"Not only can't you sign your name as the director, even Joe Dante can't be named." Roger Corman used Joe as an example.
"Because the Directors Guild stipulates that, except in extremely special circumstances, a film can only be signed by one director. This is to prevent the studio from exploiting the director by letting him shoot most of the scenes first, and then firing him after the shooting, so that they can add their own name and be listed as the director together with him."
Roger continued to explain: "Not only that, to be named as the director of a film, it must be reviewed by the Directors Guild, and at least two-thirds of the original footage must be shot by this director."
"As long as you are a registered member of the Hollywood Directors Guild, your interests are quite protected. The producer may not give you the final editing rights, but he cannot deny you the credit. What you shoot is what you shoot."
"Because of this, the Directors Guild is very strict about signature review. They do not accept applications but only actively invite new directors to join. If I put a newcomer on this film director credit, the Guild will soon invite him to join. And this opportunity is reserved for Alan."
"Oh, Mr. Corman, you misunderstood. I didn't intend to be credited as the director. I just wanted to appear in the subtitles at the end of the film. I know that crew assistants generally don't have the opportunity to appear in the subtitles."
"I can add your name to the assistant column at the end of the film, but why do you want to put it in the subtitles?" Roger Corman was a little puzzled. Ronald also had the childish idea of leaving his name. "The average audience won't read the subtitles, and a person's name only appears for a few seconds. If you don't pay attention, you won't be able to see it. In Hollywood movies, the names of important members are released at the beginning."
"It's like this, Mr. Corman," Ronald explained. "My current income mainly comes from taking audition photos for actors, which cost $30 per set. If my name was in a movie that got released theatrically, I could raise my price to at least $50, and I could then work as a cinematographer and help pay for college at the same time."
"Does it matter if your name appears in the subtitles?" Roger Corman was a little curious.
"Yes, Mr. Corman. Almost all the actors who come to me for audition photos have never made a movie. They want to appear in a movie, but they often have a lot of hearsay ideas about how to take audition photos. If I've been in a movie, then my words carry more authority. Not only can I charge a higher price, but I can save a lot of trouble when filming."
"Oh, that's a good idea. You have to keep it up, it's a good business mindset. Many good directors don't understand business. But great directors always try to find a balance between business and art."
"Mr. Corman, do you need a still photographer? I can take stills for 'Rock n Roll High School' for free. All you need is to spend money on the film and printing." Ronald took the opportunity to promote his services.
"Do you have a sample?"
"Yes, here, look." Ronald took out a stack of photos from a folder and handed them to Roger Corman. They were all portraits taken in New York.
"Very good. Go to the crew's location next week to take some photos, and remember to keep the receipts."
"Thank you, Mr. Corman. I'll be out now."
"By the way, let Jim in."
Ronald closed the door and slowly walked towards where Gale was. He had a hunch that Roger Corman didn't want to give him a director title. His statement about the Directors Guild was not necessarily the whole truth.
First of all, not all members of the Directors Guild can be directors. What about assistant directors? What about second-group directors? Their rights and interests also need to be protected by the union. If you are not listed as a director of a movie, can you not be a member of the Directors Guild? Roger said that Alan had to rely on this film to get the Directors Guild qualification. The qualification here probably refers to the level of being listed as a director of a movie.
Second, Roger Corman paid very little to his employees. It was OK for college graduates like Gale, who came from well-off families. Why would Joe, Alan, Jim and other people with families be willing to take such low wages? This shows that Roger was exploiting their skills, making these talented professionals work for him almost for free. After completing a movie, they could join the union, and when they became famous, they could go to the eight major studios to make movies. Then, Roger Corman will recruit a new batch of people.
Before watching the sample reel, Ronald heard Roger Corman say to Jerry Zucker, "If you make this movie well, you'll never have to work for me again", which made this calculation very clear.
In turn, these professionals are also exploiting Roger Corman. The union in Hollywood is very harsh on newcomers like Ronald or Jim. If you are a union member, you can enjoy good treatment, and you will be given priority in union-registered films. If you are not a union member, you must work in union-registered films for a certain number of days before you can apply for membership (the Directors Guild is an exception, which is an invitation-based system). The problem is that in Hollywood, non-union members have almost no chance to shoot union-registered films.
This is like the novel "Catch-22" that Ronald read in high school. To make a movie, union members are preferred. To join a union, you must have made a movie. This is a logical deadlock. Newcomers can never join the union. The only way out is for bosses like Roger to be willing to hire non-union newcomers like Ronald in union projects.
Ronald waved his hand to Gale and let Jim, who was waiting outside, in. Jim seemed very relaxed and was flirting with Gail just now.
Seeing that Gale didn't seem very busy, Ronald asked tentatively, "I brought a camera today and want to take some photos with Jim. If you like, I can also take some portraits of you." Then he took out the sample film and spread it on the table to show her.
"Wow, you took great pictures. Will it look good in the pictures if I wear this kind of clothes today?" Gale immediately started to look at the combination of her clothes and shoes.
After Gale finished looking at the photos, Ronald also pulled up a chair and sat down. "Gale, you've seen a lot in the film industry. Do you know what the Directors Guild is all about?"
Gale looked up at him, pulled a piece of paper from the table, picked up a pen, and wrote as he spoke: "The Directors Guild is invitation-based. If you want to join, you don't need to apply. As long as you can leave your name in the project, the Directors Guild will get the list and send you an invitation letter."
"The members of the Directors Guild are divided into three levels: film director, assistant director, and assistant director/second-unit director. Each level should have different membership fees. You can go to the library to check the specific information."
As she said this, she folded the paper in half and handed the Directors Guild-level information to Ronald.
"Is Alan also a member of the Directors Guild?"
"Of course, he's a second-level assistant director. Joe Dante directed 'Piranha' last year and moved up to the highest level of director."
Ronald took the paper written by Gale, put it in his pocket, and thought to himself: It seems that my judgment was correct. The reason why Roger Corman was able to produce films at a super low cost was that he relied on his keen eye for talent and used the union membership qualifications to recruit people.
Similarly, Roger Corman chose two paths for himself, and he had to be exploited for several years before he could have the opportunity to independently direct a low-budget film. If I go to college, Roger will not lose anything, but if I indulge in the dream of making movies and want to direct my movies, it is difficult to refuse a visible path given by Roger.
No wonder the first question Roger asked me when he met him was about my dream. Who could resist this sales technique if I had a dream of making a movie and came from a poor family with few opportunities?
Ronald shook his head. Even if he went to college, if he had not forgotten his dream, he would most likely come back to find Roger. It was too difficult to enter the film industry.
At this moment, three people suddenly came up the stairs and rushed towards Roger Corman's office.
One of the people was Jerry Zucker, and the other two men one had similar features to Jerry, and the other was slightly taller. The three wanted to go directly to Roger's office.
Gale quickly stood up and stopped them, "Excuse me, Jerry, this... , Mr. Corman is meeting a guest, please wait outside."
"No, please don't stop me, Gale. This is between me and Roger." Jerry pushed Gale's hand away and wanted to continue walking inside.
Seeing the three people getting emotional, Ronald hurried forward and tried to help Gale calm them down.
Jim also opened the door to check, and it seemed that Roger Corman also heard the noise outside.
The accident happened suddenly...