Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 131 Shooting Tips for Low-budget Movies

   "Don't run away, Ronald, you have to help me." Seeing Ronald cleaning the room at home, Spike said hurriedly.

   helped Ronald complete the shooting of two chewing gum commercials, and now Spike Lee came to collect the bills, hoping that Ronald would help him improve his script.

"It's Thanksgiving soon, and the original origin of this holiday is to know how to be grateful, Ronald. I know you signed a screenwriter in an MGM movie, and you have to help me. I have to apply for various African American programs. Funding from affirmative action groups is needed to finish the film. They have to evaluate the script.”

"Spike, I'd love to help you, but I have to go back to Staten Island for Thanksgiving. My cousin Donna was admitted to Stuyvesant Special High School, and she got a 620 out of 700, which shows that she is in all the high schools in New York State. Ranked in the top 12% of the 8th graders in IQ, I have to congratulate her, and I have to prepare for transfer and moving, I really don't have time."

"Hey Man, when Dickinson and I went to the commercials for you, we didn't shirk. Don't forget when we did our best to please that white executive for you." Spike Lee cursed angrily. Ronald.

   "Isn't that giving you more than twice the average salary?" Ronald thought to himself, but he was just complaining in his heart.

   "Okay, I surrender, take it." Ronald reached for Spike Lee's screenplay. "

   "The Qiao Family Courtyard?" Ronald read out the name of the script, which seemed to be wrong, "The Qiao Family Big Bed?" Why did your script name change again, what does it mean?

"No, it's Joe's barber shop in a compound in the Big Bed neighborhood. Ronald, you don't understand our black slang and acronyms, it's a ghetto in Brooklyn, officially called Bedford-Shi Stevenson. We call him King.

  My story is about various stories that happened in a barber shop named Joe in this neighborhood. It reflects the history of how black people maintain their own traditions in a mixed culture and fight against Italian gangsters, the lunatic group of Jehovah's Witnesses, the underground lottery, and other organizations. "

   "Is this subtitle what I understand it to mean? We cut our heads?" Ronald looked at the cover, which was really exciting.

"Did you make this into a gangster vendetta? The barber took up a big knife and made a fight with Italian gangsters. It's a good gimmick. I think you can even go to the producers of low-cost exploitative films, they will like it of."

Ronald feels that Spike Lee has finally come to his senses. Reflecting black culture on the screen is a lofty goal. Mixing this goal into the popular gunfights, vendettas, and religious and gangster plots, I'm afraid it won't be applauded again. Call for a seat.

"Wade, you have a great sense of humor, Ronald." Spike laughed. "Look, we shave our heads, not we cut our heads. It's about a barber's partner who was suddenly shot and killed. In order to keep his barber shop, he dealt with people from all walks of life, and finally failed shamefully."

   "Okay", Ronald immediately downgraded the film in his mind, it turned out to be a reasonable film.

   Quickly flipping through the script in ten minutes, Ronald had a point in his heart and said to Spike, "I counted the number of scenes, it's not enough for 90 minutes, how long are you planning to shoot?"

   "How long can you shoot? I still have a lot of plots to write, but the money is not enough. I'm going to apply for funding this time. I hope to support it until the end of the filming."

   Ronald took the yellow pencil and sketched out the scene in the script on paper. Then I counted, almost all of the dialogue scenes are indoors, and there are only a few outdoor and action scenes. Spike still tried his best to design the script in the direction of simplifying the shooting and reducing the cost.

   "I don't have anything to suggest about the script, some plots I don't understand very well, maybe the living conditions in that neighborhood are so bad that the barbershop has to cut throat competition.

   I don't really understand the expressions of many black people in it, and I don't fully understand the subtext of the characters in the dialogue.

   But from the producer's point of view, your script is a typical low-budget movie, and it should be able to make it with the budget you got last time.

   I don't quite understand why you are raising money. "

"How did you shoot? We've reduced the budget to a minimum, the actors are all free, and the staff are all looking for help from classmates. By the way, you've made low-cost exploitative films in Hollywood, you help me See what you can do to save money."

   "Where's your budget execution sheet? Let me take a look."

  Spike took out a piece of paper and handed it to Ronald.

   took a look, Ronald only saw a rudimentary expenditure statistic, most of which were film and equipment rental money.

  Ronald estimates that the barbershop where Spike was filming was also sponsored by his fellow villagers, and he did not apply for police approval for the street shooting. It was a guerrilla-style shooting method. It's supposed to be cheap.

   "Why did the film cost so much? Spike. You can make a 60-minute feature film with all your early film expenses."

"How is this possible? I've already saved a lot, and only bought 5 cheap expired films, just enough to cut out 10 minutes of full length." Spike shouted injustice, searched for a long time in the notebook, bought the film, Prints, and photographer Dickinson's recordings for Ronald to see.

   "It's really strange, why is expired film so expensive?" Ronald looked at the number a little abnormally, "Wait for me to call."

