Great Artist

Chapter 21: Independent Film

“Yes, the producer is Miss Drew Barrymore, and this film is indeed an independent film.” Richard Kelly immediately sat up and answered Gu Luobei’s questions one by one. People can’t help but sigh, this is Gu Luobei interviewing Richard Kelly from beginning to end, which is completely different from the originally expected interview! “The script is called ‘Tony Dark’, and your role is the actor Tony Dark. What, is there a problem?” After speaking, Richard Kelly was a little nervous.

In fact, if you were another director, this would not be the case today. Who made Richard Kelly a rookie director, and a rookie who has repeatedly hit a wall on fundraising and casting. It is not surprising that the situation is reversed when encountering an outlier like Gu Luobei, who has been human for two generations.

Drew Barrymore, a typical example of a child star in Hollywood, became famous at a young age. At the age of seven, she became a top star after starring in the hit movie “E.T (Alien, but the days after her fame made her become a top star. Feeling stressed, disoriented, drinking, smoking, and even exposed to drugs. After successfully coming out of the long-term struggle with alcohol and drugs, Drew Barrymore has made a series of challenging films and gradually returned to the peak. A “Charlie’s Angels” released this year has made Charlie’s Angels a household name. . It is worth mentioning that Drew – Barrymore himself is the producer of “Charlie’s Angels”.

This time, Richard Kelly persuaded Drew Barrymore to invest in the independent film “Tony Dark” at the screening of “Charlie’s Angels”. Originally, Richard Kelly wanted Drew Barrymore to play the role of the teacher of the male lead in the movie, and used Drew Barrymore’s appeal to get sponsorship. He didn’t want Drew Barrymore, but became interested in the script The investment, although only a small cost of 4.5 million is made.

The concept of “independent film” originated from Hollywood in the middle of the last century. At that time, Hollywood was monopolized by the so-called “big eight film companies”, and the operation of a film production followed a rigorous “producer system”. This “producer system” is aimed entirely at the market, expecting to maximize profits, so although this system brings a lot of money to the film industry, it also limits the room for film creators to play. As a result, a group of filmmakers got rid of the control of the “eight major film companies”, raised their own funds, even wrote their own scripts and acted as directors, and made many ideological films that were completely different from commercial films, which were called “independent films”. “.

Independent films do not achieve financing through direct investment by commercial institutions, nor do they take profit as their primary purpose. Small production, low cost, and simplification of technical means are the hallmarks of its extreme reality. However, low investment does not mean rough and unprofessional. In foreign countries, it is an indicator of the level of economic investment in a film, but independent films also have large investment and large production, such as “Once Upon a Time in America” and “Million Dollar Baby”.

In terms of subject matter, shooting techniques, and expression, independent films are less influenced by the funders, so they can cover some areas that are less involved in mainstream films, and can better show the personal characteristics of filmmakers. However, at the same time, due to financial reasons, the venues, props, actors, costumes and other aspects of independent production are often affected. There is no limit to the subject matter of independent films, which can be commercial films or art films. Its distribution method is somewhat different from that of professional commercial film distribution. Generally, the scale is relatively small, but the review is the same as other films, as long as it does not violate the laws and regulations in the screening area.

Richard Kelly’s film is an independent film. Although Drew Barrymore’s financing was obtained, the main decision-making power of the film is still in the hands of Richard Kelly, which is why Richard Kelly Independently came to interview for Gu Luobei, and was able to decide the reason for the actor at the first time.

“So, Mr. Bell, what do you think?” Richard Kelly asked additionally.

Gu Luobei didn’t answer, just read the script in his hand seriously. Logically speaking, having the opportunity to appear in a movie is a great thing, and the director also rushed over from Los Angeles in person, with great sincerity. But in Gu Luobei’s near-term plan, this part was not originally included, and he always put his studies in a very important position. I will participate in this interview today. On the one hand, I feel that the other party is sincere, and on the other hand, I am curious. Of course, it is undeniable that Gu Luobei is also interested in movies. So, Gu Luobei decided to read the script.

