Global Film Emperor

Chapter 346 The Videotape Market

Pushing open the bathroom door, water droplets were still dripping from my hair. I pulled out a pure cotton short-sleeved shirt from my suitcase and vigorously rubbed my head. The reason I didn't use a towel was that the towels in Mickey's house were too dirty. You could smell the sour and alcohol smell emanating from the towels from two miles away, and the colors... were quite bright.

Seeing Mickey still fast asleep on the bed, Lu Ze glanced at the time. It was eight o'clock in the morning. He wasn't in a hurry to wake him up, since the two of them had been studying the script until the wee hours of the morning after returning home last night.

After leaving Lionheart Bar last night, the two walked three kilometers back to the apartment that Mickey's father had left for Mickey to stay in temporarily, emphasizing the word "borrowed".

The father isn't dead yet, it's not time to divide the inheritance. And the family relationships in Western countries are very different from those in China. After Mickey went bankrupt, as his father, he only left Mickey a place to live so that Mickey wouldn't have to sleep on the streets. He didn't care about anything else. I wonder if his father would be furious to death if he saw how Mickey had messed up his house.

After changing into clean clothes, Lu Ze went to the kitchen and washed the dishes first. He glanced at the refrigerator, which was filled with various kinds of alcohol. Lu Ze only found a piece of bread that had been squeezed out of shape at the very back. He opened the packaging bag, took a look, and casually threw it into the trash can. The green mold on the bread had grown to be almost as tall as scallions. Eating it would be dangerous.

Luckily, I found a few steaks in the bottom of the refrigerator. After thawing them, I cut them into large pieces and pan-fried them in oil. I also found a few sprouted potatoes, chopped them up (they were still edible), cut them into chunks, threw them into the pot, added salt, ginger powder, and pepper, and finally some cornstarch. After cooking until it thickened slightly, I took it out of the pot.

To be honest, the taste wasn't great. He doesn't know how to cook Western food, and his Chinese cooking is only at a decent level of home-style dishes. Plus, even a skilled cook can't cook without ingredients, so he substituted potatoes for the staple food. Even if you asked a professional chef to cook, he wouldn't be able to make anything appetizing.

In other words, the potato chunks were quite large, and the steak was very thick, which was barely enough to fill me up. After finishing the last spoonful of soup, as I picked up the plate to go back to the kitchen, Mickey squinted and reached into his white vest to scratch his chest.

"Good morning, what did you make? It smells pretty good. Is there any more? My stomach is starting to hurt from hunger."

"It's in the pot, but I suggest you take a shower first. You smell terrible. I can smell it even from this far away. I'm about to throw up."

Hearing Lu Ze's words, he pulled up his vest and smelled it. He didn't seem to notice any smell, but seeing Lu Ze's disgusted look, he waved his hand helplessly and slapped his thigh.

"Okay... but honestly, in this respect, you're no different from a woman, Mickey~ You really stink, like a middle-aged woman with OCD... No! Don't smash my TV! I apologize!"

Lu Ze had caught him in a compromising situation, so he could only rush into the bathroom. Five minutes later, he came out of the bathroom, soaking wet, with a bowl of beef stew with potatoes. He sat on the sofa in the living room and ate it, while Lu Ze sat next to him, intently flipping through the script.

"Dong dong dong..."

"Who?"

"I am Elena."

The bar owner's daughter came directly to the door without calling. Lu Ze looked at Mickey suspiciously. He did suspect that Mickey had brought Elena home, but seeing Mickey eat a piece of beef and close his eyes happily, he could only get up, open the door, and say good morning to the girl who was completely different in size from his father.

"I brought you breakfast: sandwiches, hot dogs, bread, bacon, and coffee. Have you had breakfast yet?"

The two of them froze abruptly. Then, Lu Ze watched as Mickey dumped the beef he had painstakingly prepared that morning into the trash can, and shook his head at Elena with a bright smile.

……

Compared to the bland beef stew with potatoes, Lu Ze suddenly felt that English breakfast was actually quite delicious. Even though he had just eaten breakfast, he still put the food that Elena had brought into his mouth and asked Mickey about it.

What do we need to do today?

"Oh, first, let's sign a contract for the film's salary. Then we'll go to Chrysler to rent movie props and filming equipment. Oh, and Elena, I'll have to ask you to bring out Depp's pickup truck. I believe Depp won't mind. Finally, I need to borrow a few second-rate actors and also negotiate a business deal."

"And where was it filmed?"

"Ilkurt (fictional), is a village near Liverpool, a three-hour drive away. I've finished eating. We have a lot to do today, so we need to get moving. Elena, go and get Drew's car. I'm changing my clothes. We'll meet downstairs in ten minutes."

Without hesitation, Elena got up and quickly went out. It seemed that working at the bar had honed her execution skills quite well. Mickey leaned against the window and waited until Elena came downstairs and appeared on the street before snapping his fingers, turning around and going back to his room. Lu Ze stuffed the script into a brown paper bag, pulled out the sofa, and put it into the old-fashioned safe with peeling paint behind the sofa wall.

