Chapter 3640: The Movie Project (Part 4)

"Hello, Director Columbus." Schiller stepped forward and shook hands with the man in front of him. "It's an honor. I believe many people have already brought up *Home Alone* the first time they met you, but I personally prefer *Gremlins* and the comedy *Christmas Vacation*."

"Hello, Dr. Schiller. You've been quite the hot topic lately." Chris Columbus was born in 1958 and was nearing 60, but he didn't look his age at all; he looked like a man in his prime. He had a thick head of brown hair and eyes that crinkled when he smiled, giving him a very kind appearance.

Schiller lowered his head and smiled, saying, "I'm afraid I'm the least famous person among all the actors about to participate in this film. I'm very happy to be here for the audition; I think this will be a very unique performance."

Chris looked somewhat helpless. "In fact, I've never seen so many superheroes in a single day. I'm afraid I'll have to ask each of them for an autograph after the audition ends, otherwise my daughter won't let me hear the end of it."

"Don't worry, you can also have them follow your daughter on TikTok. I guarantee she'll become the most popular kid in school overnight."

Chris burst into laughter, and the two walked toward the dressing room together. The producer was of Asian descent, seemingly a Hong Kong native working in Hollywood. He walked up and shook hands with both of them, saying, "The images for all the actors basically need adjustments. We are currently discussing the character image styles with the makeup artists. Two have already been finalized and are currently getting their makeup done. You can go over and take a look first."

"Two are already finalized?" Schiller was surprised. He hadn't expected the efficiency to be this high. He thought today was just for eating, drinking, and getting to know his colleagues.

This morning, Strange had called him to say that with Eddie's introduction, he had rented a studio in Manhattan, New York, to complete the film's pre-production work, including actor auditions, test shoots, script adjustments, and logistics arrangements, and told him that the great director Chris Columbus had already arrived in New York.

Schiller had come over today mainly to meet Chris. Aside from the classic *Home Alone*, he was also the famous producer of the Marvel film *Fantastic Four*. That movie had been quite a hit back in the day; one could say it was the superhero initiation for many, which was inseparable from the producer's efforts.

Many people who don't understand the film production process might not know that the boss of a film crew isn't actually the director, but the producer.

The director is only responsible for the artistic side of things, such as how a scene is arranged, how a shot is filmed, and what posture an actor should use to convey a certain emotion.

The producer, however, is responsible for everything else, including script coordination, pre-production, selecting actors and cinematographers, preparing equipment and set design, budget accounting, and reviewing promotions. It can be said that a good film must have a good producer; otherwise, even if the director's artistic vision is high, it cannot be realized.

The producer Strange found this time was clearly very professional. The progress of the pre-production work was far faster than they had imagined. Before Schiller could even react, he was led by the producer to shake hands with the costume stylist, makeup artist, executive producer, floor manager, cinematographer, and assistant director one by one.

"Dr. Schiller, could you please come over here?" The costume stylist was a blonde, energetic woman who beckoned to Schiller. "We hope to distinguish the school doctor's image from the ordinary professors. We want to show a more relaxed, gentle appearance. Loose and comfortable academic robes are a good choice. Come this way, the dressing room is over here..."

Schiller walked over. There were two rows of clothing racks, with boxes and mirrors placed nearby. Inside was a small room with "Dressing Room" written on a piece of white paper—it was clearly a temporary setup.

While adjusting the cuffs of the robe, the costume stylist said, "My philosophy is that the more a role like a teacher or student has a unified look, the more they need their own unique style. This is achieved through small details in the clothing. Do you have any personal style details in your daily life that distinguish you from others?"

"Uh, I don't really know." Schiller was very honest. "Usually, I wear doctor's attire in my sanitarium—a white coat."

"What about when you go out? I mean, during your private activities. What material do you choose for your coats?"

"Wool trench coats? I usually choose light gray or brown, and wear ordinary suit trousers and leather shoes." Schiller described it as best he could. "My personal style has no personality; does that not help?"

"It's too early to say that." The costume stylist smiled. "What about tops? Do you choose to wear shirts and vests?"

"No, that's a bit too formal. In the autumn and winter, I prefer knitwear or cashmere sweaters, and in the summer, just ordinary T-shirts."

"You don't wear sportswear often?"

"No, I don't exercise often." Schiller shrugged. "And I don't like the reflective strips and patterns on some sportswear; they're a bit too eye-catching."

