Bang! Bang! Gunfire echoed repeatedly as car windows shattered. Dozens of police officers crouched behind vehicles, unable to lift their heads under the intense barrage of bullets. Behind the glass walls opposite them, figures moved constantly, aiming automatic rifles, with muzzle flashes visible.
"Get down! Get down..." a police sergeant shouted from behind a car. "Everyone, get down!"
Shards of shattered glass rained down like a storm.
Murphy and an officer descended from a nearby high point, followed by a cameraman with a Steadicam capturing the action.
"What's the situation?" Murphy asked the officer while looking ahead.
"Bank robbery," the officer responded quickly. "At least eight hostages, four criminals!" He pointed to the foremost police car, where a blonde police officer was hiding. "An officer is trapped, but we can't get close due to their heavy firepower."
Murphy removed his sunglasses and took cover behind a car, looking towards the bank. The officer continued, "They've been shooting at us all morning."
"Got it," Murphy nodded and prepared to move forward. The officer grabbed his arm and cautioned, "They have high-caliber weapons. Are you sure you can handle it?"
Murphy shook off the officer's hand. "I'll be fine."
He took a step forward, hesitated, then stepped back, his mouth opening and closing several times before saying stiffly, "You're doing a great job!"
The officer was momentarily stunned.
Murphy turned to the surrounding officers and said, "You're all doing a great job! Keep it up!"
At first, the officers seemed a bit taken aback, but soon some smiled at Murphy. Murphy then climbed onto the police car.
"Cut!" Director Peter Berg called out, signaling the end of the take. "Okay! Let's set up for the next scene."
The next shot involved Hancock flying over the car, which had already been filmed by a stunt double.
The set remained unchanged, but the cameras and lighting were adjusted. Peter Berg approached Murphy and pointed to the blonde police officer hiding behind the car. "You walk over to rescue her. Don't run, and don't be tense. Move as if you're taking a leisurely stroll."
Murphy nodded. "No problem."
After over two weeks of filming, he had found his groove.
The stunt team prepared, and Peter Berg returned to the director's monitor, shouting, "Action!"
The once quiet set burst into chaos with shouts, gunfire, and screams. Murphy strode towards the police car facing the bank entrance, smelling the smoke and occasionally brushing imaginary soot off his clothes as if he were being hit.
The bullet impacts would be added in post-production; Murphy just needed to act the part.
As he walked past large billboards, glass display cases shattered under the stunt team's precise control, simulating a real shootout.
Walking past an SUV, Murphy performed a casual swatting motion. In the next instant, the SUV exploded.
As a true action star, he didn't look back at the explosion.
Murphy reached the police car and helped the pained policewoman on the ground, saying loudly, "You did great!"
The actress shook her head in pain, unable to speak.
"Can I touch you?" Murphy asked seriously, "Is that okay?"
The actress, full of pain, nodded. "Please, get me out of here!"
Murphy grabbed her arm, preparing to lift her.
"Cut! That's a wrap on this scene!" Peter Berg shouted, signaling the end of the take. He nodded at Murphy and instructed the stunt team, "Get ready. You have twenty minutes!"
While the actors took a break, Berg didn't relax. He reviewed the footage, coordinated with the cameramen, and checked on the stunt team's preparations.
The next shot involved Hancock using a police car as a shield. Naturally, the actor wouldn't physically carry the car; the stunt team would handle it.
Peter Berg was meticulous, ensuring nothing was left to chance. Not just for today's shoot, but throughout the film, he gave his all, knowing such opportunities to direct big-budget films were rare.
As an assistant to Michael Mann, Berg hadn't felt the pressure, as actors and studios treated him with respect due to Mann's reputation. But upon going independent, he realized the challenges faced by a new director.
Before this project, he had only directed low-budget indie films. The highest budget he worked with was a few million dollars. It wasn't due to a lack of ambition but because no one was willing to give a new director a chance with a big production.
After making a name with a few indie films and with Michael Mann's recommendation, he met Akiva Goldsman. Though hesitant, Berg knew he couldn't pass up this opportunity.
Perhaps some directors are content to stay in the indie scene for life, but most, like Berg, would jump at the chance to direct a major commercial film.
After checking with the stunt team, Berg told the head, "Truss, double-check everything. No mistakes. Let's get it in one take."
"Got it," the stunt team leader replied.
After another check to ensure no issues, Berg returned to the director's monitor, his eyes on Murphy.
"I'm really lucky," he muttered to himself. "Michael Mann helped me go independent, and my first commercial film stars Murphy Horner..."
In the indie scene, where many new directors start, resources and opportunities are scarce compared to Berg's situation.
Before this project, a film market survey from a friend revealed that out of sixty new directors with one feature film, thirty-eight financed their debut themselves. Only twenty-one percent managed to secure funding within a year, most taking one to three years to start shooting. Among those with failed projects, fifty-eight percent cited funding issues as the main problem.
It's hard to gain trust as a new director, similar to new writers.
Berg understood this well. He was one of the few lucky ones.
Due to survivor bias, those sixty directors with a feature film were already the "lucky ones." Many aspiring directors' dreams ended due to a lack of funding, an unknown number even to professional survey agencies.
Only by completing a debut film could one truly become a "film director." But this was a significant hurdle. As Michael Mann once told him: "It's a paradox. To get funding, you need a film to prove yourself, making the first film the hardest to finance."
Berg had experienced this firsthand. Professional companies didn't dare invest, private investors couldn't be found, pre-sale rights were unmarketable, and crowdfunding was nearly impossible.
Even Christopher Nolan, early in his career, had to lower himself to crowdsource funding from cinema audiences.
Despite a smoother path than most, Berg deeply appreciated the struggles.
After leaving Mann, he sought investment from an art film company. The representative yawned through his pitch and dismissed him, saying, "We make Oscar-level films..."
They rejected him without even reading the script.
Later, through Mann's introduction, Berg found investment for his project, which turned a profit for the production company. Yet, the initial company didn't regret missing out, viewing it as a professional decision to reject an unendorsed debut.
As Berg had experienced: if you're a newcomer, your script's quality often doesn't enhance your chances with investors.
The same script, under different circumstances, faced different fates: with Mann's endorsement, Berg got funding; without it, he might still be searching.
Twenty minutes later, the shoot resumed. Berg sat behind the director's monitor, fully focused.
Gunfire rang out again. The filming of "Hancock" attracted many journalists and onlookers. Some fans, spotting Murphy, prepared for autographs later.
Francis Lawrence exited the Death Star building and met with Paula Patton, noticing the shoot nearby.
"It's a film starring Murphy Horner," Paula Patton said.
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