Big Harry in Gigantic China: Day 5 on KILL BILL set!Click on Day 4 KILL BILL!

You know that first match in TRON where Jeff Bridges fights Londo Mollari in the ball toss to the death scene? You know the character that says, "I bet you thought you were going to blow me right out of there didn’t you?"

Remember that thing strapped to their right hand that catches the ball like some sort of gloved lacrosse stick mitt?

Well in China, on set, you have to squat above a porcelain one of those to squeeze out your refuse. It is strangely primal in a squat thrust sort of fashion, but on set, when you have nowhere else to go, the chunnel of chunks is your last best hope for removal. It is actually retro-futuristic in a way. It is related to the ‘hole in the ground’ but has flush capacities and sleek space age look. Is this the future? Is the good ol Swisher construct of old on its way out. I really don’t think so.

This invention makes you concentrate much more on balance and getting through you constitutionals in a no nonsense quick fashion. Why? Because, frankly… it’s kinda scary. I mean, you stand there and you realize… This is danger, you could slip and fall into the deadly hole of doom, but the thrill of accomplishment is there. Also, on a movie set, this efficient manner of ‘disposal time’ being cut down to the bare minimum means a more productive shoot, and ensures it doesn’t all go to pot.

This was one of the many innovations that I’ve discovered in the cultural landscape of Chinese Filmmaking that has been overlooked by Western eyes, till now that is. I will leave nothing unexposed.

Today started with me dragging out of bed in a semi-conscious manner. I mean I didn’t want to rise and shine. I wanted to lay and sleep, but… my work ethic (hahahaha) ahem, made me get moving as usual. As I get to the car, I’m racked with yawns, stretches and drowsy eyes… So I begin popping my Penguins Caffienated Peppermints. FOOD OF THE GODS baby. Soon, my eyes are saucer shape and I’m feeling no residual tired effects.

Now, something you don’t understand fully about Beijing is the traffic here. On the first day, I likened it to San Antonio driving. I need to go back and change that, because this is officially a thousand times more messed up than in San Antonio. In discovering the prime time drive hours, you’ll find intersections that resemble asterisks… Each of those six arms of traffic has a mixture of motorcycles, mopeds, cars, buses and delivery truck… and thousands of bicycles. I swear, that at these intersections… all the lights turn green at once and everyone charges, swerving and dodging till you reach your eventual lane. I hold my breath a lot as we do this. I really can’t explain the reckless abandon of it all, but if you remember that shot in RETURN OF THE JEDI where just hail upon hail of TIE-FIGHTERS come directly at you… it is sort of like that, but without the starfield or the TIE-FIGHTERS.

Today was another long long day of shooting. I arrived at set around 8am and left around 9:30pm. That’s in contrast to the days on the backlot where I arrived at the same time, but shooting wrapped at 6pm each night. That extra three and a half hours is significant. But I completely understand where it is going on the day’s shoot.

First off, Quentin busts his ass directing these Dialogue scenes. He’ll watch the actors deliver the lines and how they go at it, then in layers he begins to work to get new takes on the lines, new ways to keep the dialogue fresh and alive, all in the motivation behind what is being said.

Example?

Well, allow me to illuminate.

Right now, I’m on EARS. Ears are the headphones that the sound guys use and distribute to key personnel to keep up with what is going on on the set, the performances, some of the rehearsals and whatnot. As a result, all of a sudden, I have the hearing capacity of about 3 BOOM MIKES… and I like it. Suddenly I feel a bit like John Travolta in BLOW OUT, but a little bit more, I have additional eyes too… Robert Richardson has my second set of eyes, as I’m watching what he is shooting now, and frankly… It rules. The result is that I can study in secret without affecting the story or being felt. The result is that my prey isn’t spooked.

It’s a very different game from the 4 ft away style that was what I was doing on the Backlot with David Carradine and Michel Jai White. The reason for the backing away is that the built sets are much much smaller. Putting me in those sets is like putting me in a Speedo, something that is possible, but not advised.

Once again, Quentin was directing the opening of the chapter, THE MAN FROM OKINAWA. Today was about getting the profile shots as well as the dolly shots and then the Sonny Chiba close-ups.

When I first arrived, they were shooting the side two shot of Uma arriving to the sushi bar, sitting and conversing with Sonny, him serving her the sushi and then going into the Hattori Hanzo bit.

Watching Sonny Chiba and Uma in this scene is an absolute delight. Why? Well, the beginning dynamic is a flirtatious one. Uma is enjoying herself, warming Hattori to her before dropping the other shoe. Hanzo is just glad to see another human soul other than his aging bald soap opera watching assistant. Someone that he can show off his English to.

