Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"You weren't selected. Coppola gave the director's guild-paid internship to a relative of a senior Warner Bros. guy. You have to understand him, Ronald. Coppola is in a bad financial situation right now, and he's counting on this movie The movie turned around. There was no way he could refuse the request from Warner executives."

Ronald heard the bad news from his agent Niceta the next day, and he had no choice but to do the next best thing:

"Okay, I understand. Rick, can you help me contact Director Coppola? I want to ask him about the consistency of actors' performances in person. I will only delay him for half an hour. I know you can help him finalize it. Coppola would agree to a distribution contract for the new film.

Can you help me? When I owe you once? "

"Hahaha", Niceta's serious face burst into laughter. "Although that position was not given to you, Coppola wants you to help on the set and be his special assistant. Because of financial constraints, he can only give it to you. The minimum wage will have to be paid after the machine is started.

So he asked me to ask you. He knows that you have directed a feature film, and he is afraid that you will not accept this low-paying position. "

Ronald was overjoyed and said, "It doesn't matter. You don't have to give me any money, or I can pay you back."

As long as you can see up close how great directors deal with the issue of performance consistency, you can arrange it in any way you like. This is something you can’t learn without spending money.

"This is the place of work, the peepshow studio. Remember to help Tom Cruise and other CAA contracted actors." Niceta handed over a list.

The list of actors signed by CAA to audition was listed above. There were more than ten actors, and clients of Niceta and Paula were specially marked with asterisks.

Ronald happily accepted the job and came to the Peep Show company's studio in Los Angeles to report the next day.

"Coppola is very busy today. He asked me to teach you how to use this new toy and then start filming the audition video."

The person speaking was Fred, the casting director who had worked with Coppola for ten years. He was once responsible for the casting of The Godfather.

Ronald picked up a camera on the table. It had a black appearance and exquisite metal processing. It had the Japanese manufacturer's logo "Sony" on it, and below the logo were the words "betacam".

"It's made by the same manufacturer as the Walkman." Ronald thought to himself, casually picking up the machine and carrying it on his shoulder.

"The zoom of the lens is here, and here is the buckle for the microphone. After it is installed, it is right next to the lens.

The radio effect within five meters is very good. "

"Here's the video button... Hey, have you ever used this little toy?" Fred, the audition director, couldn't help but wonder when he saw Ronald finding the video and stop buttons and deftly placing the viewfinder hood on his right eye. Surprised.

"No, it's my first time using it, but its button design is the same as that of the video recorder, and it's also in a convenient position." Ronald put the betacam video recorder down from his shoulder.

"You can connect a tripod below, and you will be responsible for the audition at that position." Fred pointed to a corner of the studio, where there was a small "room" enclosed by wooden boards.

"Here are the video tapes. Each tape can record thirty minutes of images and sounds. There will be a red light warning at the end. Remember to change it. This is the audition log. Remember to write down the name and other information of each audition actor. .

Then ask them to report their name, age, height, and which half of their face is more photogenic during the audition. Then you ask them some character-related questions, and here is the list of questions. By the way, actresses are not allowed to wear makeup. "

"I see."

Ronald turned on the betacam, then sat across from the camera and began to say, "My name is Ronald Lee. I am twenty-two years old. I am six feet two inches tall. I don't know that half of my face is more photogenic."

The audition director Fred pressed the stop button and connected the camera to the TV. "My name is Ronald Lee..." The scene of Ronald filming himself was shown on the TV.

"A camcorder?" This betacam can not only take pictures, but can also be connected to a TV for playback. It's a really good toy, but it's a bit too big to take out for fun. Although it is much smaller than today's general-purpose cameras.

"How much does this thing cost?"

"It hasn't been officially launched yet. This is a sample given to Coppola by Japan's Sony Corporation."

Ronald set up a tripod and set up a camera in the temporary audition room surrounded by wooden boards. Then lay the audition log out on the table, put the list of questions on it, and ask Fred, "How many actors are auditioning today?"

"All actors under the age of thirty-five in America are here."

It seems that Director Coppola's appeal is still very strong. Although it only has a budget of less than 10 million, the size of the actors who came to audition is almost the same as that of Leon's 30 million US dollar masterpiece.

Sony's betacam still has a slight problem. Its three color channels are not symmetrical. The shots taken are slightly green, which is somewhat different from the colors in the real world, giving it a sci-fi feel.

