Chapter 40 Photographer

After staying in New York for nearly a week, Wang Yang took the plane back to Los Angeles, and Tom Willing was with him. He got the male lead of "Singing and Dance" as he wished. He had officially signed a contract with a salary of 300,000. Although he was the male lead, he had never appeared in any film and television works and had no fame at all, so he was treated as a pure newcomer. After he came to Los Angeles, he also needed to take training classes on singing and dancing.

Michael Pete was also with him. He was penniless and hungry and wanted to grab bread, so he naturally had no money to take the plane. Wang Yang helped him pay the fee and would pay it back in the future.

After the group returned to Los Angeles, Flame Film Company took a few photo photos of Tom Willing, and uploaded them to the official website of "Singing and Dance Youth", announcing that "Troy Burton" will be starring Tom Willing. Although Tom Willing is handsome, some fans still expressed disappointment. They had previously speculated that a big star would join, but they did not expect to be an unknown model. Of course, some female fans expressed their expectations and praise, and they were about to become fans of this pure sunny handsome guy.

Needless to say, the media's reaction is still very cold. The heroine Jessica Alba has several works at least, and she is barely famous. But Tom Willing is a complete newcomer, not a child star, not a college, but just a costume model. Can he act? Is that young director's mind rust? He thought that just a handsome guy came in and the movie would be fine?

So, when the cast of "Singing and Dance" was basically determined, if there were three out of ten people who were optimistic before, then there was not even one out of ten now.

The Chicago Sun Entertainment Edition commented: "We seem to be able to foresee the fall of a new director star. This film that has not yet started filming has all the potential for bad movies. It is not pleasing to the theme of musical and dance films, inexperienced directors, inexperienced male and female protagonists, inexperienced supporting roles, and a production company that was on the verge of bankruptcy. Look at their age and experience, I'm curious how bad the movie will end up being?"

An insider also exposed to the media that the heroine of Columbia's new movie "The Hand of Leisure". The heroine originally chose Jessica Alba, but she eventually signed a contract with "Singing and Dance", which made director Rodman Fred feel very sorry. Of course, the insider should be from Columbia. Increased topics and exposure, which is just a promotional method.

Andrew Richard, the producer of "The Living Hand", confirmed this to the media, saying: "I think that girl is crazy. She made an extremely stupid decision. She will pay for her self-righteousness. No, I'm not saying "Singing and Dance" is definitely not possible, but there is no comparison. Fortunately, we have Eliza now, and her performance is great, and she will become a dazzling new star."

Eliza Dushku said: "I don't mind that I'm the second choice. I cherish this opportunity very much. Rodman Fred is a very talented director. The script of "The Hand of Leisure" is also very interesting. It's my honor to be in this movie. Jessica Alba? She and I are friends, and I wish her good luck."

Anyway, the few media who are following this film are pouring cold water on them. God seems to have said to them that "Singing and Dance Youth" will definitely fail", so they rush to show their "foresight".

Wang Yang was not aware of this situation, but Mark Slunt was very anxious. He told Wang Yang: "My boss, if any news about "Singing and Dance" appears, the media said it was a bad movie. Then over time, the audience will think that it was a bad movie. They will develop arrogance and prejudice and disdain to watch this movie."

Wang Yang thought it made sense, but he only had a little understanding of the packaging and promotion of movies and could not think of a solution. Mark Slunt was prepared for a long time. He suggested finding a public relations company to cooperate, or directly establishing a public relations department to improve the company's public relations capabilities, such as getting familiar with several media outlets, asking them to help speak good things, and dealing with the jury of various film awards, etc.

Wang Yang felt a big deal when he heard these things. Seeing that Mark Slunt's plan was detailed and reasonable, he simply agreed to inject one million yuan into the company's account and set up a public relations department.

One million is not, but Wang Yang can still afford it now, because his account will soon make a huge sum of money, and the overseas box office of "The Legend of Ghosts" is divided into. This movie "the first dv movie in history", "the most horror horror movie", and "North America's 160 million box office" has been released in Europe for several weeks in the UK, Germany, Italy, France and other places. Its performance has not disappointed the publisher. Now the total overseas box office has reached more than 80 million. As it will be released in Australia, Japan and other places, there is no problem with the total overseas box office exceeding 100 million.

However, in overseas issuances, Lionsgate Company has to cooperate with the issuing companies in that country. There is one more person who shares the share and a few layers of tax deducted, so the final distribution of Wang Yang may be less than 10 million, of course this number is quite large. Moreover, the DVD of "Ghost Record" is also listed in North America, with good sales, and the total sales have reached more than 30 million US dollars. However, in terms of DVD, Wang Yang's profit sharing is only 15%, and he can only get a small share, and 10 million can only get about 700,000.