We don’t know why Hattori Hanzo is in hiding, but a Sushi Shop in Okinawa is a great place to do it. Why? Well, it is widely known that other than in Plano, Texas, the sushi in Okinawa is the worst in the world. So if you never wanted to be found, opening a sushi shop in Okinawa would guarantee your anonymity because nobody would ever eat there. Now, we don’t know any of that in this scene, that’s just background I’ve gathered from Quentin and folks on set.

Chiba and Kenji play the scene like an old bickering married couple. Kenji is the Soap Opera slave, the disaffected bored call it as he sees it supporting member of a two man team, that dreams of ruling the universe. Chiba’s Sushi Chef is more like a boisterously bigger than life Japanese teddy bear in the white robes of sushi-dom. After the third take with me on set, Sonny hits a stumbling block. A mental stubbed toe. He loses his focus.

Now you have to understand, Chiba doesn’t really know much English at all, plus I don’t believe he knows Mandarin much at all either. His part is written in equal parts Japanese and English. He has a translator that works to make the understanding of direction between him and Quentin better, but also to help with his English. When Sonny lost his center temporarily, you could see it instantly. There was this instant full body look of aggravation, pacing and he couldn’t stand behind the bar anymore.

Quentin instantly went over to support Sonny. Sonny was being very penitent, very humble. Quentin on the otherhand was being completely supportive, talking about how great he has been being in this sequence. Very strong supportive leader for the scene and his actor. Quentin told Sonny to take a little time to relax and calm, then started joking around with the crew. Meanwhile, Sonny retired to his chair. Sonny’s chair faces the backside of the set, the plywood and two by fours. He begins doing scales with his voice, while shutting his eyes. Getting to a peaceful harmonious place. Meanwhile in my ‘ears’ I’m hearing Quentin fooling around with his 1st AD Bill Clark and Robert Richardson.

After about 5 minutes, Quentin shouts back that "We’re back!" and everyone begins to assume their various positions. Sonny gets back to his place, and Uma sits across the bar. Uma begins telling a comforting story to Sonny by way of his translator about how on PULP FICTION she was extremely nervous during some of the extremely long dialogue spots and had to have cue cards and an earwig to get through the scene. One actor comforting the other. HOWEVER, as soon as Mark Ulano (Production Mixer on KILL BILL) hears through the ‘Ears’ the word EarWig, he asks into his team of sound guys, "We need an earwig?" Then instantly one of the Boom guys says back, "No Uma is telling a Story." Then Quentin enters into frame to get both Uma and Sonny’s energy up. Telling Sonny to take it from the point where Kenji enters the scene.

Why?

Well, Quentin will go back and get the stuff he needs, but right now, he needs Sonny in 100% mode, and the best way to do that is to have him play with Kenji, because Chiba and Kenji may as well be related for the thirty years of work between them. Plus it is a heavy JAPANESE scene, which is easier for Sonny, given it is his native tongue.

Instantly, Sonny is back at his brilliant boisterous bigger than life self, but this was a human look at Sonny. That point where, like all artists, there was a moment of doubt, that had to be conquered for achievement. Watching Quentin handle this sequence really shows where his experience with acting himself pays off. He understands and knows how to best handle those ‘crisis’ moments for an actor. In a movie, it always comes across so effortlessly when the acting is being done well, but to get great performances out of actors – you have to be a combination of nurturer, nurse, partner and friend… as well as the dutiful father.

After the second take with Sonny in superhuman mode, somewhere in the studio 3 area a cel phone rings during a take. Quentin doesn’t begin screaming or going nuts, he sort of laughs the whole thing off, but then tells his 1st AD – China – Zhang Jin Zhan quietly to "Go kick someone’s ass!" Moments later, Zhang emerges from the Hanzo Sushi world to have this look like… "I’ve come to chew bubblegum and kick ass and I’m fresh out of bubblegum" look. Zhang was the 1st AD on HERO, and there is apparently a sequence in the film where he had to deal with 30,000 extras in full costume live on set. Looking at Zhang, I would love to have been on set that day.

Now, I’ve seen folks asking me about Uma Thurman on this set. First off, simply she is radiant as The Bride. She has very strong Anime qualities to her in this film. Her make-up seems to be bringing out her eyes subtly to the point of reminding one of anime characters. The ponytail in the sequences I’ve seen is there too. Now, she doesn’t always wear a ponytail. She seems very much in a place of concentration for this film. In a way, this is her first full front and center film. I mean, Uma is in nearly every scene of the film. Her character is all at once fragile, broken, sad, sadistic, masochistic, vengeful, powerful, weak, filled with resolve and doubt and nervous.

When she woke up from that coma realizing that she’d lost her baby, her future husband, several years of her life, the humiliation of the years in that damnable hospital… well it created a fascinating character that isn’t just your pure exploitation character, but something entirely different. A textured human character imbued with superhuman powers of revenge and the drive to carry it out, but the heart to realize the weight of her actions. It is that heart that is usually missing from an Exploitation film.

