Novice village

From a purely directorial perspective, James's current situation resembled a newly released game character who hadn't yet developed their unique strategies, skill allocations, and gameplay styles. Thus, at times, he felt at a loss, as though he was equipped with knowledge from school, yet the practical application demanded hands-on experience. After all, real understanding comes from practice, right? That's the way it is.

In plain terms, what he lacked was experience.

Counting the films he had directed in his previous life, there were over a dozen.

Some of them had been remarkable, achieving significant box office success.

However, whether it was his forte in horror films or purely popcorn-style commercial movies, his reputation within the industry wasn't particularly high.

Of course, the audience and the market loved his work, but that was a different matter altogether.

If you put it this way, those film companies were certainly satisfied with him. After all, his films made money.

However, James didn't pay much attention to those film critics or award judges.

He hadn't held those so-called industry authorities in high regard from the start. It was evident from the films he made that he aimed at the audience market, not caring much about industry reputation.

Moreover, his progress was evident.

In the earlier "Saw" series, there were indeed many flaws. Analyzing individual shots, there were plenty of areas for improvement. But when "Dead Silence" came along, the creation of suspenseful atmospheres and control of the film's pacing had clearly ascended a notch. However, there was still room for improvement.

Subsequent films like "Insidious" or "The Conjuring"... Gradually, a growing maturity could be sensed, with confidence evident in various aspects.

Moreover, he wasn't confined to a single genre as a director.

Transitioning into more mainstream popcorn movies, he also performed remarkably well. He had mastered the pacing and was in his element. Just look at "Furious 7". Compared to the earlier films in the franchise, it was smoother and more entertaining, offering a more enjoyable experience for the audience.

Consequently, the movie grossed $1.1B worldwide, setting a new record for the franchise's box office revenue.

Watching his films, you'd find the plot captivating, drawing you in and making you want to continue watching.

That's the director's skill in controlling shots and film pacing. Even if the story was weak or the characters lacked depth, he could make the audience feel comfortable watching.

That's called talent.

However, at present, James hadn't fully mastered his craft and was in a period of exploration.

...

On a film set, the director was always the most exhausted.

Working for 15 to 16 hours a day was the norm. Not only did he have to stand behind the monitor during the day, closely observing the filming, but in the evenings, he had to plan for upcoming shots and redesign angles. Both his body and mind were under high-intensity pressure. Could he not be tired?

Ah, except for those who only shout "Cut". Yes, talking about the behavior of a novice. Damn it, making a movie with over a dozen assistant directors working in tandem—how could the shooting progress not be swift?

Of course, James himself enjoyed it. So, no matter how tired he was, it was a fatigue worth bearing.

After all, "Saw" was his debut film as a director, both a challenge and an opportunity.

He immersed himself completely in the shooting process.

...

Lyman only realized how much there was to handle on a film set after becoming a producer.

Day by day, he had to worry about countless trivial matters.

And his scope of work was broad, ranging from the small task of ordering crew meals to the grand task of budget allocation.

Roles and responsibilities were also clearly defined. Following the hierarchy in Hollywood's studio rules, from highest to lowest, there were positions like executive producer, supervising producer, line producer, and unit production manager...

Though Lyman was listed as the executive producer, his tasks were those of a low-level unit production manager. This was because he didn't want to deal with the representatives of third-party supervision during filming. This role was straightforward and manageable for him.

Of course, straightforward didn't necessarily mean easy.

Since he proposed to help with some of the production management, René had no reservations. He directly assigned him a pile of trivial matters to handle.

So, every evening, Lyman had to first confirm the number of cast and crew members for the next day, then determine the quantity of boxed meals and bottled water needed based on that count.

On set, he had to oversee the filming and address safety concerns.

In short, after a few days, Lyman came to a realization: he was busy, but busy doing seemingly insignificant tasks.

And he was somewhat uncomfortable with it. When did he start worrying about expenses in the tens or hundreds of dollars, and needing to budget carefully? It seemed that after "Buried", he hadn't concerned himself with financial matters. George or René would handle that while he focused on how to shoot well.

The key was that these trivial matters were truly essential, and they couldn't be delayed, because the crew genuinely needed them. They couldn't just work on an empty stomach or without water.

That would be unrealistic.

Amidst the busyness, the only solace Lyman found was that the shooting progress of the crew was improving.

"Producer, one of the camera lenses is malfunctioning. Can you report it?"

"What? Alright, I'll remember to do that later."

After the staff left, Lyman sat in a chair and felt a slight soreness in his neck. He massaged it a bit.

Then he picked up a notebook from the temporary office desk beside him and started jotting down all the expenditures he needed to manage.

Every detail had to be recorded, and in the end, the accounts had to be checked by the production and guarantee parties.

Filmmaking was never a simple matter.

"The cost of the equipment... How much was it again?"

He furrowed his brow and thought of going to find René for clarification.

"Knock knock knock."

A knocking sound suddenly echoed from the partition in the studio office.

"Come in."

The door was actually slightly ajar, as there were numerous tasks René needed to handle every day. But this was a matter of politeness.

Lyman pushed the door open and then closed it behind him.

"Why were you knocking? I thought it was someone else." René turned his head and chuckled.

"Tsk, we're on a film set now, we need some manners, you know?"

Lyman walked to the table where the notebook was spread open, filled with complex data and numbers that looked overwhelming.

Just looking at it gave him a headache. Even across two lives, he wasn't good with math. Quite embarrassing.

"Do you need something?" René also put down his pen, stretched his back, and gave his body a good stretch.

"The lens of one of the cameras is broken. Could you arrange to get a replacement?"

"Did you record the expenses?"

"Not yet. I don't understand these things, so you do it."

"Expenses have been a bit high lately," René muttered unconsciously.

"As long as it's sufficient, it's fine. No need to save every penny."

"Easy to say that, but if we exceed the budget, it will be troublesome."

"Don't tell me about it, I'm not in charge of that."

"Then do you have anything else?" René glanced at him sideways.

"... "

Sigh, the life of a producer often revolved around such meticulous and dull considerations.