But all this money gave Wang Yang a chance to show his strength. He could increase the investment amount of "Singing and Dance" and find a better shooting team. In fact, this work has been underway for a long time. Now the main actors are basically in place. As long as the crew is constructed and the equipment and venue are rented, the film can officially start filming.

There are many positions in the crew, some of which can be directly held by employees of Flame Film Company, such as finance, their work includes budget, statistical expenditure, settlement of wages, etc.; and some miscellaneous tasks, such as contacting the venue, closure and clearing the road, and handling the food and accommodation of the crew, etc. However, some professional positions require hiring others to join, such as setters and props, they handle the scene effects needed during shooting and the props used; costume designers and makeup artists are responsible for turning the actors into beautiful ones; they also need an art guide to grasp the overall "aesthetics".

These professionals are not difficult to find. "Singing and Dance" is just a campus film. It does not require special scenes that are separated from reality, nor does it require clothing that is separated from reality, so the work is very simple. During the casting period, Flame Film Company has found personnel in this regard based on Wang Yang's requirements and opinions, and even the contract is signed and can start construction at any time.

The positions that have not been solved are not yet solved, except for editors, musicians, etc. who are needed in the later stage, only photography teams, dance directors and arrangers are left. The post-stage personnel are looking for later stages, and there is no need to worry about the dance directors and arrangers. The song and dance shots in the movie are concentrated on the last shot. First, the actors need time to attend training classes, and second, choreography and arrangement also need time. Flame Movie has invited some famous composers, hoping to buy some youthful and popular songs with bright melody.

It can be said that the most important thing now is the formation of a photography team, including photographers, lighting artists, sound recorders, etc. Among them, photographers are the most important and need to be carefully selected.

If the director is the designer of a movie, imagining and conceiving scenes and lenses one by one; then the photographer is the person who realizes these scenes. The director is like a costume designer, who specifies the size and appearance of a piece of cloth, and the photographer is the tailor of the cut cloth. Without them, the cloth is still a piece of cloth and cannot be made into clothes.

For Wang Yang, he has to consider a photographer, looking at photography skills, composition skills, and the most important thing is temper and tacit understanding. The director is the brain, while the photographer is the hands and feet. The tacit understanding between the two parties is very important. Whether there are or not a storyboard, the photographer must fully understand the director's intentions and the effect the director wants. Moreover, he must be interested and agree with it. It is not a lip service or mechanical work, otherwise the whole movie will be extremely mediocre.

Whether the photographer and the director can get along with each other directly affects the filming effect and the progress of the work.

"When I was doing photography, my biggest fear was to work with a half-bottle director or a new director. They had a lot of ideas, always like this, but they were not clear, or I thought that shooting was awkward, I would agree on my mouth, but I thought to myself, 'Oh my god, I don't want to shoot like this'. Of course, it turned out to be very bad. I was unhappy in the shooting, and those shots were also bad." Wang Yang once heard the teacher in a photography class say this when he was studying at the University of Southern California.

At that time, he asked curiously: "Why don't you give your own opinions to the director?"

Then, the teacher shrugged indifferently and replied with a smile: "I won't go against them. The directors are all very stubborn animals. In the crew, they are like God, actors, photographers, and all the staff are serving the director. Generally, they will be angry at the producers. You go to give your opinions, it's great. They just hit the gun and they will yell at you, 'I'll shoot whatever I say, and fiddle with your camera!' Then I said to myself, 'OK, then take a bunch of shit out.'"

There was a burst of laughter in the classroom. Wang Yang remembered that he laughed loudly, and the teacher said with a smile: "So the classmates who are going to be directors, I have to tell you, man, be careful in the future! Photographers are all two-faced guys. Remember not to anger us. We will deliberately smash it, waste your film, increase your cost budget, and make you scolded by the producers, haha!" Then the laughter in the classroom became even louder.

Thinking of this, Wang Yang, who was sitting in front of the computer, couldn't help but smile. He could never work with such a photographer. Although there was no producer scolding him, it was because he was the investor and he paid for the film.

So if the director and the photographer get together, they will usually cooperate for a long time. But the problem now is that he has no connections in this regard and doesn’t even know a photographer, let alone a “monetary photographer”. Fortunately, it is not the time to produce “Ghost Records”. He has a company and a team. At this time, there is a list of photographers on the computer, all of whom are recommended by Mark Slunt and Sandy Pix.

Wang Yang looked at the current time. It was past eight o'clock in the morning. Today was Rachel's birthday, so he, the "boss", approved a day off. There was no need for training. A group of people were preparing to come to him to have a day to celebrate Rachel's birthday. Look at the time, they should be coming. While opening the list of photographers, Wang Yang shouted to the vine sofa not far away: "Michael, Michael! Get up quickly, my friends are coming!"

Michael Pitt is also temporarily living in this apartment and sleeping on the sofa. In the past few days, Wang Yang has asked Michael Pitt to go out to do whatever he wants to buy. Anyway, he is a venue business, and the crew's "nanny" is all about this.

