Roger led Ronald into a classroom next to the principal's office. The sign on the frosted glass of the door read: DETENTION.
This was where public school principals exercised their authority, keeping mischievous students after school for punishment.
They sat at the corner of a long conference table. Roger Corman took a sip of his black coffee, set the cup down, and looked Ronald in the eye.
"Most of the directors who work for me are newcomers to the industry," Roger began, his voice calm and measured. "So, before anyone directs for the first time, I have a talk with them. I share my experience to help them get up to speed quickly."
He leaned forward. "Even though you're only a temporary director for one day, I treat everyone equally. So, I'm going to have that talk with you."
"For the next ten minutes, I'll share the crash course. I've directed over fifty films...more than most directors make in their entire lives."
"Here is rule number one: The most expensive part of filmmaking is the shooting stage. Pre-production is cheap. Post-production is manageable. But on set? Money flows like water every time the camera rolls. So, in my opinion, there's only one way to make a movie: Shoot it quickly."
"Do you mind if I take notes?" Ronald asked.
"Please do."
Ronald pulled a small notebook and a ballpoint pen from his fanny pack. He listened intently, his hand moving furiously across the page.
Production = $$$$, Pre/Post = cheap SHOOT FAST....
"Rule number two," Roger continued. "On set, sit down whenever you can. Directors have to stand for long periods and walk miles every day. If you don't conserve your energy, you will be exhausted by lunch, and your decision-making will suffer. That's why directors' chairs have names on them, to stop other people from stealing the only seat in the house."
Sit whenever possible, Ronald scribbled.
"Rule number three: The audience needs to know what's happening in the first reel, that's the first ten minutes. And they need to be satisfied by the last reel...the ending. Everything in between? It's just filler. Shoot it however you like, but hook them early and leave them happy."
1st Reel & Last Reel = Crucial, Middle = Irrelevant
"When writing or adjusting the script, concentrate scenes in a few main locations. Moving the crew kills time. If a location has natural light, write more scenes there. Every light you don't have to set up saves us an hour."
Consolidate locations, Use the sun.
Roger paused, watching Ronald's pen fly. "Do you know shorthand?"
"Yes, I took a correspondence course in 10th grade," Ronald replied without looking up. "I had a health issue back then...aphasia. My aunt was worried I wouldn't be able to speak, so she wanted me to have a clerical skill. Luckily, I recovered."
Roger nodded, impressed by the efficiency. "Good. Next point: Don't rush rehearsal. Take as much time as you need. Time spent rehearsing without the camera rolling is free. Time spent reshooting because the actors weren't ready costs thousands. No reshoots means speed."
Rehearse fully, No reshoots.
"Be confident. The crew watches the director constantly. Give them clear, specific instructions the moment you arrive. If you tell them exactly what the shot is, they will respect you and support you. If you waffle, they will eat you alive."
"Technical details are easy. A smart kid like you can master lenses and lighting in a week. But acting is the hard part."
Roger's tone shifted from logistic to artistic. "How to inspire actors to give their best performance, while keeping them within the budget and schedule? That is the gold standard."
"Talk to your actors. Many mistakes happen because the director assumes the actor understands the subtext. If they are Method actors, discuss the 'Super-Objective.' What does the character want? What is their motivation?"
"And always give them the script pages for tomorrow today. If you hand them sides on the morning of the shoot, they won't have time to memorize, let alone act."
"Can they improvise?" Ronald asked.
"If they are comedians, maybe. But generally? No. Stick to the script. It saves time."
Roger took another sip of coffee. "Keep the camera moving. The camera is the eye of the audience. The human eye gets bored if an image is static for more than five seconds. Pan, dolly, zoom, or have something explode in the frame. Just don't be boring."
Static = Boring, Move the camera.
"Remember, for low-budget films, the plot is secondary. People aren't coming for the nuance. They are coming to see women in bikinis, cars crashing, machine guns firing, or high school girls dancing. Give them the spectacle."
"Trust your Director of Photography, if he's good. If Dean Cundey says he got the shot, he got it. Move on. You don't need to see it yourself. If your DP isn't good? Fire him and shoot it yourself."
"Finally, the Magic Hour." Roger smiled conspiratorially. "The best light is right before sunrise and right after sunset. But it's short. If you need to extend it, find a hill."
"A hill?"
"Shoot the master shot at the foot of the hill. When the sun sets, grab the actors, a reflector, and the camera, and run up the hill. You chase the sunlight. Higher up, the sun hasn't set yet. You can get another twenty minutes of close-ups. Since the sky is the background, no one notices the continuity error."
Ronald wrote furiously. Chase the sun up the hill.
"Always maintain a sense of humor. Filmmaking is grueling. Murphy's Law applies. If you can't laugh at the disasters, you'll go crazy."
Ronald finished writing and looked up, his eyes bright with the intensity of the lesson.
Roger sat back, looking satisfied. He enjoyed teaching, especially when the student was this attentive.
"One final warning," Roger said, his expression darkening slightly. "If you want to express a theme, put it in the subtext. Never let a character stand up and preach your values to the audience. They will hate you for it."
"To this day, I have directed or produced over two hundred films. Only one lost money: The Intruder in 1962."
"It starred William Shatner. The reviews were excellent. It won awards. But I was too eager to promote racial integration. I had the protagonist directly speechifying about equality for Black people. The audience rejected it because it felt like a lecture. It was the only time I failed to turn a profit."
Roger stood up, buttoning his blazer. "If you want to be a filmmaker, persevere. If you want to get rich, go into real estate."
Uh, Ronald thought to himself. You've made two hundred profitable movies. You're a multimillionaire. I think there's money in film if you do it your way.
Ronald closed his notebook and stashed it in his fanny pack.
They walked to the door. As they exited, Ronald casually flipped the light switch, plunging the room into darkness.
Roger Corman paused, looking at the switch, then nodded at Ronald with genuine approval.
A stingy multimillionaire. A rare breed indeed.
Authors Note:-
Today will be 5 chapter bonus.....🫰.
Enjoy and support with power stones and collections for more chapters.