It was already 10 PM when Linton returned to the manor. He called Bella and learned that all the office spaces had been renovated, the office furniture was in place, and the crew could start using them normally.
Linton praised Bella over the phone, then called Robert, Zack, and Annie to arrange a meeting at Linton Studio tomorrow to discuss the progress of the film project and the formation of the crew.
The next morning, Linton arrived at the studio. Besides Bella and Mary, Robert, Annie, and Zack were also there.
Perhaps because the storyboards were finished, Zack finally got enough sleep and looked much better than the last time they met.
The studio had indeed undergone a significant transformation. A front desk was set up at the entrance, and the interior was converted into four offices and two conference rooms, one large and one small.
The four offices had signs above their doors: General Manager's Office, Production Department, Finance Department, and Fan Club Office. The office facilities inside were all-inclusive.
It finally looked like a proper company. It seemed like the front desk still needed a receptionist; Linton would ask Goodman to recruit one later.
After a brief tour, Linton announced that this would be the base for the step up film crew from now on, and asked Bella to give office keys to Robert and the other two.
Afterward, everyone went to the small conference room to discuss the progress of the film project. This was considered the first crew preparation meeting for the film project.
Mary and Bella listened in and provided services. Since the fan club was already on track, Bella hadn't been very busy recently, so Linton asked her to join in as well, so she could be his assistant during the film's production.
Everyone first reviewed Zack's storyboards. It should be said that Zack's understanding of the script was very accurate, and he thoroughly implemented the style Linton had previously set. The entire script's storyboards were well-structured and very complete, showing no signs of an MV style. Everyone had no objections.
Then, Robert gave a detailed introduction to the previous location scouting situation:
"After the script was finalized, I hired a professional location scouting team. Following Linton's requirements, the team first went to Baltimore.
They found that the street scenes in Baltimore and the Maryland Institute College of Art perfectly matched the script's requirements, and they also found a suitable dock at Baltimore Port."
Robert took out a pile of photos of Baltimore and handed them to everyone. Everyone looked at the photos, comparing them with the script and storyboards, and all agreed that Baltimore was very suitable for the film's outdoor scenes.
Robert then picked out a few photos of interior architecture from the pile.
"Everyone knows it's impossible to use the entire art college for filming, as making a movie cannot affect the school's normal classes. So, we need to split several scenes.
School corridors, staircases, classrooms, and other scenes can be filmed in Universal Studios' soundstages.
For the art school's theater, we can rent a small theater in Los Angeles as a substitute, and the dance practice room will also need to be built on a soundstage. Then, through editing techniques, these scenes will be composited together."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Okay, is this the cheapest option?" Linton also nodded.
"It's the most cost-effective solution," Robert replied.
"Since everyone agrees, let's finalize the outdoor locations.
Robert, you and Zack should now quickly come up with a detailed budget based on the outdoor locations and script storyboards."
"Okay, actually, I've already estimated a rough budget. The total investment for the entire film will not exceed 9.5 million.
Now that the script storyboards and outdoor locations are finalized, we can produce a more detailed budget within two days."
After discussing the outdoor locations, Annie also distributed the choreography breakdown diagrams to everyone, mainly for three dance sequences.
One was a large group dance at a party, one was a duet between the male and female leads at a seaside dock, and one was the female lead's graduation performance.
To deepen understanding, Annie also turned on a camcorder during her explanation, playing her performance movements, and personally took the stage with Linton to demonstrate the dances.
Although the dancing was not yet perfectly polished due to lack of rehearsal, it still captivated everyone's attention. After watching, everyone felt that it was indeed very different from the dances in traditional musicals.
Elements of modern dance were incorporated into all three dance sequences, making them very cool and enjoyable to watch. Everyone felt the urge to dance along.
Linton was also very satisfied with Annie's choreography and asked her to continue refining it along this line of thought.
"Okay, everyone's preliminary preparation work has been very effective. Next, we need to assemble the crew.
I've already asked Mira to select suitable crew members from the staff under WMA. A preliminary list should be available in the next couple of days.
Once the list is out, Robert and Zack, you two will conduct an initial review of the personnel list.
First, you need to ensure that their professional level meets our requirements. If you're unfamiliar with someone, you can ask around.
Second, there must be no negative records. Third, no drug addicts; a clause must be added to the contract stating that no drug use is allowed during their time with the crew.
I'm starting to shoot an Armani commercial tomorrow, which is expected to take three days. After three days, we'll finalize the WMA packaged crew list together," Linton concluded.
"Robert, let's make Goodman the crew's legal counsel. You should sign the crew employment contract with him as soon as possible.
Also, please inquire about reliable casting companies; we still need to hire a professional casting director."
Linton instructed Robert again before the meeting adjourned.
After discussing all day, the script storyboards, outdoor locations, and choreography were finally finalized. For lunch, Bella simply ordered some takeout.
In the evening, Linton invited everyone to the manor for a simple celebration, opening a good bottle of wine and letting everyone savor Chinese cuisine, which left them all with greasy mouths.
While drinking, everyone also talked about the recent public discussion about Linton investing in and directing a film. Zack said:
"At first, almost all the media were pessimistic, which made me very anxious.
Unexpectedly, so many Hollywood professionals are optimistic about it, and many viewers are looking forward to it, which has boosted my confidence even more."
Everyone echoed him, sharing similar psychological journeys, but Robert calmly reminded everyone:
"Don't be misled by the so-called Hollywood professionals. To be honest, whenever an outsider wants to invest in a Hollywood film, they receive all kinds of encouragement and welcome from Hollywood professionals.
However, few of these investments succeed; one after another, they all end up losing everything.
Yet, it prospers Hollywood, and the subsequent ridicule and disparagement also come from these same Hollywood professionals.
Think about the subtlety in that."
Robert's words stunned everyone. The truth was so cruel.
Linton, however, calmly said, "I already knew that these people were praising and encouraging me for my money.
But what they didn't expect was that I had no intention of collaborating with them. We're producing and shooting it ourselves, and Universal is helping us distribute it.
Moreover, the media's discussion has one benefit: step up, although not yet filmed, is already known to many people, which is equivalent to saving us millions of dollars in publicity costs."
"Partners, as long as we work together and ensure quality, this film will definitely be a success."
"Cheers!"
"To the great success of the film!" Everyone raised their glasses together.
The next morning, accompanied by Carnes, Linton went to Universal Studios, to the soundstage rented by the Armani commercial shooting team. It took three days to complete the shooting of the Armani suit commercial.
During this time, he received good news from Daniel: Universal would settle the album royalty shares on February 10th.