Who can help me explain Sin City?

Sin City was born in 1991 by Frank Miller, a famous modern cartoonist. If the Wolverine and Batman created by Miller on the basis of predecessors won him fame in the industry in the 197s and 198s, then Sin City, which he finished in the early 199s, really established his position as a master in the comic book industry. In this work, Miller has absorbed the characteristics of black detective novels by raymond chandler and others, as well as Japanese cartoonist Kazuo Koike and GosekiKojima's masterpiece Wolf with Ribbon. He boldly used black and white to create works, and his brushwork was chaotic and orderly, emphasizing the contrast between light and shadow, creating a unique style of Sin City, which also broke the readers' previous appreciation inertia of color cartoons.

Sin City has a unique black-and-white picture, a strong cinematic scene and a traditional carving style. Miller's painting style is exquisite and he is good at describing the influence of violence and blood on human nature. In the American cartoon industry at that time, the painter and the author were usually separated, which easily caused the disconnection between plot and painting, and Miller was a rare all-rounder among them. As soon as Sin City was published, it won the favor of comic fans, and was awarded the Esna Award and the National Cartoonists‘ Award. Miller not only entered the master's hall, but also had a great influence on the cartoon industry in the future, among which Mike Mignola's Hellboy and The Punisher are the products of the same strain.

However, if Miller is worried about his work, it is Hollywood's adaptation intention. He said: "From the beginning, I thought it was not feasible. Not because the film form is not suitable for expressing these stories, but because, as far as I understand, the film industry is bound to distort my works. "

Meanwhile, Miller is planning to meet robert rodriguez. Miller recalled: "I simply thought that there was no need to give my work away, and I stuck to this idea until this guy Rodriguez started lobbying my agent, then my editor, and finally I was' captured' by him.

Rodriguez has always liked adventure, from the ultra-low-cost Elegy of the Killer, the horror film From Dusk to Dawn, to the Very Little Secret Agent, all of which show his unique insight. When the first page of Sin City was opened, Rodriguez was completely attracted. He said, "Sin City is the most eye-catching comic book on the shelf, because its visual style is bold and quite different from its peers. From the first moment, I was caught by the story. I like all these interrelated moral stories and the love stories around the dark city. Even the city itself has become a role. "

Rodriguez liked Sin City so much that he decided to put the original book on the big screen intact. What he wanted to do was to transform it, not adapt it. With his knowledge of digital movies, Rodriguez can certainly present Sin City truthfully.

However, nothing is readily available. Rodriguez thinks Miller is suspicious, which is exactly the case. Miller said: "Although I was aroused, Sin City is my child and I must take care of it." Undaunted, Rodriguez decided to prove to Miller that he could turn the soul, beauty and black-and-white phantom of the original into a movie. He said, "I know how to convince Frank, because I know how to convince me when others want my work. I have to show him the whole concept. "

Rodriguez shot a demo at his own expense and showed it to Miller on his laptop in a Manhattan bar. As a result, Miller was full of praise. In order to further dispel Miller's worries, Rodriguez personally wrote a script and gave it to Miller. "That's why there is no screenwriter at all, because what I typed was what I saw in Miller's book and edited it. I transcribed Miller's three works into a script, namely The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill and That Yellow Bastard, "Rodriguez said." I told him that we don't have to finalize the cooperation now. We can get my actor friends (josh hartnett and marley shelton) and my crew to shoot the title on Saturday, and my company will add effects and the soundtrack will be mine. In a week, you will see the finished title, and then decide whether we have the ability to shoot. " In the end, this opening shot took only 1 hours.

