Producer [American Entertainment]

On April 1980, 4, after overcoming various twists and turns, the smoking gun crew finally named "Two Smoking Barrels" officially started in Bensenhe, Brooklyn, New York.

Bensenhe is one of the busiest areas in Brooklyn, and it is also the place where the story of the movie "The Godfather" took place.It is known as "Little Italy" because Italians account for almost one-third of the people living in Bensenhe.The remaining two-thirds are also mostly people of color, close to both the Chinese section and the black section of East Flatbash.

Of course, there are also high-end residential areas near Bensenhe, and most of them are Jewish.

Smoker will complete all exterior shots here, as well as some interior shots.The workload is not too big, because there are few exterior scenes.The reason why there are few exterior scenes is that exterior shots require more funds than interior scenes, and there are many emergencies that are difficult to grasp. Directors who can save money will choose interior scenes as much as possible.

The interior scenes of the smoking gun will be completed in an indoor studio in Los Angeles. In this regard, MGM is very generous, lent the best studio to the crew at a very cheap price that is almost free.

During the period when the crew was filming in Bensenhe, there were just enough professional staff to arrange several major interior scenes that would be reused in the studio in Los Angeles.

The reason why Smoker chose to shoot the location in Bensenhe is that Wheeler can give countless reasons, such as the environment of the melting pot of immigrants here, which is very in line with the kind of market atmosphere that Smoker wants; Take the light of "The Godfather", which is one of the most famous movies in the 70s; but to be honest, the reason is just one word, cheap.

Most people who have watched American TV series know that Brooklyn and Queens are, in a sense, slums, with poor security and many gangsters, and the rent is very cheap compared to Manhattan.

Even if Wheeler doesn't ask for money to make a bong, the director who can save the budget is a good director, which has almost become an instinct of him.

"So, movies like to be shot in New York?" Wendy asked.She only knew before that although Hollywood, a world-renowned film factory, is located in Los Angeles, there are fewer and fewer crews that actually set their shooting centers in Los Angeles.But other than Los Angeles, Wendy doesn't know where the crew will shoot.

This question doesn't need William to answer, MiG can tell Wendy: "No, in order to save money, people usually choose film and television bases in South and North Carolina, or satellite cities near Los Angeles."

Those who really dare to film in slums are actually not as many as most people imagine.Because there is no guarantee of safety here.

PS: This "safety" does not only refer to human life, but also includes robbery and theft. When the crew is shooting outside, many things are actually rented. If they are lost or damaged, they must be fully compensated, which will be a huge sum. loss.

"The Godfather" was able to be successfully filmed in the slums of New York back then because the film itself was supported by five major families, and the crew only operated within the sphere of influence of the family that supported the film. Opponents were afraid of provoking two The struggle of the whole family, not daring to act rashly, made everything happen.

The Smoky Gun crew has similar reasons as the "Godfather" crew.

Among the one-third of the Italian population in Bensenhe, there is almost no one who does not know Sabatino.of the great name of Lexembra.This has nothing to do with the old Bernstein, it's just because of the Lesenbra family who ruled Sicily.

Sabatino told William: "In Benzenhe, it is more effective to say you are Elisabeth's nephew than to introduce yourself as Bernstein's grandson"

Bensenhe's Italians may not all be from the Lesenbra family, but they must all show Lesenbra's face, or to be precise, there are very few of them who are not afraid of Lesenbra.Even if there is a feud, I dare not scold in front of my face.

William remembered what his aunt Elizabeth said on the phone when she was about to pick him up to live in Sicily: "You will live like a king, no one will not know you, no one will dare to mess with you." Sicily The isolation from the world meant that some families could really rule there. In some respects, two governments existed side by side and two sets of "laws" were implemented.

The godfather's grandfather, the queen's aunt, and the more terrifying cousin, Mary's mother is definitely a genetic mutation.No, it should be said that the three members of William's family do not match the style of the family behind them.