"Oh..." A lifeless voice came from the vine sofa. Since this guy came to Los Angeles, he seemed to have narcolepsy. He stayed in bed every day and would fall asleep whenever he had free time.

"Now!" Wang Yang shouted again, then stopped paying attention to him, opened the list of photographers and looked at it. These photographers were not very famous, which was not surprising. Famous photographers usually have their own long-term partners and would not be short of film appointments. Wang Yang looked through these materials, without any surprises. They were all ordinary photographers. Suddenly, a name made him stop, Vale Fist?

This name is very familiar! Wang Yang frowned and looked up the detailed information of the photographer. Vale Fister, now 37 years old, is a photographer of many erotic R-level films, including "Erotic Blurred Night", "Animal Instinct", "Erotic Games" series, "Erotic Games" by A-Pix, the predecessor of the Flame Film Company, and he is the photographer. He is very familiar with Sandy Pix, and he is considered an old relationship.

"Erotic Game 3"?" Wang Yang shook his head with a chuckle. No, the familiarity must have come from other places. He searched in his mind and immediately got the answer. He couldn't help but say in surprise: "No!? What a joke!"

Varre Fist won the 83rd Academy Award for Best Photography with "The Foundation"! It turns out that if he followed the future path, he would become famous as a photographer of "Memory Fragments" in 2000, and then he became Christopher Nolan's official photographer. They together shot blockbusters such as "Batman-The Moment of War", "Batman-The Dark Knight", and "The Foundation" and so on.

He and Nolan are perfectly matched, and they perfectly play the color style of classical movies, sometimes obscure and gray, sometimes bright and dazzling, creating an unparalleled "texture".

Of course, the tones of "Singing and Dance of Youth" cannot be compared with those light and dark. What this movie requires is the tones and lights of youthful sunshine, but this is not a problem. When magnifying the lights and applying them later, the picture requires sunny and brightness. This will never stump a "best photography". The key is to look at his photography technology, composition skills, and understanding and grasp of the lens.

Although Varre Fist is currently a third-rate photographer who specializes in R-level films, Wang Yang believes that his photography ability should be competent enough for the photographer of "Singing and Dance Youth". Wang Yang happily picked up his phone and called Sandy Parker, and said with a smile: "Hi, Sandy, do you have a good relationship with Varre Fister? Well, I want to meet him. Is he in Los Angeles? Okay, contact him..."

At this moment, the doorbell of the apartment rang, and Wang Yang said "Wait" to Sandy Parks, turned around and shouted: "Michael, go open the door!" Then he continued to say to his phone: "Okay, Sandy, just say I've seen the movie he shot, it's great... Which one? "Erotic Blurred Night" or "Erotic Game", hey, whatever..."

Listening to the harsh doorbell, Michael Pete got up from the rattan sofa in a daze, walked to the door with a head-heavy foot, and opened the door.

"Hi, Yang!" Jessica had a sweet smile on her face, but as the door was completely opened, she was stunned. Behind the door was a blonde man wearing sweatshirts and shorts, sleepy eyes, not Wang Yang at all! She glared at all, swept the two furry thighs, and suddenly screamed: "Oh, my god!" She took a few steps back, frowning her eyebrows tightly, and questioned: "Who are you? Where is Yang!"

At this time, Joshua, Rachel, Zachary, and Jessica's good friend Eileen Eris, who were walking slower behind, also arrived. They also opened their mouths together and looked at Michael Pitt in surprise.

Michael Pitt was still confused and rubbed his eyes and said, "Oh, hello, I'm Michael Pitt..."

Hearing Jessica's scream from the door, Wang Yang looked at the door reflexively and saw Michael Pete's personal show. He cursed helplessly: "Hey! This bastard has just gotten up?!" He said goodbye to Sandy Pix, then ran over, greeted his friends outside the door with a smile: "Hi, everyone! Good morning." He looked at Rachel again and said, "Happy birthday, Rachel."

Rachel smiled and said, "Thank you, Young. Is he?" Her eyes looked at Michael Pitt.

"Michael Pete, I should have told you that a 'Leonardo' I met in New York. He can play a small role in "Singing and Dance Youth". He has no place to live for the time being, so he lives with me first." Wang Yang explained quickly and simply, turned around and glared at Michael Pete, and said, "Hey, man, aren't you going to get dressed yet?" Michael Pete nodded "oh" and walked in with a yawn.

Michael Pitt is still dressed, not naked. They were surprised at how such a person suddenly appeared in Wang Yang's apartment. Now after hearing the explanation, everyone suddenly came to see him. Jessica also remembered that she had heard Wang Yang talk about this person and smiled and said, "I'm scared! Yang, I'm used to you opening the door. I just saw Michael Pitt, and I thought he was a pervert."
Chapter completed!