Chapter 21: Silence is Golden

The man continued, "The second unit directors are not a profound artistic creation; they just shoot some scenes. Why should Joe be in charge? Jerry said there were some minor issues with the assistant's shooting. But what? The film produced by New World has no problems? These are just a few shots from the second unit. I don't understand why.

Perhaps he still doesn't know that this assistant is Ronald, who is present.

Everyone fell silent for a while. Undoubtedly, this is a feasible way to resolve the problem, but... Roger Corman is not a philanthropist. It was clear that Jerry Zucker had deceived him, and there was no way he would let him go with a frivolous comment.

Ronald never expected it would be his turn to have a big pie fall on his head so soon. He was elated in his heart: "Yes, it's true, my level is good. Let me be the director of the second unit. Then I can join the Directors Guild. Even the lowest-level assistant director can use their membership card to fool people and shoot audition photos."

But his expression was serious; his lips were tightly closed, and he didn't say a word.

Roger Corman coughed: "The essence of this matter is a question of integrity. Jerry signed a contract, and he must fulfill it. Could it be that you signed a $3.5 million filming contract with Paramount, and Warner will pay $7 million tomorrow? Does the budget allow for that? Do you have to film, so you abandon Paramount and go to Warner?

Jerry Zucker responded tit for tat: "This isn't a matter of more or less money, but of the industry's rules. We spent 5 years on this film, and we polished it little by little until it became what it is now. Your request really destroyed our only chance in five years; this is not in line with industry rules; this is our dream, the three of us, stay out of the way, Roger."

He picked up the coffee and took a sip: "We are not unreasonable. In addition to reimbursing you the advance salary you gave me, I can also take care of the second unit directors' salaries for the remaining days."

Roger Corman thought for a moment: "But you have already completed two-thirds of the filming, and I can't find anyone to take your place." After speaking, he cast a vague glance at Ronald.

Roger Corman did his best to emphasize the figure of two-thirds, which was an implicit reminder for Ronald not to jump in and do something rash. Even if Ronald took over the filming now, the Directors Guild would not invite him to join the film because there weren't enough scenes filmed, and the second unit director still had to be hired by Jerry Zucker.

Ronald understood the implication, so he maintained an upright sitting posture, lowered his head a bit, looked serious, and said nothing. But in his heart, it felt like a roller coaster: "No way, there has to be a way to avoid this rule."

"No one stipulates that a crew can only have one second unit, right?" Sure enough, Jerry Zucker jumped in. He needed to add fuel to the fire and let Ronald take over so he could escape. The amount of shots, like a shooting task separate from the second unit, would be considered complete by the person in charge.

Jerry Zucker also hinted to Ronald that as long as two second units were established, there would be two second unit directors, and he would have the opportunity to join the Directors Guild. It would be better if Ronald could step up. Everyone looked back at Ronald.

Ronald remained silent. He couldn't recommend himself for this kind of thing... Besides, boss Roger Coleman didn't have the only option...

Silence has a powerful force, like a huge black hole. Everyone wants to say something to fill the black hole and free themselves from the gravity of the black hole.

Roger Coleman also took a sip of coffee. He knew in his heart that he had no cards in hand to stop Jerry Zucker from escaping. There was no card to force Joe Dante to stop helping his good friend Allen direct the set and go film the second unit. But he wasn't willing to admit complete defeat so soon.

He decided to make a final stand: 

"Normally, people who have been hired as directors will not return to be second unit directors. However, considering the current situation of the crew, what we need is someone who is familiar with the team and has experience..."

This time, everyone looked at co-director Joe Dante.

A long and uncomfortable silence...

Ronald's heart was beating so fast he could hear it in his chest. His throat began to feel dry, then itchy, and he couldn't help but cough, but he still did his best to suppress it and maintain an expressionless silence.

Because he knew that the key to obtaining the Directors Guild membership card was in these few minutes. He had to demonstrate his core competitiveness: he had once suffered from "aphasia," pretending to be mute.

