Exploiting Hollywood 1980

After winning this short-term project, Ronald asked his agent Richard to search for him the music video tapes he could find since the channel was launched, and watched them at home for one day and two nights.

He watched all kinds of music videos at once.

Although it is a new thing, music video is developing rapidly and now has various shooting genres and editing styles. Ronald had a plan in mind and began to draw the storyboard of the music video at the end of "The Amazing Dirt Band".

"The editing rhythm of the MV is different from that of ordinary movies. The movie has the plot first, and then the soundtrack. The MV matches the pictures according to the rhythm of the song. It does not need a complete story. The audience will imagine the missing parts by themselves. part."

Ronald picked up the storyboards he had drawn and showed the original director Lou Adler the ending shot he imagined.

Lou Adler looked at the storyboards carefully, "Your idea is very original, and it's not exactly the same as those music videos."

"Yes, the music videos played on the station now are either live clips of the singer singing, or a splicing of various symbolic scenes. If there is 'victory' in the lyrics, there will be fireworks, and if there is 'love' in the lyrics, there will be a kissing scene. After all, we are still making movies.”

Ronald divided the storyboard on the table into three pieces and said to Adler:

"Here is the band 'The Magic Stains' singing live, here is the happy life they lead, and finally here is their record sales, awards, etc. Although it is relatively loose, the audience can still combine these shots through their imagination. A complete story."

Lou Adler was quite satisfied. This fresh method of filming music videos looked very interesting. The station should also be satisfied with this innovative approach and broadcast it on a rolling basis on the channel.

Before it is released, this MV can also be used as an advertisement and trailer for the movie and is rotated on the channel. The audience there is mainly teenagers, which happens to be the main audience of the movie.

So he confirmed Ronald's idea and started calling to gather the filming team and the three leading actors who played the band members. Shooting started the day after tomorrow.

"I'm very satisfied. I will add your name to the director team." Lou Adler found the team, gave Ronald a glass of whiskey, and said with satisfaction.

"Huh?" Ronald was actually unwilling. He didn't want to leave his name on such a bad movie. He just wanted to get money and the director's gratitude.

"Actually, I don't really care about my name appearing in the subtitles, Mr. Adler. To be honest, the price you offered is already very generous.

I'm very satisfied.

Moreover, I have already directed one movie independently, and it is not an improvement for me to appear in other directing team positions. "

"I understand what you mean, that's all."

Lou Adler was also very satisfied with Ronald's professionalism in taking money to do things. Why didn't he encounter such dedicated practitioners when he was filming? They were all salary thieves who did not work hard.

On the day of filming, Ronald came to the location in advance, which was Lou Adler's mansion, a large villa in the middle of the mountain.

"This roof can be used as a stage for band performances, and the satellite dishes there can be used as a decoration to express a modern element." Lou Adler showed Ronald various performance locations.

"Uh, okay." Ronald felt that this shooting method was also a way of thinking. At least there was no need to find a large performance venue again and waste money on another day of work.

"This is my room of honor, with all kinds of record awards."

Ronald looked at it and picked up a gold record certificate and looked at it. It said "the mamas and papas band, 'all the leaves are brown' - 1967".

"This is good, let Diane hold it when the time comes."

"This is my practice room with all kinds of audio equipment."

Ronald felt that Adler could open a small record label and a recording studio at home.

By the time the dressing room and costume designers finished dressing up the three protagonists, even though Ronald had already seen the samples, he was still surprised by Diane Lane's makeup.

“This is a girl punk rock band, ha!”

During the period, Diane Lane wore a one-piece miniskirt with an Indianism Van Gogh style pattern, bright red stockings underneath, and a pair of lavender high heels.

"Hey, Ronald, why are you here?" Diane Lane wore a long dark red wig, pushed aside her bangs that were blown by the wind, and was shocked when she saw Ronald's figure.

"Didn't the director tell you? I'll take the reshoots today."

"No, Bert and I have been busy auditioning these days. There is a big-budget movie that has summoned actresses from all over the country to Los Angeles." Diane answered.

"Is it really you?" Laura Dern also came over with makeup on. After she conveyed Ronald's suggestion to Paramount through her mother, she didn't expect to be called upon to reshoot the ending scene so quickly.

After the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, she also gained some popularity as "Miss Golden Globe Award". If the film can be released... she should have the opportunity to play the heroine next time.

Ronald looked at Laura. She was wearing a purple vest and pink skirt, similar to Diane's outfit, except that the stockings were white.

"You two stand side by side, let me take a look." Ronald discovered that Laura Dern was already taller than Diane. When filming in 1980, Laura was obviously shorter.

"When the time comes, you stand on the right, the one who plays Diane's sister stands on the left, and Diane faces forward." Ronald took out the director's viewfinder, stepped back and observed the positions of the three people in the camera, and asked Diane to face forward. The height difference between her and Laura is not obvious.

"A little further. Okay, let's rehearse and play music."

Lou Adler asked the staff to drag a pair of top-of-the-line high-fidelity speakers out of the room and place them on the roof to play the pre-recorded song, "the fabulous stains", which was recorded by Diane.