Just after reading the first few pages of the script, Gu Luobei remembered that this movie was not unknown, it was just because the number was not matched for a while. The script, called “Tony Dark”, translated in Chinese as “Death Illusion” or “28 Days of Fright,” tells the story of Tony Dark, a teenager suffering from psychological problems who sleepwalks. , and go to see a psychiatrist. Late one night, a plane engine of unknown origin crashes into Tony’s room. He happened to be guided by some voice in his head, and the dream escaped from the room and survived. The owner of the voice was named Frank, a man dressed in a full bunny costume. Frank announces to Tony that the world will be destroyed in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. In order to save the world, he must face the fearful attitudes of the teachers and classmates around him. His actions are seen as mentally ill by others, but only Tony Dark knows that he is serious.

The name Tony-Dark has its own meaning. The last name of Darko and Dark are close phonetic words, with a thick black style. Gu Luobei remembered that the film received a mediocre response when it was released in the United States, but it was enthusiastically sought after by professionals and was considered an alternative classic (Cult.Classic).

Cult films refer to films with unique shooting techniques, bizarre themes, slanted swords, unusual styles, strong personal opinions, and controversial, usually low-cost productions that are not market-oriented. In short, it is a film that belongs to a non-mainstream field but can be very popular among a certain young group. Niche films, alternative films, and noir films can all be considered Cult films. The script “Tony Dark” is obviously a typical Cult movie.

Gu Luobei remembers that the name “Death Illusion” can be seen on many classic Cult movie rankings. The original protagonist of the film was Jake Gyllenhaal, who became famous for his “Brokeback Mountain”, but now the role is in his own hands. What’s going on?

“No problem, it’s my honor to be able to star in this movie!” Since it’s a good script, the opportunity has come to the door, why not do it? Gu Luobei gave his answer with a smile, which finally relieved Richard Kelly’s nervous mood and showed a bright smile.

“Happy cooperation.” After the decision, Richard Kelly’s expression immediately relaxed a lot, even his shoulders relaxed a lot, “Mr. Bell, are you sure this is your first movie? Your performance just now made my eyes wide open. Liang, I admire it.” This is the truth, although Gu Luobei’s performance was still a little jerky, but it can be described as excellent, otherwise Richard Kelly would not be so impatient, “Before coming, I Still a little worried, if Mr. Bell doesn’t work, I can only pin my hope on that young man named Jake Gyllenhaal next week, he’s already starred in a movie, and he’s my last hope. The investment has been pulled, but the actors are stuck and unable to start filming, it is estimated that Miss Barrymore will intervene in the actors.”

It turns out that he seems to be ahead of Jake Gyllenhaal. Gu Luobei smiled, “I still have a lot of work to do before filming, at least I need to read the script carefully.” This is a habit left over from ten years of Broadway career. On stage, forgetting lines is not allowed. “By the way, when will the movie start shooting and where will it be filmed? You know, the new semester starts, and I have a lot of things to deal with.” In the United States, it is not impossible to leave school and miss classes, only You need to ask the department or professor for a leave of absence. However, Gu Luobei doesn’t want his courses to fall too much~www.readwn.com~ So if possible, he will still keep in touch with the professor by email, and try not to delay the final exam when he is away from school.

“The film will start shooting at the end of this month, and if there are no accidents, it will be completed in three weeks.” Richard Kelly explained that because of the small investment and small scale of independent films, most of the time the shooting cycle will be relatively short. Shorter, three weeks is within the normal range, which also saves Gu Luobei a lot of time. “The shooting location is in a small town in Virginia, not far from here.” Driving from Boston to Virginia is just Eight or nine hours’ drive, for Gu Luobei, couldn’t be better.

Everything was negotiated, all that was left was the signing, with Teddy Bell as the agent, and Eden Hudson as the legal counsel, and Richard Kelly had it all settled the next day. . Teddy Bell was obviously a little unclear about the situation. Originally, Gu Luobei said that he would not accept this interview. He was too busy in the new semester, but in a blink of an eye, he was determined to appear in a movie. The changes were too great. However, out of 100% trust in Gu Luobei, Teddy Bell did not ask why, but relied on his professional knowledge to confirm the contract with Eden Hudson to protect Gu Luobei’s rights .

After signing the contract, Richard Kelly hurried back to Los Angeles to set up the crew. Teddy Bell looked at Gu Luobei worriedly, “Do you need me to go to the set with you?”

Gu Luobei was not worried at all, “I went to Broadway by myself when I was eight years old. I can take care of myself when I go to film this time. You better take care of your thesis.” Teddy -Bell thought about it too, and didn’t say anything more.

Second update today. Well, the collection and recommendation still have to continue to ask, huh, huh.