After a long time, no one responded to Roger Coleman's words. Everyone seemed afraid to speak or shift positions in their seats for fear they would be misunderstood as having something to say, and even their muscles began to tense.

Finally, Joe Dante, who had endured the pressure of everyone's gazes, broke the silence and said: 

"I think Alan's body is still very weak. It's risky for me to leave him at this moment, and it's not in line with my friends." "The sample film shot yesterday fully demonstrated Ronald's directorial capability and artistic talent. I believe that forming a new second unit filming team and putting him in charge can completely complete the second unit's shooting..."

Bingo!

Before Joe Dante could finish speaking, Jerry Zucker stood up and wanted to shake Ronald's hand: "That way, we'll all be fine."

Ronald politely waited for Joe Dante, first shaking his hand to thank him, then shaking hands with owner Roger Coleman, and finally shaking hands with Jerry Zucker.

Jerry was already in ecstasy, pulled out his checkbook, wrote $600, signed it, and handed it to Roger Coleman. The trio left happily.

The Colemans approached Ronald, and Roger extended his hand to shake: "Ask Gail to get the contact information of the second unit photographers, and I'll ask Gail to put your information in the 'Rock and Roll High School' director employment form and send it to the Directors Guild."

"Alright, Mr. Coleman, thank you very much."

Roger gestured with his hand and prepared to leave.

Owner Julie Coleman did not leave immediately. She also shook Ronald's hand and began to chat: "How is your university application going, Ronald?"

"I applied to two public universities in New York State because I'm from New York." Ronald really appreciated the professional demeanor of this woman. "But I also want to apply to some film schools. Working at New World would make me happy. I fell in love with films, so I wanted to try."

"Have you decided? The application deadline seems to be approaching soon."

"I know very little about it, and I would appreciate it if you could give me some advice, Ms. Coleman."

"Just call me Julie." Julie Coleman sat back down and analyzed Ronald's film career situation.

"California universities are close to Hollywood, and their film departments are relatively strong. There's UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and USC (University of Southern California), which are very good. New York is close to Broadway, and they are very good at training theater actors, and their film careers are a bit better. But you can also consider NYU (New York University) and Columbia University, which have good programs, but there aren't many film professionals in New York, so the job market for college students isn't as good as in Los Angeles."

"Are there scholarships to attend these schools?" Ronald asked.

"There are very few scholarships, mainly for students from countries outside the United States." Julie, the boss's wife, smiled. She had heard Gail talk about Ronald's situation and knew that the boy in front of her didn't come from a wealthy family.

"If you major in film, you need to prepare for some other expenses. In addition to tuition, book fees, and various other expenses, the graduation project for film students is to make a short film. But the school doesn't have this money, and you have to raise it yourself or find sponsorship."

Hiss... the filming fee is at least over $20,000, which is more expensive than tuition. Ronald had a headache.

"But don't worry, with your artistic talent, it's not difficult to find some profitable work in New York. New York is the largest advertising center in the world. Dozens of commercials are filmed on Madison Street every day. If you obtain the Directors Guild card, you can try filming commercials for them."

Ronald felt grateful and repeatedly thanked owner Julie for her guidance.

"If you need a letter of recommendation, you can go to Roger or me."

After saying that, she took her husband Roger by the arm and left.

Owner Julie knew her husband Roger's habits and felt dissatisfied when the cost of filming a movie increased. Moreover, today it was two things combined: losing Jerry Zucker, a cheap labor force, and losing Ronald Lee, a future cheap labor force with great potential. However, she also knew that besides being a bit stingy, her husband Roger was an uncommon kind person in the film industry. He didn't shame Ronald for this but gave him a chance.

And she was very optimistic about Ronald Lee's future, so she came and gave Ronald many very valuable pieces of advice. "This boy will do something good in the future," Julie and Roger whispered.

Ronald, who was alone in front of Roger Corman's office, suddenly felt a need to laugh out loud. This kind of junior membership may not

 be considered a big deal in the eyes of the people in the industry, but if he uses it to show clients taking audition photos, the fee could increase significantly.

End of chapter