Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The so-called high version and short version refer to the two versions of the lead singer.

One recording was of the motels, whose lead singer was Martha Davis, who was very tall.

The other was from a band called Berlin, with a short lead singer named Terri Nunn.

The performances of the two recordings are somewhat similar, both in a pop-rock style. Martha Davis is more inclined to the classic rock of the 1950s and 1960s, while Terri Nunn of the Berlin band is more unrestrained.

Ronald distinguished it carefully, and it seemed that the timbres of the two singing songs were very similar. Comparing it carefully with the interlude in the dream, it was difficult to tell who sang it.

"Which version do you prefer?" Ronald had to ask the two producers for their opinions.

"Martha Davis is now well-known, and the Berlin band is still working hard to hold concerts. They lack a popular title song." Bruckheimer did not answer the question directly.

"I prefer the motels' songs, but it's up to you to decide the soundtrack." Don Simpson didn't interfere either. Ronald's editing style, pictures and interludes are highly bound. The two reached an agreement and could not interfere with his judgment.

"Call George Moroder and ask him to come over." Ronald had no choice but to ask the music producer responsible for the soundtrack for advice.

"What, my friend, is it difficult for you to choose? Tell me, what was your first feeling? Or which girl do you like?" George Moroder came to the recording studio and heard that Ronald could not make up his mind and put the two together. I brought posters of the lead singer of each band.

When it comes to music, sometimes it all comes down to feeling. Whether it’s the first feeling when hearing a sound or the first feeling when seeing a photo. As an artist, sometimes you have to rely on your intuition.

Ronald put on his headphones and listened to it over and over again a dozen times. He took off his headphones and looked at the photos of the two lead singers, looking at their faces carefully for a long time.

Then he pointed to a picture of Terri Nunn, the lead singer of the band Berlin. "Can you ask her to come over? I have a question for her."

Terri Nunn's hair was dyed light blonde, but the bangs still maintained the original brown color, which is very personal. She is very short but has great energy when she sings.

"Terri, we didn't create this song ourselves, otherwise we shouldn't sing it." John, the band's lead guitarist and main songwriter, advised her. John had always insisted that the Berlin band only sing their own original songs.

"But this song is really great, very romantic, and I want to sing it." Terri Nunn didn't want to quarrel with the core members of the band anymore, but she couldn't forget the words of the producer Giorgio Moroder who had hired him with a lot of money. She said it.

"I have a song here, Tom Cruise! Ronald Lee! Next summer's summer release! It's going to be a hit! A huge hit! A super hit! Will you sing it?"

Giorgio Moroder not only worked as a producer for superstars such as David Bowie, but also scored the hit movie "Flashdance". Terri Nunn insisted on singing this song despite the band split.

"Terri, come and meet our great director, Ronald Lee. He is a master at shooting music videos. Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and MJ all queue up to ask him to shoot music videos. If you are interested in him, , shoot a music video for you, and you might just take off."

As an Italian, Giorgio Moroder was very good at bragging about his partners.

"Terri Nunn is one of the most gifted female vocalists I've ever seen. Her range and energy are incredible. You've heard her sing and you can ask for anything."

Ronald took off his headphones and shook hands with the little frontman. This female lead singer has a very chic temperament, even more arrogant than the female rock singer played by Diane.

"I heard you want to see me? I saw the real person. Do you have any questions to ask me?" Terri Nunn's voice also had a hint of metallic sound.

Ronald stared at the other party for a while. He heard a hint of the feeling in the biased recording from the other party's voice. Ronald opened his mouth and asked:

"How long has it been since you had a boyfriend?"

…

"Huh?" Producer Don Simpson, Bruckheimer, and music producer Giorgio Moroder were all stunned. This method of picking up girls was really refreshing and refined.

"Did you hear it? After our first album was released, I didn't have a normal... life." Terri Nunn didn't care.

"So I can't sympathize with the tenderness between lovers like 'Take My Breath Away'. I just sang it with the emotion of longing for love and longing for a man."

"Very good, it's you." Ronald decided on the lead vocal.

The Lone Ranger and Charlie in the movie are like this. For most of the plot, they are happy enemies. In the end, there is no clear explanation whether they are together or not.

This feeling of longing for love is just right for the plot.

Ronald immediately returned to the editing table and began to set the scene of the hero and heroine riding a motorcycle together on the beach to the rhythm of Terri Nunn's singing.

"No...you called her here and just left her alone?" As an Italian, Giorgio Moroder really couldn't stand Ronald's style. Italian men must be gentle and caring when treating women, so that they will melt slowly in warmth like a piece of butter.

"It's cool. This is good. This is the style of a great director." Terri Nunn admired Ronald's artistry. It’s not that she doesn’t understand Hollywood. She once auditioned for the lead role of Princess Leia in “Star Wars”.

It's just that her father, an actor, died early due to alcoholism, and unlike Carrie Fisher, her mother, Debbie Reynolds, called Lucas to ask for care.

