"Everyone! I announce that napoleon dynamite has officially wrapped!"
Kazir stood in the center of the crew, his face beaming with excitement and pride, as he loudly declared.
"Oh!"
"That's great!"
As soon as the news of wrapping up came, everyone instantly cheered.
Although the filming process was very fast this time, only they knew the hardship involved; it was truly exhausting!
Especially Harold Wisend, the head of the props department. To keep up with Kazir's tight schedule, he and his team were constantly assembling and disassembling props, working non-stop. They were arguably the most put-upon group in the entire crew.
"Thank you all for your hard work. When we get back to Los Angeles, it's on me. I promise," Kazir said sincerely, looking at their tired yet excited faces.
The entire shoot cost nearly 400,000, and the remaining 100,000 would be used to settle the final payments for the crew and for the film's post-production.
Additionally, there was just enough for a simple wrap party, after which he would have to fully immerse himself in the editing work.
"Director Gray, thank you for giving me the role of Napoleon."
Ed Helms walked over, shaking Kazir's hand tightly, expressing his gratitude.
Kazir's willingness to cast him in such an important role meant a great deal to him.
During the filming, Ed had come to fully understand that Kazir truly had talent. He was calm and collected throughout the shoot, his pacing was just right, and the filming speed was very fast.
Unlike those hot-tempered directors who would easily lose their cool, Kazir was particularly easygoing with people, and any ideas could be discussed openly with him.
"Keep it up, your dream will definitely come true," Kazir said with a encouraging smile.
The two men shook hands tightly once more.
Then, Pedro Pascal and Reese Witherspoon also walked over, smiling as they expressed their thanks.
Both of them were still very young and didn't have many opportunities to appear in the entertainment industry. napoleon dynamite was their first time getting substantial roles.
Especially Pedro, as a Chilean-American, finding suitable roles in Hollywood was already difficult, so this opportunity was exceptionally precious to him.
"Reese, I suggest you go to an acting school. It will be good for you," Kazir said seriously, looking at Reese.
"Tha-thank you, Director," Reese quickly nodded. Although it sounded a bit like criticism, she understood in her heart that it was the Director's good intention.
She knew that to be an excellent actress, she had to put in real effort, and learning professional acting knowledge would certainly not be wrong.
"You'll definitely become famous in the future," Kazir said sincerely. This was not just a polite remark; in his heart, these people would all become household names in the future.
Although the two knew it was a polite remark, they were still very happy to hear it.
"Um... Director..." Reese suddenly hesitated, her face slightly flushed.
"What's wrong, Reese?" Kazir asked with concern.
"N-nothing, just pretend I didn't say anything," Reese walked away dejectedly, feeling a bit disappointed.
These past few days, she had seen with her own eyes how dedicated Kazir was to his work, almost staying up late every day to review the footage.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't impressed. His serious work ethic was very charming; people who give their all for what they love truly shine.
Actually, Reese wanted to invite him to dinner, but seeing his serious dedication, she felt it wasn't the right time and decided to wait until later.
As for why she wanted to invite him... only she knew, and it might be a special feeling hidden deep in her heart.
After packing up, the crew set off on their journey back to Los Angeles.
Upon arrival, everyone went their separate ways, as they were truly exhausted and wanted to go home and rest properly.
Kazir also rested for a day, planning a small celebration three days later to officially conclude the filming.
He rented a small studio and found Rekote, an editor he knew, to cut the film.
In Hollywood, editors are as numerous as cattle. Without connections, it's difficult to work for big companies. Rekote was like that; although he was capable, he lacked connections.
"Rekote, use a J-cut here to highlight the dialogue between the two people next to Napoleon," Kazir said seriously, looking at the footage.
"Okay."
Rekote nodded in response.
From the birth of cinema in the 1880s until now, various editing techniques have been fully explored, with hard cuts and jump cuts being the most commonly used.
Kazir carefully examined the effect and felt that a J-cut was more suitable for this section, as it would make the film's rhythm smoother and better emphasize the dialogue between characters.
"By the way, Kazir, next week is your birthday, isn't it? Happy early birthday," Rekote said with a smile while operating the equipment.
"Thanks. Anyway, we'll see each other then, so no rush," Kazir smiled and replied.
"Aren't you going to take a day off?" Rekote asked with concern.
"At most, I'll call my brother, nothing else," Kazir said, still thinking about the film's editing.
Kazir's birthday is September 9th, and after his birthday, this body would be 27 years old.
"Let's look at the next segment!" Kazir said.
"Okay," Rekote replied, starting to play the next piece of footage.
The footage shot this time amounted to over 800 minutes. They had to first cut a rough version and then gradually compress it to under 100 minutes.
After all, no one wants to watch a film that's too long; even at 120 minutes, audiences might find it a bit drawn out. A film of the napoleon dynamite type looks better with a tight pace.
While editing, Kazir's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw it was David Fincher calling.
This was a new phone, and his brother had insisted he buy it, saying it would be convenient for communication.
"Hey, David, how's the busy work going?" Kazir answered the phone, asking with a smile.
"Not bad, which is why I have time to call you. Kazir, Se7en is finished editing. New Line Cinema has a small screening tomorrow. Want to come and see it?" David's voice sounded a bit tired; he probably hadn't gotten much sleep.
"Definitely. Tell me the time and place."
Kazir's heart tightened. The film Se7en was too important to him; his future, one could say, entirely depended on it.
After a brief chat, Kazir hung up the phone and then told Rekote, "I have something tomorrow and need to go out for a bit. You continue working."
To be honest, he was extremely excited.
The film Se7en is considered a cult masterpiece; it almost brought an end to the entire detective film genre.
Of course, films like Primal Fear and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are also good, but surpassing Se7en would be extremely difficult.