Soon, Mickey came out of the room. His beard was neatly trimmed, and his long hair was draped behind his head. However, the blue suit he was wearing was exceptionally clean and tidy. He pointed behind the sofa and raised an eyebrow at Lu Ze.

"I only have this one decent outfit left, and I'm actually a little reluctant to wear it. What kind of life am I living... By the way, do you think my shirt is a bit tight? I feel like I've gained a little weight... Never mind, let's not waste time. Elena is downstairs, let's go."

The two went downstairs, and a blue F150 was parked at the door. Mickey pointed to the back seat to Elena, and after she sat in the back, he got into the driver's seat and headed towards the outskirts of Liverpool.

In China, film props are usually rented out by small business owners who set up prop rental companies to earn rent. Small items are made by hand by the prop department of the film crew. Major film companies do not set up special prop factories to provide props to their film crews. Whatever props they need, they basically solve the problem by paying money.

In Europe and America, where the film and television industry system is more complete, most film companies set up their own prop factories. They store all kinds of props and equipment that may be used in the film in this warehouse so that they don't have to make them again when they are used again. Some famous props are even rented by other film crews.

This has led to many props from various film companies having a long history, with props from ten or twenty years ago being commonplace. You might even find a musket that was used in a Western film from the 1950s or 60s. However, you don't need to worry about the quality, as they all have dedicated maintenance personnel who perform regular upkeep. Putting aside other aspects, they are quite environmentally conscious.

As a long-established film company in Liverpool, Chrysler Films doesn't have much of a history and barely survives on low-budget films and the videotape market.

In recent years, the UK's economic downturn has exacerbated the company's financial burden. However, as a company that has been established for over sixty years, its prop collection is still quite remarkable, at least enough to handle a low-budget film like "The Effect".

About an hour and a half later, the three arrived at the entrance of Clive Film Company, which was actually just a large courtyard. The company's perimeter was very simple, with only two-way access barriers, similar to the red and white barriers in an underground parking lot.

The landscaping in the yard was quite nice. Two large trees grew along the north and south walls respectively. Although the lawn and garden area were not large, the vegetation was lush. Bees would occasionally land on the flowers, only to be startled away by the blue raptor.

The entire courtyard consists of only three buildings, arranged in a triangular shape. However, the courtyard is quite large, so the lighting should be quite good.

“I haven’t been here for six or seven years. I didn’t expect to feel a sense of nostalgia standing here. After graduating from film school, my first job was as an advertising director at Clive, shooting ads for those third-rate products. After two years, I changed jobs and left. I thought I wouldn’t miss this place… but I didn’t expect to come full circle and come back.”

Mickey took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled smoke from his nostrils, as if he were talking to the two of them, or as if he were reminiscing about the past. When Lu Ze got out of the car, he pulled up his pants and followed Mickey into the small building at the front.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Who are you? Where is Old Marx?"

"He died of a heart attack three years ago. What are you doing here?"

“I’d like to… rent some props and also discuss some business with Mr. Saul. Could you please pass on a message to Saul that Mickey Taylor is here to talk to him about something?”

A black man in a white security guard uniform came out of the mailroom, chatted with Mickey for a while, looked the three of them up and down for a bit, then stayed behind for a while before returning to the mailroom to make an internal call. Perhaps to him, this combination of a yellow-haired man, a white-haired man, and a man with skewers was indeed a bit strange.

Only after the call ended did he speak to the three through the glass of the mailroom: "You can go up now." "Okay, thank you... Old Max is a good man, I really mean it."

"I've never met him either, but... I think so too."

The Black man raised his eyebrows slightly, a faint smile finally appearing on his previously serious face. He nodded to the three of them and then went back to playing with his phone.

“Okay, let’s split up. I’ll go upstairs and talk to Saul. You two go out and turn right, go to the house on the right side of the back and pick out props. Remember to pick newer ones. If there’s a security guard, just tell him you’re from the Mickey’s crew. Here’s the list, just follow it.”

A piece of white paper, folded twice, was handed over. Lu Ze opened it, glanced at it, indicated that he understood, waved to Elena, and led her away.

As expected, when they entered the back house, an old man with a white beard stopped them. After Lu Ze informed him, the old man did not stop them, but instead tried to sell Lu Ze sticky notes.

"Fifty pence, would you like that?"

"No, sir, I already have one."

He pulled a stack of sticky notes out of his pocket and waved them at the old man, which made the old man a little dejected. He slowly returned to his rest room. When Lu Ze saw the old man return to his room, he pushed open the door. Instantly, a dazzling array of movie props came into view. Rather than movie props, it was more like an old-fashioned antique shop.

Needless to say, there are all sorts of costumes, old-fashioned film projectors (the kind that are particularly prone to catching fire), medieval European armor, and everything from vintage cars to small bottles and jars—you can find almost anything you want.

First, start searching for the major items on the list. Walk to an old Ford sedan from the 00s, pick up a sticky note, write the address and date on it, tear it off and stick it on the car, then look for the next item.