"Hey, is that Gail?...I'm Ronald, I'm fine in New York, how are you, are you still that busy?...Are you free now?...I just want to ask you some questions,... …Well, why is it so expensive for the price of film? … Roger has a special channel? …Okay, okay, what about the processing fee? …I understand, thank you.”

"That's right, Spike. I asked my former boss, New World Productions' executive secretary, Roger Coleman, and it's true that their film prices are so low that they can make a Rock High School for $300,000. movie of."

   Turns out Roger Coleman has his own money-saving tips that no one else can follow.

   First of all, Coleman was not buying new film, nor was it the expired film that Spike bought that had been put on for a year. Although it could still be shot, its performance had deteriorated. He shoots on a residual film.

  Each film is available in 4-minute and 11-minute sizes. But when filming, it's impossible to use exactly 11 minutes every time. If the lens below, the film length in the box is not enough, the photographer will replace it with a new one.

  When each film is shot and sent to the laboratory, there will be some unexposed film more or less. The labs would spliced ​​the films, put them in airtight jars, and sold them to hobbyists.

  Roger Coleman has a good relationship with Warner and Fox, the two major studios, and can buy the remaining film at a price of 1 to 20% off the original price. Because he shoots a lot every year, many studios are willing to sell him surplus film in bulk.

   Followed by the cost of printing, Roger Coleman's printing volume is large, and does he have high requirements for quality. The main reason that the printing factory makes money is that the machine does not stop, the potion does not change, and it prints as many films as possible.

   But the big studios have very high requirements, each film must be in accordance with the requirements of quality control, and the water must be changed after washing to a certain extent. Moreover, the daily business volume also fluctuates. In many cases, the potions that can be printed can only be discarded in vain because there is no film. Machines and humans dozed off there too.

The advantage of   Roger Coleman is that quality is not required, and the color of each film can be inconsistent. Not in a hurry. Therefore, the laboratory often arranges for his film to be inserted. Whenever the potion has leftovers and there is plenty of time, it is inserted into a Benman film to be printed. Anyway, after three or five days, it will always be washed.

   This way the lab saves costs and gives Roger a very good discount.

  Adding the two together, Roger Coleman's largest film and processing expenses are almost one-fifth of others' costs.

   In order to get this kind of discount, the low quality requirements, the good relationship with the big studios, and the huge film volume are all indispensable. Only Roger Coleman can do this in Hollywood.

   "So, Spike, it's not that I refuse to help you. It's just that this is Coleman's advantage. Even if I order film from him, he will definitely increase the price to about the same as what you buy in New York."

"I understand you, Ronald. Jews are always so shrewd. But if it weren't for you, I don't know why he has such a low cost. I thought there was something wrong with my directing skills, and I couldn't make such a low film. Than, there are too many retakes."

  Spike Lee continued, "I would like to ask you to be the producer of my graduation project. I need your help with a lot of cost-saving things in shooting."

   "Okay, no problem, but again, you'll have to wait until I finish Thanksgiving."

"That `s a deal."

   sent Spike Lee away, and Ronald continued to tidy up the room. He will let his cousin Donna live in the back bedroom of this apartment, and Aunt Karen will often come to Manhattan to take care of her daughter and watch the leg warmer business. The photo studio outside was transformed into a living room by Ronald, and the bedroom in the middle was his own.

  The photography business has gradually shifted to the casting studio. Ronald has stopped taking the business of private shooting of the apartment. His accountant Lawrence told him that it is easy to be reported to the IRS for tax evasion.

   In this way, this apartment is mainly for living, and it is similar to the shotgun room on Staten Island.

   Fortunately, Stuyvesant High School, where Donna was admitted, is located in the East Village, so it is very convenient for Donna to attend classes.

  Tereza and David's art high school in Manhattan had some success selling leg warmers and needed somewhere to put some goods. In this way, Ronald's apartment was completely transformed, from a photography studio to a warehouse for homes and small businesses.

   Taking the dismantled camera lights and other equipment, Ronald drove to the casting studio. He told the person in charge, Julia Taylor, to put the camera equipment in the studio and use it for audition shots.

   After saying Happy Thanksgiving to each other, Julia reminded him, "Did you bring your family a Thanksgiving gift?"

   "I brought some food for my aunt, but forgot to buy it for my cousin." Ronald scratched his ears, "What do you think eighth-grade girls like? Julia."

   "Oh, I'm also worrying about what to buy for my daughter, see for yourself."

   "Donna is an elementary school bully, why don't you buy her a novel to relieve her boredom?" Ronald came to a Random House and flipped through the best-selling novel.

   "Endless Love?"

   Ronald looked at the introductory sign next to it that read: New York Times Bestseller Picks, Finalist for the National Book Award.

   It seems that it is about teenage love. Little girls should like romance novels, right?

   "Please wrap it up for me, I want it as a present."

   (end of this chapter)