Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 131 The secret of shooting low-budget movies
"Don't run away, Ronald, you have to help me with this." Spike said hastily when he saw that Ronald was tidying up the room at home.

Helped Ronald complete the filming of two chewing gum commercials, and now Spike Lee came to collect the debt, hoping that Ronald would help him improve his script.

"Thanksgiving is coming soon, and the origin of this holiday is to know how to be grateful, Ronald. I know you signed the screenwriter on the MGM movie, and you have to help me. I have to apply for African-Americans. Funding from affirmative action groups to get this movie done. They have to evaluate the script."

"Spike, I'd love to help you, but I have to go back to Staten Island for Thanksgiving. My cousin Donna was admitted to Stuyvesant Special High School, and she got a 700 out of 620, which means she's the best in all the high schools in New York State." She is in the top 12% of eighth graders in IQ, and I have to congratulate her, and I have to prepare for transfers and moving, so I don’t have time.”

"Hey, Man, when Dickinson and I went to shoot commercials for you, we didn't shirk. When we did our best to please that white executive for you, don't forget." Spike Lee cursed angrily Ronald.

"Isn't that giving you more than twice the average salary?" Ronald thought to himself, but he just complained in his heart.

"Okay, I surrender, here you go." Ronald reached out for Spike Lee's screenplay. "

"Joe's Courtyard?" Ronald read out the name of the script, which seemed wrong, "Joe's Big Bed?" Why did you change the name of this script again? What does it mean?
"No, it's Joe's barber shop in a compound in the Big Bed block. Ronald, you don't understand our black slang and abbreviations, it's a Brooklyn ghetto officially called Bedford-Shi Stevenson. We all call him Big Bed.

My story is about various stories that happened in a barber shop on this block named Joe.It reflects the history of how blacks maintain their own traditions in a mixed culture and fight against Italian gangs, the lunatics of Jehovah's Witnesses, the underground lottery, and other organizations. "

"Does this subtitle mean what I understand? Let's cut off the head?" Ronald looked at the cover, really excited.

"Did you turn this draft into a gangster vendetta? The barber takes the machete and fights the italian gangsters, that's a good gimmick. I think you can even go to the producers of low-budget exploitation films, they'll like it of."

Ronald felt that Spike Lee finally got the hang of it. Reflecting black culture on the screen is a lofty goal. Mixing this goal into the popular gunfights, vendettas, and religious and gangster plots, I am afraid that it will be applauded, but it will also be popular. Popular.

"Wade, you have a sense of humor, Ronald." Spike laughed, "Look at it, this is us shaving, not us cutting off. It's about a barber's partner who was suddenly shot dead, In order to keep his barber shop, he fought with all kinds of people, and finally failed shamefully."

"Okay", Ronald immediately downgraded the movie in his mind, it turned out to be a reasonable movie.

After quickly flipping through the script in 10 minutes, Ronald had some points in his mind, and said to Spike, "I counted the scenes, and it's not enough for 90 minutes. How long are you planning to make?"

"I can shoot as long as I can. I still have a lot of plots to write, but I don't have enough money. I'm going to apply for funding this time. I hope I can support it until the end of the filming."

Ronald picked up a yellow pencil and sketched out the scenes in the script on paper.Then I counted, almost all the dialogue scenes are indoors, and there are only a few outdoor and action scenes.Spike still tried his best to design the script in the direction of simplifying shooting and reducing costs.

"I don't have any suggestions for the script, some plots I don't understand very well, maybe the living conditions in that neighborhood are really bad, so that the barber shop has to cut-throat competition.

I also don't quite understand the expressions of many black people in it, and I don't fully understand the subtext of the characters in the dialogue.

But from a producer's point of view, your script is a typical low-budget movie, and it should be possible to make it with the budget you got last time.

I don't quite understand why you still have to raise money. "

"How did you shoot it? We have reduced the budget to the minimum, the actors are all free, and the staff are also asked to help by classmates. By the way, you have made low-budget exploitation films in Hollywood. Help me See what you can do to save money."

"Where's your budget execution statement? Let me see."

Spike took out a piece of paper and handed it to Ronald.

After taking a look, Ronald only saw a simple expenditure statistics, the most of which was film and equipment rental money.

Ronald estimated that the barbershop where Spike was filmed was also sponsored by fellow villagers, and the street shooting did not apply for police permission, which was completely a guerrilla-style shooting method.Supposedly it should be cheap.

"Why did you spend so much money on the film? Spike. You can make a 60-minute feature film with your early film expenses."

"How is this possible? I have already saved a lot, and only bought 5 cheap expired films, which are just enough to cut out the length of 10 minutes of feature film." Prints, and photographer Dickinson's shooting records are shown to Ronald.

"It's really strange, why is the expired film still so expensive?" Ronald looked at the figure a little abnormally, "Wait for me to make a call."