"I understand." The costume stylist took out several outfits from the side and said, "The costume design we have for the school doctor role is not much different from your personal style philosophy. Most of the clothes are soft, skin-friendly knit fabrics, and the coat is an English academic robe. However, we've made some modifications to the tailoring to distinguish it from other professors. Your academic robe's cuffs will be shorter to reveal the more form-fitting inner sleeves, highlighting a capable image and making it easier for you to work."

Schiller took the clothes from her and looked at them. The upper body was a white shirt paired with a knit sweater, and the trousers were similar in cut to suit pants but less stiff, leaning toward loose and soft.

The outer academic robe—the bachelor's gown—was not like the typical American university ones with iconic V-necks and stoles; it was just a black robe with wide sleeves and a long hem, featuring pleated designs at the shoulders.

Schiller went to change into the clothes. The size was quite appropriate, but Schiller rarely wore such formal attire and felt that both the long hem and the wide sleeves were cumbersome, making him feel like a giant bat when he walked.

"Perfect!" the costume stylist exclaimed. "Oh, right, your glasses. Could you take them off and let me see?"

Schiller took off his glasses, and the costume stylist exclaimed again, "Your eye color is so unique. Pardon my bluntness, but this look would be quite good if you were playing a villain."

"That's why I never take my glasses off in public." Schiller smiled.

"Ah, I suddenly have some inspiration." The costume stylist clapped her hands. "How about trying this?"

She picked up a monocle from the prop table and handed it to Schiller. The costume stylist explained, "Originally, we wanted to show the school doctor role as approachable and kind through the clothing. However, after seeing your look, we found that perhaps we could shape him into a more mysterious character—one who is neither purely good nor evil, and hard to fathom."

"What does this have to do with a monocle?" Schiller asked while clipping the monocle into his eye socket and looping the chain behind his ear.

"The audience can notice your special eye color through the eye without the lens. Gray is always representative of chaos and mysticism, and your gaze is somewhat... I mean no offense, but it's not as kind as you look; it has a very attractive contradictory tension. I think this will add charm to the character. What do you think?"

Schiller walked to the mirror and looked. He found that this look was indeed different from the temperament he usually displayed. The main thing was that without the glasses, his gaze couldn't be hidden.

Schiller actually always had this problem: if he didn't hide his gaze with glasses, his pair of gray pupils would appear too indifferent and cold, making him look overly detached and lacking any approachability, instead exuding a strong sense of oppression.

But whether as a professor or a doctor, too much oppression was never a good thing. So Schiller always chose to wear glasses to cover his eyes; although he wasn't nearsighted, he would try to make the lenses as thick as possible to blur his gaze through light refraction.

But now, changing to a monocle, one eye was hidden behind the lens, making the gaze unclear. If he paired it with a kind expression, he looked like an ordinary person. Yet the other exposed eye told a completely different truth, making the whole person look full of contradictions, hidden in some unknown mist.

The costume stylist was clearly very satisfied and pulled the producer over to whisper for a long time. The producer then pulled the director over to whisper, and after a while, the screenwriter came over too. The four of them huddled together, whispering and occasionally looking toward Schiller.

Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, Schiller knew it couldn't be anything good. He wore glasses specifically to prevent this!

Unexpectedly, after a while, Chris walked over and said, "It's like this, Dr. Schiller. You should have already read the previous script outline, right?"

"Yes, the script is quite good. I think it will be very popular." Schiller nodded and smiled.

Unexpectedly, seeing Schiller maintain this look while smiling, Chris visibly froze for a moment, then pulled the screenwriter aside again to say something.

"Ah, yes, we have a very excellent screenwriter." Chris said, "But I actually think the character's screen time could be discussed further. Do you feel that the role of the school doctor, Eldridge, has too little screen time?"

"Too little? No, I don't think so." Schiller recalled the script. The school doctor he played had two important scenes: the first was when a female student from the protagonist group was injured and sent to the school infirmary, where Eldridge healed her wounds and, at the protagonist group's pleading, helped them hide the cause of the injury; the second was helping them concoct a potion that could identify vampires.

Although he only appeared twice, the screen time was actually quite substantial, and both were scenes with the protagonists. The lines, while numerous, were quite conversational, making them not difficult to perform; basically, he just needed to be himself and bring the attitude he used when dealing with the teenagers in his sanitarium.

Schiller was very satisfied with this arrangement; after all, he wasn't a professional actor. Asking him to spend months memorizing lines and practicing acting was impossible; a guest appearance was just about right.

But clearly, Director Chris was not satisfied with this. Or rather, he had been satisfied originally, but after seeing Schiller's look, he suddenly wasn't satisfied anymore.

(End of Chapter)

(End of chapter)