All the morning scenes featuring the Scorpion King as the protagonist went smoothly. Most shots were captured in just one or two takes, and the scheduled work was finished before eleven o'clock. The crew took a short break and reconvened after lunch to film the sa Scorpion King scenes.
However, unlike the morning shoot, the afternoon scenes were mostly close-ups of the Scorpion King, where he was no longer the "protagonist."
Nevertheless, the shoot went well. Stephen Somrs skillfully guided the crew, and between 1:00 and 2:30, they managed four shots. Three of them were captured in a single take, while the most complex required only four attempts.
The crew took a break, while Somrs sat down at the director's monitor to review the footage they had just captured.
After reviewing all the footage, he found himself in an excellent mood.
The day's shoot had exceeded all his expectations. With a new actor joining the cast, he had anticipated getting through only half of the planned scenes by tomorrow evening. He never imagined Matthew Horner would perform so well—so well, in fact, that it caught everyone by surprise.
"Results like this can only an one thing," Somrs mused. He was no novice but an experienced director. "Horner did the work. He ca prepared for this role."
He sighed. Matthew Horner might only be considered an average actor, but his look and physical condition were a perfect match for the Scorpion King, as if he had been born to play the part.
Suddenly, Somrs recalled reading on Horner's resu that he had played a barbarian chieftain in Ridley Scott's Gladiator and a tough guy in Band of Brothers, which was produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
It couldn't be a coincidence that both film crews had cast him in similar roles, could it?
What would the film have been like if Dwayne Johnson had been on set today instead? Stephen Somrs couldn't help but ponder the question, and an answer imdiately ford in his mind: one man had the body but had never acted before; the other wasn't as massive, but he had ample experience in this type of role.
Somrs pushed the thought aside, got up, and took a walk around the set.
After an hour and a half of continuous work, he was feeling a bit weary, and the vast majority of the crew was taking a well-deserved rest.
For instance, a small crowd had gathered nearby, engrossed in a discussion.
It was a circle of extras. Curious, Somrs wandered over to take a look and saw the stunt coordinator and, beside him, a man dressed as an ancient Egyptian warrior—Matthew Horner.
The stunt coordinator spoke to Matthew, who was holding a shield. "Swing the sword, go on."
Somrs watched as Matthew executed several swings with his shield and sword. The movents were not only powerful but also displayed the excellent coordination of a well-trained fighter.
Somrs gave an involuntary nod of satisfaction.
Matthew, however, didn't seem satisfied. "I feel like it's still not fluid enough," he said to the stunt coordinator. "Felipe, can you think of a way to make the movents flow better?"
Somrs stood on the edge of the crowd, blending in with the extras as he watched the scene unfold.
"Rhythm. Focus on your rhythm," the stunt coordinator replied. "Didn't you do two months of boxing training? Use the rhythm you developed then."
Hearing this, Somrs understood. No wonder Matthew was in better shape than before—he had dedicated two months to training specifically for this role after signing his contract.
How many young actors today had that kind of dedication? He thought about most of the young actors he had encountered and couldn't help but shake his head.
Somrs watched for a mont longer, then turned and walked back to his director's chair. He sat down and began flipping through the shooting schedule.
After filming the Scorpion King in his human form, the next major sequence was the film's finale. He still hadn't decided whether to render the monstrous Scorpion King entirely in CGI with Matthew Horner's face mapped onto the model, or to film it as a composite of live-action performance against a green screen.
Initially, he had planned to rely entirely on CGI for the Scorpion King's monstrous form, fearing that a newcor like Dwayne Johnson wouldn't be able to handle the demands of a performance-based, green-screen shoot.
But that plan had started to waver after the Scorpion King's screen test. Judging from today's performance, Horner was clearly capable. So, should they pivot to an "actor plus green screen" approach? It would likely produce a better result and be cheaper than pure CGI creation.
That would free up a considerable amount of money that could be reallocated to further enhance the film's special effects.
Somrs frowned slightly at the thought of the special effects budget.
