Chapter 97: A Thief

In the final days of shooting, Murphy had Bill Ross busy contacting suitable post-production studios. The one they used last time would take three weeks to become available, but Murphy was eager to save time. It was already late May, and post-production and finding a suitable distributor would take time. If they waited too long and wasted more time with the distributor, the film might not hit theaters until September.

Even after September, there would still be a considerable buffer time needed for the film market to recover, especially for films like "Saw", which required an even longer buffer.

On a street near Santa Monica in West Hollywood, Murphy, accompanied by Jody Griffiths and Bill Ross, entered a five-story building. They took the elevator to the top floor and, guided by the manager, toured the fifth floor.

This was a post-production studio under an advertising company, often rented out to film companies for production purposes.

"How's it?" Bill Ross asked Murphy. Murphy nodded approvingly at the DaVinci color grading suite in front of him. "It's good."

Previously, they had looked at two other studios, but neither was satisfactory, mainly because they lacked the DaVinci color grading suite.

Many of Murphy's scenes were shot in well-lit conditions but required a dark color tone in post-production. The DaVinci color grading suite was indispensable for post-production work.

Since its inception, the DaVinci color grading system had been hailed as the standard for post-production. It was used by film workers worldwide, and its finished product was unparalleled by other color grading systems.

However, this system came with a hefty price tag, ranging from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. Moreover, it served no purpose other than color grading. Even in affluent Hollywood, some post-production studios might not have a DaVinci color grading suite.

Additionally, this studio also had an Othek machine produced by Otak, which could be used specifically for image synthesis, modification, and precise editing of 35mm film. Although not as advanced as the later blade servers equipped with high-intelligence digital technology, it was a symbol of efficiency in post-production in this era.

Digital technology was just emerging, and film post-production wasn't as fully IT-integrated as it would be a decade later.

In the last room of the studio, Murphy also saw the relatively rare film-to-magnetic equipment of the era, which could convert content shot on film into computer-friendly digital signals for storage. Unfortunately, this equipment was of no use to him.

At least for now, Murphy had no intention of using digital technology; film was his preferred medium.

"When will Stanton Studios have a post-production studio like this?" After negotiating a month's rent, Murphy, riding the elevator down, couldn't help but sigh. "Instead of having to rent every time after shooting and rely on others' schedules."

"For now, don't worry about it!" Jody Griffiths patted his arm reassuringly and pointed upstairs. "The equipment in this studio may not be top-notch in the industry, but to establish something similar, it would cost at least a million dollars."

Murphy shrugged, deciding not to dwell on it for now.

Exiting the building, Bill Ross handed the lease contract to Murphy and reminded him, "If you can't finish within the lease period, make sure to let me know in advance."

"Don't worry." Murphy took the contract and casually stuffed it into his briefcase. "I won't forget about something like this."

With a monthly rent of fifty thousand dollars, anything related to money was a big deal for Murphy at the moment.

As the three approached their respective cars, Murphy was about to open his door when Bill Ross emerged from his own car.

"Murphy!" He waved towards him.

Murphy closed the door he had opened and turned to face him. "Do you need something?"

Bill Ross took a few steps closer, reaching Murphy's Ford. "I've completed Carey's withdrawal procedure yesterday."

"Good." Murphy nodded.

He knew about it; Carey Mulligan had called him immediately after completing the procedure.

"Bill..." Murphy remembered the phone call from yesterday and continued, "I told Carey, and she agreed, that you should help her find a suitable acting school."

"I'm already in touch with some." Bill Ross hesitated for a moment before adding, "Because of her withdrawal, Carey moved out of Julian Ferris's house."

Though he didn't know how Carey Mulligan managed to persuade her parents and Julian Ferris to agree to her withdrawal, it was probably a tense situation, so it wasn't surprising that she moved out.

Murphy didn't dwell on it. Many people in this country moved out of their parents' homes after turning sixteen.

"Where is she planning to stay?" He asked Bill Rossis.

"Well..." Bill Ross swallowed his words and waved his hand, ready to leave. As he walked away, he left a parting remark. "You'd better ask Carey yourself."

Murphy scratched his head, took out his phone, intending to call Carey later. Since Mulligan had moved out, there was no rush at the moment.

The location wasn't far from the green zone of Santa Monica, making it convenient to come and go during post-production. Murphy drove back to Stanton Studios and parked his car on the roadside. With his briefcase in hand, he approached the floral iron gate, immediately on high alert.

After finishing shooting, he had given everyone, including the studio, time off. When he left to visit the post-production studio, he personally locked the iron gate.

Now, not only was the gate open, but the chain lock was also lying on the ground, clearly indicating that someone had broken in.

Murphy picked up his phone, instinctively thinking of dialing 911, but remembering his past actions, he pocketed his phone again and approached the door of the house.

The door was slightly ajar, and Murphy walked in, faintly hearing noises from the stairs, which led to the entrance of the storage room...

"Could there be a thief?"

He slowly entered the living room, glanced around, and saw a corner with leftover props steel pipes. Grabbing one, he prepared to go and see who was so bold as to break into his home and steal things.