章 81: Chapter 81: Noir Film
After recruiting suitable financial personnel, Stanton Studio's new project was officially established. Unlike other film crews, most of the behind-the-scenes positions for this project were still vacant.
Currently, only a few positions had been confirmed: director/producer Murphy, assistant director Paul Wilson, assistant director Seth Logan, makeup artist Jack Watson, props master Beck Claybert, editor Jodie Griffiths, receptionist Rosa Rodriguez...
The cast was also temporarily set with a few actors: Seth Logan, who passed the audition, James Franco, who finished negotiations, Kerry Mulligan, who was temporarily tied up with school, and Paul Wilson and Rosa Rodriguez, who could serve as extras.
In addition to these individuals, Murphy also met with several talent under CAA, as per Bill Ross's recommendation. Of course, they were all relatively unknown, just like Seth Logan, but as Bill Ross had said, being signed by CAA meant they were definitely capable.
Since Murphy was classified as a potential superstar client, the people introduced by Bill Ross were all reliable.
"Murphy, this is Philip Russell..."
In a meeting room at CAA, Bill Ross introduced Murphy to a Caucasian middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, "He has worked on two TV shows and was a second cameraman on the set of the fourth season of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'."
Then, he introduced a mixed-race woman in her thirties, "This is Helena Espola. She worked as an art director for three episodes of 'Apocalypse ******', and her skills are as outstanding as her looks."
Next, he introduced the remaining person, "This is David Robbie, from Australia. He served as a gaffer on 'She-Wolf Club' last year."
Finally, he looked at Murphy and said, "Philip, Helena, David, this is Murphy Stanton, an excellent director."
"Nice to meet you," Murphy shook hands with each of them, exchanging greetings, and at Bill Ross's signal, they all sat on the sofa by the window.
"Director Stanton..." the first to speak was director of photography Philip Russell, "Bill introduced us to your project, and we've also seen your film 'Fruit Candy'. I'd like to ask, what genre will your new film belong to?"
Many times, not only do directors choose cinematographers, but cinematographers also choose projects that suit their style. If a film's style is drastically different from their shooting style, it won't be of much help to their career and may even have a negative impact.
"It's a blood-soaked horror film," Murphy understood the meaning behind the question and directly responded, "A noir-style CUT film."
As soon as he said this, Philip Russell, Helena Espola, and David Robbie all nodded simultaneously. This was the style they excelled in.
Not only had they seen "Fruit Candy", but Murphy had also seen their work before they arrived. Moreover, he had discussed the style and concept of the new project with Bill Ross. He had brought in people who were suitable for this style.
Whether it was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Apocalypse ******", or "She-Wolf Club", they all had typical noir styles.
If these three people joined the crew, there would be no need for fundamental changes in philosophy. Simple adjustments and adaptations would suffice.
From this perspective, it could also be seen that Murphy lacked experience when he first made a film. He hadn't considered so much for the "Fruit Candy" project, and apart from Jack Watson, the hired hands were all terrible.
But given Murphy's conditions at the time, he couldn't ask for more.
It was just the first meeting between the two parties, and Murphy talked with the three of them for a while, especially exchanging views on the style and philosophy of the film. To be more precise, there were similarities and differences in their philosophies, which was normal.
It was impossible to formally confirm cooperation at the first meeting. After all, this was filmmaking, not child's play. Murphy still needed to consider comprehensively, and whether these three people would join his crew depended on the salary offered by Stanton Studio.
These three people were unlike the counterparts in "Fruit Candy". They weren't working alone; Philip Russell had a camera assistant, Helena Espola worked with two set designers, and only David Robbie worked alone.
According to Hollywood's rules, hiring them also meant hiring their teams. In addition to their individual salaries, the crew would also have to bear the expenses of their teams.
Murphy had no objections to this. The workload for the new project, including scenes, actors, and sets, was several times greater than that of "Fruit Candy", and it couldn't be completed as easily as before. A complete crew was necessary.
Moreover, Murphy had other considerations. As a director with lofty goals, he also needed to consider building his own relatively stable team.
Working together was the best way to see abilities clearly and to cultivate the best cooperation. Every backstage position in the crew was crucial, and a problem
in one area could lead to a halt in the entire project. Apart from these key positions, Murphy later met with seven or eight other individuals recommended by Bill Ross for other positions. These people all came from CAA's many potential signings, and as mentioned before, although they may not have fame and credentials, being selected by CAA meant their abilities were guaranteed to a certain extent.
Spending a whole week, Murphy finalized all the positions in the crew one by one. Unlike the last time, where he hired cheap labor, relatively superior abilities also meant relatively higher salaries. The substantial salary expenses also forced Murphy to continue his meticulous and frugal ways.
Just in the photography, props, lighting, and art direction departments alone, the expenditure was quite substantial.
Photography was undoubtedly crucial to a film, and the salaries in this department were generally higher, often surpassing those of other backstage positions.
Philip Russell and his team had a weekly salary of $5,500; Art director Helena Espola's team had a weekly salary of $4,000; The lighting department was slightly less, with only $3,000 per week; Adding the props department's $5,000, just this one department would cost the production nearly $20,000 in wages per week.
If the new project followed the typical Hollywood mainstream film schedule, taking over half a year or even a year from preparation to shooting, the personnel expenses alone would crush Murphy's budget and lead to bankruptcy.
Murphy's own estimate of the production cost was $800,000, so the shooting time must not be too long.
According to his plan, if everything went smoothly, from preparation to shooting, the film would not exceed two months at most.
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