Capítulo 38: Chapter 38: Stunt Model
As he left the New World office building, Ronald saw the president's assistant, Gail, struggling to start her car. She revved the engine several times, but it wouldn't start.
"Gail, where are you headed?" Ronald walked down the stairs. "What's wrong with your car? Looks like there might be an issue with the spark plug."
"Oh, Ronald." Gail finally gave up, stepped out of the car, and grabbed Ronald. "Could you drive me to the stunt company? My car broke down, and I can't find a driver."
It's 1979, and American cars are still prone to breakdowns, often requiring mechanics for maintenance. Otherwise, on long drives, it's easy to get stuck in the middle of the road and have to call a tow truck. In comparison, German and Japanese cars are more reliable.
Ronald opened the car door, helped Gail in, and drove to New World Stunt, where Cameron worked.
New World Stunt Company is a newly founded independent company by Roger Corman, specializing in the production and filming of stunt model shots in preparation for the new movie *Battle of the Stars*.
Roger Corman heard that the model production was significantly behind schedule. Being too busy to handle it himself, he asked Gail, the president's assistant, to visit the site for an inspection.
This was Ronald's first time visiting a stunt company. Gail directed him along the way, as the company was located on the Santa Monica beach, just north of Venice, where Ronald lived.
They drove to the New World Stunt office, located in an abandoned port warehouse. Upon entering, they saw various models—some made of silicone, others of plaster, plastic, or painted wood—crafted to look like metal.
"Jim," Ronald called out to Cameron, who was working at a large workbench, "Look who's here!"
"Gail, Ronald, you're here?" Cameron greeted them happily, removing his apron and wiping his hands with a rag.
"Where are the supervisors and other staff?" Gail asked upon arrival.
"They're meeting in the cubicle, discussing ways to solve the texture issues on the spaceship models," Cameron shrugged. "In reality, as long as the lens is well-designed and perspective illusions are used, the fake can appear real, like in my short film."
"Really? So why doesn't the stunt supervisor do that?"
"He prefers making a full-scale model that people can enter. Once finished, actors can perform directly in it, and the camera can shoot directly," Cameron explained.
"That's way too slow. Using a model would be much faster."
Gail glanced at the unfinished models on other workbenches. Various materials and molds lay on the tables. Only Cameron seemed to have completed models nearby, and he was working on an alien mask that looked nearly finished.
"Roger sent me to see why we're behind schedule," Gail asked Cameron.
"If you ask me, it's the supervisor's problem. He's never made a film or been on set, so he doesn't know the magic of the camera. For example, the head of this monster splits open when it speaks. We just need a close-up of the face, then cut to the actors' reactions and go back to a head with the split. There's no need to make a mechanical model with a splitting head."
Cameron elaborated enthusiastically.
"It's the same for the spaceship models."
"There's absolutely no need to build a fully functional model. Look at the R2D2 robot in *Star Wars*; a little person can put on the robot shell and act inside it. There's no need to build a remotely controlled robot that can slide on its own."
Gail took out a notebook and recorded the model production progress. She then met the effects supervisor and other special effects staff in a cubicle, learned about the supervisor's explanations, and conveyed Roger Corman's concerns.
Indeed, the situation wasn't optimistic, with production delays particularly affecting the design and model making. As Cameron complained, the team didn't fully understand that filmmaking is an art of illusion.
While Gail was in the meeting, Ronald and Cameron chatted outside. Cameron had a long beard, disheveled hair, and paint and dirt on his face.
"Jim, looking at you, has your wife Sharon left you?"
"Hey, don't bring it up. Recently, she's been upset because I've been working too much overtime, and she told me not to come home. She doesn't quite understand my passion for films. Sometimes she misses my truck-driving days," Cameron complained to his old friend.
"I actually met Sharon right after I graduated high school. She was still working as a waitress at a restaurant back then and encouraged me to pursue my film dreams. But now that I'm in the industry, she feels like I'm too committed to my work and ignore her feelings."
"So you're not really living here now?" Ronald was a bit puzzled about Cameron's mindset and his obsession with films.
"Of course not. I apologized and asked for her forgiveness and understanding. I'm only here to catch up on yesterday's work." Cameron pointed to his hair.
