Chapter 045

October 10, Thursday.

On the third day of "Lola Run," the crew still stayed in their apartment in the northwest corner of Montana.

The scene of Lola's family leads the beginning of the three stories, which is particularly important in the film. The crew has arranged for three days to shoot this part of the scene, and today is the last day.

It's already more than three o'clock in the afternoon.

In Lola's bedroom, only a room of less than 20 square meters is left after the temporary renovation. At this time, there are seven or eight people. With cameras, fill lights, reflectors and other equipment, the small room is full, and some people can only stay outside.

However, the atmosphere in the room was quite quiet.

In fact, this is the unified feeling of all the crew members since the beginning of the film.

From the first day of shooting, we found that Simon's directing style is very different. He doesn't yell like some directors, and he doesn't elaborate to the staff what kind of results he wants.

Most of the time, Simon is in a quiet state, quietly examining the surrounding scenery, quietly using the viewfinder to consider the upcoming shooting lens, quietly holding the light meter to observe every corner Then, simply give orders.

If that's all, people may enjoy this easy shooting experience.

Who doesn't want a quiet and neurotic director, compared to the innumerable growls and harsh criticisms he has suffered in many drama groups.

However, after three days, most of the crew didn't feel relaxed at all, but the pressure was growing.

The young director of the cast is too harsh.

On the first day of shooting, the first shot, Simon just spent more than two hours on the lighting.

As a typical backlight scene, there's nothing wrong with spending more time on lighting.

However, it's not the big scenes in those high budget movies. It's just a simple close-up shot. It took more than two hours to set the light. It's too much anyway.

Moreover, because of Simon's age, some members of the cast even began to wonder whether the young man knew how to make movies? Some people even feel that Simon is just showing his authority through this kind of repeated tossing.

All kinds of doubts and discontent accumulated for three days. When Simon adjusted for more than half an hour again for a phone drop in less than a second, the lighting engineer Josh Wickman finally burst out.

Josh Wickman, 33, has been a lighting engineer in Hollywood for 17 years since he was an apprentice at the age of 16. Although due to ordinary personal qualifications and lack of opportunities, he has been able to only mix with the independent film studio, but in any case, he is a veteran in this circle.

To be sure, Josh Wickman can feel the subtlety of Simon's adjustments most of the time, but he can't tolerate Simon's long and repeated deliberation.

It's too much torture.

At this time, Josh Wickman put aside the light meter he had just held in his hand, raised his voice, and said, "Simon, I think this set is excellent. You can't waste any more time."

With the sudden outburst of Josh Wickman, everyone stopped their work and watched together.

Simon listened to Josh Wickman, took a look at the schedule next to him and said, "I'm not wasting my time. The shooting schedule here is three days. Now there are only the last three shots left. It's OK to finish them before work

Everyone was stunned to hear Simon say so.

With a little calculation in mind, everyone also found that although Simon was a little too harsh in many details, the shooting progress did not slow down at all.

The young man always seems to know very clearly what kind of effect he wants. As a result, it is very rare to repeatedly adjust the shooting or deliberately take more photos to reserve. Most of the time, everyone carefully prepares a shot, and then starts shooting. As long as there is no accident, there are usually only three or four shots, and then it ends. This kind of crispness speeds up the shooting progress of the film.

However, it may also be that this kind of compact speed without delay has unconsciously brought a lot of pressure to the staff.

As a result, when Jos Wickman heard Simon's explanation, he became more angry and said, "anyway, you can't do it any more. Or you don't know what you're doing, you little rookie. "

Aware of the dispute in the room, Ron McMillan and Sandra Bullock, who had been staying outside, quickly came in.

Ron McMillan saw more and more excited Josh Wickman, and immediately said with some reprimand, "Josh, what's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Feeling Ron McMillan's question, Josh Wickman said in a louder voice, "I've had enough of it," so he pulled the reflectors around him, looked at Simon again and said, "boy, do you think you're Martin Scorsese? I'll tell you, I'll quit. "With that, Josh Wickman raised his foot again, kicked a reflector, turned and walked out.

Ron McMillan was stunned when he saw that the lighting engineer had a disagreement and suddenly left.

How can this work!

It's just that Ron McMillan just wanted to chase out, but Simon caught him.

Simon's expression also sank, glanced around and said, "maybe I'm a little too strict with the shooting, but I'm not going to change that next, so if you can't adapt, you can leave now."

There was silence.

In the past three days, Josh Wickman was really a little bit hard to break out. Others, though dissatisfied, are far from quitting. In Hollywood, behind the scenes staff, like actors, are unemployed in many cases. It's not so easy to find a job.

Simon waited for a moment and said again: "only this time, leave now, we can terminate the contract very peacefully. But in the next shooting, if anyone goes on strike suddenly, the crew will go to the end. "

With that, Simon glanced around until everyone nodded. He leaned over to pick up the reflector that Josh Wickman had kicked on the ground and said, "OK, keep shooting."

The lighters are gone. No one is lighting. How can we take pictures?

All of us have this kind of doubt in our minds.

