Chapter 84: Collaborative Project

"Ah..."

A scream of terror echoed in the audition room. The bright-eyed girl shrank into a ball, staring at the teddy bear on the table with a frightened look. "Mommy... Mommy..."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and then large drops rolled down her cheeks.

Murphy nodded slightly and raised his head from behind the camera. "Okay, Miss Collins, that's enough for now."

The little girl still stood there, seemingly unable to shake off the fear she had just exhibited. The middle-aged woman standing to the side quickly went over and hugged her.

"Ms. Collen," Murphy walked over to them, lowering his voice a bit. "We will inform you of Miss Collins' audition results within the next three days."

"Thank you." Jill Collen politely nodded and left the audition room with her daughter.

Murphy went back, turned off the camera, took out the tape, labeled it, and handed it to Paul Wilson, who had been acting as his assistant.

The little girl's performance was quite good, among the most talented he had seen at her age. The role itself didn't require much acting skill and had limited screen time.

In his heart, Murphy had already listed her as the top candidate, but the decision would depend on the cost.

Upon leaving the audition room and returning to the living room, James Franco immediately approached him. "How was it?"

Murphy knew what he was asking and lowered his voice in warning, "Jim, she's not an ordinary girl. Don't do anything foolish."

James Franco mimicked Murphy's tone from the other night, "Do I look like that kind of person?"

Murphy pointed a finger at him and didn't bother saying more. James Franco was eccentric, often unpredictable, but he wasn't a fool.

Murphy went upstairs, and Carey Mulligan followed him. "James is up to no good again; it could affect the crew."

"Don't worry." Murphy waved it off. "Jim knows the limits."

By now, Murphy understood that James Franco was all talk but wouldn't actually do anything.

Over the next few days, Murphy's primary task was auditions. He interviewed over fifty actors and finalized the cast in early April. The little girl, Lily Collins, was among those selected.

As for the necessary extras, Murphy decided not to spend money on temporary actors. The numerous crew members would suffice for cameos.

In Hollywood, it's a tradition for behind-the-scenes personnel to double as background extras.

With the cast finalized, the crew was complete, and they moved into the official preparation phase.

Murphy became even busier. Not only was he the director, but he also acted as the producer overseeing the entire operation. Every preparatory task required his attention and final approval.

This project was far more complex than the previous one. Murphy knew he was making a low-budget film, and his abilities were still limited. He anticipated many potential challenges and made realistic plans, unlike seasoned directors.

In addition to the storyboard, he prepared a detailed shot-by-shot plan for each main actor. While not exhaustive, these storyboards were comprehensive enough, primarily focusing on the personal shots.

In Hollywood, many directors use storyboards, whose detail levels depend on two factors: the director's confidence and the complexity of the shoot.

Some directors prefer highly detailed storyboards for every shot, while others decide on the spot.

Only experience can tell a director which method suits them best, and Murphy was clearly still exploring.

Once the departments coordinated their schedules, Murphy led the assistant director, cinematographer, lighting crew, props team, art director, and set designer to scout suitable filming locations.

This phase aimed to find practical solutions to meet the script's demands.

A good director and screenwriter filter the script, removing unfilmable scenes or those too expensive within the budget. Considering costs, Murphy cut several expensive car chase scenes.

The crew had designated personnel to find locations, props, costumes, images, information, etc., which were then submitted to Murphy for review.

This was the toughest part of the preparation phase, where Murphy faced numerous challenges—sometimes too many choices, sometimes too few. He needed to provide solutions for the crew to make the best choices.

This phase also brought the most pressure. Murphy's daily schedule was packed.

The entire film had very few exterior shots, most of which would be filmed around Stanton Studio. To save costs, the primary residential setting was also Stanton Studio itself.

With slight adjustments, Stanton Studio could serve as a believable middle-class home.

For the main scenes, Murphy planned to shoot in a large old warehouse. Renting a soundstage was too expensive. After Paul Wilson submitted a list of five locations, Murphy and the department heads inspected them and chose an abandoned steel warehouse outside Venice.

This warehouse had been deserted for some time, looked appropriately rundown, and was very cheap—only $10,000 a month. It was spacious enough to set up multiple scenes simultaneously. Additionally, the old steel crane on the roof could be used for overhead shots, according to cinematographer Phil Lasher.

With the filming location decided, the crew began modifying and setting up the scenes. Even in such a small crew, a large amount of data and information flowed to Murphy. This data needed sorting, screening, and approval, typically the assistant director's responsibility. A good assistant director would be highly attentive to the project, marking any issues or recording potential problems before they arose.

Paul Wilson was responsible and capable, but unfortunately, he was less experienced than Murphy. Thus, Murphy worked closely with him, continually summarizing their experiences.

Talent needs time to develop.

Moreover, Murphy had to coordinate the work of various departments. Despite the small crew, conflicts and collisions were inevitable. Where there are people, there are disputes. This is where the director and producer's coordination and management skills come into play. Proper management ensures smooth preparations, while poor management leads to numerous problems.

Filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and personnel management is the foundation of this project.