"By the way, what brings you to visit me today?"
"I came to get your help." Ronald handed him a typed letter and asked Cameron to sign it.
"I hereby certify that Ronald V. Lee, acting as second unit director on the production of *Rock High School*, has demonstrated competent ability…"
"You got the Director's Guild application?" Cameron signed it happily and handed it to Ronald. "Don't forget to go to court or the bank to get a notary for this."
"Thanks." Ronald took the certification letter and handed over another envelope. "This is for you. I got into NYU. I'm the first college student in my family. As a custom, here's a gift."
"Wow," Cameron opened it and took a look, "Thanks, Ronnie."
Inside were ten McDonald's gift certificates Ronald had placed along with a big coupon booklet.
It turned out that Cameron, like Ronald, lived off McDonald's coupons, so he wasn't shy and kept the gift.
"Seems like your progress here is still a bit slow?" Ronald asked, looking at the messy models, silicone, paint, molds, dirty rags, and a McDonald's fries box left on the table.
"On the contrary, it's almost done," Cameron said proudly, pointing to several models and presenting them to Ronald one by one. Basically, only one or two steps remain.
Ronald had a feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
"Why did I think your progress was really slow when I walked in?"
"Maybe I just put a few materials and tools on the same table?"
Ronald thought about it and realized that if you clear a table and place all the models on it, it will look much better.
"You should do this... Jim. If the boss, Mr. Coleman, comes to inspect and feels the same way I did…"
"Oh, crap, you're right; I'll prepare a display model table right away," Cameron responded, instructing his employees to help him clean a special display table so the boss could see the results.
…
At this point, Gale had silently understood the situation, and she and Ronald were about to return to the company to report. In the parking lot, she even gave Cameron some private advice.
Ronald took Gale to the New World Productions office. Gale asked on the way:
"Ronald, what do you think of Cameron's stunt model-making skills?"
"I don't know much about making stunt models, but I think what Jim said is right. It's unnecessary to build a full-scale, fully functional model; we can use photography techniques to help."
"Do you think Jim could be responsible for making models?" Gale asked.
Ronald sensed that Gale was considering suggesting a change to Roger Coleman, recommending that Cameron take over all the model-making.
Something didn't sit well with his intuition. Cameron worked much harder than others. If they asked him to lead a group of people with more seniority than him… there might be conflict.
After thinking for a moment, Ronald said:
"Of course, Jim has great ideas and the ability to implement them. I think he can ensure the model is completed on time. But stunt photography isn't just about models. If you follow Jim's example, you need models to closely coordinate with the photographer."
Ronald applied the principle he'd recently learned in editing—that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Gale nodded after hearing this, and Ronald continued:
"The concerns of the head of the models department aren't entirely unfounded. If there isn't a photographer familiar with stunts, the best approach might be to make a fully functional, life-sized model so the photographer doesn't get confused. No matter how he takes the shot."
"The progress is already too late. If we use Jim's method, we'll need excellent communication between the photography and stunt departments to keep the style of the shots consistent."
"The parts need to coordinate with the whole. If the coordination isn't good, what's filmed might not be as good as the stunt director's original idea."
Ronald concluded, using the principles he'd just learned.
Gale thought for a moment and agreed, "I'll inform Roger."
After taking Gale back to the company, Ronald took three certification letters to the Los Angeles County Court and found a notary public to have them certified. There's a $5 fee per letter in exchange for a notary stamp.
He wrote a check for the entry fee of $750 and a check for the annual fee of $50 and mailed them to the Film Directors Guild with the application materials.
Then, he completed the admission confirmation form, attached a $200 deposit check, and mailed it to New York University.
Two important things were resolved.
Ronald had completed these two major events that launched his directing career. Getting a Directors Guild card would mean more opportunities in the industry. Attending a film department at a recognized university would help him build a solid foundation of knowledge.
I, Ronald, a new generation of Hollywood's great directors, am here!
The rest of my time in Los Angeles was relatively free. Ronald planned to visit all the attractions near Los Angeles with Mara. In the meantime, he looked forward to seeing the preview of "Rock and Roll High School."
It's still early for fall enrollment, so I still have plenty of time.
End of Chapter
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