Verhoeven often choreographed scenes alongside the actors before filming. Even so, improvisation was encouraged because he believed it could create interesting results. Smith improvised some of his character's quirks, such as sticking his gum on a secretary's desk and spitting blood onto the police station counter. He recounted saying "'What if I spat blood on the desk?'... got this little smile on his face, and we did it." Neumeier was on set throughout filming; he occasionally was inspired to write additional scenes: including a New Year's Eve party, after noticing some party-hat props; and a news story about the Strategic Defense Initiative platform misfiring. Verhoeven found Neumeier's presence invaluable because they could discuss how to adapt the script or location to make a scene work.