Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 176 Lighting Technician Corruption

"Furuya-kun! Congratulations on another huge success! I heard from my friends at Toei that the ratings reached 25%. That's incredible!"

At noon, Gu Ming just came out of the office and saw Hashimoto Yoji coming towards him, and he didn't forget to congratulate him repeatedly.

"25%? That's really good!"

Gu Ming quickly recalled.

Was Kamen Rider's original ratings around 20%?

He couldn't recall it for a moment, but in Gu Ming's impression, the ratings of the first generation Kamen Rider were indeed not as high as the works of Wangu next door. The highest record was 30%, when Kamen Rider No. and No. beat up a poor Shocker monster.

——This is also a feature of the Kamen Rider Shed. The old gangsters of the Showa era often fight in groups. A group of knights beat up a poor monster, and it is hard to tell who is more miserable.

In the original world, the ratings of the first broadcast of Kamen Rider I was less than 10%, which can be said to be the worst of the worst. Compared with the Return of Ultraman from the same period, the ratings were almost twice as low. The Return of Ultraman had a rating of 26%.

But with the departure of Number One and the appearance of Number Two, the increase of transformation moves and killer moves such as the Knight Kick, as the story gradually unfolds, Kamen Rider's status continues to rise, while Bankai's status continues to decline. When Ultraman returned, he was still able to suppress Kamen Rider, but in the era of Ace, he was completely suppressed.

anyway.

The first broadcast rate increased from less than 10% to 25%, which is a huge improvement.

Gu Ming naturally thanked Hashimoto Yoji and accepted the gifts he brought.

"Come to think of it, it must be very difficult for Furuya-kun to run back and forth between two crews at the same time, right?"

"It's certainly not easy, but after all, it's all at the Daquan Photo Studio, so it's quite convenient."

Gu Ming suddenly remembered something and asked Hashimoto Yoji, "Speaking of which, Toei provided some staff, such as lighting technicians, props, etc., Mr. Hashimoto, do you have any understanding of the filming process? Generally speaking, how much does the lighting fee cost?"

"That's not a small number!"

Yoji Hashimoto spread his hands.

Many people think that shooting in a studio is cheaper than shooting on location, but this is not true. Studio shooting is also very expensive, mainly due to the wear and tear of props and the need for set design.

Hashimoto Yoji said, "Take the lighting as an example. Furuya-kun must have heard about Mantani Eiji. Toho built a high-lumen studio specifically for him. All the lighting equipment in this studio is made of ultra-high-lumen equipment. The electricity bill every time it is turned on is astronomical, and the lighting wears out very quickly. During the filming of Godzilla, in the past, in order to ensure smooth filming, the entire Toho had to cut off the power, and only the studio lights were brightly lit."

"At that time, Director Akira Kurosawa would often borrow the studio. Although I haven't heard of any interaction between the two, it's clear that they were at least acquaintances."

"Based on prices from the 1960s, a high-lumen studio like that would cost at least 10,000 yen to operate for a day."

"Especially when trying to create a high-lumen effect, every watt increase doesn't necessarily improve the effect, but the cost of consumption at least doubles."

Gu Ming nodded slightly.

This is really not a small number.

"So, with the current price increases, it's not uncommon for a studio to cost 20,000 yuan for lighting for a single day?"

But Gu Ming still felt that there was something wrong here.

After thanking Hashimoto Yoji and agreeing to go out for a drink at a convenient time, Gu Ming said goodbye and went to Oizumi Photography Studio for today's shooting.

Although it is a double-duty job, I still have to do my best.

After finishing filming a scene for Maoyan, Gu Ming made some inquiries and went to find the lighting technician.

The lighting engineer was a very experienced old man from Toei, and he had an apprentice named Tetsuya Inahune.

"Old man, you have worked hard." Gu Ming greeted him, handed him a cigarette, and asked a few questions.

"I've seen the crew's expenses, and the lighting costs are huge. What's going on?"

The old man didn't answer, just puffed out his cigarette and winked at someone nearby. Dao Hengzhe also immediately stepped forward and bowed to Gu Ming.

"Mr. Furuya, you might not know this, but lighting costs are actually quite high. For example, those high-lumen bulbs cost a lot of money each, and they also wear out a lot. It's easy for one or two of them to break, and the electricity bill is also quite high."

As he spoke, he showed Gu Ming several boxes on the ground.

"Look, these are all old light bulbs that have been replaced. I have to take them out and throw them away later."

Gu Ming opened the box and took a look. The light bulbs were indeed quite large. Each one was almost as big as a person's upper torso.

The interiors of several of the bulbs were dark and dim, and it was obvious that the filaments had burned out.

Gu Ming kicked the box and saw that it was empty underneath, with nothing hidden.

Dao Hengzhe's expression changed slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"Sorry, I don't understand." Gu Ming bowed and said, "Well, I'll take my leave now. I'll need your cooperation in the subsequent filming. I hope you won't be stingy with your skills."

The old master puffed out a cloud of smoke before speaking, "What are you talking about? I've worked in Daquan for so many years. As long as I pay you, you can turn up the lighting to any level you want! Do you want me to illuminate every hair on your face?"

Gu Ming laughed, waved his hand, apologized, and left.

As soon as Gu Ming left, Dao Hengzhe looked at his master.

"Master, then I'll go out and take out the trash first?"

"Go."

The old master didn't seem to care much about it.

But when Dao Hengzhe also picked up the box, the old master suddenly put down his cigarette, and his words seemed to imply something else.

"Zheya, you didn't hide anything from me, did you?"

"No, how could it be possible! My cousin's mother is your son's classmate!"

The old master waved his hand without comment and let Dao Hengzhe leave.

Dao Hengzhe also breathed a sigh of relief and left the studio with the light bulb.

After hiding outside, Dao Hengzhe found a secluded place nearby. He squatted down and took a closer look, and couldn't help but grin.

"Is that bastard a gorilla? He kicked all these lights out!"

Fortunately, only the bottom light was broken, and the lights above were still working.

Dao Hengzhe also wiped it a few times quickly, and the light bulb returned to its original clean state.

This is not an ordinary lamp, but a high-lumen lighting lamp used by Toei to build studios. It can be used in a wide range of places!

Such as landscape lights outside landmark buildings at night, indicator lights at airports, etc., are used in many places.

As an apprentice of a lighting technician, Ina Hengzhe also knows the benefits of this.

Replacing the bulb with a one-watt bulb is bright enough for this kind of high-lumen lighting, and the difference of one or two levels is not easily noticeable. The master is old and his eyes are blurry, so he can't easily tell the difference.

Unless the lighting technician is experienced and has not lost his eyesight, outsiders do not understand this business and will most likely not be able to tell the difference. This is where he has room to play freely and at least make a lot more money.

Replacing the light bulbs that have not been scrapped and selling them to outsiders can bring in extra money.

All in all, you will have to pay a few thousand yuan more when you file your bill.

These are all his extra income!
(End of this chapter)