Through the triple-arched gate, past the Van Pong sculpture, Ronan arrived at the Film Department of the University of Southern California. He entered a small office building and soon reached the office of his former mentor.
He knocked on the door, and a familiar voice from inside said, "Please come in."
Ronan pushed the door open and saw the elderly man, saying, "Good morning, Professor."
"Oh, Ronan," Professor Johnson took off his reading glasses, "Please, have a seat."
Ronan had called Professor Johnson yesterday, so without hesitation, he found a chair and sat down, saying with a smile, "Professor, I'm here to bother you again."
Professor Johnson turned to face him, "Don't bother with pleasantries. You shouldn't have dropped out in the first place."
Ronan knew that Professor Johnson used to hold high regard for Sanderson, so he sighed and said, "I admit I was a bit impulsive at the time, but Sand Sea Entertainment is my father's hard work. Someone has to take over."
With a touch of emotion in his voice, Professor Johnson couldn't press on this point any longer and instead said, "You were too hasty."
Ronan nodded, "I've failed once and realized that thinking and doing are entirely different."
Professor Johnson scrutinized Ronan and remarked, "You've matured compared to before, more stable too." He advised, "Ronan, remember, filmmaking can't be solely driven by impulse."
"I understand," Ronan followed up, "That's why I've come to seek your help."
Professor Johnson directly asked, "Regarding production?"
Ronan replied, "Partly. I lack the necessary skills. The knowledge I gained from school isn't enough for the current tasks."
"I've been out of the frontlines for almost a decade, and I can't claim much success before that," Professor Johnson, being older, viewed success and failure with more equanimity, "Most of the projects I co-produced ended up as box office failures. I can't offer you much in terms of successful experiences."
He opened a filing cabinet and pulled out several old black notebooks, saying, "These are some of my work notes and personal insights from analyzing project failures. Also, these are some records of film projects I discussed with students after they entered Hollywood. Many failures, few successes."
Ronan eagerly accepted them; these were precious experiences, precisely what he lacked the most at the moment.
"In fact, I've been observing you during your visits," Professor Johnson said slowly, "If you were still as you were when you dropped out, I wouldn't be able to help you."
Ronan understood the implication; when Sanderson dropped out, he was arrogant and did many foolish things driven by youthful impulse.
"I was out of my mind back then," Ronan smiled sheepishly, "Fortunately, with the professor's reminder, I didn't lose my way."
Everyone likes to hear kind words, and Professor Johnson added another piece of advice, "Among these records, some I've used for teaching. Failure is also a form of gain. From these failed cases, you can draw some lessons and avoid stepping into them again. By the way, make a copy of these, and return the originals."
Ronan could guess he wasn't the first to receive these; after all, Professor Johnson was known for being helpful and often assisted students. But for him, it was a rare opportunity, so he quickly said, "Thank you for the reminder, Professor." Then he added, "There's one more thing I'd like to ask for your help with."
"Go ahead," Professor Johnson was always generous with students.
Ronan didn't beat around the bush anymore, "The movie I invested in, 'Human Purge,' lacks a skilled editor for horror films. Could the professor recommend someone?"
If you knew a bit about the USC Film School, you'd know that the professors there were not just about theory. Some of the teachers were even professionals in the Hollywood industry, and many graduates became backbone technicians in Hollywood's backstage.
Teaching just theories wouldn't prepare you for the real world, especially in an industry like film that requires hands-on skills.
Professor Johnson asked directly, "You need an editor?"
"Yes," Ronan looked troubled, "I've approached several, but none seem suitable."
Professor Johnson said straightforwardly, "Let me introduce you to one. She's three classes ahead of you, also a graduate of the Film Department."
Ronan scratched his head, seeming embarrassed, "Is she expensive?" He chuckled awkwardly, "My budget for the crew is very tight."
Professor Johnson asked, "Isn't the public budget $11 million?"
Ronan wasn't afraid of being asked; he replied directly, "That's all for publicity purposes."
This kind of thing was common in the industry, and Professor Johnson didn't mind. He said, "Her name is Jessica Felton. She's a genius in editing. She worked as an assistant editor in the eighth installment of 'Friday the 13th' and as the lead editor in the gory horror films 'Deadly Dash,' 'Era of Guns and Blood,' and 'Wild West.' Oh, these three were all released directly on videotapes."
"A woman?" Ronan was surprised.
Professor Johnson found a phone book and pointed out a phone number to Ronan, "Watch those three films first. If they're suitable, contact her."
Female editors were rare in Hollywood, but Ronan trusted Professor Johnson's memory of Sanderson, so he immediately noted down Jessica Felton's phone number.
After a few more words about 'Human Purge' with Professor Johnson, discussing some of the impending challenges, Ronan left USC's film school. He specifically looked for a Blockbuster chain rental store, intending to rent those three videotapes.
Entering the store, Ronan named the titles of the three movies to the clerk, asking, "Where can I find these three films? And how do I get them?"
The clerk gestured with a big hand to the right, "That's the horror section. Go find them yourself."
Seeing the rows of videotape shelves against the wall and the crowded tapes, Ronan felt dizzy, "Which shelf, which row?"
"Who remembers those small films?" The clerk shook his head directly, "You go find them."
Ronan had no choice but to go to the horror section, where there were several large shelves with thousands of videotapes. Finding obscure films among them was quite a task; he had to search carefully.
It took him over twenty minutes just to find two of the three films; he couldn't find 'Deadly Dash.'
With no other options, Ronan had to complete the rental process for the two films, enduring nearly ten minutes of waiting in line due to the high number of customers.
Leaving the Blockbuster store, sitting in his car and looking at the huge Blockbuster sign, Ronan had a firsthand experience this time. Compared to online rentals or purchases in his previous life, this traditional videotape rental model was truly outdated.
Inconvenient retrieval, troublesome searching for non-popular films, long waiting times, and cumbersome procedures could easily irritate people.
Just these points alone were quite fatal.
The future is an era of increasingly fast pace, and the patience of the general public is getting worse.
Thinking about Netflix's model, with free retrieval, almost no procedures after becoming a member, and fees calculated on a monthly basis, without late fees for rentals, etc.
It must be said that in terms of film rental, Netflix is the future.
Fortunately, he had already set his sights on Netflix, and the high-paying investigation company would send a report on time every week.
Ronan went straight back to the company; George and Robert, two experienced guys, were also there. He called them in and briefly explained, then they started watching the videotapes together, studying the editing of the films.
After watching these two videotapes repeatedly, even ordering takeout for lunch, they didn't turn off the TV and VCR until almost quitting time.
Ronan was mostly satisfied, but fearing his lack of experience might lead to wrong judgments, he asked, "What do you guys think of the editing?"
Robert spoke first, "The shots in this film are quite ordinary, to say the least, I won't mention the picture quality, but the editing is quite skillful." He glanced at his notebook, "At the ninth minute, the seventeenth minute, the twenty-third minute, the fifty-fifth minute, and the final ending, the director's shooting problems are evident. The editing not only corrected the director's mistakes but also created a particularly strong atmosphere of blood and horror."
George, with a face full of wrinkles, spoke less but straightforwardly, "This editor has the ability, yet to be discovered."
This situation was quite common; there were plenty of capable people in Hollywood, but only a small fraction managed to stand out.
Ronan nodded, "I'll visit her tomorrow."