novelinnhs Chapter 89 Communication and Rest
Chapter 89 Communication and Rest
When Lin Ruiyang pushed his luggage cart out, Roger Sutherland was already leaning against the railing at the exit, waiting.
"Welcome back to the real world. The champagne in Paris is still simmering, isn't it?" Roger came up and took the luggage.
He started walking towards the parking lot: "When can we go into the editing room?"
"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, Fox post-production department. Just a reminder, Tom McCardell is like two different people inside and outside the editing room. People in Fox post-production department privately call his editing room the monastery."
"People who have too many rules are usually just too lazy to deal with idiots. I'll go talk to him tomorrow, explain the later requirements, and then rest for two days."
Roger paused, his hand still on the driver's side door, and turned to look at him, his expression suggesting he didn't believe he'd heard correctly: "A break?"
"I've been filming in Paris for almost half a month, and I need to clear my head a bit." Lin Ruiyang got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt.
"Overseeing editing with a head full of material is no different from driving while fatigued."
Roger, with one hand on the steering wheel, turned to look at Lin Ruiyang, who was resting with his eyes closed: "Indeed, driving while fatigued can easily lead to car accidents, and editing while fatigued can easily ruin film."
As the car exited the airport expressway, the afternoon sun of Los Angeles streamed through the windshield, carrying the dry warmth characteristic of California. Inside, the Eagles' "Hotel California" was playing, Don Henry's voice flowing lazily from the speakers.
Lin Ruiyang leaned back in his seat, his eyes slightly narrowed, but his mind was still replaying the entire filming of "The Devil Wears Prada".
"Pitt has pressed for the final filming schedule of 'Dallas Buyers Club' twice more," Roger said as he drove.
"And Matthew lost another four pounds this week. Brian is going crazy, saying that if this continues, the insurance company will triple the premium."
Lin Ruiyang opened his eyes, and outside the window, palm trees swayed one after another backward: "Tell Brian that Matthew's weight should be close to the target range now. There's not much room for him to lose more, but maintaining the current state is the best outcome."
"I'll tell him later." Roger stopped at the red light and tapped his fingers twice on the steering wheel.
"By the way, what are you planning to say to McCardell when you meet him tomorrow? That old man has a strange temper, but his skills are really good. I've watched a few of his edited films; the pacing is clean and efficient."
"Listen to him first, then tell him what I want. The relationship between the editor and the director shouldn't be one of superior and subordinate. He understands the editing table better than I do, and I understand what this film wants to become better than he does. As long as both sides understand their roles, there won't be any problems with the collaboration."
Considering that he would be staying in the United States for a relatively long time, Lin Ruiyang asked Roger to help him rent a quiet house on the outskirts of Beverly Hills, away from the noisy places where celebrities gather.
The car wound its way along the mountain road for a few minutes before finally stopping in front of a modern minimalist villa with a private courtyard. The view was expansive, offering a distant view of the city lights below, yet the dense oak trees perfectly shielded it from outside sight.
Roger turned off the engine, opened the car door, and unloaded his luggage: "This is it. The lease is for six months, with the highest level of confidentiality. Even the housekeeping and cleaning services are handled by familiar faces from CAA's clients. There's absolutely no chance of paparazzi rummaging through the trash here."
"Thanks, Roger."
"I'll be waiting for you outside at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Just completely clear your mind tonight. Remember, if you want to attend any parties or events, let me know in advance, or you might end up becoming the center of global attention without even realizing it."
"Don't worry, I'd rather stay home alone than go to those noisy places."
At 8:50 a.m. the next day, in Century City, at the Fox Post-Production Building.
Roger led Lin Ruiyang to the door of editing room 4B on the 4th floor.
A cold, metallic sign was affixed to the door: "No soft drinks or strongly scented foods allowed. Unauthorized personnel please do not knock."
"This is McCardell's territory," Roger said softly, stopping at the door.
"I won't go in and disturb you. I'll wait for you at the coffee shop downstairs."
After Roger left, Lin Ruiyang knocked on the door and then pushed open the heavy soundproof door.
The editing room was unusually dimly lit, with heavy blackout curtains blocking out the sunlight.
In the center of the room, the huge Avid non-linear editing system screen emitted a faint blue light, while green timecodes silently pulsed in the corner of the monitor.
A middle-aged man with a messy beard was sitting hunched over at the control panel, holding a digital transcoding log that had just been delivered from the photo lab.
He is Tom McCardell.
Hearing the door open, McCardell didn't turn around. He began to shoo it away with a rigid manner: "If it's an assistant bringing coffee, just put it on the tray by the door. If it's the PR department or a producer asking about the progress, tell them there are only black screens and timecodes today."
"Mr. McCardell, I am Lin Ruiyang."
McCardell stopped typing and slowly turned around, looking Lin Ruiyang up and down with his bloodshot and tired eyes.
"Ryan Lam? You're younger than I thought."
He moved the swivel chair half an inch to the side, revealing an equally old but sturdy chair on the side of the control panel, and nodded at it with his chin.
"Please sit down. Let me state this in advance: I don't like people sitting behind me and telling me what to do, and I especially hate directors who treat editors like mere tools."
Lin Ruiyang showed no displeasure at the other party's arrogance: "I know you're an expert on the editing table, Tom."
"You've already digitized and generated the basic assembly track for the footage from the first week in New York, right? I'd like to hear your intuition as the first viewer."
McCardell clearly hadn't expected this young Chinese director to react this way.
In Hollywood, he has seen too many newcomers eager to prove themselves, who, upon entering the editing room, practically glue their hands to the mouse, or give unsolicited instructions to professional editors, thus creating conflict.
He cleared his throat and swiped the mouse to bring up several clips of Fifth Avenue in New York: "I have to admit, your shots are very clean. The composition and lighting are industrially accomplished. But that's also the problem; your footage is too solid."
McCader pointed to the audio and video tracks on the screen and continued, "For example, the scene where Meryl Streep's character, Miranda, first enters the magazine building."
If you want to edit it like a typical fashion commercial film, using traditional medium shots with reverse shots to maintain narrative security, it will become a beautiful fashion advertisement.
The visuals are indeed beautiful, but they lack the dramatic tension that instantly grabs the audience's attention. The material you've given me lacks some subjective, unconventional points of conflict.
Lin Ruiyang listened quietly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. He knew McCardell had hit the nail on the head; if edited according to the traditional Hollywood dramatic editing logic, the footage did indeed seem a bit too structured.
But this was precisely the scene he deliberately stayed on set, waiting for post-production to complete.
"Tom, you're absolutely right. If edited in the conventional way, this would indeed turn into a mediocre soap opera. But my film is different. The core of a film isn't fashion, it's power. So the logic of the editing has to follow the flow of power."
"In the first half, I wanted to maintain a stable, extremely industrial aesthetic, to initially attract the audience with its glamorous exterior. In the middle and later parts, I gradually broke down this rigidity, using different shots to slowly reveal the alienation of people by power."
McCardell leaned back in his chair, taking his first serious look at the young director. His eyes, hidden beneath his beard, narrowed, scrutinizing him with a hint of interest.
"interesting......"
After explaining all his thoughts, Lin Ruiyang left the editing room and found Roger in the coffee shop downstairs.
"How did the talks go?"
"It went more smoothly than expected. I went over the initial ideas with him, and I can finally relax and unwind for the next few days." Lin Ruiyang stretched with a smile.