Watching Uma in this film, you can see her heart beating. As the conversation between her and Sonny Chiba turns to the path that will lead her to say his name, she is nervous through some takes, knowing that she needs this man’s help if she is to complete the mission that is driving inside of her. On other takes she plays it as a cat playing with a mouse. On other takes still, she plays it all with a hint of sadness. Uma is giving Quentin the options he needs to form her character over the coarse of the movie.

For example, my favorite take of the first half of Uma’s exchange with Chiba was when she played it flirtatious. Of course any time you see Uma flirting at you, be it through a camera or a dream, all you can think is that finally the world is making sense. Followed by immediate depression, because you know that she’s happily married with kids. Sigh. To an Austin boy I might add. Double sigh.

When I was looking at the photo proofs for the HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES sequences the other day, I couldn’t help but notice the magnificent change in Uma when she lets her hair down and is in the ‘REVENGE’ mode. She has asskicking written in block letters on her forehead. I’m dying to see that sequence, alas Sally… Oh, Sally is Sally Menke – the editor for KILL BILL. Now there is a tradition on set of shooting HELLO SALLY takes. This is where the actor being shot will do a take, then turn, look directly into the camera and say, "Hello Sally!" Personally, on the DVD of KILL BILL, I’d love a collection of the "Hello Sally!" takes with the scene, followed by "HELLO SALLY" The look on the actors’ faces when they do the dedication… Hilarious. But anyway I was talking about Uma Thurman and The Bride and The House of Blue Leaves.

I haven’t seen any cut footage from the sequence – "Hurry up Sally!" However, I saw lots and lots of key little pieces here and there. My favorite being the Go Go Yubari vs The Bride shots. First off, the impossibly delicious Chiaki Kuriyama as Go Go is perfect. She’s wearing her Japanese School Girl Uniform, but when you see a long side shot of her and Uma, the most striking thing is that Chiaki is literally more than a head, possibly two heads shorter than Uma… However, having said that… The ball and chain thing she swings… all steel and looking like a hefty helping of potential agony in that cute little school girl’s hands. In some shots she looks innocent as can be, in others – like the devil possessed. However, that damn ball has a razor Saturn like ring at it’s equator, and man… I’m here to tell you. It looks so friggin cool.

Speaking of cool, Sonny Chiba’s daughter plays one of the CRAZY 88’s – and is one of the trainers for the women of KILL BILL in the use of samurai sword techniques. According to Sonny, she is the best woman in all of Japan with a samurai sword. CAN YOU IMAGINE? This ain’t SISTER STREETFIGHTER, this is STREETFIGHTER’S LITTLE GIRL. Cept she ain’t little and she can whup your mutherfucking ass three times before crackers.

I’m not sure how the sequence was shot, but I can tell you that in the pictures I saw, there were decapitated heads, leg stubs, arms, hands, fingers, punctured eyes, split mouths… in otherwords, this is ain’t no light saber battle with robots or insects that don’t bleed…. This is a brutal bloody bath…. And seriously… would you have it any other way?

I’m fascinated to watch these more ‘peaceful’ moments with The Bride because they are the moments that will sell the character all the more. Acting the part of the hardass with a samurai sword isn’t the easiest thing, but making us care about that badass with a samurai sword and make us want to see her use it on folks left and right… justifiably… well that’s much harder. We would have to believe that there was something more to The Bride than sheer destruction. When I watch her opposite Sonny, you get that sense of vulnerability… that feeling that after she is done with her bloody retribution… Well… that maybe there is a place for her somewhere in the world.

Those are very important aspects to have for this character and Uma is selling them in these scenes.

I decided to take lunch off to be left alone on the stage. I walked into the Sushi shop, climbed up into Hattori’s home… just sort of checking things out for myself. To see without all the hustle and bustle, what went into creating these sets, texturing them, making them look alive. Noticing the tiny details like that green fridge in the Sushi shop, that weird fish painting behind the bar… Then up in Hanzo’s home, the attic filled with his work. Hattori Hanzo blades. Just walking around the set I can tell, this will be a set about lighting… The slats of boards across the top, perfect to set lights behind to get that venetian blinds look. Along the walls, glass cases proudly displaying the work of Hanzo Steel. These are magnificent.

I look at my watch figuring it is time for lunch to be over, so I head back to my area in the sound department. A bit later, the 1st AD – Bill Clark comes over and we begin chatting. Talk about a guy that loves what he’s doing. He was going to become a stock broker, when one day in a contemplative moment of beach combing, he saw a film crew do their thing… converting a parking lot into a basketball court and then break it down again. He thought that looked like fun, Pursued an intern gig and through some lucky as hell chance circumstances including car wrecks (did Bill cause those wrecks? We’ll never know) he managed to become King of the P.A.’s on PULP FICTION. Before his rise to becoming a 1st AD. He worked on Roger Avary’s upcoming RULES OF ATTRACTION and now KILL BILL.

