout." Wan stood by the monitor, captivated.
The camera started by focusing on the body, then slowly zoomed out, following the blood on the floor. When it reached Leigh Whannell, it circled around the back of his head, showing the entire bathroom. Finally, as Leigh woke up, the camera steadied on his eyes, capturing the terror on his face. It immediately gripped Wan's heart, making his emotions rise with the scene.
However, as he was impressed, Greta, the assistant director, shrugged and smiled, "This is easy for Ethan."
"Easy?" Wan turned to her, surprised. Although he hadn't worked on many Hollywood sets, he had seen a lot in school and knew how difficult it was to control a shot with such precision.
"Of course. I've seen more complex shots than this. Ethan only shot it twice," Greta said with a subtle air of superiority. When she saw Wan's disbelief, she chuckled, "Just wait and see."
"Okay," Wan nodded and looked at the monitor.
And while the Saw crew worked hard, two of the robbers were being chased down, heads down, and running for their lives.
