Bab 105: Ch-98
While I was busy with Harry Potter, Tobias was busy with Stephen Chbosky, working on the pre-production of [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] as well. I guess I'm rushing things a bit with the two films, but I couldn't help myself. Both of these were excellent movies in the original timeline, and I desperately wanted to add them to my acting portfolio.
Now that we were here, we could focus on the film, [Brick]. Rian was a very meticulous man when it came to filmmaking. He had planned to shoot the entire film from start to end in January 2004. Until then, we would practice each scene so many times that we could do them even in our sleep. Just like a stage play. The first day was just for introductions and a table read; actual rehearsals would begin on the second day.
When Rian started narrating the story of the film, it transfixed everyone. He just had this flair for storytelling, that made everyone stop everything and pay him their utmost attention.
"So then," Rian said as he finished the story, "Brendan reveals the truth to Laura about the tenth brick of heroin, but Laura, in a petty streak of revenge, tells him about the father of Emily's baby. Brendan stands there, shell-shocked, the camera firmly on his face, as Laura walks out of the frame in the background. The end."
As soon as he finished narrating the story, everyone started clapping loudly. The applause was deserved because Rian had held each of us captive with his narrative from start to end. I knew from his future work that his direction was top-notch, but his stories were also very well thought out. His narration wasn't just about the story; he also described where the camera would be placed. This was a big reason I never asked him to storyboard the entire film like I was making Chbosky do—because I knew he didn't need it. This narration just proved me right.
"Thank you!" Rian bowed politely to all the actors applauding him.
"No, thank you, Rian," I turned the tables on him. "Thank you for writing this amazing story and letting me and everyone here be a part of it. I know for sure that this film will be a big hit."
"We haven't even begun shooting yet," Rian reminded me.
"We will soon," I reassured him. "Mark my words, this film will be a classic."
(Break)
The following days, I dedicated myself fully to the pre-production of [Brick]. Not just rehearsals, but everything from costumes and props to movie equipment that we had to rent for the film. Until now, I hadn't realized how much work goes into making a movie. The only downside to it all was that I couldn't physically go and haggle for the stuff necessary for the production, for obvious reasons. Other than that, I made all the major decisions about the finance distribution.
Of my initial budget of $1m, $100k was earmarked for Rian Johnson for his script and direction of the film. From the remaining $900k, $300k had to be kept in reserve for post-production, which included things like editing, color grading, sound mixing, music, and a small contingency fund. We'd also need a further $50k for marketing the film at festivals and making copies for prospective distributors, leaving us with $550k.
Now here comes the tricky part: We had already spent $100k on the pre-production, and a further $600k would be needed for the film's actual production. If we added all that expense, we'd be in the negative by $150k, which was a lot considering it was 15% of our budget. Not that I didn't have that sort of money, but I didn't want to overspend. I knew for sure that the original film was made on a budget of less than half a million, and here I was, unable to limit the budget to even a million.
Where did things go wrong?
"Maybe we can remove my salary for the time being?" Rian Johnson offered magnanimously.
"No," I shook my head. "That's not happening. You are helming this project all on your own. You deserve this money, and probably more. It's just that… you were ready to make this film with half a million, and now, even with double the money, we are not able to manage it."
All this time, I was conversing in my American accent because I needed to be American for this role. Rian hadn't asked for it, but it was my idea to speak only in my American accent until after [Brick] and [Perks] had been finished.
"That's because, in the original plan, I had planned to do the editing myself," Rian pointed at himself. "The music would have been provided by my cousin Nathan, who also agreed to work for free just to have a chance to work on a film. Now you are insisting on hiring a professional editor and a top-class composer. So, of course, the budget will increase. If we do as in the original plan, we can save $100k at the very least by eliminating the editor and the composer. To save further money, I can edit the film on a home computer. That will save us the cost of renting an editing studio as well."
Rian wasn't wrong. Eliminating an editor and a composer would save us a lot of money. The composer was someone I could take a risk with, but the editor was a must-have for a film. Rian had no experience in editing, from what he had told me, editing a feature-length film on a home computer is very time-consuming. I wouldn't be surprised if it took Rian a full year just to edit the film. But even if we forgot that part for now, we were still over our initial budget. I needed to do something to curb that.
"Composer I can agree on," I said to Rian slowly. "Tell your cousin the job is his. He can start writing music in his free time or whenever he likes. I'll ask my lawyer to draw up a contract for him, and if the film is profitable, he'll be paid a fair sum out of the profits."
"I'll pass it along," Rian nodded with a smile. "I'm sure he'll appreciate that."
"However," I continued, "we have to have an editor. That's something I cannot compromise on. I'll still give you the freedom to dictate the final cut."
There was another reason for this. In the original film, there were moments when the sound or the video was not clear and I had to rely on the subtitles. I had chalked it up to its low budget, but after working in the industry for this long, I know it was something that a good editor can save in a low-budget film if he's dedicated.
Rian inclined his head in understanding. "So that reduces $50k off the budget that was allocated to the composer. We're still over budget by a full $100k."
