In this shoot, Ronan hired two senior Arab actors, one male and one female, who are a real-life married couple and play a married couple in the film as well.
Both have been in Hollywood for seven or eight years, and due to their ethnicity, they haven't lacked for roles. However, they've mostly portrayed villains or terrorists in Hollywood productions due to their ethnicity.
The male actor who approached Ronan had a typical Arab name—Mohammed. He had a role in James Cameron's "True Lies," playing a terrorist with a dozen lines.
If they were white or black actors with similar resumes, the $15,000 salary wouldn't suffice.
Various forms of discrimination exist in Hollywood, as is well-known.
So when Mohammed approached Ronan, he expressed his gratitude first.
"This role is unlike any I've played before," Mohammed said earnestly with his dark complexion. "Arab characters in Hollywood films rarely have positive portrayals, let alone like this."
Ronan calmly responded, "I just want to speak a few truths. America isn't all good, and Arabs aren't all bad, right?"
Mohammed nodded eagerly, "Right! Mr. Anderson, that's so true! I should thank you."
"You don't have to," Ronan waved his hand, righteousness in his tone. "This is the basic conscience of being human and the fundamental professional ethics of a filmmaker."
Mohammed nodded repeatedly, lips pursed, "Hollywood needs more people like you. When I immigrated here ten years ago, you're the most respectable person I've met after immigrating."
Being dubbed a good person like this? Ronan didn't mind. When a person spends a long time in an environment lacking respect, a little appreciation often brings immense gratitude.
Since this film was to feature a positive and crucial Arab character, it had to be utilized to the fullest.
Ronan changed the subject and asked, "Have you ever gone back after immigrating?"
"No," Mohammed shook his head. He smiled bitterly, "I have no face to go back. I came here out of necessity, took on many unfavorable roles, and my relatives in the Middle East have cut ties with me."
The Arab world is relatively conservative, and the UAE is the most liberal country in the region.
Ronan thought for a moment and said, "When 'The Purge' is released in the UAE, you should go back and see. I believe this film can change many people's perceptions."
"Great!" Mohammed was a bit excited.
"The crew will need actors to go there for promotion, and you and your wife are the most suitable candidates," Ronan said with a smile. "Spread the word about our film among your compatriots."
Mohammed solemnly promised, "I will! Mr. Anderson, I guarantee."
Ronan reminded him again, "Most of the crew are Americans, and I can't change everyone's mindset. There are some things..."
Mohammed understood and immediately said, "I get it."
"Go train now and give your best performance."
Upon hearing this, Mohammed responded earnestly. This Mr. Anderson may be young, but he's truly a sensible person.
To act in a film featuring such a positive character, one must give their all!
Ronan saw Robert enter the studio and headed over there, glancing back at Mohammed. This was also an early arrangement for the next step. When Mohammed goes to the Arab world, especially Abu Dhabi, to do promotion, the name Ronan Anderson will definitely become a familiar one among the Arab people. This would further deepen his friendship with the "Arab brothers."
How to measure deep friendship? For oil tycoons, what they lack least is money.
However, continually squeezing one sheep may eventually lead to issues. At the right time, targets can be shifted.
In his past life, Indians seemed to have invested in DreamWorks productions by Spielberg after 2000. Perhaps targeting them could yield some results?
Ronan found Robert and asked, "How's the situation with the composer?"
Robert shook his head directly, "I've contacted seven composers, and the cheapest one is asking for $110,000."
"$110,000?" Ronan furrowed his brows, then relaxed them. "Is that the price for the entire team?"
Robert answered, "Yes. It includes composition, arrangement, recording, equipment, materials, copyrights, and editing, among others. Currently, even the smallest composer teams in Hollywood have at least 15 people."
$110,000 for a team of fifteen wasn't expensive, but for a small production, it was still extravagant.
Ronan thought for a moment and said, "We'll have to simplify the music composition step."
The shooting team for James Huang had already been assembled, but the post-production team for the film was still missing several key positions.
The important post-production producer would naturally be personally taken up by Ronan, and James Huang would also join as a co-producer. However, they were still missing a composer and an editor.
The complexity and high cost of Hollywood film scoring had somewhat exceeded Roger's expectations. Even the expenses for almost the cheapest composer team far surpassed the writing expenses.
This only showed how important high-tech professional workers were to film production.
"Abandon original scoring," Ronan said. During this period, he had also seen some successful examples of music scoring for small productions. The previous videotape films produced by Sand Entertainment had used some simple scoring. He continued, "Hire the composers who previously worked with Sand Entertainment. Select songs or music that match the atmosphere of the film as the score."
Robert immediately nodded, "That's also a solution. We only need to pay a minimal copyright fee, saving at least two-thirds of the expenses."
Ronan continued, "Use the sound editor recommended by James Huang for sound effects. Negotiate with them yourself and try to lower the salary as much as possible."
"And the editor," Robert reminded.
"I know," Ronan certainly wouldn't forget this crucial position. "We can't use James Huang's recommended person for the editor."
This involved the balance of power in the film. He was young and inexperienced, and using James Huang's recommendation might make the editor more of an expression of the director's will.
An excellent editor was far more important to a film than a screenwriter, even rivaling a director.
Ronan had previously contacted a few candidates, but none were particularly suitable. The salary wasn't the main issue; the main problem was that they weren't adept at horror-thriller genres.
Several editors who had previously collaborated on videotape films with Sand Entertainment were often exposed to this type, but videotape films and theatrical films were entirely different. He had seen most of the videotapes and even the failed "Survival," and the editing was far from satisfactory, let alone excellent.
Ronan is self-aware; he can judge the quality of edited films, but when it comes to editing himself, he's a novice.
There are many excellent editors in Hollywood, but finding the right one for the production team is not easy.
In essence, it's a matter of price.
Editors with some reputation typically command a weekly salary starting at $20,000 to $30,000.
For a relatively simple film like "The Purge," editing for just one month is definitely not much, and it could take four to five weeks or even longer.
This kind of highly technical and professional work cannot be accomplished by locking oneself in the editing room for just a week.
After some consideration, Ronan said, "I'll figure out the editor. If it doesn't work out, I'll go back to USC and find a mentor."
Young Anderson spent close to three years at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and was the type of talented student many professors liked. Moreover, he had visited Professor Johnson, his mentor, several times.