Shooting completed

The filming of "Buried" was nearing its end. They started preparing in early June, and in the blink of an eye, it was already July. The temperature in Cannes was getting hotter, and the young crew could only silently endure the heat. Fortunately, the film was progressing quickly. Although there were occasional minor issues, they always got resolved.

"Heath, are you ready for the final shot of the film?" Lyman looked at Heath Ledger, who was sitting not far away, taking a break. He smiled gently and said, "Once we finish this shot, it will be the end."

Today was another hot day, and the warehouse was extremely stuffy. Heath Ledger was wearing a short-sleeved shirt that he hadn't washed since the beginning of the shoot. He calmly nodded in response to Lyman's words. Including today, it had been eight days since the start of the film. Lyman was directing this work and had been working tirelessly every day. The crew members had been gritting their teeth and persevering with him.

The final scene was about when Paul, right before being buried alive, takes out a photo of his adorable daughter from his pocket, triggering a flashback. During the post-production editing, the flashback would be used to show some of Paul's beautiful memories, playing a sentimental card.

It didn't have much impact on the depth of the story, it was simple and cliché, but it was meant to evoke tears from the audience. It was a very primitive method, but it was definitely effective.

"Alright, get ready to shoot."

Upon hearing Lyman's words, everyone on the crew started to move.

"The camera is ready!"

"The lighting is ready!"

"The actor is ready!"

"Action!" With the clapboard held up by the script supervisor, Thomas, the final shot began.

It was a simple shot, and for Heath Ledger, who was already immersed in his role, there was no difficulty in performing it. Just like how Paul still fantasized about reuniting with his family, it was just a fleeting and beautiful memory.

"Cut!" Lyman stood up from behind the director's camera, took a deep breath, calmed his excited emotions, and then announced loudly, "People, "Buried" is officially finished!"

"Yes!"

"Wow..."

René was the first one to run over because he was closest to Lyman, "Amazing, buddy." He said, opening his arms and giving Lyman a tight hug for which the latter awkwardly smiled and said, "Thank you, René."

René didn't say much. He released Lyman and went to greet the other members of the crew enthusiastically. Everyone in the crew was ecstatic. The completion of filming not only meant that they had worked together to complete a project, but also that they would receive their actual payment. According to the initial hiring agreement, only half of the salaries and other expenses had been paid, and the remaining amount would be settled upon the completion of filming. And now, the film had wrapped up.

"Oh, Lyman!"

Heath Ledger, covered in sweat, also approached. His mood was very beautiful. The past few days of filming had allowed him to indulge in the experience of being a leading actor. "Thank you for letting me experience... a sense of satisfaction."

Looking at Heath Ledger, who was still a bit reserved, Lyman didn't mind the sweat and dirt on him. He warmly hugged him and patted his back twice. "You're a good actor. I hope we have the chance to work together again in the future."

Heath Ledger smiled and said, "Yes, I would be happy to."

"When are you returning to the United States?" Lyman let go of him and asked with concern.

Heath Ledger naturally replied, "Probably in the next couple of days. The cost of living here is too high, and I don't have much money left."

"I will settle your payment as soon as possible," Lyman said apologetically. "It may not be much, and I'm sorry about that."

With the completion of the film, after deducting the unpaid salaries of the few behind-the-scenes production members and setting aside around $50,000 for production expenses, there would be around one or two thousand euros left. For Heath Ledger, who had traveled a long way and had to consider accommodation on his own, this amount was relatively small.

His worth was more than that, barely meeting the daily remuneration requirement set by the Screen Actors Guild.

"It's okay, I'm satisfied with these days of filming." Heath Ledger looked content.

After tidying up the equipment used for filming, everyone went their separate ways. It was normal for people who had gathered for a film to leave after the filming was over. There was no special shutdown ceremony or lively celebration. After Lyman sincerely thanked each member of the crew and settled the remaining payments with René, the warehouse gradually became quiet.

After briefly cleaning up and storing the film footage, locking the door... it was time to go home and sleep. Being a film director was a high-pressure job. When Lyman returned to his own place, he didn't even have dinner and just fell into a deep sleep on his bed. For so many days, he hadn't been resting well. He was constantly thinking about the filming, unable to find peace in sleep. But now, with something to hold onto in his heart, the situation was naturally different.