Harneit recalled: "Robert said that he needed someone to help him win the trust of Frank Miller. I had never seen the series of Sin City comics before. When I opened the album, I found how cool the world of Sin City was. I knew that this was exactly what Robert was good at. Among them, the men are big and murderous, and the women are all wearing leather coats and holding whips. All this is like the old black story reaching a new extreme, and there is no similar work on the big screen. "

Sure enough, Miller was fascinated by this opening title, and he finally realized Rodriguez's creativity.

after being authorized by Miller, Rodriguez still hopes that Miller can play a central role in filming. He said: "Frank's participation in filming played an important role in being loyal to the original work. I don't want him to be a comic writer or producer, but let him appear as an assistant director, thus establishing his prestige and allowing actors and crew to listen to his guidance. " Although this decision sounds simple, it requires Rodriguez to make sacrifices. Because the American Directors Association treaty stipulates that each film can only be directed by one director, Rodriguez had to quit the American Directors Association in order to get Miller to direct with him.

Rodriguez said: "I have to make a decision to quit the Directors Association of America, because they don't want me to work with a new director, which doesn't conform to their rule book. Before the film started shooting, the American Directors Association came to us and asked us to stop work for a week. I won't let anything stop us. In my mind, Frank is not a director for the first time. If you see his works, you will find that they are as good as the successful masterpieces on the big screen, with excellent plots, pictures, actions, editing and directing. However, Frank does not use cameras, actors and lights, but paper and pens. Like movies, comics are telling stories with pictures, but the directors' association is still firmly opposed. So in order to shoot this film, I had to quit. Sometimes, when you want to make different attempts, you have to break some rules. "

Miller sighed: "I was shocked by the whole shooting of the film. Among all the comic adaptation films, "Sin City" is the best transformation of the original, especially the dialogue and quick and jumping cuts. We achieved this effect in a brand-new way. I believe that both comic book fans and movie fans will be deeply surprised by the unusual Sin City. There is no fabricated realism here, it is more like a pure and fanatical dream. "

About Actors

The cast of the film soon began to take shape. As early as the preparation stage, Rodriguez told Miller that the cast of the film would be exceptionally strong. Because Rodriguez knew that when the actors learned about their projects and would be completely loyal to the original works, they would come one after another. Such reliable, fresh and exciting material can easily attract the attention of a large number of actors. Rodriguez said: "The first day I met with phillip rourke, and the next day I met with Bruce Willis, so it was out of control. From the beginning, it was a lucky shooting plan. What plays an important role is the title I shot to convince Frank. When we meet the actors, we will let them read Frank's book and the title I shot, so that they can accurately know the concept of the film. "

phillip rourke, who plays Marv, worked with Rodriguez in once upon a time in mexico. Rodriguez said, "I told Frank that there is only one person who is suitable to play Marv, but he must meet Mickey, because there is no convincing evidence in Mickey's previous works. Frank said, is that the kid who plays 9? Weeks? I said that you will know when you see it. " As Rodriguez expected, Miller wrote in his notes: "He is Marv."

After talking with Rodriguez, phillip rourke went to the comic book store and bought Miller's works. Growing up, he never went to a comic book store and rarely read comic books. But when he saw the story of Marv, he was suddenly excited.

Elijah Wood, who plays Kevin, a cold-blooded demon, thinks it's interesting to change the scene in the film. He personally completes all kinds of kicks and jumps. In Wood's view, Kevin is a charming character, and his incredible calmness is unique in this crazy world. On the set in Texas, Wood was further conquered, because he saw that Rodriguez was passionate about stories, while Miller was witnessing his works come alive, and the atmosphere was exciting.

When looking for an actor to play Dwight, Rodriguez and Miller didn't expect a suitable candidate at first, until they remembered clive owen in a BMW commercial. His mystery and coldness just catered to Dwight's characteristics.

When talking about Gail's role, Miller said: "Gail's role is very demanding. Obviously, she must be sexy, impatient, enthusiastic and interesting. Rosario can show it all with her gentle and graceful gait, and all I know about Gail can be interpreted by her. " Rosario said: "For me, whenever I put on her clothes and finish my hair and makeup, I feel as if I have become this wild woman. I like Gail."