"Please tell me your name, age, and height." Ronald turned on the video button and asked the first actress to audition to introduce herself.

"Kate Capshaw, I'm five feet seven inches, a little bit longer." The actress raised her hand in a "a little bit" gesture.

Capshaw has blond curly hair and is probably close to thirty years old. She is trying her best to make herself look younger with playful moves. Looking at Ronald's smile, she knows that her little trick has been seen through, and she is embarrassed. Laughed.

"What is the age range of the characters you can play?" Ronald knew that she deliberately did not mention her age, but he still had to ask clearly, so he used a less hurtful method.

"Ah, that's a very good question." Capshaw lowered his head sadly. He was over twenty-eight years old and had not yet had the chance to make a famous movie.

The heroine of "The Naughty Child" is only sixteen years old, but her agent still urged her to give it a try, "What if Coppola likes your look?" These were the agent's exact words.

She sorted out her emotions, then raised her head and said to Ronald behind the camera, "I think twenty..." She looked at Ronald's eyes and adjusted her answer, "Twenty-one... ..., twenty-one to...thirty? What do you think?"

Ronald felt that the actress was about to burst into tears, "Your answer is very good. Director Coppola will inform you after he has seen everyone's auditions."

"Next person……"

The actresses filmed audition videos one by one, and it was true as the audition director said, actors under the age of thirty-five from all over Hollywood and Broadway came. Ronald and another audition assistant were in charge of a video camera that filmed actresses' auditions.

There are two video cameras at the other end of the studio filming male actors' auditions.

"Hi, Ronald! Why are you here?"

Ronald looked up from behind the camera. This was an acquaintance he hadn't seen for a long time, the star of "Rock of Ages", PJ Soles.

"Hi, PJ. I'm working as an audition assistant for Director Coppola, will you come to audition too?"

Ronald couldn't help but marvel at the charm of director Coppola. PJ Soles, already thirty-two years old, also joined in the fun to play a high school student.

"I'll give it a try. In fact, I'm here with Dennis." Soles's husband, Dennis Quaid, is 28 years old, but he looks younger, so he might have a role in playing the role of the eldest brother of the protagonist Ma Zai.

"Okay, you introduce yourself to the camera." Ronald wrote PJ Soles's name on the audition log and asked another audition assistant to operate the camera.

"We're out of tape," Ronald reminded the audition assistant.

"How did you change this?"

Ronald picked up a blank videotape and replaced it for him. The two exchanged positions again.

"Next person……"

This time, a beautiful woman, a nationally renowned youth idol, walked in. The photography assistant stood stunned on the table without saying a word.

"My name is Brooke Shields, I'm sixteen years old and six feet tall."

"Hey? Brooke, you're here too." Ronald poked his head out from behind the camera.

"Hey, Ronald. Is it you who directed it? How did my mother say it was Francis Coppola?"

"I'm just his assistant." Ronald quickly denied, "Let's do it again, you say it to the camera."

Ronald went back ten seconds and started recording again.

"My name is Brooke Shields, I'm sixteen years old and six feet tall."

"Have you ever had the experience of... falling in love with someone?" The audition assistant saw that Brooke Shields was a little excited and stammered the audition question.

"Well, I have never really fallen in love with anyone, if you mean romantic love. But I love my mother, my classmates, and my fans.

You know, I've done 'Endless Love,' and 'The Blue Lagoon,' and I get to play a girl in love on screen. "

"Okay, thank you, Brooke. Director Coppola will watch the audition together and will notify your mother Terry at that time."

Ronald shook his head secretly. Although he didn't know why Coppola asked this question, the heroine "Cherry" was a girl in a relationship, and Brooke's audition did not show a relationship.

Brooke's acting was always a problem, although her appearance suited the role and her fame helped market the movie, as long as her hair was dyed a reddish blonde.

"Do you know Brooke Shields? Can you get me an autographed photo?" The audition assistant smiled and came up to plead.

"You can ask her yourself, her mother is here and she is willing to do it to ordinary fans."

The audition assistant ran out.

"Next person……"

"Please introduce your name, age, and height..." Ronald looked at the chair from behind the camera, and then spoke the opening remarks of each audition semi-automatically.

A figure squeezed into the frame of the camera. He was quite tall and wore a turtleneck sweater. His brown hair looked a bit blond in the camera's view. His shawl was loose and looked a little disheveled.

