Chapter 84

Seeking recommendations.

Whether as a director or a producer, if one is not good at dealing with people, then they are not suitable for this industry.

As a producer, Murphy needs to communicate with all kinds of people; as a director, he needs to collaborate with actors and the production crew.

Compared to the director's job itself, coordinating the production team and logistics is equally important and more challenging. He definitely lacks sufficient experience or skills in this area, and interpersonal skills are usually not something that can be immediately imparted to someone trying to enter the film industry.

This requires Murphy to rely on practice to change himself, enrich himself, and mature.

Additionally, there are some administrative and financial tasks that Murphy needs to handle.

Administrative work involves organizing and labeling materials for future use, including production resources, legal documents, checks, accounting ledgers, authorization agreements, contracts, permits, copyrights, photos, etc. For this purpose, most production companies have secretaries, accountants, and office staff to handle these "backstage" matters.

In large production companies, these employees belong to the production department, where they study expenses and analyze client data daily, so the production team can be prepared for potential issues.

For low-budget productions like Murphy's, the producer is either the highest organizer or finds a dedicated person to fulfill this role, who must be diligent and professional.

The financial personnel Murphy hired was certainly not up to par, so he found the accountant from "Hard Candy" to oversee this part of the work, reporting directly to him.

Additionally, some important administrative tasks Murphy had to take on himself. Even in Los Angeles, the documentation and all text procedures during the shooting process are crucial for the production and legal protection of the film. If he overlooked the importance of this, the project might encounter unforeseen difficulties.

Then there were the actor rehearsals. Murphy knew the importance of rehearsals and would not rashly start shooting. He specially cleaned out a side bedroom on the second floor and gave it to James Franco and Seth Rogen, the two lead actors, for rehearsals.

Many films do not rehearse before shooting. Sometimes this is because the actors are "big names" and they believe rehearsals offer them no benefit; other times, the director feels it is not a good approach as it can rob the actors of spontaneity.

However, for a splatter horror film, the actors do not need explosive performances, and the budget also dictates that shooting should be quick and efficient. Murphy believed that structured rehearsals were more suitable for his production team.

Besides directing the actors, Murphy also did not neglect communication and collaboration with other departments.

He and the cinematographer Philippe Lachance and the lighting designer David Roby visited the warehouse where the sets were being built several times and pre-designed the shooting methods and lighting for some scenes. He required Philippe Lachance and David Roby to provide the production team with lists of required camera and lighting equipment, and to immediately test the equipment once it was rented to minimize the issues encountered during the previous shoot.

On the other hand, Murphy required the art, set design, props, makeup, and costume departments to submit design plans based on his plan. All staff must reach a consensus on the film's aesthetic style and unify their creative ideas.

Art director Helena Espola was responsible for setting up the scenes. Since the warehouse was large enough, the production team could not use all of it. Murphy required the sets to be minimal and not overly dispersed, with the distance between each set not too long to facilitate concentrated shooting.

Props master Beck Claybert also submitted a list of required props to Murphy, which Paul Wilson would assist in purchasing, renting, and making.

Jack Watson, who was in charge of the makeup department, was designing the actors' makeup according to Murphy's ideas. The wigs and other items he needed would also be purchased by Paul Wilson.

It's no exaggeration to say that all the responsibilities fell on Murphy's shoulders. The heavy workload and pressure also made him realize the importance of having a dedicated producer and several professional assistant directors.

Paul Wilson was serious and responsible but lacked experience and needed time to develop and grow.

In the later stages of preparation, Murphy realized he had overlooked something important: he had forgotten to hire a professional on-set sound engineer.

The simplified shooting of "Hard Candy" and the reliance on post-production sound effects led to this oversight.

Fortunately, it was discovered early enough. Sound engineers are not a rare profession in Hollywood, and it was not too late to find one. Murphy called Bill Rossy, and after just two days, the agent had found a suitable candidate for the production. After detailed discussions, both parties signed a contract, and the sound engineer would officially join the production team a week before shooting began.

After securing the sound engineer, Murphy, along with Bill Rossy and cinematographer Philippe Lachance, visited a company in Hollywood to inspect the camera equipment. Compared to other aspects, he placed more emphasis on this.

Murphy is not a gear enthusiast and does not believe that new technology is necessarily suitable for all films. The key is that the camera equipment must meet his shooting requirements. Camera equipment is essential for a film and ensures its quality, but it is not decisive, so practical and effective choices must be made.

He still chose the Sony 35 camera, but this time Murphy rented three units: one handheld and two large cameras that needed to be set up.

During the price negotiations, Bill Rossy showed Murphy the advantages of having a dedicated agent.

Equipment rental companies generally do not lower their fees, but Bill Rossy used the CAA name to find discounts in the rental period. At the same price, Murphy could only rent for half a month, but Bill Rossy negotiated a one-month rental contract, directly reducing the camera equipment rental costs by 50%.

Additionally, Bill Rossy required the rental company to provide professional maintenance personnel.

"Important and high-value equipment is usually accompanied by a dedicated technician from the rental company to ensure the safety of the equipment, supervise its correct use, cleaning, and storage," Bill Rossy explained to Murphy as they left the rental company. "The technician can also be asked to do additional tasks, such as focusing or moving the dolly, and they generally do not refuse."

The technicians' salaries are included in the rental fees, meaning the production team would have at least one more highly skilled laborer.

Thinking back to the previous rental situation and comparing it to the contract Bill Rossy secured, Murphy felt that he and Jessica Chastain were complete novices.

This also made Murphy realize that this industry is indeed complex, and he is still a beginner.

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