Miller likes his own Shirley very much. In the film, Shirley runs through three stories and plays a key role in Dwight's story. In brittany murphy, Miller found Shirley's shadow. He said: "When I created cartoons, I liked Shirley's attitude and way of speaking very much. I have always imagined that she has a broken voice, but it can't be reflected in comics. Years later, a woman with a similar appearance stood in front of me and began to read my dialogue. Her voice broke all around. What can I say? Can only be moved. "

It can be said that Jackie played by Benicio Del Toro is the highlight of the film, and Miller is full of praise for del toro's performance: "Benicio is presenting it truthfully in an incredible way. He is an excellent actor with extraordinary talent. His performance is incredible. He is Jackie in my pen. " In del toro's view, the comic book of Sin City is not only a template, but also a stills. As an actor, we must learn from it. In order to further shape the role, del toro learned Jackie's background story from Miller and deeply understood his personality transformation from a policeman to a villain.

Miho, the cold warrior in the film, is also one of Miller's favorite characters, because in Sin City, Miho is like an elf from another world, and she is more attractive than anyone else. Everyone in the city is chattering, but only Miho is silent, and there is a deadly force lurking in the mystery. Devon Aoki, who plays Miho, also likes this role very much: "Frank Miller is passionate about this character, and he helps me understand and express the character. Because she doesn't talk, her movements must be cool and eye-catching. " In order to practice Miho's skill, Devon Aoki studied karate and fencing under the guidance of three coaches, so that he could skillfully use Miho's various weapons.

Hadigan in the film is the last honest policeman in the city, and Bruce Willis is Rodriguez's immediate choice. He said: "I once watched the TV series" Blue Moonlight "in the 198s. Bruce played a difficult detective in the drama. Although it was a comedy style, he performed very bluntly, and he looked very good in black and white pictures. So I showed him the title, and he immediately decided to join. "

About the production

Because the visual and lighting effects in Miller's works can't be realized in reality, Rodriguez used the similar technology in Very Little Secret Agent, allowing the actors to stand on the green screen background and take pictures with the most advanced high-definition camera. After that, the special effects department added computer-generated comic patterns to the background.

The high-tech equipment and well-trained technicians needed for filming gathered in Troublemaker Studios, which was established by Rodriguez in Austin, Texas. As early as the preparation stage of the studio, Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellan took making waves in the film industry as their purpose, emphasizing the unrestrained creative atmosphere.

Rodriguez said: "There is an absolute advantage in making Sin City in Troublemaker, where we can get away from the traditional production system and find everything we need. Francis ford coppola once said that this is his dream place, because artists from different fields can work together. "

Benicio Del Toro recalled: "At first, it was a strange feeling, because everything was based on your own imagination. I must take my attention away from the green screen and concentrate on the world in the film. This filming is very interesting, special and fresh. I call Robert and Frank wizards because they found a way to turn painting into special effects. They turned water into wine. "

The original images of the film are all in color. Later, under the guidance of Rodriguez, the producers removed the color and turned it into a pure black-and-white image, but the color can be returned to the picture at any time. Rodriguez used color as a weapon, and color became a powerful narrative tool. So Goldie in the film has real skin color and blonde hair, and the mustard yellow skin of the yellow hybrid is also particularly eye-catching. If Rodriguez wants to highlight a character's pain, he will make his blood bright red, just like a close-up of color.

Rodriguez found three special effects companies to produce background special effects for the film, and each company was responsible for a story. Among them, Hybride Technologies (Very Little Secret Service Series) was responsible for The Hard Goodbye, Café FX (Tomorrow World and Blade 3) was responsible for The Big Fat Kill and The Orphanage. Each story needs more than 6 special effects, and every company has done its best.

Guest director

At the invitation of Rodriguez, quentin tarantino appeared on the set. He was responsible for directing and shooting an extra scene in the second story, and his reward was only $1. Before this film, the two had collaborated on three films, namely "The Killing Trilogy", "The Terminator of Madness" and "Breaking Dawn". Recently, Rodriguez just wrote the music for Talentino's Kill Bill 2, and the reward is also $1. For a long time, the two have been divided on the development direction of future movies. Rodriguez prefers digital movies, while Talentino still insists on glue.