"Hi, is that Gail?...I'm Ronald, I'm fine in New York, how are you, are you still busy?...Are you free now?...I happen to have some questions for you,... ...Well, for the film price, why so expensive? ... Roger special access? ... OK, OK, what about the processing fee? ... I see, thank you."

"That's right, Spike. I asked my ex-boss, Roger Corman's executive secretary at New World Productions, and it's true that their film prices are so low that they can do something like High School of Rock for $30. Movie."

It turns out that Roger Coleman has his own money-saving tips, and there's no way anyone else can follow them.

First of all, what Coleman bought was not a new movie film, nor did Spike buy an expired film that had been released for a year, although it could still be shot, but its performance had deteriorated.He shot a leftover film.

Each film has two sizes of 4 minutes and 11 minutes.But when filming, it is impossible to use exactly 11 minutes every time.If the length of the film in the box is not enough for the lens below, the photographer will replace it with a new one.

When each film is shot and sent to the laboratory, there will be more or less unexposed films.Labs splice these films, put them in airtight jars, and sell them to amateurs.

Roger Corman has a good relationship with Warner and Fox, and they can buy the remaining film at a discount of [-]% to [-]% of the original price.Because he shoots a lot every year, many studios are willing to sell the remaining film to him in large quantities.

The second is the cost of printing. Roger Coleman's printing volume is large, so does it have high requirements for quality?Photolabs make money mainly by developing and printing as many films as possible without stopping the machine, without changing the potion.

However, large studios have very high requirements. Each film must be in accordance with the quality control requirements, and the potion must be changed after washing to a certain extent.Moreover, the daily business volume also fluctuates. In many cases, the potion that can still be developed can only be discarded because there is no film.Machines and humans doze off there, too.

The advantage of Roger Coleman is that it does not require quality, and the color of each film can not be uniform.There is no rush on time.Therefore, the laboratory often arranges for his film to be inserted.Whenever there is any potion left and time is abundant, I insert a copy of Coleman's film for printing.Anyway, after three to five days, it will always be washed.

In this way, the laboratory saves costs and can give Roger a very good discount.

Adding the two together, Roger Corman's shooting cost, the largest expenditure on film and printing, is almost only one-fifth of others.

In order to get this kind of discount, low quality requirements, good relationship with big studios, and huge production volume are indispensable.Only Roger Corman can do that in Hollywood.

"So, Spike, it's not that I refuse to help you. It's that Coleman has an advantage. Even if I order film from him, he will definitely increase the price to the same price as you bought in New York."

"I understand you, Ronald. Jews are always so smart. But if it weren't for you, I don't know why he would have such a low cost. I thought I had a problem with my director level and couldn't make such a low-cost film." Than, too many reshoots."

Spike Lee continued, "I would like to ask you to be the producer of my graduation work. I need your help for many cost-saving things in filming."

"Okay, no problem, but again, you'll have to wait until I'm over Thanksgiving."

"That `s a deal."

After seeing off Spike Lee, Ronald continued to tidy up the room.He would let his cousin Donna live in the inner bedroom of the apartment, and Aunt Karen would often come to Manhattan to take care of her daughter and watch the leg warmer business.The outer studio, which Ronald converted into a living room, and the middle bedroom is his own.

The photography business has gradually shifted to the casting studio. Ronald no longer accepts the private photography business of the apartment. His accountant Lawrence told him that he is easy to be reported to the IRS for tax evasion.

In this way, this apartment is mainly for living, which is similar to the shotgun house on Staten Island.

Fortunately, the Stuyvesant High School that Donna was admitted to was in the East Village, so it was very convenient for Donna to attend classes.

Theresa and David Manhattan's art high school had some success selling leg warmers and needed a place to put some merchandise.In this way, Ronald's apartment has completely changed its use, from a photography studio to a warehouse for home and small business.

After taking the photographic lights and other equipment removed, Ronald drove to the casting studio.He negotiated with the director, Julia Taylor, to put the camera equipment in the studio for audition photos.

After exchanging happy Thanksgiving, Julia reminded him, "Did you bring any Thanksgiving gifts to the family?"

"I brought some food for my aunt, but I forgot to buy it for my cousin." Ronald scratched his ear, "What do you think eighth grade girls like? Julia."

"Oh, I'm also worried about what to buy for my daughter, you can see for yourself."

"Donna is a bully in elementary school, why don't you buy her a novel to relieve boredom?" Ronald came to a Random House and flipped through the best-selling novel.

"Endless Love?"

Ronald looked at the introductory sign next to it, which said: New York Times bestseller selection, shortlisted for the National Book Award.

After looking through it, it seems that it is about teenage love. Little girls should like romance novels, right?

"Please wrap it for me, I want it as a present."

(End of this chapter)