Inside the temporary dressing room in the studio, Matthew put on the metallic combat boots, walked around, and found they fit perfectly. He nodded to the costume designer, then stood in front of the makeup mirror.
His stylist, temporarily acting as a makeup artist today, immediately came over with an assistant to apply oil to his hard muscles to make the definition clearer.
Aside from the boots on his feet, Matthew was only wearing a pair of dark red shorts, presenting a strange, sculptural beauty as he stood there.
Additionally, he wore a fake beard, making him look far more mature than his actual age.
After the stylist finished applying the oil, she examined him carefully from top to bottom. Once satisfied, she stepped aside.
The costume designer brought over a red cloak and draped it over Matthew.
Next, the costume designer retrieved the short sword borrowed from Zack Snyder and handed it to Matthew. Matthew took it, hung it on his waist, and looked at himself in the mirror, feeling ready.
"Am I good to go?" he asked the stylist.
"Absolutely fantastic!" the stylist said, cupping her chin as she walked around Matthew. "Matthew, this movie doesn't even need a plot or action choreography. Just you walking in front of the camera will charm hordes of female viewers."
This stylist was a woman who had worked with Matthew for several years. They were very familiar with each other and didn't bother with formalities.
Her gaze followed Matthew's sturdy upper body downward as she exclaimed, "It's truly a waste that you aren't modeling for a top men's underwear brand!"
Matthew shrugged. "Mainly because my star status is too low; no one looks twice at me."
He wasn't bothered, as this female stylist was a well-known lesbian in the industry.
After finishing the styling, Matthew didn't linger. He left the dressing room and entered the studio.
The small studio was now surrounded by green screens, and even the floor beneath their feet was covered in green.
Zack Snyder, taking on multiple roles, was currently standing behind the camera, discussing lighting arrangements with the gaffer.
When Matthew walked over, he didn't disturb the two of them. Instead, he circled the set twice.
Although it was all green screen, familiarizing himself with the shooting environment was necessary.
In the center of this small green screen area was a large pit less than a meter deep. The pit was also covered with green screen material, and he looked down twice, seeing thick, green soft padding at the bottom.
Footsteps sounded, and a black man, strong as an iron tower, walked over. Matthew turned his head and confirmed he didn't recognize him.
Zack Snyder, having finished instructing the gaffer, came over to Matthew and said, "This is an actor I borrowed from your agency."
Matthew nodded. When Zack Snyder notified him to come over a few days ago, the two had discussed the scene: the Persian attendant coming to Sparta to demonstrate, demanding that Leonidas submit to Xerxes, and Leonidas killing the messenger outright.
Since they were only shooting a test segment, Zack Snyder couldn't gather many actors. No other characters would appear in the scene, only Matthew and the black actor.
To be precise, the black actor was essentially a prop; according to Zack Snyder's requirements, the black actor did not need to speak any lines, only cooperate so Matthew could dispatch him.
"Kenneth!" Zack Snyder called the black actor over.
He gestured for Matthew to join them by the edge of the green screen pit and said, "Matthew, first you deliver your lines, then you kick Kenneth straight down."
He then told the black actor, "You've shot a lot of action scenes. Cooperate well with Matthew's movements."
The black actor wore a thick costume, and metal rings hung from his face and nose, making him look menacing.
"I know what to do," the black man nodded.
Zack Snyder gave Matthew and the black actor instructions regarding their marks and blocking, then went over to the camera.
Matthew also took advantage of the free time to chat briefly with the black actor to establish basic chemistry.
Cooperation was crucial, especially in the action scene. He couldn't actually kick the black actor down; with his current strength, if the kick connected solidly, the black actor probably wouldn't be able to get up for a long time.
Over by the camera, Zack Snyder raised a hand. His assistant operated another camera, positioning it on Matthew's side.
Given the special circumstances, everything had to be kept simple.
"Action!" Zack Snyder's voice carried over.
Matthew looked down at the ground and softly said, "Water and earth..."
"Cut!"
Zack Snyder called a stop right after the first line. He reminded Matthew, "British accent! A classical British accent, Matthew!"
Matthew raised a hand and said, "I overlooked that."
He had forgotten that in most Hollywood period epics, regardless of the actors' origins, they generally spoke with a classical British accent.
"Wait a moment!" Matthew had received professional training in this area, but hadn't used it recently. He told Zack Snyder, "Give me a few minutes to find the feeling."
Zack Snyder reminded him again, "Ideally, a Shakespearean stage accent."