From a purely financial standpoint, casting Matthew Horner had already saved the production a million dollars in salary. And if they fild the finale with him against a green screen, the savings on the effects budget would be even greater.
Just then, the stunt coordinator approached him. "Director," he said.
Somrs asked, "What is it?"
"It's about the next scene," the stunt coordinator said, getting straight to the point. "Matthew has suggested that he do all his own action scenes instead of using a stunt double."
"Can he handle it?" Somrs asked, sounding skeptical.
The stunt coordinator was confident. "Matthew underwent systematic boxing training before arriving on set. He has excellent physical coordination."
Somrs frowned, deep in thought.
The coordinator suggested, "Want to give him a try?"
Considering all the extra work involved in using a stunt double, Somrs made a quick decision. "Alright, let's give it one try. If he can't pull it off, we'll go back to the original plan."
The break ended, and filming resud.
A crowd of extras stood on the sand in front of a green screen, ready to start "killing" each other.
Matthew stood at the center of the action, giving his shield and sword a final check. Three stuntn dressed as ancient warriors were already in position, waiting for the caras to roll.
The crew finished their preparations, and the stunt coordinator gave Matthew a thumbs-up before yelling, "Action!"
Instantly, the quiet studio filled with the sounds of battle as extras bearing scorpion insignia "clashed" with those in different costus.
The first stuntman ca at Matthew from the flank, thrusting with a prop sword. Following the choreography, Matthew dodged the attack and countered with his shield.
The stuntman was experienced enough that the mont the shield made contact, he went flying backward as if he had been hit with trendous force.
A second stuntman charged, swift and imposing. Matthew blocked his axe with the shield, then ran him through with his sword, sending the man to the ground.
Then, right on cue, a third stuntman leaped at him. Matthew raised his shield and powerfully knocked him off his feet.
Having cut his way through the three opponents, Matthew plunged into the fray of battling extras.
"Cut!" yelled the cara operator. He glanced toward the director's chair and saw Somrs nod, then shouted, "Print it!"
Matthew handed off his sword, walked over to the last stuntman he'd knocked down, and helped him up. "You alright?" he asked.
The stuntman rolled his shoulder, which seed a bit sore, but he grinned and said, "Yeah, I'm used to it."
Matthew returned the smile.
He was always friendly with the stunt perforrs, who had a difficult job and essentially took on the most dangerous work of anyone on set.
There were still several more scenes that day that required working with the stunt team.
His excellent performance in that scene dispelled any remaining doubts Director Somrs might have had. For all subsequent scenes, Matthew perford his own stunts without a double.
After two consecutive days of filming, all the scenes featuring the Scorpion King in his human form were completed in nearly half the ti Stephen Somrs had scheduled.
It was all thanks to Matthew's more-than-adequate preparation.
Sotis, when he thought about it, it seed he was perfectly suited for these kinds of roles—the ones that primarily sold his face, his muscles, and a demonstration of toughness, without demanding much in the way of acting prowess.
As soon as this block of scenes was finished, Somrs made his decision: he would abandon his plan to create the Scorpion King's monstrous form purely with CGI and would instead shoot it using a combination of live performance and a green screen.
The adjustnts he made required additional preparation from the crew, so those scenes were temporarily postponed. The production shifted focus to the scenes with the male and female leads, but Matthew didn't sit idly by. He ca to the studio every day to observe the shoot and watch the performances of the principal actors.
During this ti, Matthew used his people skills to get to know the main cast and crew, including Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and Arnold Vosloo, gradually building a good rapport with them.
Perhaps because they had worked together on The Mummy, the cast already had a relatively good rapport.
As such, Matthew always put his best foot forward and gradually earned a solid reputation among his fellow actors.
Ten days later, filming resud on the Scorpion King scenes and the movie's finale. Once this block of shooting was complete, Matthew's work on the film would be done. The rest of the cast and crew, however, still had to travel to Morocco for location shooting in the African desert.
As before, Matthew's scenes were shot with remarkable smoothness. Because he had remained on set during the break, he stayed in excellent form, demonstrating a dedication that earned him a great deal of praise.
Even Stephen Somrs's attitude toward him began to change.
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