In the process of film shooting, other jobs may be able to guest star with each other a little, but the lighting engineer's requirements for professional skills are very high. Although the assistant that the crew provided for Josh Wickman stayed, it was obvious that the other party was not qualified for the job.

Simon ignored everyone's ideas and told the young assistant to rearrange the lighting equipment.

Ron Macmillan looked at the situation in front of her, some helpless, pulled Catherine who wanted to help and said a few words to her.

Catherine heard Ron Macmillan's words, came to Simon and whispered, "Simon, why don't you come here today?"

"It's all right, Katherine, believe me," Simon said with a reassuring look at the woman and pointed to the light next to her. "Can you turn that off for me first?"

Seeing Simon's insistence, Catherine nodded and began to help.

Ron McMillan watched the scene get busy again, so he had to leave the room and hurried to the next room. He picked up the phone and wanted to help the crew contact a lighting engineer to save the scene as soon as possible.

It's just that Ron McMillan is not one of those big shot producers after all. He made a few phone calls in the past, but it didn't work out.

After a moment's hesitation, Ron McMillan sighed and rushed to the scene to help.

So busy, it's time to get off work.

Although some time was wasted on the shot of the phone falling, the next few shots were very smooth.

As a result, people unconsciously realized that the last few scenes were all completed without a lighting engineer. The young director seems to be no worse than a professional lighting engineer in lighting arrangement.

I don't know the effect.

But it's not.

Think of Simon as a photographer at the same time. Well, that seems to explain the past.

A photographer must know something about lighting.

However.

It's still quite unusual for a young man in his twenties to be the photographer of a film.

Some people even can't help thinking that if they left just like Josh Wickman, would the young director take up his own job as well?

It's impossible!

With all kinds of surprises and doubts, everyone went home from work.

As a producer, Ron McMillan is not relaxed. He also doubts whether the last few scenes of today can be used. In fact, Ron McMillan is even a little worried about whether the shots in the next three days will work.

Anyway, Simon is still too young.

What's more, Ron McMillan always wanted to hire a professional photographer, but Simon insisted on doing it himself.

That's what worries Ron the most.

So, after the end of work, Simon and Janet are going to check the shooting scene tomorrow, but Ron McMillan shouts Catherine who wants to go together. They rush to fox with today's shooting film.

Due to catching up with the butterfly effect, Brian De Palma has provided Simon with another convenience. The film taken by the crew of "Lola Run" can be sent to the later stage center of Fox Studios to be developed and printed together with the film of "Butterfly Effect".

Of course, the cost of developing and printing still has to be paid.

But even so, the professional development conditions of Fox Studios are not comparable to those of independent development factories. The importance of original film for a film is needless to say. The more professional the development environment is, the better the quality of film will be guaranteed.Therefore, this is not a small favor.

"Yesterday, I asked fox post center to print a sample film of the negative taken two days ago, and today I can see the result," when I came to Fox Studios, Ron Macmillan took the initiative to explain to Katherine the intention of calling her together, saying: "if Katherine, if the effect of the sample film is not satisfactory, maybe you should do the follow-up director. It's a $650000 investment, after all. "

Catherine shook her head slightly and said, "Ron, you should have more confidence in Simon."

"I, of course, I'm still very optimistic about Simon. If he can practice for a few years," it's disgraceful to plot behind the scenes to drive the director down. Ron Macmillan's face is a little more embarrassed, but he still says, "however, he's still too young after all, and you can see the situation these days."

Catherine laughed and said nothing more.

When they arrived at the post center, Ron McMillan was registering the film for the crew today. David giller, Brian De Palma and other people just came in laughing and talking.

Seeing Ron and Catherine, a few people came to say hello.

Ron was introduced to Simon by David giller, and we all know Catherine.

As a result, they chatted with each other and learned that Ron and Catherine were going to see Simon's sample shot two days ago. Both David and Brian were interested.

Brian De Palma said: "just in time, we're going to see the samples taken these days. Let's go together. I'm really looking forward to Simon's film. "

Ron and Catherine looked at each other involuntarily when they heard what Brian De Palma said.

Simon, Simon, you must have a normal shot.

Otherwise.

That would be tragic.

So secretly praying for a guy, David giller told the staff a few words, and they all went to the sample screening room of the back stage center.

When I came to the screening room, there was someone in it. It was another veteran Hollywood actor, Robert Redford, and several other staff members. A film produced by Robert Redford was in the late stage recently, so it appeared here.

Robert Redford was going to leave. After hearing what David giller said, he got excited and said, "David, is that the young man who broke someone's five legs?"

David giller nodded and said, "of course, by the way, Simon also wants his film to go to the Sundance Film Festival. So maybe you can come and see how the young man is doing. "

"Of course," Robert Redford nodded, but still said, "but I'm more interested in how that little guy broke other people's five legs. It's amazing. Did he learn kung fu like Bruce Lee back then?"

David giller said with a smile, "well, then you can ask him yourself."

Hearing that Robert Redford was planning to stay, Ron and Catherine began to pray for Simon again.

So joking, the staff quickly sent several samples.

Bryan De Palma jumped over the butterfly effect and directly asked the staff to show Simon's sample film "Lola Run".