Hollywood King

"Well, Murphy. I still need to be on set for The Godfather shooting," Ian said to Murphy, who looked at the schedule once more.

The morning began with Ian and Murphy debating on the schedule for the rest of the day.

Although Ian had been with another interviewer and a photoshoot during his morning hours, he still wanted to participate and check how the Godfather shooting was ongoing.

"Ian- Sir, you have been working a lot recently. I think you might need a break. And Mr Joseph is on Set with other actors. I'm sure he'll do a fine job…" Murphy said, hesitant covered in his voice.

He didn't want to come out as entitled, but also he was worried for Ian who had been working nonstop on his different ongoing projects.

Ian understood where Murphy was coming from.

"Yes, I understand, Murphy. But let me have it my way for today. Don't worry, the shooting will go on for five more months, at most. After that I'll get a break," he said to convince Murphy.

"Sure, sir."

Ian's assistant said and walked away. Seeing how he walked away, Ian realised the worth of Murphy. He truly cared for Ian and it showed through his practises.

But with great power in his mind; the mind library, came a big ounce of responsibilities—-responsibilities such as trying to capture the essence and movie core as it is.

Which was why he didn't want to go without participating in the set and seeing how things were going. He knew The Godfather was too precious of a movie to make silly mistakes and ruin its importance.

-

[On Set]

"Ian, I've a feeling that the setting is going to be too dark if we go with your choice…" Raelynn looked at Ian and tried to explain where she came from.

It was true. The setting of the movie, in fact, was too dark.

Ian remembered how in the original movie the cinematographer Gordon Willis earned himself the nickname "The Prince of Darkness," since his sets were so underlit. "Paramount Pictures" executives initially thought that the footage was too dark until persuaded otherwise by Willis and Francis Ford Coppola that it was to emphasise the shadiness of the Corleone family's dealings.

This also reminded him of the little beef Francis had with Paramount Pictures, in which Paramount Pictures frequently tried to have Coppola replaced, citing his inability to stay on schedule, unnecessary expenses, and production and casting errors. But the director managed to complete the movie ahead of schedule and under budget.

With that playing in mind, he looked at the scene that she was watching.

"Not really. Trust me when I say I've many reasons why the movie should be set in a dark, shadowy setting."

"Why?"

"Well, The darkness reflects the secretive world of organised crime, symbolises moral ambiguity, portrays the gritty reality, and is an artistic choice to create a visually striking film. And without that, we wouldn't be capturing anything to go well with the movie, or do any decency to the script," Ian explained thoroughly.

Working with Raelynn also meant that he was her mentor. Not just Raelynn, but also many people around him looked up to him.

"Oh, understood," she said and walked away.

Ian saw how the actor who was playing Don Corleone was running his lines with the actor who was playing Sollozzo.

Both were very-well known famous actors in Hollywood. And seeing them help each other out, made Ian feel good for some reason.

"They seem to be bonding well, eh?" Joseph appeared and questioned.

Ian nodded and looked away. When the actor of Don Corleone came to his mind, he thought of how the actor who played Vito Corleone in his previous world wanted Don Corleone to "look like a bulldog," so he stuffed his cheeks with cotton wool for the audition.

And for the actual filming, he wore a mouthpiece made by a dentist. This appliance is on display in the American Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York.

Ian smiled to himself as he remembered the little things, seeing how the set was alive and busy.

-

Soon after, the shooting began as usual.

"... Quiet on the set, please!" Ian commanded.

"... Camera!"

"Set!"

"Sound!"

"Set!"

"Lighting!"

"Set!"

"Action!"

The clapperboard walked in front of the camera and thus, the actors started playing their roles.

"My business is heroin, I have poppy fields, and laboratories in Marseilles and Sicily, ready to go into production.  My importing methods are as safe as these things can be, with about a five per cent loss.  The risk is nothing, the profits enormous." Sollozzo said, looking at Don Corleone.

"Why did you come to me?  Why do I deserve your generosity?" Don Corleone asked back.

"Cut! I need more feelings! Ask the question like you mean it!" Ian yelled.

The actors paused and looked at each other.

"Alright, let's try again!"

Thus, the same scene started to play again. Yet again, Ian was not satisfied with the outcome.

"Cut cut cut! No, you need to mean what you're saying. It seems like you're so out of character, Corleone. And it shows here. The cameras are quite close to you and the sound variations are clear. Shall we try again?" Ian asked. They all agreed seeing how slightly frustrated Ian looked.

The same scene went on more than ten times.

Although it was a dialogue exchange between two characters, Ian wanted it to be perfect in every way possible.

And in the end, there was one shot that made Ian believe that they could get the perfect shot if they tried a little harder.

-

"I need two million dollars in cash...more importantly, I need a friend who has people in high places; a friend who can guarantee that if one of my employees is arrested, they would get only light sentences. Be my friend," Sollozzo said.

"What percentages for my family?"

"Thirty per cent.  In the first year, your share would be four million dollars; then it would go up."

"And what is the percentage of the Tattaglia family?"

"Cut! That was a close shot! Let's try once again!" Ian said as the actor played Corleone sighed loudly.

"Let's go!" he said and clapped his hands, trying to muster up all his strength for a good shot.