Departure

"Are you leaving today? How about waiting a few more days until I finish shooting this scene?"

James still wore a distressed expression. As he handed over a can of coffee, he exchanged desperate glances with his friend, Leigh, who was sitting nearby.

Leigh sat in his chair, pretending to be deaf, as if he hadn't noticed.

Jason's scenes were still a bit stumbling, but there was progress at least.

However, Lyman didn't plan to stay here any longer. He had a pile of his own matters to deal with after all.

"I also want to stay and watch you finish filming, but the timing just doesn't work out," Lyman said.

"Cough, then how about leaving René here to help me?" Finally, James voiced his inner thoughts.

Having a professional producer to help manage the crew made things much more comfortable. He had tasted the difference.

Well, that was his plan.

Lyman shook his head. "You're almost done filming, and your scenes aren't many. I need him on my end too. Besides, isn't Leigh a producer as well? Trust him, he can handle it."

Leigh, who had been sitting silently on the side, managed a forced smile in response. He didn't even believe in himself very much.

"What about the shooting schedule?" James hesitated again.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to EuropaCorp about it."

Since that night, no one knew exactly what Jason Stanton had been pondering.

However, his progress was evident to anyone with discerning eyes, even though he still needed several more takes to barely catch up with Hugo Weaver's performance.

Because of this, the shooting schedule would undoubtedly be delayed.

"That's good then," James sighed in relief.

For Lyman, this departure marked his first time shooting a film and not following the original shooting schedule. To be honest, he still felt somewhat uneasy about it.

Lyman, on the other hand, didn't mind at all. This movie was meant as a warm-up, and no matter what happened, he was mentally prepared for it.

Moreover, at this point in the filming of "Saw", the expenses hadn't been significant. They still had over $1M left from the $5M budget, and the scenes were already approaching the final stage. It should be sufficient for the upcoming shooting requirements.

"In any case, if you need anything, just give me a call," Lyman instructed.

"Rest assured, I definitely won't overspend," James thought he was referring to the shooting budget and confidently made the assurance.

He had always respected Lyman. Sometimes, he even felt that this person was treating him too well.

After all, Lyman was already a highly regarded emerging director in France, belonging to the class of filmmakers that garnered praise in the industry. A single film could make a significant profit. James even believed that, as a director, Lyman had reached the ceiling of the industry to some extent. He had works, honors like the Oscars, and Cannes Jury Prize, fame, and a fervent audience base. Even after a dozen years, his name would likely be well-known in the French film industry and even Hollywood.

He was the box office champion of 2003 in France.

In terms of value and directorial worth in this day and age, he was undoubtedly among the top echelon.

Moreover, he took care of his crew well. This was the premise for everything mentioned above.

He wanted to film his own project. Without hesitation, he invited EuropaCorp and Paramount to support him, and even invested his own money.

What kind of favor was this? James wasn't sure, but he knew he needed to make this project well to repay him.

In the end, with a cigarette between his lips, Lyman watched the two of them return to the set.

The next day, he, Eva, and René boarded an international flight to Paris.

On the plane.

The attractive flight attendant pushed a cart down the aisle, repeatedly asking, "What would you like to drink?" She smiled even brighter when she saw familiar faces.

"Water, please. Thank you," Lyman said when he saw her.

"A cup of coffee," René requested.

"Then I'll have some juice. Blueberry juice," came the voice next to Lyman. Yes, it was Eva.

"What juice are you ordering? Weren't you telling me yesterday that you wanted to lose weight and get in shape? Did you forget again?" Lyman reminded her, then turned to the flight attendant and said, "Get her a glass of water too."

"Hmph," Eva turned her head to express her displeasure.

But it was useless. Lyman wouldn't be swayed. He took the water and handed it over directly, saying, "As an actor, don't you have the commitment to sacrifice for the role? You said you wanted to be a good actor. A good actor wouldn't act stubborn about their figure."

This statement instantly crushed her defense.

Eva had no choice but to accept the water.

The flight attendant also genuinely felt that Lyman, the director, was approachable.

As someone who frequently flew between France and the United States, she had encountered numerous big stars. But this person didn't have a trace of arrogance and wasn't pretentious.

Not only was he polite, he even agreed to give her an autograph. Well, that was the most important part.

"Presented to the beautiful Ms. Sena." Lyman wrote this way. In the end, he left his name.

The flight attendant got what she wanted and smiled as she moved on.

This trip was a bit of a hassle when you think about it.

First, they had to fly to Paris airport, then take a car to Lyon, and finally transfer to a train to reach their destination, Annecy. It was the name of a small town located in the southeastern border of France, right next to the Alps. This was the location they had chosen for the film shoot.

Why did they choose it?

It was simple. There was a very beautiful castle here, once the family estate of a French aristocrat. Coincidentally, most of the scenes in "Effervescent" required such a beautiful castle.

After discussing with the local government officials in Annecy, they easily secured the lease.

Anyway, leaving it there was a waste. It required a lot of manpower and resources for maintenance every year. The town had long planned to develop additional value from this castle, such as using it as a film shoot location or as a tourist attraction.

This way, both sides found themselves in agreement.

The other party saw the influence of Lyman's directorial films and even offered a low price of €30,000 per week.

Of course, during filming, they had to be careful not to damage the interior scenes too much. Otherwise, they would have to compensate for the cost of repairs, with the price depending on the extent of the damage.

It was a fair deal.

As for "Effervescent", they had planned to start shooting at the end of July. But recently, Lyman had been so busy that the preparations were still unfinished by mid-July.

Thomas was getting anxious, bombarding him with phone calls to hurry things along.

In the end, Lyman felt a bit embarrassed. He had asked him to help prepare the crew, but the main actor hadn't appeared yet.