"That's it, then I'll go back. If Ronald is free then, ask him to direct a music video for our band." Terri Nunn walked away gracefully.

"This..." Several people present couldn't understand it again, so they had to attribute it to the artist's sympathy for each other.

Three interludes with a very outstanding style, plus five or six other interludes that match the plot environment, are all in place.

Day by day editing passed by discussions between Ronald and the two editors. After Chris and Billy became familiar with Ronald's methods, they also put forward many good suggestions. Spending more than ten hours in the editing room every day, Ronald and them had to discuss repeatedly and modify the position of the editing points.

Industrial Light and Magic from the stunt model team also helped Ronald shoot the horizontal spiral shots. The special effects employee who was good at tossing model airplanes climbed up to a high crane and threw the model downwards with a little spin.

Although two models were missed and lost, Industrial Light and Magic prepared five models, and finally captured a horizontal spiral shot that was realistic enough.

Time passed day by day, and after two months, the first cut of "Top Gun" was finally completed, and the soundtrack was basically mixed into the soundtrack on the film.

The chirping of summer cicadas begins to fill the editing room outside Los Angeles.

Ronald edited the last working sample and put it into the iron box. Next, he will send it to Paramount's factory. According to the editing sequence of the working sample, the film editor will be asked to edit the negative, and finally develop and print it. Samples of responses were produced for Paramount executives to view.

"Is this really possible?"

Ned Tanning was the first Paramount executive to see the dailies developed by Ronald.

He likes Ronald's MV-style editing very much, and several of the interludes are also very nice. However, there is no profound story or performance in the entire movie, and the dialogues between the characters seem a bit simple.

The whole story, how should I tell it? It's a bit like a MV, relatively superficial. Will this kind of story, which all follows the fast editing rhythm of the MV and is deeply coordinated with the music, be liked by the audience?

"No problem, Ned. Several young editing assistants like it very much." Chris and Billy tried their best to persuade the senior management. Although they were not supposed to be the ones to speak here, after watching the finished film, the excited reactions of several editing assistants in their twenties gave them a sense of accomplishment with this new editing method.

Ned Tanning looked at the producer and director, "Since you are all confident, come with me and show it to CEO Mr. Mancuso."

"Is this the final result of your editing?" The next day, Mancuso took the time to watch the finished film of Top Gun at the agreed time.

He felt happy and sad at the same time.

Happily, as expected, the Ronalds made the movie extremely fragmented. When the audience goes to the cinema, they appreciate a good story. A movie like this might only gain ratings if it cuts out three good interludes and sends them to TV stations.

It's sad that Paramount, once the most powerful company in Hollywood, actually produced this kind of garbage movie. And I didn’t have enough control to prevent the one-hour and forty-five-minute music video from being filmed in the first place. The budget of 15 million was wasted.

Now, it's time for the truth. Although money was wasted, it can still bring Paramount's production department back on track in the golden era. All these sacrifices are worth it.

"Yes, Mr. Mancuso, the people in the editing and special effects departments have seen it, and their response has been great," Ronald replied.

"Staff?" Mancuso sneered inwardly. How can the reaction of the staff be compared with that of the audience? They are the ones counting on you to write your paycheck, so what bad comments can they make to reach your ears.

"When can we start the marketing campaign? Has the schedule been finalized?" Don Simpson asked directly about the release.

"I think your editing is not good enough, it is too fragmented. The audience will not be able to accept it." Mancuso took the notebook directly and completely rejected the editing of the film, "How about you edit another version? ?This time, use more long lenses and main lenses.

Oh ho? Or did you not take the main shot? I can't give you any more budget. "

Mancuso, as a veteran, of course saw Ronald's intention of not shooting the main shots, to prevent himself from finding someone to edit without him. This guy is really interesting. Did he really think he was filming masterpieces like "Fit", "High Noon", and "Sunset Boulevard"?

How could a great director like Billy Wilder or John Ford pull this trick? Sure enough, it was still a mess.

"Frank, I think their editing is also an innovative method. Although it does not have the classic Hollywood narrative method, the quality is still passable. The young staff members like it very much."

Ned Tanning defends 'Top Gun'.

"That's not a real audience at all. A real audience has not read your script, and they will have difficulty understanding it."

…

Seeing the two people getting into a dispute, Ronald gradually understood on the other side of the conference table. Mancuso really dislikes his own directing and editing from the bottom of his heart. His mind was still stuck in the 1950s. At that time, the audience did not have television to accompany them, and what they wanted when going to the cinema was a good story.

The current audience and TV stations have been watching it for several years. Young people have very rich imaginations. They can imagine a complete story in just a few minutes of music video. Why can't "Top Gun" do the same?

"Mr. Mancuso," Ronald began, "I would like to suggest that we find some test screening audiences and see what they think?"

He recalled the time when he filmed a chewing gum commercial. Finally, the audience was asked to vote in different places to decide whether the film was good or not.

"You seem confident," Mancuso smiled.

"Then Ned, arrange one, no, three test screenings in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago to see how the audience reacts in the three most representative big cities."

7017k

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