ALL NOVEL 401. new take.
In the studio and at the police station, numerous files were being processed, shuttled back and forth with no mercy. Everyone was organizing in preparation for the arrival. At the prison, they were already conducting multiple takes—at least six in the first week-long, confessional shots that didn’t matter much because most of the cast had completely memorized their lines. Each take was tangled in a web of complexity. It was night, and Billy was sitting in a car, but it was all a studio, meticulously recreated, with every location perfectly arranged.
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Take 2. L.A.,
THE SETTING: A row of prefab houses for veterans, a neon Santa sleigh, and Christmas lights strung in front. We see a fat man intimidating a woman. She, with a swollen face, around 35 years old, and black curly hair, backs away as he rages at her.
A car pulls up in front, a Packard. Stensland couldn’t care less. Meanwhile, Bud’s fingers tap rhythmically on the car seat, holding a cigarette between his fingers.
STENSLAND: Leave it for later, Bud. We’ve got to pick up the rest of the booze and head back to the station.
Bud shuts off the ignition and grabs the radio.
BUD: Central, this is 4A-31. Send a prowler to 1486 Evergreen. White male in custody. Code 623.1. Domestic violence and battery. I won’t be here, but they’ll see him.
He steps out toward the house. Inside, we hear SLAPS, MUFFLED SCREAMS. Bud grabs an electrical wire hanging from the roof and yanks. The sleigh crashes to the ground, REINDEER EXPLODING around it. A beat. The fat man rushes out to investigate, stumbling over Rudolph.
Bud charges him. The man tries to swing but misses. Bud grabs him by the hair and smashes his face into the pavement. Once. Twice. Teeth slide across the sidewalk.
The raw power Billy displayed in the scene was a stark contrast to the character’s usual demeanor. We see his brutal side, yet at the same time, there’s something detached, lost. However, his once-decent appearance now becomes harsh, rugged, and brutal.
Clumsily, Bud cuffs the man.
BUD: Touch her again, and I’ll know. Got it? Huh?
Another faceful of gravel. The fat man’s WIFE watches with apprehension from the steps as Bud cuffs her husband, hands behind his back, and empties his pockets. A wad of cash and car keys. Bud looks at her.
BUD: You got somewhere to go?
She nods. Bud hands her the keys and the cash.
BUD: Go fix yourself up.
WIFE: (nodding, determined) Merry Christmas, huh?
Bud watches as she gets into an old pre-war Ford in the driveway. As she pulls away, she runs over a blinking reindeer.
STENSLAND: You and women, man. What’s next? Kids and dogs?
-Cut,- Curtis called out.
...
Two streets down, they kept filming well into the night. A shootout, an arrest—quick, short scenes, each no more than a minute or two. It was fast-paced, and without hesitation, they captured several moments on film, jumping from one setup to another.
-We need to head to the station, and fast,-- Curtis said, on fire, directing multiple shots with a mobile camera, giving no warning as he captured the next rapid take.
Billy was reading the script. He had been cast as Bud for two reasons: his acting ability and to contrast the romantic tension with Kim Basinger. The role required a cop with a subtle, ironic affection for an older woman, a perfect and provocative touch that added a new layer to Bud’s character, somewhat reminiscent of his role in Se7en. Everything felt connected.
-Got it, Director,-- Billy replied, knowing the details of the shoot. The first scenes with Billy had already been captured—mostly solo takes. What remained were the ensemble shots with the other actors.
The Pixar team was relentless in their work, already diving into their next projects for their franchises. Team One at Pixar was focused on producing Toy Story 2, which many considered the best of the toy franchise, aiming for a release by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Team Two was working on what would become one of the most controversial and successful classics of animated cinema, Shrek. The script was groundbreaking, portraying a completely different approach that the second team was now striving to perfect.
- The sequence, the story, everything—it’s just magnificent, - commented James Conniganh, as he looked over the storyboards delivered by Billy, along with the perfectly chosen color palette.
--I love the character design, - added Peter Docter. “Billy mentioned he has at least three sequels in mind, but I think we should also create some quick holiday specials—maybe for Halloween or Christmas. A Valentine’s special would be wonderful given the tone of the movie.”
Docter was overseeing the entire animation process for Shrek, deeply involved in the early development of the friendly but rough-around-the-edges ogre. With over 360 designs prepared just for the character's expressions, the team was using a new software system that allowed them to compress everything into a quick simulation without the need for so many floppy disks, a vast improvement over earlier methods.
-I think the new software they’ve developed is simply fantastic, - James agreed, thrilled with the advancements. The software, MenV and MenV+, were perfect tools for 3D character modeling and environmental design. MenV focused on the basics, while MenV+ polished the overall development. These programs were integrated into the new Houdinne 1.0 system, which specialized in visual effects (VFX) and procedural simulations. Houdini 1.0 was especially valuable for creating complex effects like fluid simulations, destruction sequences, and particle effects.
Both men, as leads, took great pleasure in working on what they considered the most enjoyable parts of the project. Unlike their usual work with a larger group of thirty, they were joined by a few other key team members, also part of the second team of thirty individuals.
- I think that’s everything, - Peter Docter muttered, showing off the ogre’s expressions, which had taken six days of continuous work. By comparison, it had taken three weeks to complete the same task during the production of the first Toy Story due to technological limitations.
- Now you’ll need to work on the different outfits for the character and, of course, the movement animations, - James Callaghan replied.
James, on the other hand, was focused on Donkey and the dragon, who had fewer facial movements but still required specific animation for certain interactions. While the human characters were the most challenging to animate, they were no longer a problem thanks to the incredible improvements brought by RenderMan, which made everything come together beautifully.
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