Chapter 8 Then You Are Responsible for Filming  

  "Kid, if you've been on the set for eight or nine years like I have, you'll know that there are some things you don't need to know too clearly..."

  "Uh, Mr. Condie. I don't mean that, I just want to..."

  "It doesn't matter. In this business, everyone wants to be a professional. A profession is to take care of your own job and not mind other people's business." The director of photography liked some of Ronald's little ideas very much, so he told him some crew experience.

  "On the entire set, there is only one person who needs to take care of everyone's business, and that's the director. Because the director is responsible for the overall quality of the film, and the behavior of anyone in the crew will affect the quality of the film."

  The director of photography looked at Ronald with a smile, "So, if you ask me as a director, I'll tell you what I know."

  Ronald realized that the director of photography was joking with him. He thought for a moment and asked,

  "Director Alan should be fine, right? Joe won't let me call an ambulance. Is there something wrong?"

  "What kind of trouble could there be? It's just the same old shit in the rock circle. Drunkenness, vandalism, fighting, drunk driving, drug abuse. The manager of the Ramones is very good at dealing with this kind of thing."

  "Alan used to work at Warner Records and knew that manager. The Ramones signed with a subsidiary of Warner, and they went to the Roxy Bar for another night. I went home first and don't know what happened."

  "OK, I understand," Ronald put away his gossiping thoughts, "Then as a director of photography, what do you think of the quality of the shots we shot this morning?"

  "For a low-budget movie, it was well shot."

  "I noticed that you always make the camera move, and rarely keep it still."

  The director of photography was a little surprised and looked at him deeply.

  "You have some talent. The camera is the audience's eyes. And the human eye hates static images, so every few seconds, you have to find a way to make it move." "

  Then how did you become a director of photography in the first place, Mr. Condie?"

  The two began to talk about photography. When he's not working, the director of photography is quite talkative. It turns out that Dean Cundy has been the director of photography for 9 movies. He was also the director of photography for PJ Soules' last movie, Halloween.

  ...

  "Ring, ring, ring..."

  The phone rang.

  Ronald picked up the microphone, "Hello."

  "Is that Ronald? I'm Roger Corman."

  "It's me, Mr. Corman. Director Alan fainted and Joe took him to the hospital. We just finished shooting the magic light time in the morning, and now we need a new director. The director of photography, Mr. Dean Cundy, is next to me."

  "Wait a minute, don't be nervous. I want to ask some details, and you answer them."

  "Okay, Mr. Corman."

  "Alan fainted and Joe took him to the hospital?"

  "Yes, Joe said he took him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills."

  "Why didn't you find someone to take Alan to the hospital? He wanted to go by himself?"

  "Mr. Corman, I asked Joe the same thing, and Joe insisted on going."

  "Then how much did you shoot this morning?"

  "We shot it according to the storyboard, and it's a little faster than expected now."

  "Storyboard? Did you draw the entire storyboard for this movie?"

  "Uh... Mr. Corman, I drew it last night and wanted to learn from it. Joe looked at it and said it was usable, so I followed it to shoot."

  Ronald explained, "Mr. Corman, can you send another director over?"

  "Dxmn it, I don't have any new directors to send to the set right now."

  "Where's our second unit director Jerry Zucker? Can he come to the set to shoot?"

  "I'm afraid not. He asked for leave today to discuss his new film with the people at Paramount."

  "Well, can you come to the set? I know you are also a great director. I guess Joe has already sent Allen to the hospital. We will contact the hospital later to see if Joe can return to the set in the afternoon."

  "It's 7 o'clock now. If I leave home now and run into the morning rush hour, it will probably take me after 9 o'clock to get to the set."

  Ronald's heart moved. This is an opportunity. He can refer to the images he dreamed of last night and shoot some more shots. Maybe he can change his name from crew assistant to assistant director, or even assistant director...

  "Excuse me, Mr. Coleman. There are still 11 scenes to shoot today. Can we take advantage of the sun not being too high now to shoot some?"

  There was no sound on the other end of the phone.

  "After Allen and Joe went to the hospital, I shot two shots, and the director of photography, Mr. Dean, also approved."

  Still no movement.

  "Mr. Coleman, if we wait until after 9 o'clock to resume filming, it is very likely that we will not be able to finish it today. If we postpone it to tomorrow, we will have to rent the venue, extras, and equipment again. The actors and staff will have to pay an extra day's salary, which will be very costly."

  "Well, go on." Roger Corman finally replied.

  "I can continue filming according to the work log before you come to the set. If I feel that the sample is not good when I see it tomorrow, I will arrange for reshoots. If the effect is good, it means saving money."

  Ronald uttered all his desires in one breath.

  There was silence on the other end of the microphone for a while. Just when Ronald couldn't help but speak again, a voice came from the other end:

  "Did you shoot all the shots in the morning?"

  "Yes, I drew today's storyboard last night. Except for the first one today, I drew the rest according to the storyboard."

  "Well, Dean is next to you, right? Give him the microphone and I'll talk to him."

  "Okay." Ronald turned around and handed the microphone to the director of photography.

  He stood up and went to the water dispenser to get water, giving his boss Roger and the director of photography a chance to communicate privately.

  Of course, Ronald still perked up his ears, listening to the words coming from the other side.

  "Yeah, Roger, it's Dean. Joe shot the first take, and Ronnie shot the rest... He's quite street smart... He knows how to arrange the camera and mobilize the actors... He has good communication skills... He also solved a big problem in the filming yesterday... The actor's performance was good... I think it's okay... OK... I'll watch him."

  After Ronald finished drinking the water in the glass, Dean Condy handed the receiver over again.

  "Ronnie, do you know the one main shot and two over-the-shoulder shots?" Roger Corman's voice came from the receiver.

  "Uh? Do you shoot a main shot first, and then two over-the-shoulder shots for both forward and reverse shots?"

  "Yes, very good. It seems that you have learned how to be a director. Hahaha..."

  Roger Corman started joking. From the sound, the boss seemed to be in a good mood.

  "Then you will be in charge of the filming before I arrive on the set."

  "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Corman. Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

  "Communicate more with Dean, respect the actors' opinions on performance, remember to shoot enough takes, and finally, shoot faster."

  "Okay, Mr. Corman. Then I will discuss the filming with Mr. Condie. Before you come, according to the progress, it is expected that 4-6 scenes can be filmed."

  "Very good. I will ask my assistant Gail to go to the crew as well. When I arrive on the set, we will discuss what to do with the next scene. Go ahead, kid, I know you have talent, and you won't let me down."

  "Thank you for your trust, Mr. Corman. Bye." Ronald was very happy that Roger Corman actually agreed to let him shoot.

  It seems that the rumors about the boss being stingy are very accurate. As long as you treat the symptoms, you will get surprises.

  After hanging up the phone, "Okay, let's go back and continue filming?" Ronald asked.

  "You are the director, you have the final say."

  (End of this chapter)