Chapter 37

Inside a small hospital in North Hollywood, Ryan is shooting a scene, which also happens to be the last few shots of "Saw", two days ahead of the planned half-month schedule.

The reason for the fast progress in shooting is twofold. First, Ryan was a quick shooter in his past life, and "Saw" itself being a horror movie, the acting only needed to be passable.

Secondly, to save costs, as Ryan is the sole investor in the film, he cuts corners wherever possible.

As for matters concerning the crew, they are all handled by Sofia, who comes from the Coppola family and is also the cousin of the male lead in the film, making the handling of various affairs very smooth.

In any film crew in the world, there will inevitably be numerous problems between actors, crew members, agents, and so on.

Whether these issues can be handled properly depends on whether the producers and directors of the crew can handle them. Obviously, Sofia, who serves as the executive producer, has this ability.

During a break in filming, Scarlett Johansson walks in carrying a large paper bag, followed by a woman.

Ryan smiles as he sees Scarlett Johansson approaching, with the woman behind her being her mother, a very charming woman who must have been a great beauty in her youth.

"What's this, our little Scarlett is visiting with her mom again!"

Looking at the paper bag in her hand, Ryan can already smell the aroma of cake and says with a smile, "I bet there's delicious cake inside."

Scarlett Johansson's scenes are not many and have already been shot, so she can return to New York. However, her mother is not in a hurry to take her back and almost comes to visit every day, bringing along pastries or cakes each time.

"Director Ryan, you guessed wrong this time."

Scarlett Johansson is not at all unfamiliar with the routine and puts the paper bag on the table skillfully. She smiles at Ryan and says, "It's chocolate cookies. Mom deliberately asked me to use less sugar and cream."

"Is that so?"

"Then I must taste them to see if little Scarlett's skills have improved."

As he speaks, Ryan takes out a cookie from the paper bag and eats it. There's nothing messy, just a slight hint of mixed chocolate flavor.

As someone who grew up on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, he naturally can't get used to some Western desserts, including cookies, which taste too sweet for him.

In the past, he only took a bite of the pastries Scarlett brought, then put them aside on the table, obviously noticed by the astute woman in front of him.

He was referring to Scarlett's mother, not Scarlett herself, who was indeed not to be underestimated.

"The taste is good, great chocolate cookies."

Ryan looks at the paper bag again and says, "I really like them."

Frequently sending pastries may seem like a small, insignificant thing, but it's the best way to build connections.

It's said that the famous Taylor Swift, before becoming famous, often made various pastries and sent them to radio stations one by one, just to please the radio station staff.

So, besides talent and luck, one's own efforts are also an important factor in becoming a successful star.

"My mom said not to disturb your rest, Director Ryan, goodbye." Scarlett Johansson waves goodbye very considerately.

Her mother has been standing silently on the side, showing only a look of apology towards Ryan.

As the mother and daughter leave, Ryan calls Sofia over and asks her to distribute the cookies Scarlett brought to everyone.

Since it's a gesture of goodwill towards the crew, he might as well take advantage of it.

However, Sofia's next move makes him look at Scarlett's mother again with a different perspective.

"Less sugar, less cream, no nuts, dried fruits in the chocolate cookies, and you're the only one who likes it."

"What peculiar taste."

Then, Sofia shakes her head and continues, "No need, Scarlett has already brought a round of cookies, and you're the last one."

Everyone on the entire crew, including temporary actors, receives a portion of the cookies Scarlett brought.

Sofia tells him to enjoy them at his leisure.

Without asking, the chocolate cookies on the table should have been specially made for Ryan by Scarlett or her mother.

At this point, Helen walks over, tastes a piece of the chocolate cookies on the table, and says, "Typical Southeast Asian flavor, very suitable for you."

Although they haven't known each other for long, they are very familiar with each other's habits. She knows very well that Ryan doesn't like to eat bread or steak but prefers to go to expensive Chinese restaurants.

The prices at Chinese restaurants are not cheap.

"Enough about that, how's the preparation for the banquet going?"

If everything goes smoothly, Ryan can finish shooting tonight. Last time they finished shooting, they didn't celebrate, so this time, they naturally need to hold a small banquet.

He's not sure if there's a tradition similar to a wrap party in the United States, but every crew on the other side of the Pacific Ocean holds a wrap party when filming ends.

"We've booked a fairly nice beach hotel, and we can have a bonfire party in the evening."

"But, Cage may not be able to make it tonight," Helen says.

Alright, she's taking on the role of assistant again.

There's no choice. Sofia can't spare the time, and filming is about to end, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

"Alright." Ryan shrugs and doesn't say much. After all, it's normal for Nicholas Cage to have other commitments tonight, considering he's already somewhat famous.

If it weren't for Sofia's face, even if Ryan's last film broke the $100 million mark at the North American box office, he might not agree to act.

Moreover, he still has another film that hasn't finished shooting yet.

"He seems to have received a new script recently and needs some time to read it. Also, there are still a few shots left for 'The Kiss of Death'." Sofia Coppola thinks for a moment and says.

Many Hollywood stars have difficulties reading scripts or simply cannot understand them, so they need to spend a lot of time reading them repeatedly to understand the plot. Selecting scripts can't afford any sloppiness and requires careful consideration of producers, directors, and investors.

"A new script!"

Ryan thinks for a moment and wonders if it's "Leaving Las Vegas", which could earn Nicholas Cage the Oscar for Best Actor.

The entire film only cost $4 million to produce but grossed $32 million at the box office, won the Oscar for Best Actor, and received nominations for Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and received nominations for Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture.

The film made a huge profit for the distribution company, MGM, and aside from box office revenue, just having two Best Actor awards, from the Oscars and Golden Globes, can sell the rights for first-round TV broadcasts and offline video tape sales at sky-high prices.

"I'll keep an eye on it." Ryan's mind stirs slightly. After the filming ends, maybe he can talk to Nicholas Cage.

"By the way, the music score may be a bit tricky. We need to find a team, and it'll probably cost at least $100,000." Sofia brings up an important issue.

"$100,000!" Ryan furrows his brows. $100,000 is no small amount.

The original music score for the film requires a team, including composing, arranging, recording, debugging, equipment, copyright, editing, and so on.

A Hollywood music scoring team needs at least fifteen people or more, and at a price of $100,000, it's not considered too expensive.

However, for a low-budget horror film, an original music score is somewhat extravagant.

"Can we simplify the music score or just purchase the rights?" Ryan suggests skipping original music score like the previous film.

This way, a lot of funds can be saved.

"It's better to use original music score." Sofia Coppola suggests.

"Sofia's right, original music score is also an important part of the film. As long as the budget allows, it's best to choose original music score." Helen agrees wholeheartedly.

Ryan also understands the importance of original music score. After thinking for a while, he nods in agreement, saying, "Then let's quickly find an original music scoring team or directly contact Skywalker Sound."

From this point of view, it fully reflects the unprofessionalism of the "Saw" crew, or rather, their amateurishness.

Any slightly more formal crew would have contacted a music scoring team during the film's preparation, and such a situation would never have arisen.

However, there are countless crews like this in Hollywood.