And that was the whole problem. Film production is not as easy a task as it seems on paper. You have to make a lot of compromises and reductions, especially when making a small indie film.
"Maybe you should get Tobias to help you on this," Rian suggested helpfully.
"No," I shook my head. "He is already overburdened with the other film's production. Moreover, I need to prove to everyone that I can do this on my own, and I will." Then suddenly an idea came to me. "Costumes. We can ask everyone to wear their own clothes. Being actors, I think they would understand that this is a small production."
Rian tilted his head from side to side, mulling over the idea, before shaking his head. "Your dress will remain the same throughout the film, so we'll need multiples of it to make sure we can maintain continuity. Same for the characters of Tug, Emily, Dode, and the Pin. Then there will be a toga party, for which we'll need the toga costumes. At most, you can save $5-6k if you tell everyone else to get their own clothes."
That was not worth it at all. If I asked people to do that, I would be labeled a cheapskate. I wouldn't risk my reputation for a measly $5k.
As if sensing my train of thought, Rian spoke up. "As I said, it's best if you let me edit the film to save on the costs."
The more I thought about it, the more tempting the idea sounded. Yet, I didn't give in that easily.
"Let me see if anything else can be done first," I said reluctantly. "If every other avenue to save money fails, then I'll let you edit the film."
"Okay," Rian nodded. "Shall we meet tomorrow morning then?"
"Yeah," I nodded back and shook his hand before taking my leave. Our meetings began in the mornings with the entire cast for scene rehearsals. Later on, when others had gone home, Rian and I would work on other aspects of production, like today.
As I walked to my car, my bodyguards were walking around me, probably making me look like a pretentious asshole to any onlooker, but my mind was elsewhere. Logically, I knew that arranging $100k extra wouldn't be too difficult for me, especially when I knew I'd be getting tens of millions from [HP3] soon enough, but I also knew that I couldn't just increase my budget on a whim. That would make me a bad producer. I'd have to make do with the original budget somehow.
(Break)
Steve had been waiting for Troy for quite some time. It felt wrong being alone in this huge house without Kathy. He had purchased a new home in LA just this week and had moved most of their furniture and belongings from their old house, which was now up for sale. This new home boasted top-of-the-line security that would make breaking in almost impossible. That, combined with 24/7 security guards and cameras, made this a much safer residence. Their old home didn't have any buyers at the moment, but he was sure there would be soon.
Initially, Troy had said that he didn't mind moving back into that house, but Steve had put his foot down. He still remembered that blasted night when Roger called him and gave him the worst news. Steve had called all his acquaintances and friends, including Barry Meyer, immediately. It was Barry who had sent the lawyer on such short notice. Steve hadn't slept a wink or eaten a single bite until the next day when Troy had landed in London. When he did, Steve and Kathy had hugged him for dear life.
He didn't want Troy to come back to this cursed city without either him or Kathy accompanying him. He knew that Troy was growing rapidly, and would leave the nest in a few years. Didn't mean he liked it. For him, Troy would always be the small kid he adopted all those years ago. And now, that same kid was taking his first step in the world beyond acting, and he began it by becoming a film producer.
A producer who walked into their new home with a worried face. He plopped down on the couch tiredly and put his bare feet on the coffee table.
"Are you okay, son?" Steve asked.
Troy nodded without saying a word and closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the couch.
"Come on, don't do that!" Steve complained. "Use your words like a civilized man."
Troy grunted, "Sorry Dad. It's just… film production."
Steve smiled. "I wouldn't mind hearing what's worrying you. If you hadn't noticed, I'm also a film producer, so maybe I can help you out?"
Troy thought about it for a few moments before shrugging. Then he launched into the seemingly trivial problem he was having. Trivial because the solution was simple, at least on the surface. Any major problem that could be solved with less than half a million dollars wasn't really a problem for their family. But Troy was correct. If he wanted to become a successful film producer, he couldn't let the budget go overboard.
"It's a good thing you came to me when you did," Steve said with a smile. "I can save you all the equipment costs. Cameras, sound recording devices, the whole shebang."
"But your equipment is in London," Troy said, confused.
"Yeah," Steve agreed. "Do you know my friend Elliot Barrell?"
"Vaguely," Troy said, trying to remember the man. "What does he have to do with my film?"
"He had to shoot a part of his film in London before we started shooting [Prisoner of Azkaban]," Steve explained. "To save on transportation costs for his equipment, he borrowed mine. I didn't charge him anything. Now I think it would be a nice time for him to repay the favor. Don't you think?"
"You really want to use your favor like that?" Troy asked. "We can cut costs elsewhere."
"Oh, we will," Steve said, completely serious. "If you share your budget with me, I'll be more than happy to tell you where to cut down. But believe me, take the equipment anyway. It's a small favor, so it won't matter much in the end."
"Okay," Troy agreed after a few moments of contemplation.
"Good," Steve smiled. "Now, show me your production budget."
_____________________________________
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