"My name is Helen Slater, I'm five feet eight inches tall and I'm eighteen years old,"

Ronald smiled and asked the audition question, "Have you ever fallen in love with anyone?"

"Yeah, I feel love is the feeling at first sight, a kind of flame, a kind of lightning..." Helen said to the camera with her big blue eyes open.

Ronald felt that Helen seemed to be talking about love in an orthodox Shakespearean accent. Was it the drama department she studied at the Academy of Performing Arts?

"Okay, Director Coppola will have watched the audition tape, but I will notify your agent."

"Also, Helen, do you have any plans for lunch? Let's go have a cup of coffee?"

"Ronald?" Helen Lu covered her mouth with her hand, showing a surprised smile. Then she stared at Ronald with her big eyes and asked, "Are you asking me out?"

"You wait for me to audition and play the last few before noon, and we go to the cafe next door. Didn't you say you came to Los Angeles to audition for a big project? I thought it was Leon's 'Once Upon a Time in America'."

"I will also go to 'Once Upon a Time in America', which was recommended by my mother's agent. This film, 'The Kid', was recommended by my father's agent. They are all works by great directors, and they are here today. How many hundreds of people are there?”

"There will be more tomorrow," said Ronald, busy recording Helen's auditions.

Helen saw that Ronald was writing down his interview diary again and changing the video tape. "I'll go out and wait for you first. Come to me at the door when you're done."

"Okay, wait for me."

Ronald auditioned several more actresses, and during the lunch break, Coppola also came to see his audition.

"A total of... actresses were interviewed this morning. Do you want to continue at one o'clock in the afternoon?" Ronald reported the situation.

"Good job. After the preliminary elections are completed in these two days, we will start the mixed interview." Coppola looked at his watch. You go to have lunch first, Ronald. We will start on time in the afternoon.

Ronald hurried out to find Helen. The date was less than an hour long, so he was really nervous. "What does mixed interviewing mean? Could it be Coppola's secret? His casting for 'The Godfather' was perfect, and I have to learn from it."

Picking up Helen Slater at the door of the studio, the two went to a nearby cafe for a light meal.

"Your parents have found you an agent?"

"Yes, the agent my father hired always restricted the roles I could choose. There were some explicit scenes in 'Once Upon a Time in America', but he wouldn't let me go, saying it was my father's wish. But my mother is very open-minded, and she recommended Another agent put me in touch.”

"Isn't your mother a lawyer? How come she knows an acting agent?"

"It's interesting to say that that agent also supported environmental protection and anti-war, and participated in activities organized by my mother. He also discovered Christopher Reeve, who played Superman..."

"Did you graduate from an acting school in New York?"

"Yeah, let me tell you, the classmates there all like your script for 'Famous'. Now the TV series version has been shown on MGM TV in New York. The character of Leroy in the movie version is still the original version. Actor...but the role of Irene Kara will no longer be..."

"That's Gene Ray. I didn't expect him to go back to play the TV version of the same character..."

It was rare for Ronald to have acquaintances to chat with in Los Angeles. He felt that the quality of this simple meal was very good, and he felt as if he was fully charged after eating it.

…

"Here comes Bert and his daughter Diane," casting director Fred said to Coppola at the same time in the peepshow studio.

"It's noon break at this time, and Ronald hasn't come back yet." Coppola looked at his watch, "It doesn't matter, let her audition. I'll operate the camera for her."

"My name is Diane Lane...uh, Diane Lane, seventeen years old..." Diane was rarely nervous and mispronounced the accent of her name. Coppola is the director of "The Godfather" and his father Bert instilled a lot in him, knowing that this opportunity is rare.

"Have you ever fallen in love with anyone?" Fred, the casting director, asked.

"Fall in love with someone else? Yes, in high school." Diane lowered her head shyly, then raised her eyes, "Hmm... The most important thing about falling in love with someone else is having that feeling for the first time. You know Yeah..." She laughed nervously.

"He just peeks at him when he's not paying attention, and then prays for him to look over, look over. But when he really looks over, you will avoid his eyes. Hehe..."

One of Diane's eyebrows rose upwards, giving her a look that was a mixture of endearment and shyness.

Fred, the casting director, quietly poked Coppola, "What do you think?"

"I think Cherry is her."

7017k

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :