At the same time as the audition, Ryan was not idle, he had to constantly revise the script and storyboards, and at the same time pay attention to various matters in the crew.

Producers and directors are different in that they have to deal with a variety of characters, while the latter is more relaxed and only needs to pay attention to the preparation progress of the actors and crew.

In general, you don't have to ask in person, but you must be clear about the progress of the crew.

Ryan is not omnipotent, and naturally has all kinds of flaws, such as dealing with people, almost always handed over to Helen or Sophia, and if it doesn't work, it is handed over to executive producer Lei Sancheni.

The reason why he wanted to take on the position of producer at the beginning was to ensure his rights in the crew, such as the right to choose actors, editing rights, etc., rather than really wanting to be a producer.

In addition, Twentieth Century Fox is responsible for the financial and contractual matters of the crew, and they have a special department.

The rest of the actors' rehearsals were handed over to an assistant director.

"Invasion of the Evil Spirits" is different from "Blair the Witch" and "Chainsaw", which is neither a pseudo-documentary nor an American plasma horror film, it is more like a thriller, and the acting skills on the script are more demanding.

For this reason, Ryan specially asked the crew to rent an apartment so that several actors could rehearse on weekdays, and the murder house that had been bought was used as one of the best filming locations for the film.

You can't let a few actors rehearse in a murderous house!

After auditions during the period, Ryan still felt that it would be more appropriate for Scarlett Johansson Jr. to play the youngest daughter Am, and Natalie Portman to play Am's sister.

The reason is very simple, on the one hand, Scarlett Johansson Jr. is closer to the character image in the script, and on the other hand, in terms of age, Scarlett Johansson Jr. is only less than ten years old, which is just in line with the age of the character.

Natalie Portman, she's about to turn sixteen, and even if she's developing a little late, she still has some big girl vibes.

What, Natalie Portman is a little older!

In fact, last year, she just played a twelve-year-old girl in "This Killer Is Not Too Cold".

Even after a year, it is still suitable for the role in "Invasion of Evil Spirits".

With two little guys on board, the rehearsal atmosphere was very good, at least there were no actors playing big names, and Robert De Niro took great care of the two little girls of Jewish descent more than Helen.

Don't think too much about it, it's just because of Jewish ancestry, nothing else, Robert De Niro is not a pedophile, otherwise Ryan would definitely not hesitate to kick him out of the crew.

At the same time, the role of Am's mother was also decided, Julia Louis Dreyvers, a television comedy actress.

In her previous life, she was not as simple as a TV comedy actress, she won a total of 2 Emmy Awards and 1 Golden Globe Award, and has always belonged to the kind of actor who has a certain reputation in the circle, but has not become popular.

Another point, she knows Scarlett Johansson Jr. and once filmed "The Prodigal Son's Bodyguard" together.

On top of that, Ryan was busy with other things, such as finding a skilled sound engineer.

A good sound engineer has always been a scarce profession, but fortunately, Twentieth Century Fox stepped in and quickly contacted a senior sound engineer.

At the same time, he also has to choose shooting equipment, shoot different films, shooting equipment, more or less, there will be some differences, must be selected by the director himself.

This time, he did not choose several brands of RB cameras, but chose German ARRI35MM cameras, and it was not a set, he rented three in one go.

Compared to RB brands such as Panasonic, Sony, and JVC, ARRI cameras are significantly more expensive, and the good thing is that ARRI cameras are better.

Sometimes good shooting technology also requires the use of good shooting equipment to ensure the quality of the film, and sometimes it is even more important than the selection of actors.

Of course, Ryan was also a little selfish and wanted to familiarize himself with the performance of the ARRI cameras in advance, so that he could continue to use them in the next film.

Anyway, the whole film is an investment from Twentieth Century Fox, so it doesn't have to be in vain.

There is no director who doesn't know how to save money, and no director will really give the crew any money.

However, in order to ensure that the shooting can go smoothly, the director of photography, lighting engineer, prop master, makeup artist, etc., all need to go through it in person to explain the type of film and what needs to be paid attention to.

