บท 27: Chapter 27: Full of Enthusiasm
At a café in Burbank, a middle-aged man in his thirties looked at Murphy and said, "Three thousand dollars a week is the lowest offer I can accept."
Turning to the woman next to Murphy, who was leisurely sipping her coffee, he added, "If it weren't for Kara's recommendation, I wouldn't even consider your film."
His confidence was evident in his words.
Murphy furrowed his brows slightly. "Mr. Culbert, considering your experience, that price isn't unreasonable."
With over a decade in the industry, having worked on numerous film shoots, including some with budgets over ten million dollars, Culbert, although just a props master, was a true veteran compared to Murphy.
"But my film's total budget is only three hundred thousand dollars," Murphy tried to persuade him, "if your fee is too high, it will reduce the budget for other aspects of the film. My project..."
Strictly speaking, Culbert's asking price wasn't too high considering his qualifications. Typically, props masters in Hollywood's second and third tiers earned around five thousand dollars a week. However, three thousand dollars was a significant amount for Murphy.
Culbert insisted on his demand for three thousand dollars, and Murphy glanced at Kara Fais, who remained quiet, sipping her coffee. She evidently didn't want to interfere in the negotiation.
In North America, business and personal relationships were usually kept separate.
While Murphy possessed various skills behind the scenes, he lacked extensive knowledge in props. Given that the film would involve a lot of blood and related props, a skilled props master could solve many problems and ensure the smooth progress of the project.
Like Culbert, other outstanding props masters demanded higher fees, commensurate with their skills.
Moreover, Culbert had already lowered his salary demand due to Kara Fais's recommendation. Three thousand dollars was relatively cheap compared to the rates of props masters at his level.
Murphy lacked connections, networks, and credentials. If this were Spielberg's project, Culbert might have joined without asking for any pay.
This was just the initial contact, and Murphy quickly excused himself from the conversation, leaving the café with Kara Fais.
As they exited, walking along the dimly lit street toward the parking lot, Kara Fais, wearing heels, slowed her pace, perhaps tired from a busy day. Murphy, carrying his briefcase, walked beside her at an unhurried pace.
"How's the preparation going?" Kara Fais brushed her blonde hair back, turning to look at Murphy, "You seem to be facing quite a few challenges."
Murphy pointed to his face, "Is it that obvious?"
Kara Fais shrugged and picked up her pace slightly. "You were successful in the news industry, yet you're transitioning to one of the toughest industries..."
She paused, then gestured towards Murphy's head, "I wonder if something's wrong up here."
"Kara, you're forgetting something." Murphy raised his head, looking at the dark night sky, reminiscent of his previous career, "I'm on the LAPD's blacklist. If I continue with news, won't they cause trouble for me?"
Hearing this, Kara Fais's eyes flickered, but she didn't retort.
"And if I continue, what level of success do you think I can achieve?" Murphy turned to her, "Do you think I can own a TV station?"
Kara Fais fell silent.
"You know, that's even harder than winning a million-dollar lottery," Murphy shook his head, "At most, I could become the owner of a small video production company."
"But do you think I'll succeed in the film industry?" Kara Fais finally found a point of contention, saying bluntly, "Your news videos are distinctive, but filmmaking is a whole different ball game! You haven't had any professional training, yet you want to break into Hollywood. Isn't that foolish?"
Since the Bill Route incident, she had fully recognized Murphy's abilities, especially after the footage he provided directly led to her promotion. She felt he could be a mentor to her.
However, someone she believed was naturally suited for the news industry was betraying it.
Murphy suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Kara Fais also instinctively halted, turning to him once more.
"Kara..." Murphy also looked at her, half-serious and half-joking, "Are you concerned about me?"
Kara Fais turned back and walked ahead, leaving Murphy with a parting shot, "I'm hoping for your bankruptcy."
Carrying his briefcase, Murphy followed her, "Continuing with news might lead to me owning a small video production company, but in the film industry, my potential is limitless."
Despite her silence, Kara Fais's bright blue eyes betrayed a hint of skepticism.
Murphy understood her meaning and felt no shame, "Who knows, maybe I'll be the next Steven Spielberg..."
There was a faint trace of mockery in her bright eyes. Murphy shrugged, "Or perhaps I'll reach the level of Ridley Scott or Quentin Tarantino. At the very least, I could be the next Robert Rodriguez."
Moving on a few steps, Murphy caught up with Kara Fais and dropped the playful expression from his face, speaking earnestly, "In my project, we still need a capable producer to oversee everything."
Having recently served as the producer for "City of Sin," a documentary, Kara Fais understood Murphy's intention, "Can you afford my salary?"
Murphy hesitated, patting his forehead. He decided not to broach the subject further.
With Stanton Studios' current resources, he couldn't afford Kara Fais's high salary.
Just as Kara Fais highly regarded Murphy's abilities, Murphy also recognized Kara Fais's capabilities. Like himself, she was willing to employ various means to achieve her goals, and most importantly, those means were effective.
Arriving at the parking lot, Kara Fais reached her car and glanced at Murphy's second-hand Ford nearby. She waved to him before getting into her car, "It's getting late. I'm heading back."
Murphy nodded, reminding her, "Drive safely."
Kara Fais started the car, but as she drove off, she seemed to remember something, lowering the car window and calling out to Murphy, "If you need any help..."
She made a gesture of making a phone call.
"I'll keep that in mind," Murphy waved back to her.
Having worked at the TV station for several years, Kara Fais had some connections, but Channel 6 was a local station with limited ties to the film and television industry. Besides the props master they had just met, her ability to assist Murphy was limited.
Leaving the parking lot, Murphy returned to downtown Los Angeles. Despite the late hour, he didn't sleep, sitting at his desk to continue refining the script. Especially the scenes following the opening sequence required meticulous attention to detail to create more conflicts and intrigue within the characters' relationships.
Over the next two weeks, Murphy juggled between perfecting the script, sketching storyboard frames, and making preparations with Jessica Chastain, the only employee at Stanton Studios.
Interviewing makeup artists, lighting technicians, set designers, and props masters, finding suitable and affordable photography equipment for rent, scouting low-cost filming locations...
The myriad tasks kept him occupied, with barely a moment to spare. He even compressed his sleep time to just five hours a day.
Fortunately, his former years
of wandering the streets of Los Angeles had kept him in good shape, physically robust and mentally sharp. Coupled with his excitement at truly entering the film industry for the first time, Murphy was brimming with enthusiasm.
However, Murphy had to let go of the props master recommended by Kara Fais; paying him three thousand dollars a week was simply beyond his means.
After interviewing dozens of applicants over the course of two weeks, Murphy selected several promising candidates from the pool of Hollywood strivers for various behind-the-scenes roles.
In particular, the male makeup artist stood out with his exceptional skills. Murphy couldn't help but wonder why someone with such talent had fallen on hard times in Hollywood.
After a brief investigation, Murphy understood the problem: Hollywood was overflowing with talent, and each profession faced stiff competition. Additionally, as the makeup artist himself mentioned, he wasn't willing to compromise his principles for personal gain—a sentiment Murphy found resonated with many others in the industry.
Putting aside these miscellaneous thoughts, Murphy focused on the next step: assembling the crew and finalizing the two lead actors.
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