Although the items here are old, they are all usable. Like the car I just saw, you can drive it away with a little gas. The dates on the sticky notes are the times the film crew needs them, and the addresses are the filming locations. For large items like these that you can't take with you, just put a sticky note on them, and the film company will deliver them to your door. You pay the rental fee when you arrive. Of course, this only applies to short distances; for long distances, you might as well rent from a company elsewhere.

If two film crews need to use the same prop at the same time, it depends on the order of arrival. Don't worry about other film crews tearing off your sticky note and replacing it with theirs. Once the film company finds out, the prop will no longer be rented to the other party, which means they will lose the right to rent it. This is a common rule for all prop factories.

After renting an old-fashioned bed, furniture, and other items, Lu Ze took Elena to the third floor to rent some filming equipment. However, looking at the prices... Lu Ze clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Unlike props, filming equipment has a fixed price. Various models up to 2020 are available, and you can even find the oldest cameras used to shoot black and white silent films. However, for these cameras that require film, you need to buy the film separately.

Lu Ze and Mickey tentatively plan to need three cameras, which will suffice as ordinary cameras and a few filters. However, the rental fees and deposits for these items are outrageous. The rental fee for just one camera is five hundred pounds a month, and the deposit is three thousand pounds. The crew's budget is limited. Renting two cameras is still manageable, but three cameras... are really a bit too much to bear.

Lu Ze wandered back and forth between various models of cameras, trying to find some cheap and easy-to-use cameras within his budget, but the final price was always much higher than his budget.

Finally, Lu Ze turned his attention to the small cubicle in the second-to-last row, took out a Sony handheld home camcorder manufactured in 2017, installed the battery at the bottom of the camcorder, and surprisingly, it still had half a bar of power. He turned it on and pointed it at Elena.

"Hey, look at me, OK, this is it, let's go, these are the last few items."

After selecting two 4.5-meter-long tracks, along with a microphone and a spotlight, all the props on the list were chosen.

After checking the props that needed to be taken away immediately from the old man, as well as one-time sale items such as blood plasma, and paying more than 500 pounds in rent and deposit, Lu Ze and Elena put these things into the car. This is why they drove the Raptor today.

With everything ready, and Mickey still not downstairs, the two went to the mailroom and started a mundane chat with the black guy from before.

Lu Ze didn't ask him why he chose to work as a doorman in the mailroom at such a young age, as that would likely cause offense. However, Lu Ze did learn that he had five siblings and two aunts' children who were sent to his home to be raised after their father went to prison and their mother remarried.

Seven children... Except in countries with huge childbirth subsidies, who wouldn't be poor? It's understandable that the black guy, as the eldest son, would take this job to supplement the family income. After all, not every black guy can become the protagonist of "The Intouchables".

The three chatted happily in the mailroom until Mickey and another man came downstairs. The young man immediately straightened his face and pretended to be working seriously. Lu Ze and Elena didn't want to disturb them, so they came out of the mailroom.

"Lu Ze, let me introduce you. This is Christian Saul, the owner of Clive Company. Saul, and this is Lu Ze. You should know him, right?"

"Of course I've read 'To Live' many times. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lu."

Lu Ze shook hands with the man who looked to be around fifty years old. They chatted for a few minutes before running out of things to say. Although Thor seemed quite enthusiastic, he seemed to have some disdain for Lu Ze deep down.

Mickey must have sensed Thor's attitude, and not wanting to say more, he pulled Lu Ze and the other away, only reminding Thor before leaving.

"The person I want, see you at Ilkló Castle on Saturday. Most importantly, that little princess, I must see her!"

"Don't worry, I'll arrange for them to go."

After the three returned to the car, Mickey opened the brown paper bag, took out two contracts, and handed them to Lu Ze and Elena. It seemed that Mickey had also used Thor's printer in his office.

Lu Ze read through the clauses one by one. It was no different from a typical film contract. English was not too difficult for Lu Ze. There were no ambiguities. In fact, the restrictions on Lu Ze were much looser than those of a typical film contract. After reading all the clauses, Lu Ze approved the contract and picked up the pen to sign it, but was suddenly stopped by Mickey.

He drove with his eyes straight ahead, but couldn't help but sigh.

"To be honest, I need to tell you about the results of my talks with Saul, so you don't think I tricked you by signing this contract. I just talked to Saul, and this movie... might not be able to be released."

Lu Ze's hand, which was about to sign, paused instantly. If the movie couldn't be released, there was no point in him making it. He came to England purely to prove himself. What's the point of a movie that won't be released? Playing house?

"So what are you planning to do? What's the point of giving us the contract if the film can't be released?"

"Of course."

Mickey looked very anxious. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, but only one drag before throwing the cigarette out the window.

"This isn't China. Not being able to screen a film doesn't mean it can't make money; it just means there's another, more difficult path."

"any solution?"

"The videotape market... this movie may have to be distributed in video halls on DVD."

"..."

(End of this chapter)