That was a bit difficult. Matthew paced around, muttering to himself for a full five minutes before returning to his mark and telling Zack Snyder, "Let's try again."
Zack Snyder nodded slightly. When Matthew was ready, he shouted, "Action!"
"Water and earth..." Matthew switched to the classical British accent, his expression quite profound, speaking with measured cadence, "Earth and water!"
He suddenly drew the short sword, turned, and pointed at the black actor, his words and expression filled with mockery.
Pointing toward the large pit behind the black actor, he said, "There is plenty of earth and water down there. Go take it yourself!"
Gripping the short sword tightly, the muscles in his arm taut, Matthew instantly became more ferocious and terrifying than the black actor.
He roared, "You come before me bearing the heads and crowns of kings conquered by Xerxes! You insult my Queen! You threaten my people with slavery and death! Persian!"
He sheathed the sword and took a step back, as if he had only been threatening.
Matthew turned his head, looking toward the camera lens behind him, his gaze incredibly resolute!
"This. is. Sparta!" Matthew roared, turning and raising his leg, kicking out like lightning.
The black actor was already prepared. Just before Matthew's large foot connected, he flew backward and tumbled into the bottom of the pit.
"Cut!" Zack Snyder's voice rang out. "We'll stop here for now."
The black actor who had fallen into the pit struggled to his feet and tried to climb out. Matthew reached out and pulled him up.
After he had climbed out, Matthew put away the short sword and walked over to Zack Snyder.
"How was it?" he asked.
Zack Snyder connected a nearby monitor, made an adjustment, and began playback on the screen. He said, "The overall effect is acceptable."
Matthew stood beside him, watching the footage on the monitor.
Because he lacked strong professional expertise, his abilities in this area were limited; he could only tell that he and the black actor were playing back in slow motion amidst the surrounding green screen...
"This is high-speed slow motion..." Zack Snyder explained. "But without post-production currently, the high-speed slow motion can only be played back at twenty-four frames per second."
"Mm," Matthew nodded.
He knew a little about this aspect. Slow-motion shots in Hollywood films, especially action movies, are usually filmed at a high frame rate and projected at a low frame rate.
For instance, if a typical movie is normally projected at twenty-four frames per second, filming at forty-eight frames per second and then playing back at twenty-four frames per second results in slow motion.
In Matthew's impression, Zack Snyder was skilled in this technique.
As an actor, he couldn't interfere with this kind of work. After watching the playback once, he went to another area to prepare for a monologue scene featuring Leonidas.
Taking a long spear, Matthew walked onto a section of green screen where the ground was uneven.
Zack Snyder had already operated the camera mounted on the slider to turn and stop five feet diagonally in front of Matthew. He asked, "Are you ready?"
Matthew was building up his emotion and didn't speak, just nodded.
Zack Snyder signaled to the other side, a fan started turning, and at the same time, he shouted, "Action!"
The wind blew, causing Matthew's cloak to flap fiercely. He stood on the green screen, holding a long spear, looking up toward the diagonal upper corner.
As the cloak billowed, Zack Snyder gradually pulled the camera back.
He felt that Matthew in the lens was as stunning as a sculpture carved by Michelangelo, radiating masculine sunshine, power, and wild beauty from head to toe.
When filming dawn of the dead, he had already discovered that this was a male actor with a remarkably tough and strong demeanor.
Now, it seemed he was even better than anticipated.
With such an outstanding Leonidas, coupled with his high degree of fidelity to the illustrations, Zack Snyder believed he would definitely be able to impress Frank Miller.
Zack Snyder maneuvered the camera, performing a 360-degree shot around Matthew, sighing inwardly that, from every angle, this was a fierce and wild Spartan Warrior!
The camera returned to the starting point. Zack Snyder shouted, "Cut!" He gave Matthew a thumbs-up. "Fantastic, absolutely perfect!"
Matthew tapped the ground with the spear, stretched his arms, and said, "If you hadn't called cut, my joints would be stiff."
This kind of pose-based shooting looked simple but wasn't easy to execute.
Returning the spear to an assistant, Matthew went over to discuss a few things with Zack Snyder before shooting the next scene.
Overall, the filming went smoothly. Zack Snyder had prepared for several months, and the test footage was completed in just two days.
However, filming was only the beginning; achieving the effect Zack Snyder envisioned still required a large amount of post-production work.
After Matthew finished filming, he handed over further contact with Zack Snyder to Helen Herman, as he himself needed to prepare for the release of national treasure.