Chapter 102: Test Shoot
[Chapter 102: Test Shoot]
"Ben, what happened to your foot?"
As he walked downstairs, Link noticed Ben Affleck limping.
"Oh? It's nothing. I accidentally kicked a metal plate. It'll be fine after I get it moving a bit," Ben hurriedly replied, stamping his foot a few times to show it wasn't a big deal.
"Good to hear. We start shooting The Blair Witch Project next week, and the filming will take about ten days, so make sure you all get ready," Link said as he walked, casually introducing Renee Zellweger, who was with them.
The three of them were going to work on the movie together, so it made sense to get acquainted.
When they arrived at the KFC at the bottom of the building, Link ordered some fried chicken and drinks. They chatted about the script while eating.
...
This script was simpler to shoot than Paranormal Activity. It was all real locations, no need for a soundtrack, no special lighting, very little acting required, and not many props were necessary - -making the filming demands quite low.
It felt more like a documentary.
What he needed to convey to them was that, whether they believed in witches in Illinois or not, they should approach the filming of this movie with curiosity, treating the Blair Witch as a real entity -- an evil witch who had lived in the woods for centuries, liked to roam at night, hung strange trinkets in the trees, and enjoyed leading people to their doom in dark corners.
Once they acknowledged this, they would show excitement and anxiety before undertaking the action, which would allow them to express genuine curiosity, fear, desperation, and hysteria during their forest adventure.
If they acted more authentically, the audience would believe that the Blair Witch was real and would feel curious enough to watch the movie.
If it wasn't believable, they wouldn't fool the audience.
That was the purpose of having them at KFC -- to prepare them mentally before filming, to get them into their characters and invested in the story.
If anyone couldn't manage that, they were free to drop out.
...
"Link, can I ask you a question?" Ben Affleck asked while munching on his chicken.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Link, is anyone actually going to watch this? When you promoted Paranormal Activity, you all claimed it was a real documentary, and the media called you out for false advertising. Now, with The Blair Witch Project, are we really expecting people to buy into it again? If no one watches, isn't this movie doomed to lose money?"
Ben pressed.
"Before we shot Paranormal Activity, I publicly stated that the first few films were experiments -- using film as an exploration, not worried about box office or reviews, just following my vision.
Whether people watch this movie or not is irrelevant; even if I know no one will watch, I will stick to my original plan and complete this project," Link explained.
"Link, that's a really cool way to think."
Matt Damon jumped in ahead of Ben. "This movie has a low budget, so even if the box office falls short, you won't be in too deep; using this script to experiment is genuinely fitting.
Also, both Buried and Paranormal Activity were your experimental works, and they both made a huge splash when released. The Blair Witch Project might just have box office potential too. So if this movie fails, you won't be out much, but if it succeeds, you'll have another hit on your hands. It's a pretty good gamble."
Link smiled. "Matt, you're right. Moreover, I'm a new director, still getting the hang of my role, and I need to practice more before taking on a big production.
Scripts like Buried, Paranormal Activity, and The Blair Witch Project are simple but perfect for honing my skills -- that's why I chose to shoot them."
Hearing this, Ben Affleck couldn't help but smirk. Link called himself a new director and claimed he was still learning how to make movies.
It sounded perfectly reasonable and had no flaws...but this guy's practice films -- Buried and Paranormal Activity -- one had earned 3,500 times their budget and the other had even become the box office champ of the year, pulling in over twenty-thousand times their investment.
This guy was crushing Hollywood's top directors at the box office.
And he still insisted he didn't know how to make movies and was just practicing. If any of those big directors heard this, they would absolutely lose it.
"Ben, any other questions?"
"Oh, no, not at all. It's perfectly reasonable to use low-budget films for practice. Students in film school often do the same thing, but they can't match your success; their films hardly ever get noticed," Ben said.
Renee chimed in, "Film school students were so envious of Link when he made Buried and Paranormal Activity with a budget of just $20,000, raking in hundreds of millions at the box office.
Now many film students are looking to Link for advice on making movies on a budget, hoping to gamble their luck in Hollywood. The media reported that, in recent months, studios received numerous tapes from aspiring directors -- hundreds of projects in total.
They even raised the question, 'Who will be the next Link?' So far, one success story has emerged -- Robert Rodriguez."
Link shook his head, not optimistic about those following trends. Many lacked solid scripts, strong directing skills, or box office backing, making failure a high risk.
But he found it amusing to think he could influence many new directors' paths.
Link continued eating his chicken and drinking beer as he chatted with the three about the script.
---
When Sofia Coppola arrived, Link led them to the rented studio for a test shoot, focusing on the introductory scene with the lead actress, featuring interactions among the three actors.
The test shoot did not go well.
The primary reason was that all three struggled to adjust their mindsets; they were overacting and showed too many traces of performance, making it feel unauthentic.
...
"Cut!"
"Renee, you don't need to be so serious with the camera. Try to relax a bit; think of it as shooting a home video. How about you hold the camera and try capturing your own video?"
Link stood behind the tripod of the camera in the room.
"Okay, let me try."
Renee smiled, walked over to adjust the camera, setting it to automatic mode. She backed away a few steps and faced the lens, smiling.
...
"Alright, welcome to my home. I'm leaving this weekend to visit the legendary Blair Witch, and here are my guidebooks, including How to Survive in the Woods and Because You Never Know What's Going to Happen. This one is really crucial; it explains the events that unfolded in Coffey. It looks quite old, and here's my field survival notebook."
She aimed the camera at the guidebooks spread out on the table.
...
"Cut!"
"Not bad, better than the last round, but still not strong enough in terms of immersion; you need to deepen your connection with the character."
"Got it, I'll work on it."
Renee smiled.
...
Link then had a go at working with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in the room. Both were well-prepared, having memorized their lines thoroughly.
In the test shoot, Ben performed slightly better -- he was relaxed during his acting, embodying a casual persona that fit the character perfectly.
Meanwhile, Matt was too serious and needed to loosen up, coming off as if he were performing in a stage play.
Link chatted with Matt, offering him some psychological guidance on how to approach the performance; their second test shoot improved slightly.
...
"Alright, we're done with the test shoot, and everyone performed better than expected. If there are no further questions, we'll officially begin filming The Blair Witch Project next Monday, planning for about ten days of shooting. Make sure you manage your schedules and try not to ask for time off during the filming. Any issues with that?" Link asked.
"No! I'm good to go anytime!" Renee said with a shrug and a smile.
"Same here."
"Great, then today's meeting is done."
*****
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