Suddenly he’s called away at the ‘Ten Minute Warning’ to get everything in place to continue the shoot. As people begin flooding into the stage area, I notice Lawrence Bender escorting a wild man from Borneo named Scott Spiegel. Yup, that’s right… if you watch the RESERVOIR DOGS dvd that Artisan is putting out, you’ll hear the entire connection story between Bender, Spiegel and Tarantino. It really is one of those classic tales.

Scott is stalking the set staring at everyone with a Tong Hatchet that was used in the House Of Blue Leaves sequence. He wants to use it on someone, when he spots me… He knows his victim. Lawrence brings Scott over to introduce to me, but I met Scott at Quentin’s house during a screening of JADE CLAW – what a great fucking movie! Anyway he sits down and we all begin shooting the shiat over geeky stuff. The conversation with Spiegel goes into instant high impact geek tumbling. I mean, forget Master Yuen Woo Ping… When Quentin arrived and the three of us started full contact free roaming movie association discussion… It was not for the average lite movie buff. We went into discussions about Italian Westerns and Horror and Crime films, Quentin is now looking for THE HOUSE OF THE SMILING WINDOWS based upon my recommendation, along with a series of Japanese Italian Westerns collections that came out recently that were just fucking awesome with titles like DAY OF ANGER, COMMANCHEROS and the like. Scott begins a rap of What Ifs… "So if Queen Latifah married Steve McQueen, would that make her Queen McQueen?" Quentin followed that with, "And if she divorced Steve and married Martin Luther King, she’d be Queen McQueen King!" Then Scott countered with "What if Woody Allen married Natalie Wood, divorced her, married Gregory Peck, then divorced him and married Ben Hur, would that make him WOODY WOODPECKER?"

That one nearly killed Quentin, as he was working one up, but just as he was figuring out the logistics of the necessary Lesbian marriage, Scott threw that one at him… all was soon lost. Just as Quentin was being pulled into what could have turned into a hopeless dive into the bottomless pit of film geek wrestling, his AD Bill Clark threw him a lifevest and pulled him out.

Problem was, both Spiegel and I were fully engaged in conversations that would lead us through Popeye cartoons, Little Rascal shorts, ideas for a classic porn film that he and I have to make (I’d tell you, but then someone at VIVID VIDEO would put it into production, and dammit this is Scott and Mine’s turf dammit!). Scott was talking to someone about how he hates it in comics when a character on the street looks up in the sky at gigantic cataclysmic stuff that means certain doom and dismisses it as some sort of PUBLICITY STUNT. "Like someone with like a gazillion dollars has nothing else to do than to create a publicity stunt at that gargantuan a level. The person he was talking to gave him that 3 seconds before Road Kill stare, and I looked at Scott and said, "So you’ve been re-reading Fantastic Four number 48 eh?"

Scott literally begins to shake like one of those weird as hell breakdancers from BREAKIN’. Next thing we know we’re both singing the collective praises of Forry Ackerman and time started to speed by. I had the ‘ears’ half on and one eye on the monitor, but Scott and I were having one of those… Holy Shit conversations of references and leaps. Good stuff.

When Scott needed to take a smoking break, I got to start paying attention again. This time they had a Dolly Shot that was going to be moving from one side of the bar to the other. Still on the same scene though.

That was wrapped quickly, and suddenly it became time to move to the Hanzo room of Steel. Quentin wanted everyone off set except for him, Uma, Kenji and Sonny Chiba. They were going to block out and work through their ideas for that scene.

I WAS DYING TO OBSERVE, but would have been a distraction… So I was fine with it.

This scene begins with the floor entrance being opened up from beneath by Uma, she goes up the steps looking around the room, finding a particular display case with beautiful Hanzo steel, she asks Hanzo if she can handle one, he grants permission but then suggests the second sword from the top. A beautiful blade in a red sheath.

Filming Uma walk in and head to the case was a 2 take shot. The next shot was the reverse on Sonny, who is no longer the Sushi Chef… He may be in the same cloths, but you can see now that he is clearly HATTORI HANZO, big bad ass! The way the lighting of this set plays, there are areas of deep black shadows and start white highlights. As Hanzo follows behind Uma up the stairs, he watches… amused at her interest, fascinated by this ‘American’ and when he watches how she holds the blade he suggested, there is a look of a proud father looking at his baby singing his ABC’s.

They shoot this a couple of times, but easily get the shot. Then they shoot an UMA P.O.V. of coming up out from the floor…. Very cool, moody and atmospheric. VERY GOOD.

I was set to leave today, but it looks like I’m staying another day. Hehehe… goody goody. That means more news for you!

Well, I’ve got to get ready to head to set. More later!