Mr. Wheeler's abacus jingled, and getting William involved was definitely the best deal he had ever done in his life.

"Cost-effective" is not only reflected in the rental of venues, but also gains in actors and props.

Smoker is a crime comedy, but the protagonist is not a high-ranking family godfather, or a high-IQ criminal genius, but just ordinary people in the market, punks, they are not even real gangsters, At most, they are idle and unemployed vagrants, who use cheating and abduction as their main way of life and source of money.

To play such a small character well, one must either have superb acting skills or someone with relevant life experience.

"For the former, even with all the crew's funds, I can't invite one, because it's too cheap. Things like social status can only go up, not down. Unless it's for the Olympics, otherwise it will be said to be outdated. Think about it later. It will be difficult to go back up." Wheeler said bluntly to William, "So at this time, I am more inclined to find a novice who fits the role setting, pure natural and pollution-free, he doesn't need to act, just be himself. And, And it saves money. You know what I mean?"

That's what Wheeler told William before the casting call.

"...I'm really not familiar with the members of my grandfather's family." William was very helpless. The whole world seemed to think that he could command the family, and no one dared to obey.But the truth is that he and the core members can still talk a few words, but he really doesn't know any other cadre members or peripheral members, "I guess they don't know me either."

Bernstein Sr. and Sabatino have been carefully striking a balance that allows William to enjoy the convenience of the family without getting him too deeply involved with the dark side of the family.

"No family members, they are already too high for the identity of the protagonist foursome." Wheeler did not intend to use members of the Bernstein family, "I just want you to ask someone, they are in New York Do you know any street hooligans who are interested in acting in movies, or who are in urgent need of money recently? Of course, the other party must guarantee that they will not cause trouble before the film starts shooting and it is released. When I say not causing trouble, I am judging by not being able to enter the police station. "

"I'll give it a try, but I don't think any gangsters would be interested in this." A hooligan needs to act like a hooligan.William thought so.

But reality hit William in the face.

William asked Shirley in New York for help. Shirley grew up in the Bernstein family and knew a lot of people. Among them, there must be some peripheral members, and the peripheral members should know one or two even the peripheral members. The bastards on the top.

Shirley was happy to meet William's needs, and was extremely efficient. She called back the next day to ask when she was planning to go to New York to cast a role.

"... still need to choose?" William thought that it would be good if he could make up enough places, how could there be room for choice.

But Shirley told him that everyone's enthusiasm for signing up was so high that even friends she knew from other families called her and asked the crew if they had to be punks, and if they were promoted from punks to family members, wouldn't it be okay? ?

"real or fake?!"

The answer is true.The simplest example is that many black hip-hop rappers have been gangsters in the early days. In their view, being a pop singer and playing basketball are more profitable options than being a gangster.

William is completely desperate for the United States, a country that entertains to death. _(:з)∠)_How did the United States become a superpower?

For this reason, Wheeler had to hire more workers in New York to be in charge of casting, together with William and the casting director of the Los Angeles crew, the group first flew to New York for a three-day casting Work.Many people bluntly said during the interview that the price is negotiable, and the group performers even only ask the crew to take care of the lunch.The labor cost is so cheap that William wants to cry.

"We who calculated the budget based on the Screen Actors Guild's minimum salary standard were fools." Wendy said with emotion, "Mr. Wheeler deserves to be someone who has worked in film for decades.

"Old but refined." MiG said to the point.

The Smokehouse needs at least 22 actors, don't think this is small, for a low-budget movie, this number is already a lot.In William's original budget estimate, the actor's fee was definitely a big expense, and now, heck, they can finally spare the money to do a lot of other things.

The author has something to say: * "The Godfather", a well-known gangster-themed movie in the 70s, won the 45th Academy Awards for Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2007, "The Godfather" ranked second in the "[-] Best Films of the Century" selected by the American Film Association.