"You see! Their work is actually quite efficient."
Guillermo del Toro looked at the document Regulus Black had just signed. Although it wasn't authorized by him, it was clear he knew how things worked behind the scenes—he just hadn't expected Regulus Black to be so easygoing.
"I have a dairy farm elsewhere. If I run out of cash, I can pay with cows."
Regulus Black wasn't joking. Although filming a movie is expensive, a dairy farm owner also makes a decent income.
However, director Guillermo del Toro took it as a joke, laughing as he discussed special effects with Connolly and White. Regulus Black listened carefully from the side, and after a while, he couldn't help but ask:
"You said CGI is calculated per second, right? Then wouldn't combining practical effects with CGI be even better?"
Maybe someone would raise that point in the future, but clearly, no one had thought of it yet.
That's because practical effects take too long when used for actors' makeup, while CGI takes too long when adjusting each frame.
"What if we combine the two—start with relatively simple practical makeup effects, and then apply color grading over that? Wouldn't that be easier?"
Regulus Black's question got both the director and special effects team thinking about the feasibility.
"Let the props team run a test first."
When Guillermo del Toro gave the order, David Robinson naturally had to comply.
However, it wasn't easy to find the right person. Eventually, they chose a very skinny guy.
"Make a mask that looks ghostly on the outside. When the actor wears it, they can move freely. Then, in post-production, we can patch and color correct the finer details. The creature created this way will look more vivid than a CGI version. Yes! Vivid is the word."
Regulus Black watched from the side, impressed by how fast the props and effects teams were working. In less than half an hour, a rough-looking monster was already completed, but the director seemed quite satisfied.
"As expected, it's a matter of liveliness. If the actor pays attention to their movements during performance, and we enhance it with special effects in post, it'll be both cost-effective and realistic."
The director enthusiastically dove into work, discussing with the effects team how to handle post-production adjustments and coordinate the effects work with the filming schedule.
Seeing them immersed in professional talk, Regulus Black left the room and headed to the elevator. The team member originally in charge of repairing it was that same skinny guy. This was the perfect time to fix the elevator—soon, crew members would start flooding in, and it wouldn't be appropriate to wave a wand around then.
"Restored to its original state!"
Regulus Black channeled his magic, focusing only on restoring the main structure of the elevator to ensure minimum operational functionality, then put away his wand.
With the press of a button, the elevator groaned with a series of clank! clank! sounds and slowly began to move. The elevator car gradually arrived at the current floor.
It looked like the repair worked. A final inspection by the props team should make it fully operational.
"I just touched the elevator, and it actually started working. You props guys are pretty capable."
Back in the makeup room—now relocated to the west wing of the second floor and repurposed as both prop and makeup space—several people were gathered around that skinny team member.
Although no one knew why the elevator suddenly started working, the guy, dressed in his ghostly costume, gave Regulus Black a thumbs-up.
Click! Someone in charge of taking behind-the-scenes photos snapped a shot in time—perfect for promotional stills later.
A ghost flashing a V-sign.
"I think it's enough to only expose the parts that need to be shown—like the skull or bones. Cover the rest with black mesh. As for the parts of the actor that would normally be visible, paint them all black. In post, it could appear as a skeleton emitting black mist."
Regulus Black offered up details from the version of the film he had seen in a previous life, which helped them skip a lot of trial and error.
After he said this, David Robinson and Connolly White were clearly stunned! Then they immediately stripped off all the external makeup from the actor. One began adjusting the material of the bodysuit, replacing many sections with black mesh, while the other mixed a substance that looked like black oil and painted it over much of the actor's exposed skin.
Half an hour later, the actor once again stood before everyone, clad in the skeletal costume.
"Still feels like it's missing a bit of ethereal effect. Fan! Bring a fan over."
Immediately, someone from the props team brought a fan. A light breeze blew through, causing the black veil on the skeleton to flutter.
A collective gasp echoed through the room. Even with the lights brightly lit, the sight truly resembled a wandering spirit.
Click! Click!The sound of continuous camera shutters followed.
"This is the look we're going with. We need five distinct variations of this ghost design."
The director, who had remained silent until now, finally settled on the ghost's overall tone.
David Robinson quickly pulled out a copy of Crimson Peak, stating that he had already read the content.
"I'll create different ghosts based on the unique experiences of the deceased characters in the story."
For the props team specializing in makeup effects, this wasn't an issue. It just required some extra trial and error.
And so, the props and special effects teams got to work, while Regulus Black waited for the selected actors to take their places.
As the crew members gradually arrived, Regulus Black had already begun acting training under Guillermo del Toro's guidance. Since all of his scenes needed to be completed during the summer, everything related to Regulus Black was scheduled first.
"Yes! That's the expression—slightly awkward, a bit stiff, but when you look at your lover, it must be filled with longing."
Over the past few days, Guillermo del Toro had discovered that Regulus Black had a real knack for acting. In front of the camera, he had a natural presence, almost as if hypnotizing himself, absorbing every word of direction.
This sentiment was echoed by other crew members. Actors like him, with a bit of luck, could become future stars.
"Mr. Black, the three actors have arrived."
Lucy Piddell led three actors—two women and one man—into Crimson Manor, followed by their agents.
"Welcome! I'm Regulus Black, the investor for this film. I'm delighted you've all agreed to take part in this project. I believe it will be a pleasant collaboration."
Regulus Black and the director walked over to greet the three leads.
"This is Director Guillermo del Toro. He just won nine Mexican Academy Awards for his new film Devil's Silver Claw, and also received the International Critics' Week Award at the Cannes Film Festival. He's a newcomer—no, a rising star in directing."
Regulus Black was generous in expressing his admiration for the director to the three leads.
"So if any of you have ideas or requests, feel free to bring them up. If it's within my power, I'll make it happen."
"Can I have my own trailer?"
Robert Downey Jr. asked tentatively.
"I'm afraid not. The entire crew is staying in this manor. As the male lead, you'll be sharing a room with me. The two female leads will share another room. If you want to stay in a hotel in town, it's a four-hour hike one way."
Regulus Black flatly refused the idea. At this stage in his career, Robert Downey Jr. hadn't yet reached the level where he could demand a personal trailer.
"So that means the two of us will be rooming together?"Jennifer Connelly, 22 years old this year, asked with a slightly cute expression. She didn't object, but the lack of a private room clearly left her a bit disappointed.
"I'm truly sorry! There are more males than females in the crew, so we can't offer more rooms. But I believe this setup will help the two of you rehearse lines together."
Regulus Black looked at Charlize Theron, who at the time was only 17 years old and had no acting experience. If she hadn't just joined the actors' guild, no one would have known she intended to pursue acting.
"I don't mind!"
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09