Many of the crew members are from Twentieth Century Fox, and Ryan needs to fully understand their level, and if not, replace them immediately.

"Actually, you could have found another assistant. In one of the Twentieth Century Fox studios, Helen holds a cup of coffee in front of Ryan and makes a suggestion.

"An assistant who is familiar with Hollywood and the operation of the crew is not so easy to find. Ryan shook his head, not agreeing immediately.

Similar to Sofia Coppola, there are few qualified assistants in the whole of Hollywood, and he needs to keep many things secret, and it is impossible to find an assistant to come back casually.

"I think Sophia will be happy to hear it. Helen didn't go on and said that there were some things that weren't suitable for the agent.

"By the way, a student organization at the University of Southern California wants you to give a lecture next week, which seems to be a temporary public class. ”

USC!

Ryan frowned, "Refuse, I don't have time right now." ”

"Remember to be tactful. ”

The University of Southern California is his alma mater, and it stands to reason that he should not decline an invitation.

But at the moment, it's just a student organization, not the University of Southern California, and he really doesn't have time now.

"Okay. Helen didn't find it strange at all, and with what she knew about Ryan, she would hardly attend such an occasion unless it was an official invitation from USC in an official capacity.

"However, I hope you can attend the celebration in October. ”

"USC is not only your alma mater, but it also has a large number of famous alumni who will help you in the future," she explains. ”

Ryan agreed, "Remember to remind me when the time comes." ”

"At the same time, I donated a sum of money to the film department of the University of Southern California on my behalf. ”

Giving back to your alma mater is very common in the United States, not only to gain a good reputation, but also to offset taxes through donations.

The thought of facing April soon, Ryan has a bit of a headache, even if there are professionals who legally avoid taxes, they will still have to be taken a large amount of income by the tax office.

Donating to the USC Film Department is clearly a good option right now.

"The USC Film Department will be more than happy to recognize your generosity and will even openly invite you to teach. Helen gave a look of appreciation.

Donating to your alma mater is obviously a good persona and can offset taxes.

At the same time, it can also win the appreciation of many people, such as the famous alumni who graduated from the University of Southern California.

Seeing that the time has entered February, the crew's preparations have been completed for most of the time, and they can start filming at any time.

Ryan was finally a little more relaxed, in fact, if Sophia hadn't gone to Canada, he could have had it a little easier.

So he made a special call to Monica Bellucci in the evening, "When are you going to Las Vegas for filming!"

Some of the scenes in "Leaving Las Vegas" had to be filmed in Las Vegas.

"Probably, it will take another week or so. Monica Bellucci had just taken a shower to relieve the tiredness of the day, "Why, don't you want to relax!"

Mike Figgis is not as talkative as Ryan, he yells and screams on the set, has a terrible temper, and once filmed, every shot has to be shot over and over again.

It's not as easy as it seems.

Ryan's heart fluttered, but unfortunately the two were not face-to-face, but separated by several countries, "Let's not talk about this first, remember to go back to Los Angeles before the Oscars start." ”

"Twentieth Century Fox sent me an invitation to the Oscars. ”

Speaking of this, Ryan paused slightly, "I've already helped you connect with the styling team, as well as order two sets of dresses, and the right jewelry." ”

As early as more than ten days ago, he had already contacted and paid a deposit.

As for Monica Bellucci's size, he couldn't be clearer.

The price of making two sets of dresses to order is very expensive, even if it does not reach millions of dollars, it is not a small amount.

Jewelry is relatively simple, cheap can be bought directly, and expensive can be rented directly.

In fact, a large part of the dresses and jewelry worn by Hollywood female stars are rented, or borrowed from luxury merchants, and only a few first-line female stars will be provided free of charge by endorsement merchants.

Oscars!

Faced with such a temptation, Monica Bellucci, apparently, could not refuse, "It is clear that no one can refuse the glamour of the Oscar red carpet. ”

"So let's get back to where we left off. Ryan's voice changed, lowered his voice, and said, "Relax." ”

It wasn't long before Monica Bellucci's wheezing voice came from the other end of the phone.