Behind The Spotlight Chapter 195
"Not quite my tempo." The mentor met his eyes, his gaze sharp and unforgiving, and the drummer decided to increase the tempo as his heartbeat raced.
"Y- Yes, sir." His voice trembled slightly.
The drummer, Elton, played the drums faster, yet the mentor raised his hand to slap his face… It was an awkward slap.
The slap seemed fake and forced, as if the mentor was hesitant. The palm didn't even touch his face and stopped short.
"Cut--!" the director announced.
"I'm sorry, let's do that again."
Axel knew that he had made a mistake and immediately asked for another shot, owning up to it.
"Whipflash, Scene 12, Take 2!"
They repeated the scene, but Axel was hesitant to slap Elton for the second time, his hand slowing mid-air. Even if pushed forward, his slap lacked force entirely, barely grazing the skin. In that moment, the terrifying mentor was gone, something else overtook the character.
"Cut--!"
Axel apologized again and asked for another take.
"Take 3!" The tension thickened.
"Take 4!" Murmurs spread.
"Take 8!"
By Take 9, Axel still failed to deliver the scene. This was the part where the mentor had to slap the drummer five times, yet Axel was already struggling with the first slap alone.
The director decided to speak with Axel.
"Your role is a mentor who sees potential in Elton, the drummer. You believe that Elton will reach greater heights with his talent, but you're afraid that his talent will make him arrogant, so you want him to take every practice and performance seriously. That's why you slap him multiple times. What I'm looking for is a tyrant who will slap Elton without hesitation." His explanation was firm and clear.
The director, seeking perfection, had no intention of dodging the scene by editing in slap sounds. He wanted authenticity.
"I understand," Axel nodded, absorbing every word.
Axel was far from a softie. He was a soldier who had gone to war and killed people… However, his mentality was affected by the role, and he couldn't perform it properly.
After understanding his character, he realized and believed that the mentor saw Elton as a son who needed guidance to reach success. At least, that was how Axel believed it.
With that understanding as his foundation, the mentor couldn't seem to hurt Elton whom he treated like his own son. However, he had to do it.
Even though the camera had stopped rolling, Axel was still immersed in the role. His hesitation wasn't because Axel Gunner was afraid of hurting Elton. He hesitated because the mentor didn't want to hurt Elton.
"So, uh, Axel, don't be afraid to slap me. I can take it." The lead actor, Nolan, who played the drummer, approached Axel, believing that Axel was uncomfortable hurting his co-star.
Having worked with Axel, Nolan found him incredibly talented. For this explosive scene, he wanted to match Axel's intensity. He refused to be overshadowed. If he had to be slapped five times, he would accept it. He was a professional actor, after all.
This scene would determine whether he could reach greater heights as an actor, a defining moment. He might be the protagonist, but throughout the filming, Axel had overwhelmed him whenever they shared a scene.
"Thank you. If we're really going to do this, then let's do it in a single take." Axel took a deep breath and fully entered the mentor's mentality.
After the break, the director observed Axel closely, gauging his emotions. Axel nodded at him, reassuring him.
"Lights?" the director asked.
"Check!" came the reply.
"Camera?" He turned to the cinematographer.
"Working!"
"Action!"
Elton drum-rolled, and the mentor approached him with heavy footsteps. This time, Axel was gone. He understood that the mentor was hurting Elton to make him better… at least, he believed so.
"Not quite my tempo."
"Yes, sir."
Sweat formed on Elton's forehead as he increased the pace of his drumming.
Suddenly, a smack landed on his face. The sound was sharp and real.
"I said not quite my tempo."
Elton stumbled but didn't stop playing. He felt the pain, but determination hardened his expression as he gritted his teeth.
Elton, or more precisely, the lead actor, had complicated feelings toward Axel. He admitted that Axel's performance was powerful. Whenever Axel stood in front of the camera, he completely embodied the role.
This time, using this scene as a catalyst, the lead actor wanted to prove that he could act just as powerfully. The slap hurt, but he was a professional and endured it.
"Yes, sir!"
He further increased the tempo. The entire studio fell silent as everyone held their breath. Even the other musicians were appalled, yet they couldn't look away from the intense exchange between the two.
"Not fast enough,(slap) not expressive enough,(slap) not good enough(slap)." The words cut deeper than the blows.
"Yes, sir..." He swallowed hard as blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. This was real blood, but the actor was determined to finish the scene.
The crew members behind the camera grew alarmed, but the director slightly raised his hand, calming them. He could see it, this was the scene he had been waiting for.
The mentor slapped the drummer again, mercilessly.
"Was that a 'yes, sir'?"
The drummer hesitated. "Yes, sir."
"Say it louder! Say it louder! I can't fucking hear you!"
The last line was improvised. It wasn't in the script, Axel had blurted it out instinctively.
With a roar, the drummer shouted, "Yes, sir!"
"Cut!!"
The director stood up and clapped. The performance from both actors was outstanding, especially the lead actor, who had truly gone all out.
The moment the director called "cut," Axel lost all his ferocity and pulled the lead actor into a hug, apologizing.
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright. It wasn't bad." The actor smiled faintly and wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Send in the medics," the director ordered. Medics and first-aid responders were always on standby for moments like this.
Fortunately, the actor's face wasn't seriously injured, though his mouth was bleeding from the blow.
Axel apologized repeatedly, but the lead actor, Nolan, simply shrugged it off. This wasn't his first time getting hurt while acting. In one of his past projects, he had taken a punch from a vicious, cocaine-addicted actor, which was far worse. Compared to that, Nolan had it easy today.