Chapter 9

As the filming of the crew came to an end, Ryan became somewhat worried. It wasn't an easy task to cut over 200 minutes of footage into a 90-minute film.

Of course, there was a good side to it. Many Hollywood films produce around a thousand minutes of footage, and even some art films could have double that amount.

In comparison, Ryan had only shot a little over 200 minutes of footage, which wasn't much.

At the same time, there was a downside. The entire film was shot with a handheld camera, so even though they tried to keep it steady, there were still some inevitable shakes, especially in scenes that required it.

Without even watching, it was clear that after watching the whole film, it would inevitably make people feel dizzy.

Next, wanting to cut a 90-minute film from over 200 minutes of footage and ensuring that viewers wouldn't feel too dizzy after watching it was quite a technical task.

Fortunately, Ryan didn't worry for long before Helen introduced him to an editor.

"Chris-Paul used to be an assistant editor for 'Star Wars' and has also worked as the main editor for several obscure films," she said.

"Obscure films!"

"It's likely that apart from 'Star Wars,' the rest were directly released on videotape!" Ryan instantly understood the meaning of "obscure films" she mentioned.

In Hollywood, there were many small distribution companies that didn't have real distribution channels.

These companies typically re-cut films purchased from around the world and directly release them on videotapes without entering cinemas.

This led to some unknown editors specializing in cutting such films.

Despite each film's cut earning little, with numerous films and scattered earnings adding up, the total was not a small amount.

"You're right."

Helen calmly wrote down an address and phone number, saying, "But his editing skills are quite good, and he only asks for $800 a week."

"If you think it's acceptable, you might as well go to this address to find him."

An $800 weekly salary couldn't be considered cheap or expensive, just mediocre.

"Okay!"

Ryan took the address and phone number, asking, "I need to know the names of the films he has edited."

A good editor might not necessarily be suitable for all types of films. Some leaned towards commercial films, some towards artistic ones, and some towards horror, so it was necessary to see the films he had edited before.

"No problem."

Helen listed the names of several films, none of which Ryan was familiar with.

Ryan noted them down and bid farewell to Helen, then went to a Blockbuster rental store to rent the films Helen mentioned.

As for the film's distribution, they didn't discuss it.

This matter would naturally be handled by Helen.

In a Blockbuster rental store, Ryan spent a lot of effort but finally managed to find two of the films on videotape.

Two films were completely unavailable, and the remaining films took over an hour for the staff to tell him that they seemed to have been rented out.

Frankly, Ryan was very disappointed with Blockbuster's service attitude. The staff were almost nonchalant, and he had to find the films himself. He had to urge them several times before they rudely told him they didn't have them.

"It's no wonder Blockbuster eventually went bankrupt."

Ryan scoffed and returned home.

Even without the emergence of online rentals and video websites, a rental chain like this would probably still have been eliminated from the market due to its poor service and cumbersome film search process.

Back home, Ryan watched the two films once, carefully studying each shot, not even bothering with dinner.

One film was British, and the other was a French art film. Although both had been re-cut, their pacing was good, and several errors had been corrected.

"The editing is decent, worth a meeting." Ryan was mostly satisfied, especially with the price.

Many low-budget films, without a dedicated editor, often had the director acting as the editor, leading to some minor flaws. In such cases, Hollywood distribution companies had to hire editors for re-cutting.

The success of "The Blair Witch" in his previous life was largely due to its marketing occupying the main part. The editor also played an essential role in the rest of the film. Otherwise, a film that made people dizzy, no matter how perfect the marketing plan was, would still struggle to achieve good box office results.

Early the next morning, Ryan took a taxi to downtown Los Angeles, gradually entering a slum area.

American slums were incomparable to rural areas across the Pacific, with abysmal public safety where crimes like robbery, theft, and marijuana trafficking were almost everywhere.

Unless absolutely necessary, locals rarely ventured here.

Fortunately, during the day, it was relatively safe, provided one avoided secluded alleys to avoid trouble.

Before long, the car stopped in front of an old apartment building. Ryan carefully checked the address before cautiously getting out of the car.

The old apartment building in front of him had no security measures or cameras, seemingly allowing free access.

Ryan didn't linger and followed the address Helen gave him to the farthest apartment on the third floor.

He knocked on the door gently.

"Is Mr. Chris-Paul at home?"

"I'm Ryan Gosling, introduced by Miss Helen."

The apartment's soundproofing seemed poor, as footsteps from inside could be clearly heard.

After about ten seconds, the door was pulled open, revealing a slightly unkempt middle-aged African American man.

"You're the person Miss Helen introduced over the phone!" The middle-aged black man asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, Miss Helen is my agent."

Looking at the middle-aged black man in front of him, Ryan hesitated slightly, "You're Mr. Chris-Paul!"

He hadn't expected that the editor Helen introduced was actually an African American.

It wasn't post-9/11 America, and there was no such thing as Black Lives Matter. The status of African Americans in Hollywood was similar to that of Asians and Latinos.

At the same time, Ryan had some understanding of why a skilled editor who had also worked as an assistant editor for "Star Wars" would live in a slum area and specialize in re-cutting obscure films.

In Hollywood, white people were allowed to make mistakes, and they could still have new opportunities after some time.

But for a black person, it would be completely different. Making a mistake would mean being marginalized by Hollywood.

"If I'm not mistaken, I am Chris-Paul."

Chris-Paul invited Ryan in, saying, "Since you're introduced by Miss Helen, there's no need to be so polite. Feel free to sit."

"Also, just call me Paul."

Looking at the small apartment in front of him, which was barely tidy and mostly occupied by various instruments, it was more like a small editing room. Finding a suitable place to sit seemed somewhat difficult.

In the end, Ryan could only sit cautiously on a dilapidated chair, fearing that it might collapse.

"Helen has already told me about your situation. It's $800 per week, regardless of how many days it takes to finish," Paul said straightforwardly. "Of course, if you want to rent a proper editing room, I can lower the price."

"Mr. Paul, I think you've misunderstood. This is just a film shot with a handheld camera. It's too extravagant to use a proper editing room for it. It's better to stick to the $800 per week fee," Ryan replied.

Renting a proper editing room was expensive, and Ryan naturally wouldn't waste money on it. The equipment in front of him could perfectly edit a film shot with a handheld camera.

"A handheld camera!"

Paul was somewhat surprised, looking at Ryan. He wanted to ask if there were still people using handheld cameras to shoot films nowadays.

"Alright, I need to watch all the footage of the film before we can discuss how to edit it."

"And forgive me for asking, but will this film be directly released on videotape, or will it be selected for limited release like a regular film?"

As for a large-scale release, he didn't even consider it.

For a film shot with a handheld camera, it would be almost impossible to have a large-scale release in theaters, just wishful thinking.

"The distribution side has already been arranged by Helen, so it should be selected for limited release," Ryan replied, half-truthfully.

"Since it's a distribution company arranged by Helen, there shouldn't be any problems."

Paul revealed a relieved expression, knowing that with Helen's connections, finding a small distribution company wouldn't be difficult.

The following proceedings were straightforward. The two drove together to the Starry Sky Talent Agency to sign the film editing contract.