novellhall Chapter 357 You're Truly My Savior
Chapter 357 You're Truly My Savior
Chapter 356 You're Truly My Savior
Atlanta.
The night shoot on set has just wrapped up.
Chen Xun frowned as he looked at the information about "Joker".
He knew all too well what Lawrence Sher meant to Joker.
The reason this film swept the Oscars in its previous life, besides the lead actor's phenomenal performance, was primarily due to Lawrence's masterful cinematic language.
The cramped composition, the contrasting light and shadow, the rhythm of the shots that shifts from restraint to frenzy —
The film perfectly blends Arthur Fleck's brokenness and madness into every frame, ultimately earning an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.
More importantly, Lawrence and Todd Phillips have been partners for over a decade.
Having worked together on the Hangover trilogy, the two are very familiar with each other's creative styles.
Even with a different director of photography, no matter how skilled they are, they can't replicate this kind of tacit understanding and chemistry in the shots.
Chen Xun was not surprised at all that Todd couldn't handle this.
Within Warner Bros.' production system, "Kong: Skull Island" is a high-budget A-list commercial production with an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, and it is a top priority project for the studio.
Joker was just a niche R-rated film with a budget of less than $6000 million.
In Warner's eyes, it was just a small project for Chen Xun and Todd to play around with.
Even if Todd was reluctant to part with his old partner, he didn't dare to compete with the studio's flagship project for the role, let alone challenge Warner Bros. executives over it!
If you anger the higher-ups, they might even pull the green light for the Joker project.
But Chen Xun is different.
He is not only the male lead in "Joker", but also a co-producer with a contract, holding 15% of the film's revenue.
Moreover, he is no longer the newcomer who had to be mindful of the production studio's attitude.
Warner Music wants to use him to compete for an Oscar and to open up the Chinese-language market, so they will not easily refuse him.
This matter seems to be a dead end.
The two projects have completely clashed in terms of scheduling!
In fact, it wasn't at the point where I absolutely had to resign.
Todd was trapped in his identity as a director, only seeing the scheduling conflict, but failing to see the flexibility in the Hollywood production process.
Chen Xun put down his coffee cup, scrolled through his phone contacts, and dialed Todd Phillips' number first.
At this point in time, Todd is most likely still worrying about this in a bar in Los Angeles.
In his past life, he spent every day at drinking parties looking for a suitable director of photography, but he never found one he was satisfied with.
The phone rang almost ten times before being answered. It was indeed very noisy on the other end, with jazz music from a bar and the clinking of glasses. Todd's voice was heavy with exhaustion and alcohol. He seemed a little surprised to receive Chen Xun's call: "Chen? It should be the middle of the night in Atlanta, right? Why aren't you asleep yet? Just finished work?"
"We just finished filming a night scene and are resting now."
Chen Xun's tone was relaxed, and he didn't immediately expose his awkwardness. Instead, as a co-producer, he naturally steered the conversation to the project: "I just wanted to ask you, how's the pre-production for 'Joker' going?"
"We're starting location scouting and finalizing the art direction next month. Is Lawrence's schedule okay?"
Ask a question in one sentence.
There was an instant silence on the other end of the phone.
The noisy background sounds seemed to be a thousand miles away. Todd's breath hitched, and after several seconds, a long sigh escaped his lips, his drunkenness mostly gone: "Chen, I'm so worried about this I'm practically bald!"
"Originally, Lawrence's schedule was set, but Warner Bros. suddenly added 6 weeks of reshoots for 'Kong: Skull Island,' which clashed with our prime time for location scouting and storyboarding. Lawrence was the lead cinematographer there, and the studio forced him to be on set the whole time. He just called me yesterday and said he really couldn't handle both sides and had to resign."
He became increasingly helpless as he spoke, his voice filled with anxiety: "I've been looking through all the cinematographers in Hollywood these past two days, and either their schedules are completely full, or their styles are just not right."
Chen Xun's question seemed to open him up, and he began to pour out his grievances: "You know this film isn't a commercial superhero movie. It's about a kind of documentary-style film with crazy light and shadow. Not just anyone can make it."
"I didn't dare tell Warner headquarters about this, for fear that they would think that the project had run into trouble before it even started and would try to trip us up again."
""
Chen Xun listened quietly.
It was exactly as he predicted.
Todd didn't not want to protect Lawrence.
He has no confidence to compete within Warner's system and hasn't found a way to break the deadlock yet.
Chen Xun didn't keep him in suspense and first reassured him: "Don't panic. This isn't at the point where we need to replace someone. I'll try to see if I can resolve it."
Todd sat up straight instantly.
The noise from the bar seemed to disappear at that moment: "Don't lie to me, Warner has already issued the notice for the reshoots. Lawrence's contract is signed solid. We can't let him breach it, can we? Aside from the penalty, what about his future at Warner?"
"Of course, it's not a breach of contract. We can't break Warner's rules, but rules are rules, people are flexible."
Chen Xun shared his proposed solution: "You need to figure out first what Lawrence's most irreplaceable role is for us."
"We need him to scout locations and set the lighting and tone in the early stages, finalize the color system of the whole film with the art department, and work together to finalize the cinematic language of the storyboard. These things are the core of his creation, and no one else can replace him. He has to do them himself."