After a good sleep to replenish his energy, Lyman, who had regained his vigor, didn't rush into post-production. Instead, he took care of some trivial matters first. He called René, who still wanted to slack off. Despite complaining about not having had a proper rest for so many days, René still didn't refuse Lyman's request. The two of them came to the large warehouse together.

"Alright, let's move these onto the car first. We need to return the leased filming equipment." Lyman then went to the small enclosed space at the other end of the warehouse to check. The filmed footage was stored here, along with the 300 rolls of film they had originally purchased. These films had been used much better than Lyman had expected, and there were still about 60 rolls left, which meant that he had about 1,200 minutes of footage.

Apart from the two of them, Thomas also arrived shortly after. This person was the key figure in the equipment rental, and upon hearing that they were returning the equipment, he voluntarily offered to come along. Of course, he had a small request—he wanted to participate in the post-production editing of the film "Buried". In his own words, he wanted to witness the birth of a film from beginning to end.

Naturally, Lyman wouldn't refuse such enthusiasm. As for post-production, it was also a labor-intensive task, and having an extra pair of hands would help alleviate some of the burden without the need to pay any salary. Free assistance was the most important thing because Lyman really didn't have much money left. Three big men worked hard under the hot weather, spending nearly two hours sorting out everything.

"Alright, who among you two will drive?" Lyman sat in the car and casually asked. All three of them had driver's licenses, but Lyman, in his previous life, had never driven a car. After traveling back, even though he had a driver's license, he didn't dare to drive. Therefore, the choice for the driver naturally fell to the remaining two.

René glanced at Thomas, and Thomas immediately understood. "I'll do it."

"Alright, it's him." René sighed and also got into the car.

Poor Thomas, the honest man, sat in the front and drove steadily, while the two scoundrels in the back were already dozing off. The journey was long, lasting almost two or three hours. It would be better to rest peacefully. In the midst of sweet dreams, they soon arrived at Uncle Angus's camera equipment store.

"Lyman, wake up." René shook him forcefully with his hand.

Sensing the movement, Lyman instantly opened his eyes, "Are we there?"

"Of course, now get out and help with the moving. Can't you just rely on others to do all the work?"

Lyman stretched and yawned, his mind starting to clear. He quickly got out of the car and went to the back to start disassembling the camera equipment. It seemed that Thomas had been working for quite some time, as his back was already soaked with sweat.

Lyman put a camera back in its designated place and saw Uncle Angus passing by. He sincerely thanked him, saying, "Thank you very much for your help, Uncle Angus."

Angus smiled and didn't say much. He wasn't a man of many words. With Angus's assistance, the four of them quickly dismantled the equipment. In no time, they had moved all the leased camera equipment back to the equipment store.

"Uncle Angus, you can check if these camera equipment pieces were well maintained. We have been very careful with them and made sure nothing was damaged."

"Well, you all must be tired. Stay and have lunch." Angus didn't intend to inspect the equipment. Instead, he brought up the topic of food.

"No, thank you. We have some matters to attend to and will be leaving soon." Lyman quickly declined Angus's kind offer. He saw that Thomas's face was saved, and he had already given enough. He couldn't let Thomas worry any further.

Understanding the situation, Thomas quickly added, "Yes, we have a lot of things to take care of. We won't disturb you any longer, Uncle Angus."

Upon hearing this, Angus didn't insist further and said, "Then, don't let me delay you young folks any longer. Go on and take care of your business."

The three of them got back into the car and headed back to Cannes. On the way, René said, "Do you still need money for the post-production aspect of the film? I have some, about €10,000. Take it."

Lyman smiled and declined René's offer. "I still have some left, more than enough. If it really isn't sufficient, I'll come to you, alright?"

After thinking about it, René felt it was acceptable and nodded, saying, "If it's not enough, come find me. I still have some pocket money left. It's about time I did something productive with it."

"Don't worry."

With an investment of €450,000, approximately €60,000 had been spent on the salaries of the behind-the-scenes crew. The cost of equipment rental, shooting locations, various miscellaneous props, makeup, and set design amounted to around €280,000. During the filming period, they didn't spend much money, and including the usual meals and water expenses, it amounted to approximately less than €10,000. After deducting the printing fees for hiring personnel, as well as the shutdown fees and actor salaries, they had spent €40,000.

After calculating all of this, Lyman had about €60,000 left in his hands, which was enough for the post-production process. It turned out that his budget was even lower than this. It's important for a person to be content.