"Not me, not me." Diane Lane said her mouth in response to her own voice.

"Oh my god, Diane really can't sing." Ronald thought to himself, this off-key voice was really terrible.

"Costume, costume?" Ronald called the costumer, "Add a dark coat to Diane, otherwise the pair of bright red stockings and the light blue top will not be able to hold it down."

"What kind of top?"

"This is the one I have." Ronald took off his dark blue uniform with metal buttons, called Diane over, and put it on her to try the effect.

"That's it, dark blue on the top and bright red on the bottom. Black is also fine."

"These are just a bunch of people who don't even know how to match clothes." Ronald shook his head and thought to himself as he watched the costume designer look for clothes.

"You should rehearse dressed first." Ronald walked behind the camera and looked at Diane through the viewfinder. His coat was too big on her body, with shoulder pads to support her shoulders, but the sleeves were still a bit too long. , a bit ridiculous.

"Good, that's it."

Ronald went to look at the recording equipment again. There was wind on the roof and the recording pole was relatively long. Ronald saw that the sound engineer's arm strength was good, so he felt relieved and was ready to start filming. The level of this work team is average, and I have to go through it myself before I can do it.

Diane was carrying an electric guitar on his back, making a few playing gestures with his right hand, imagining a chord with his left hand, and secretly glanced at Ronald, who was talking to the recording engineer below.

After he finished speaking, he looked towards himself again. Diane immediately looked away and began to pretend to play.

"Recording, camera, !"

After filming this performance scene, Ronald took additional shots of Diane celebrating with a gold record, playing with her two sisters in the swimming pool, and shots of Diane's face in various fake magazines.

"Just shoot it here. After I finish editing, the director should arrange for it to be released."

"Okay, Ronald." Several actors went to remove their makeup.

Ronald looked directly at the end of the original film on the editing machine at the director's home, thinking about how to connect today's reshoots.

The original ending shot featured a close-up of Diane, whose protagonist was kicked off the tour but heard her single being played on the radio. It's a dumbfounding expression. If it ends like this, the audience will really be dissatisfied.

"Here let's add a narration by Diane. She said that she would never give up. It turned out that she was a little girl that no one noticed, and now she is the lead singer of a punk band that entered the charts. I won't give up, and you shouldn't give up either. "

Ronald pointed to Diane's skunk makeup on the monitor and said to director Lou Adler.

"I think it's okay. I'll ask Diane to record it."

"I used to be just like you, nothing. But I didn't give up, and you shouldn't give up either. It's you who made me who I am now." After taking off her makeup, Diane faced the whiteboard across from her in the recording studio. He finished his narration.

"Good, that's it." Director Lou Adler manipulated the tape recorder himself.

Ronald was still outside the glass of the recording studio, holding a whiteboard toward the glass with the narration lines he had just written on it.

Now Diane is back to her usual look, with her long brown hair tied into a braid on the back of her head. Her face shape is very suitable for filming, and she looks beautiful when photographed from both sides.

"The general idea of ​​editing is this..." Ronald put down the whiteboard and talked about editing with director Lou Adler.

Diane came out of the recording studio and stood watching Ronald for a while, watching him discuss editing with the director, until Laura Dern came to her.

"What are you laughing at, Diane? What do you think of this movie? Will it be released?"

"Huh? I don't know. I think it would be better to add an ending. You should have confidence in Ronald. I think he understands movies better than the original director."

The two of them walked out of the room together while talking.

"That's my way of thinking. What do you think? Mr. Adler?"

"Very good, I don't have any objections. Let's just follow this. I have an editing machine here, and I can finish it here when it's developed."

"Okay, I'll go back first." Ronald said goodbye to the director and prepared to go home.

"Hey, where's Diane?" Ronald looked up and found that Diane was gone. When he looked out the window, it was already dark. "Should we leave now? I forgot to ask what movie she was auditioning for. It shouldn't be Coppola's World The release contract has not been signed yet, the loan has not been secured, and Coppola has no money to pay his salary."

A few days later, Ronald completed the editing of "The Amazing Dirt Band", and Lou Adler had some new ideas. He added a lot of early shots of his band to the ending MV, paying homage to the tradition. pay tribute.

Ronald disagreed. With the whimsical editing, it might be okay to make a pure music video, but the ending of the movie is obviously inappropriate.

However, my mission has been completed. I just want to take the money and leave. There is no need to say more.

Lou Adler was very excited and wrote a check on the spot, saying that he would cooperate with him again in the future and shoot music videos for his singers.

"You can contact Eddie, my agent in New York who handles non-movie stuff."

A few days later, Ronald received a call from his agent Niceta.

"Hey, is Coppola getting the loan and preparing to form a crew?" Ronald was eager to learn Coppola's secrets.

"Don't worry, he has already gone to Europe to sign a contract and will be back soon.

I'm looking for you for another thing. It seems that someone copied your idea and followed suit and made a movie with a plot that has many similarities to "Fast-paced Richmond High". I asked Richard to pick you up..."

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