"But do these core tasks require him to be on duty every day?"
Todd hesitated on the other end of the phone: "I don't think so."
"We have 14 days, which is enough for him to complete all the core work on setting the tone. His photography assistant can handle the remaining details, so he doesn't need to keep an eye on things himself."
Chen Xun explained his solution.
Todd held his breath on the other end, as if suddenly enlightened, and couldn't help but interject, "But the reshoots for 'King Kong' are going to take six consecutive weeks. Warner Bros. can't possibly give him two weeks off to film our stuff, can they?"
"This is the second key point."
Chen Xun smiled and continued, "The reshoots for 'King Kong' this time were all action scenes and monster special effects scenes. The chief cinematographer doesn't need to supervise these kinds of scenes the whole time. Which A-list Hollywood blockbuster doesn't have a well-established B-team cinematography unit?"
"The action scenes were originally the responsibility of the B-team director and B-team cinematographer. Lawrence only needed to keep an eye on a few key main shots and set the lighting parameters. He didn't need to be on set every day for the rest."
"On one hand, we focused on completing our core preparatory work over two weeks, and on the other hand, we were doing reshoots for 'King Kong.' We delegated the action scenes to Team B, and he only focused on the key shots. The two were completely separate, so there was no problem of not being able to take care of everything."
There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.
Todd has directed countless Hollywood films and knows these production rules better than anyone else, but he was blinded by the fact that his schedules completely overlapped. He was preoccupied with the fact that Lawrence couldn't come and didn't even think about splitting up the work or coordinating across projects.
More importantly, he didn't dare to make demands of the production team of "King Kong".
That's Warner Bros.' flagship project; he's just a low-budget director, so they won't even bother with him.
But Chen Xun is different.
Coming from Todd's mouth, these words are an act of pushing his luck and trying to seize resources.
When Chen Xun said it, it meant a win-win situation for both projects, something Warner couldn't afford to ignore.
"List----"
Todd's previous anxiety vanished, replaced by excitement: "You're absolutely right! I've been so worried these past few days I haven't been able to sleep. How come I never thought of this solution! But—even so, will the production team for 'King Kong' and the Warner Bros. executives agree?"
"You don't need to worry about that, I'll handle the communication."
Chen Xun said confidently, "What you need to do now is to call Lawrence immediately and explain this plan to him."
"I can guarantee that he's more willing to take this job than anyone else. He's made three 'The Hangover' movies, and he's been wanting to make an award-winning film with you for a long time, but he's just been held up by his schedule. Keep him on track and don't let him sign any other projects. I'll take care of things with Warner Bros. today."
"Fuck! You're my savior!"
Todd instantly became excited: "I'll call Lawrence right now! If this works out, you'll be the number one hero of 'Joker'!"
I hung up on Todd.
Chen Xun then dialed the number of Dan Lin, Senior Vice President of Production at Warner Bros. Pictures.
This is a high-ranking executive at Warner Bros. headquarters who directly oversees the Joker project.
He is also one of the representatives who are more inclined to let Chen Xun take over the Joker project after the reshuffle of Warner Bros.' senior management.
The call was answered quickly, and Dan Lin sounded very enthusiastic.
After all, he had just taken over and was counting on Chen Xun to bring him a surprise: "Why are you calling at this hour?"
"Dan, there's nothing wrong, it's just a small matter I'd like to discuss with you."
Chen Xun got straight to the point, explaining Lawrence's scheduling issues and his own coordination plan. He added at the end, "This plan will not affect the reshoots of 'Kong: Skull Island' at all. Lawrence only needs to clarify the responsibilities of the B team for the action scenes. He doesn't need to be on set the whole time, so it won't delay their schedule at all."
"But for Joker, Lawrence is irreplaceable. He and Todd have worked together for over a decade and have a great rapport. No other cinematographer could have achieved the effect we wanted. This project was aimed at the awards season from the very beginning, and the cinematography absolutely could not have any problems."
Dan Lin was silent for a few seconds on the other end, then quickly figured out the key point.
This is entirely beneficial for Warner.
The reshoots for "King Kong" will not be affected, the core creative team of "Joker" will be preserved, and Chen Xun will also receive a huge favor. Why not?
Chen Xun's current status warrants Warner Music's consideration.
If a Golden Globe-winning actor can't even meet this basic coordination requirement, it will be difficult for Warner Bros. to have a pleasant collaboration in the future.
"I thought it was something serious, is this all?"
Dan Lin laughed and said readily, "No problem. I'll talk to the production team of 'King Kong' and have them clarify the responsibilities of Unit B. The action scenes will be handled by Unit 2, and Lawrence will only need to focus on the main camera scenes. Give him time to finish the pre-production work for 'Joker.' Both are Warner Bros. projects, so we can coordinate them."
"Thanks, Dan. When we get back to Los Angeles, I'll buy you a drink."
Chen Xun smiled.
"Don't mention it. If Joker is made well, that would be the best thing for Warner Bros."
After hanging up with Dan Lin, the matter was basically 90% settled.
Warner Bros. executives have spoken, and the production team of "King Kong" will not refuse to cooperate.